La vida

Vera never discovered why her mum and dad didn’t stay together. She was only three when her parents split up.

I was only eleven when my mother decided to remarry. Her new husband didn’t want me living with them

The memory of that day still lingers, as sharp as the morning dew on an autumn lawn. “

“Go on ahead, I’ll catch up later.” “Where are you?” “At the allotment.

Len Fishkin slapped the alarm clock’s cold metal head and dragged himself out of bed, padding barefoot

“Just go ahead, I’ll catch up later.” “Where are you?” “

“What am I saving you from today, then?” asked Oliver, stirring his second pot of instant noodles.

**Diary Entry** My grandmother lives with my aunt in a three-bedroom flat in Manchester. The youngest

Helen’s daughter was a great beauty. Though she came late in life—Helen was nearly forty when the

Slapping the alarm clock silent, Leonard Fishbourne rose from bed and shuffled barefoot to the kitchen