Sublime

She was Melissa’s oldest, boldest friend. They had gone to the same primary school. Hazel worked in advertising. She had a wide and glamorous smile behind which was an oft-foul tongue, and long, bouncing, half-French, half-Ghanaian curls falling down her back, the most beautiful, the most envied of their schoolgirl pack, the one the boys always wen

Jenny always leaves for foreign parts in the winter, for she is single and brilliant and passionate about God’s creatures. She hugs me goodbye. Keep the faith! she says. And drink gin. Life around Alex will never be dull!

able to outsmart, outhunt and outlast the bigger, stronger and faster members of the animal kingdom.

As a storm raged across the Irish Sea, we’d sought refuge in the small Welsh harbour of Solva, renowned for its quaint cafes, craft shops and galleries.