The phone had barely connected with a ring tone.

‘Where the hell are you, Cormac?’

‘Good morning, prime minister. Thank you very much for your kind words of condolence. The funeral passed off very well, thanks.’

‘Oh, shit, Cormac. Please forgive my insensitivity. Of course, you poor man. I know how difficult it is to bury your dear mother. I lost my own a little over three years ago, and there’s not a day when she doesn’t enter my head. It is true what they say though about time and all that.’

‘Thanks. I hope it is true, prime minister.’

‘Without being rude, isn’t it nearly a week since your mother passed away? I was under the impression you were anxious to get in and out rather sharpish?’

‘I was, but circumstances changed and I thought I’d spend a couple of days here with Annie.’

‘So will you be back in London to fly across to Hillsborough with the official party on Friday?’

To Cormac’s astonishment, the thought of it filled him with dread, where only a week ago, not being on that flight would have felt like a catastrophe. He hadn’t planned the words; they just developed a life of their own.

‘I’ll come back if you insist, prime minister. But if it is alright with you, would it be possible to spend the next couple of days here instead and report to Hillsborough on Friday night?’

‘Yes, of course that’s alright. I’ve been telling you to take a break for ten years. I’m only sorry it took the death of your dear mother to bring you to your bloody senses!’

He felt the now familiar guilt for his mother.

‘It would be nice to spend a few days with Annie. You know, relax a little before she goes off to university.’

‘Ah, Annie, yes. Spend a few days with her. What a lovely idea. What will you two be up to today then?’

Cormac squirmed. He hated lying; especially lying to the prime minister. But it was only a little one.

‘We’ll probably do a bit of shopping. Have a bit of lunch, you know, just watch the world go by.’

‘Funny that, Cormac, I’ve had Jenny on the phone asking if I can get her a flight to Dublin and a ticket to a U2 concert. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?’

He knew in an instant he’d been wrong to lie. How could he be so stupid? Annie spoke to the prime minister’s daughter at least three times every day. More, now they were going to share a flat in Edinburgh for the next three years. He commenced his recovery.

‘Oh, sorry, did I forget to mention we were in Dublin? Yes, I met an old friend at the funeral and came down on the spur of the moment. After she leaves me, after lunch, that is, Annie is actually going to the concert. Sorry about that.’

Cormac relaxed into his seat. Good recovery.