That evening Adam and I set off to eat without him explaining where we were going. I assumed maybe he had some errand to do first. We were well into the residential side of town when we entered a compound and were greeted as family. Chairs were set out and soon side-tables and refreshments were around us. A cute seven-year-old girl with coloured ribbons in her hair came and sat with Adam. This confused me at first. Often cute girls come up and shake hands but then run back to play or help. This one sat in an adult chair swinging her legs and grinning smugly; after all (it turned out) she was with her daddy. Adam has never mentioned having a child before. I knew he had a wife somewhere but gathered their relationship was distant. Tonight they were sat opposite each other, talking in Arabic: I supposed they were discussing the cost of school uniforms or whether their daughter could stay with her grandmother. She offered us supper, which Adam gratefully accepted.

Adam's wife is one of three sisters, all married, all mothers and all still living at home. The other husbands have moved in too. Adam prefers his independence but that "when the time is right" his wife and daughter would move in with him. "She'll go spare when she discovers he's rented out the kitchen," I thought.