I return to my seat and the safety-belt sign comes on before the plane makes its approach to Heathrow. The cabin lights go down and the air pressure changes again, and the plane begins its descent towards our uncertain future. I gently wake Charlie and get her to put her belt on. It’s not until touchdown, with the reverse thrust roaring and the unbuckling of passenger belts clicking over the cabin, that Mick turns to look at me from his seat in front.
He tips me the long, long wink. ‘We’re home,’ he says.
The End