Jasper died in the hospital “without regaining consciousness.”

It turns out he was rather rich and it all went to Aunty Alice: he had no other relatives.

She has been “very generous,” Mum said, which means, I think, that our money worries are over, for the time being at any rate. Mum has been promoted at the call center and Dad has had loads of job interviews. I expect we’ll be moving house again, just as the redecorating has been completed. (“No thanks to you, matey!” said Dad, but he was joking. Sort of.)

It has to be a house that’s big enough to have a room for Alfie. Mum and Dad are starting the process that will enable us to adopt him. Sangeeta has been over to our house a lot, and other people too from social services. It’s all looking good.

Alfie will be my older brother. (My much older brother!) And there’ll be a huge bookshelf to house a very special collection of Charles Dickens books.

Libby is pleased too, but maybe she’s just happy that we’ll get Biffa.

Inigo Delombra, by the way, has moved school. Only to Monkseaton High, but it’s far enough away for me. On his last day, he came up to me and Alfie and said, “Linklater, Monk, what is it with you two? There’s something you’re hiding, and it’s gonna bug me forever.”

“Forever, eh?” said Alfie. “That’s a long time, Delombra. Just so long as you’re OK with that,” and we walked off, leaving Inigo to stew. We high-fived when we were out of his sight.

And Roxy? Roxy’s just…Roxy. She’s taken to calling Alfie “old chap,” as in “Good to see you, Alfie, old chap!” It’s kind of funny, but only we understand the joke.

Alfie’s had his teeth done, and he’s OK-looking. He’s joined Roxy’s drama group, and she says he’s very good at playing old men. Funny that.

Thanks to Sangeeta (who said she “called in some favors”), Precious Minto has had a stair lift installed. She’s stopped walking with a cane, and every few days her loud, warbling voice penetrates the thin walls, singing hymns.

“Thine be tha gloree, risen conquerin’ son!

Endless is tha vict’ry thou o’er deat’ hast won!”

It is not at all tuneful, but Roxy says it’s the best thing she’s ever heard.

Speaking of singing…We were in the car, singing along to a song on the radio (Alfie still calls it the wireless, which is hilarious), and he hit this really deep note. A proper man’s bass note that went, “Oh yeahhhh!”

Mum heard us.

“Listen to you, Alfie!” she said. “Your voice is breaking! You’re growing up!”

I looked over at Alfie, and he gave a shy smile, and then blinked really hard as if he was crying. But it’s hard to tell with Alfie, even though he’s such an old friend.