The last delivery

By the time Daniel reached the last address, the battery on his delivery bike had stopped helping. He pedalled up the slope with the groceries pulling against the rear wheel. The customer had ordered milk, bread, potatoes and four large bottles of water. Her building had no lift. Daniel checked the time on his phone, then the number on the door. He was already late for his next shift at the café. When the buzzer answered, a woman's voice told him to come to the third floor.

He carried the bags two at a time. On the first landing he put them down and changed hands. The stairwell smelled of furniture polish, but dust had gathered along the edges of each step. A child had drawn a bright green house on the wall beside the second-floor door. Daniel fixed his eyes on it during the final climb, using its crooked chimney as a point to reach. At the top, the customer was waiting in a dressing gown. She asked whether he could take the bags into the kitchen.

‘We're only supposed to leave them at the door,’ he said. It was not quite true. He had carried shopping inside plenty of times, but he wanted her to know that she was asking for something extra. She moved aside without answering. One hand stayed on the narrow table beside the door. Daniel noticed a pair of crutches leaning against it and a shoe lying on its side beneath. He picked up the bags again. In the kitchen, he placed the bottles close to the edge of the counter so she would not have to reach across it.

She asked what time his work finished. ‘After this,’ he said, although the café shift lay ahead of him like another staircase. She pointed to the kettle. There was tea if he wanted it. Daniel almost explained that he had no time, then saw the untouched cup beside the sink. He took the second mug from the draining board and poured the water. They stood on opposite sides of the small kitchen while she told him that the cast would come off next week. He drank quickly. When she offered him two pounds, he accepted it and thanked her.

Outside, his phone showed three missed calls from the café. He sent a message to say that he was on his way, leaving out the tea. The bike felt lighter without the shopping, though the motor remained silent. At the bottom of the hill he stopped at a red light. In his pocket, the two-pound coin pressed against his keys. He thought of the cup by the sink and the crutches by the door. When the light changed, he pedalled hard. He would have to explain the lateness when he arrived, and he had not decided what to say.

Focus on the final three paragraphs, from ‘We’re only supposed’ to the end.

A reader said: ‘Daniel behaves with real kindness, but the writer prevents us from seeing him as a simple hero.’

To what extent do you agree and/or disagree? Evaluate how Daniel’s behaviour and motives are presented, using evidence and analysis of the writer’s methods.