27: In All Seriousness
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BY THE SECOND OF JANUARY, Sue and Billy were starting to feel it: the ennui, and the anxiety of impending separation. They were quieter. Belle could see the longing and the fear in their eyes, and even the boys were subdued. The brief reunion would soon come to an end.
In preparation for their return to work, the boys were checking their emails regularly, which they hadn’t done the first two weeks. Banjo and Duck even called HQ. She could see they were mentally switching on and emotionally switching off.
From where she was standing in the living room, she saw Banjo sitting on the rails of the veranda, nursing a bottle of cold beer. His sights were far away. She came out, and he got to his feet and gave her the briefest of nod.
‘Hi,’ he said.
She sat in
