There were so many people suffering, so many people worse off than her. Knowing she was helping them was the only way she kept going. She blinked back tears as the interview ended and she put the phone down and stared at the kitchen, once the heart and soul of her home. She and Dan had spent so much time in this kitchen together, sharing tea and sympathy, love and laughter. The kitchen hadn’t changed: still with the familiar range, the cosiness, the knick-knacks on the shelves. But it all seemed so empty without Dan. Pippa had got used to him being around all the time since his accident, and even before that he’d been in and out all day long. Now she barely saw him. At least he was back working on the farm, which was something, but he did his best to avoid her, spending more time with Gabriel and Marianne than he did at home. She knew from Dan’s mum that he had finally started therapy, and she was happy to drop the children with him, knowing his mum was there to supervise. The boys had been reluctant to go at first, but they missed their dad too, and seeing him cry and break down in front of them had persuaded them to give him another chance.
