Julia was laying out the picnic beside the river, and they each had an ice cream. She was dressed in her flared polka dot skirt and matching necktie, and that yellow top with the collar that clung to her ribcage and her small, neat bust. One look at her and David had to keep his eyes on her hair, or her ear, or the grass in front of her feet. Sally was rolling up her shorts so that the leg was just in line with the bottom of her pants. Her bright red lipstick clashed with her auburn hair and was never matched by her underwear. Everyone could see that. Always white, whether she liked it or not.
He followed Jimmy back from the edge of the river with a couple of fishing rods. It was good for Jimmy to be able to sit and concentrate. Julia’s mam had been explicit – James, she said, was to sit
