They sat on either side of the two roll mats, in furious stalemate.
‘Tim, it’s on my compulsory kit list. You’ll be on camp beds half the time.’
‘We won’t. Akela said we’ll go outside if there’s no frost.’
‘I need it, Tim. We’ll be outside, even if it snows. Just take the old one. It’s not like you can’t use it. It’s just a tiny rip.’
‘Well, you take it then, if there’s nothing wrong with it.’
‘What’s the matter, you two?’ said Sofia, passing through the scene on her way down through the house.
‘Florence won’t let me have the only decent roll mat,’ said Tim, looking sideways and folding in his lips.
‘Well can’t you share it?’ said Sofia, in all her innocence. ‘Why can’t Florence take it first and then you pack it when she’s back?’
Florence closed her eyes and spoke with patient irritation.
‘It’s the same weekend, Mum. Thursday, 31 March to Sunday, 3 April? Tim’s not leaving until Friday, from Carl’s house, but it’ll be too late by then. He’s on Cub Camp. I’m on Silver D of E.’
‘Oh,’ said Sofia. She hadn’t registered they would be away at the same time. ‘But it’s not too bad, is it? Isn’t it the same one I used to use?’
It was the one she used to use. A corner had been almost ripped right off the end, and the whole thing dropped blackened foam pieces across the floor.
‘It’s ancient, Mum,’ said Tim, ‘like it’s dying and shedding all its skin. Slightly less comfortable than lying on a brick.’
‘Well, I’ll order you another one. They’re not that expensive.’
‘He didn’t even want it ’til he saw me start to pack,’ Florence said scornfully, taking the roll mat back to join the rest of her equipment.
Sofia went online later that evening. Even the aluminium-backed ones were less than £10 each. In the end she got two – one half price. It was always handy to have a spare. Just as she was putting in the security code, her phone buzzed: a text message from Freya, Ben’s mum.
Hi Sofia. Would Isaac like to sleep over on Ben’s birthday – three weeks’ time? Apparently I promised… F XXX.
The significance didn’t strike her, until much later on.