At home I call Brigitte, and she picks up after three rings.

I say, ‘Hey!’

And she says, ‘Hey!’

I say, ‘How are you? Everyone was getting worried.’

She says, a little out of breath, ‘I’m good! Yeah, I know, I was out of range for ages. I’ve just been cycling around and camping. Man. It’s so beautiful.’

And I say, ‘That sounds so nice. I miss that.’

She says, ‘Have you spoken to Bear recently?’

And I tell her that I spoke to him a few days ago.

I say, ‘He seems good. He’s working heaps but I think he’s enjoying it.’

We pause.

I say, ‘I’m really proud of him, you know. He’s worked so hard to get where he is. It’s really … admirable.’

And she says, ‘You should tell him that. He misses you and wants to know that you care.’

And I say, ‘I will.’

We talk about some other things, about how she met and then has been avoiding some French guy who kept yelling at a Japanese family, and how maybe she wants to move to Tasmania after she finishes medicine. I ask if she’s got plans for Christmas and she says she’s not sure.

I say, ‘Maybe we should plan to all do something together.’

She says, ‘I’d like that.’

She tells me she has to go, that she has to set up camp before the sun goes down, and we agree to speak soon.

I call Bear but the phone rings out, and I guess he’s on night shift.

I walk around my room and begin to pick up socks.

One thing I’ve started doing is pairing my socks again.

The socks won’t be matching.

They probably won’t even be similar.

But I’ll fold two socks together and put them in my drawer and call them mates.