CUP of tea for you.’ The early dawn light sears the back of my eyes – there are no blinds on the attic windows – and the figure of my niece gradually forms in front of me, a good fairy in tatty blue pyjamas, holding out a mug.‘What time is it?’ I ask.‘I don’t know. Mummy said you had to get up early because it’s Monday morning. It’s early.’I look for the alarm clock, but remember I’m in the wrong room. I squint at my mobile. Five a.m.‘Please don’t be cross.’‘I’m not cross.’ I pull myself up and take the mug from her. ‘Thank you very much for the wake-up call.’ As she perches on the edge of the futon, I refrain from pointing out that five o’clock is early even for me. I was hoping for a lie-in. ‘Did you sleep all right?’She nods. ‘I slept with Mummy and Gabriel in the end.’Smiling at the thought that I may well join them, having spent three uncomfortable nights on the futon, I take a sip of the watery, sweet fluid in the mug.‘That is a lovely cup of tea,’ I say.
