I took a shower that first night because the bathtub was filled with packing peanuts. They bobbed like seafoam on the surface of the water, bringing me a measure of peace until the steam fogged the glass in the shower stall, obscuring them from view.

Daphne came in then, silhouetted against the glass, hopping from one foot to the other as she wrestled with her pyjamas to make it to the toilet in time. I heard the flush, and ducked my head to one side as the spray above me turned scalding. The water cooled again, and I let it soak through my hair and down my back.