'There will be times in your life when you’ll ask yourself if you’ve done even one thing right. That’s perfectly normal. It’s also a very heavy question. Around a hundred and eighty kilos, I’d say. But it’s one that has an answer. Mostly it comes late in life. I don’t know if Selma and I will still be around by then. So I’m going to tell you now: When the time comes, when the question arises and you can’t find an answer right away, then remember that you made your grandmother and me very happy, you brought us enough happiness for an entire life from beginning to end. The older I get, the more I believe that the two of us were only invented for you. And if there ever was a good reason to be invented, then it’s you.'

I leaned against the optician's shoulder and he rested his cheek on my head. For a while we listened to the ticking of the hazard lights.

'Now someone has to drive me to school,' I said.