In the bus going home Vanja slept with her head in Linda’s lap while Heidi sat limply on mine dozing. Her little body registered all the bus’s jerks and jolts as at first we drove from traffic light to traffic light through the town, then onto the motorway along the coast where the blazing sun hung above the dark blue sea. Happiness isn’t in my nature, but happy was how I felt. Everything was light and airy, my emotions were lofty and uncomplicated, the mere sight of a bulging wire fence or a stack of worn tires outside a garage opened my soul, and a rare warmth spread through my insides.
