The flat was in a converted warehouse tucked down a lane off Errol Street, and consisted of two small bedrooms and bathroom accessed on the right-hand side of a narrow hallway that led to the living room, and on through to the kitchen. The layout was compact, with high ceilings and polished floorboards, and all the rooms were oddly shaped. The second bedroom a rhombus, the end wall narrowing to the width of the two-door built-in wardrobe. Its window looked out on a high brick wall about six metres away. The other bedroom, the bathroom and the living room also looked out at the same brick wall. She knew just about every brick: the various cracks, chips, the places where the mortar needed pointing, the old paint stains.
The kitchen was the flat’s redemption, although it was long and thin, i
