NO ONE ASKED
At this point, I couldn't decide whether to join the wake but felt Blanche would have wanted me there, despite her daughters' feelings.
Crescent Road in East Barnet always seemed to maintain a smell of pride in the air. Gardens were kept tidy, the tiny front lawns clipped like army haircuts, and the cars parked tight against the kerbs were no older than a couple of years at the most, all predominately polished and showing no signs of damage.
In a moment, I took it all in. In this neighbourhood, grief was for sharing. Everybody wanted to be involved. Still, something stopped me from lifting the door knocker and letting it fall.