TWENTY-TWO
Mandy telephoned Jackie, ‘Jacks, I need you.’
‘Where are you?’
‘In my car on the seafront, by the fish place.’
‘The fish place?’
‘The Sea Life Centre, Jack calls it the fish place.’
‘I’ll get a cab.’
Mandy ended the call and looked out through her windscreen to the Solent, it was late afternoon, the sun still high, striking the driver’s side door. It was hot in the car, windows closed, she wanted to stay within her personal space, shielded, locked in. There were a lot of people around, holidaymakers, kids running, having fun, people in the sea; normal people, doing normal things. A man went by with a small child and they had ice creams. She thought back to when Jack bought Meesh her first ice cream, the cautious smile on the child’s face, and the warmth she felt looking o
