He was painfully thin, his clothes dirty and dishevelled and the anguish in his face was pitiful to see. ‘Come with me. You need some food inside you, right now.’ Josh took hold of his friend’s arm and helped him across the room and down the stairs. Trip was frail, like an old man, and Josh was reminded poignantly of the many times he’d helped his father up and down these very stairs. Next door, Amy’s eyes widened as she saw the state of their friend and Bob helped Josh settle him in a chair by the range. ‘Whatever’s happened?’ he asked, and when Trip didn’t answer, Bob looked towards Josh. But, though his mouth was a grim line, for the moment, Josh said nothing. Amy bustled about the kitchen preparing a plate of food for Trip. Luckily, there was still a little stew left over from their meal, but Bob warned, ‘If you’ve not eaten properly for some time, Trip, don’t eat too much or too fast. Take it steady.
