He just wished that one day he would come home from work to find her normal. Not perfect, he didn’t expect an immaculate house, squeaky clean kids and for her to be glamorous. No, if nothing else he was realistic. He’d seen his ideal when he’d followed Geoff home to fix his computer. Alice tried to persuade him to stay and eat with them, an aromatic curry cooked from scratch. Geoff dipped his finger in to taste and pretended to groan in agony when she swiped him with the spoon. ‘Oh I’m sorry, let me kiss it better’ she reached for him and then thrashed and giggled as he tried to claim a full on snog with tongues.

‘Get him mum,’ the teenaged twins said in unison, accompanied by the manic yelps of their Labrador. Biting his lower lip, Paul leant against the table watching while a scene of mock smacks and tickles unfolded, yes this is how it should be.

That night was one of the worst for ages, because he was late. He heard a smash of glass as he pulled into the drive and found her trying to mash shards down the sink with an empty wine bottle.

‘Come here’, he took her hand and wrapped a towel around it; her blood had mixed with the wine in the sink. She let him help for a minute then pushed him away and slumped on the sofa. He felt the familiar rocks in his belly as he climbed the stairs.

‘Hello dad, thank God you’re home, Dan’s really miserable’. Jessica was oldest by a year and Paul was ashamed at how much he relied on her.

‘Come on, let’s talk, did you and Dan eat? ‘ello mate, how you doin?’ the boy maintained his stare at the screen where fantasy fighters destroyed each other and the planet. ‘Dan, can you leave that a minute I’ve got something to say.’ Paul hit the power on the speaker and swivelled his son around to face him.

‘We’re going at the weekend; I’ve got the keys today. There won’t be a garden but it’s a huge flat, really funky and you’ll love it. What d’you think?’ the boy’s eyes welled up, a small chink in his mask and Jess held on to both of them.

‘But mum . . . what will happen to her?’

‘There’s help if she will take it and we’ll see, but this can’t carry on. I’m going to look after you now, we’re going to be normal.’