Then, during dinner, veggie burgers with tahini, I saw her picking her nose, digging away. I remembered my dad saying 'You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, you can pick your friend's nose.' Kids love my dad. I went over to her and stuck my finger up the other nostril, grabbed a bogie, and popped it in my mouth. I wanted to seem affectionate and close to her, and you can't get much closer than inside someone's nose.
She went bright red, her finger frozen in her nostril. Marley stopped breathing.
She looked absolutely stunned. 'Did you put my booger in your mouth?'
'Yep', I said cheerfully. She didn't cry. She didn't move.
I opened my mouth and revealed the little green slime on my tongue. 'Do you want it back?'