‘On his way to fight the Japs. And from what I hear they’ll have to fight hard. Where has your fella been?’

‘He came over from the Philippines. But he’s going to New Guinea in a month, Mum.’

‘Do you wish he could stay, then? Taken a shine to him, I see.’

‘Wait’ll you see the chocolates he brought you—you’ll take a shine to him too.’

Mum grinned into the bowl of peas. ‘He’s got nice manners and he dresses well,’ she conceded. ‘I just can’t get used to someone calling me “ma’am”. And I don’t want him to take you away.’

‘He’s not taking me anywhere. What’s he going to do, smuggle me in his gunny sack to New Guinea?’

She pinched my arm. ‘You know what I’m talking about. But you’re old enough now to make up your own mind about things. And you’re not half as dumb as you look.’

Funny, but from her mouth the words were a compliment. I like to imagine what she was really saying was that she was sorry she’d asked me to spy on Dad, that she saw it was time for me to live my own life, and that she was proud of me too. She didn’t know how to say such things, they were words that were never spoken to her, and in the same way I have trouble saying them to my own children. But I try—I do—and I like to think that I knew all the same.

The table was already set in the dining room and we carried in the dishes, Mum sending me to tell the men to come and eat. Fred was in the middle of a story and I could see it was meant to be funny from the way Roy was sitting back with an easy grin, the way Dad was already suppressing his guffaws, and I just wanted to grab Roy and kiss him on the mouth right there for putting up with my family. I waited for Fred to pause for breath before I interrupted.

‘Don’t go telling all your stories while I’m not here or you’ll just have to repeat yourself. Besides, the food’s on the table, getting cold. Come along.’

‘I hope she doesn’t boss you around like that,’ Fred said to Roy, and Roy shrugged and smiled at me.

I stood aside while Dad and Fred went into the dining room, smelling of beer and cigarettes, and felt Roy’s arm snake around my waist. I breathed in the freshness of his clean laundered shirt.

‘You can boss me anytime,’ he whispered, his lips near my ear making my breath catch, and he kissed me on the temple.

‘I hope they’re not being too intolerable…’