The Ignoranceof Blood

'Maybe I'll learn how to sail a yacht,' he said, squeezing her shoulder, '… so you'll still have me.'

'We could live by the sea in Valencia,' she said. 'The estate agent called again today.'

'I can already smell the paella on the beach.'

And, rather than thoughts of the future, he remembered what he'd done before coming out that night. He'd found that dried husk of a plant skulking in its dark corner under the gallery, taken it by the scruff of the neck and marched it to the bin.