Mario exhaled slowly. ‘I saw a missed call from you and tried calling you all the way home, but you didn’t pick up. It only made me panic more.’

‘My phone’s on charge in the kitchen and then I was in the bath.’

‘What did you need me to call you about?’ He looked at a loss, seemingly still trying to understand the nature of the emergency.

Bess tightened the towel around her body and licked her lips.

‘I wanted to ask you to send me a birthday message on Facebook,’ she said, looking in the general direction of his face, but quite unable to meet his gaze.

‘Is this a joke?’ He took a big breath and again wiped sweat from his brow. He stared at her, as if waiting for the punchline, his eyes narrow and his mouth open. ‘I jumped in the van and Craig waved me out of the gate without saying a word, like he knew something I didn’t. The lads stared after me with their heads down. I’ve driven all the way back with my heart in my mouth, gone through every red light. I broke the speed limit on the dual carriageway, and you know when I’m not on site I’m not earning money, and all that for a fucking Facebook message? Are you for real?’

‘I didn’t think, I—’

‘No, you didn’t, Bess! For the love of God, can you imagine what the last half an hour has been like for me?’ He ran his hand over his face and flexed his fingers, before staggering to the bedroom, where he sat on the edge of the bed with his big, plaster-covered boots planted on the carpet, the ones he usually left by the front door. He slumped, as if weakened. ‘I honestly don’t know what to say to you.’ He snorted through his nose, bovine and furious.

Bess felt her intestines shrink with remorse and unease.

‘I’m sorry, Mario.’

The words felt thin. She sat behind him with her back against the headboard and the cold, slimy creep of wet, soggy hair on her shoulders. It was unpleasant, but this was not the time to mention that. ‘It’s Sushmita’s birthday as well and I logged on to Facebook to see my messages and there were loads for her and it felt so unfair. I mean, it’s my birthday too. I’ve worked in the school canteen much longer than her and—’

Mario raised his hand. ‘Please, Bess, just listen to yourself!’

And to her distress and dismay, she heard the crack in his voice. Bess leant forward and put her hand on his shoulder, watching as her husband did what she had only seen him do a handful of times throughout their marriage – he cried.