And so, very reluctantly, Sunday took it into the fitting room, where the owner of the shop helped her put it on. Staring at herself in the mirror once it was on, she did have to admit it looked very nice. In fact, she realised in that moment how much she had let herself go. She’d taken little interest in her appearance since she had lost Tom, and tended to wear practical, dark colours – but the soft blue of the dress seemed to lift her spirits.

‘Are you sure it’s not too young a style for me?’ she asked Cissie worriedly, when she came out of the fitting room to show it to her. ‘I am sixty-five, you know. I don’t want to walk about looking like mutton dressed as lamb.’

Livvy giggled. ‘Of course, it’s not too young for you,’ both she and Cissie assured her. ‘And actually, Mum, I think you look really good for your age, although you could do with doing something with your hair. That style is really out of fashion now.’

‘Really?’ Sunday’s hand rose to her hair which was pulled back into a severe bun at the back of her head. ‘In that case I’ll take the dress and we’ll make the hairdresser’s the next stop.’

Luckily, they found a hair salon that was able to fit her in without an appointment, which was just as well because Sunday knew that if she had time to think about having her hair chopped off, she might well change her mind. Tom had always loved her hair long, but styles were changing.

‘So, what would you like?’ the young hairdresser asked as she brushed Sunday’s long hair and smiled at her in the mirror.

Sunday gulped and Livvy piped up, ‘Let’s go for the Greta Garbo look. Shoulder length, then it won’t be too much of a shock all at once. Smooth on top, parted to one side and curly all around the bottom.’

The young woman nodded, and Sunday closed her eyes as she felt the girl make the first cut. Her hair fell to the floor in long strands and it wasn’t until sometime later, when she was told to open her eyes, that Sunday dared to take a peek in the mirror.

Her breath caught in her throat as she viewed the transformation, and when she turned her head from side to side, she hardly recognised herself and felt curiously light-headed.

‘It looks wonderful!’ Livvy clapped her hands with delight.

‘It certainly does,’ Cissie said approvingly. ‘It’s knocked years off yer. In fact, I might have mine done.’

Sunday was quietly pleased, and after paying the hairdresser and leaving her a generous tip, she followed Cissie and Livvy from the salon.