‘Look, yar not OK, tell her … I saw them,’ Michaela said, ‘… on the wall outside Neary’s.’

Niquita lunged at her sister, twisting her arm up behind her back, and tried to gag her mouth with her other hand. Michaela shoved her tongue through her fingers and continued to blab.

‘Back at Neary’s? What were ya doing there? Fuck me, haven’t I bloody well told ye all to stay ways from it?’ Margaret Rose said quickly, her face red with temper. ‘I’ve asked ya both not to be hanging there … I must have said it a million times. Jesus, if ye’d only listen ta me …’ She raised one eye to the ceiling. The other stayed fixed ahead.

Both girls looked crestfallen.

‘Look, I am trying my best ta protect ya both, but I canny do it if ye won’t listen ta me, tisn’t trying ta make life difficult far ye …’ Margaret Rose took a deep inhalation, red circles appearing on her chest and the side of her face, then she lay back on her pillows. ‘I have ta try ta keep ye both safe. Safe as I can. Well, that little prick … I knew damn well he’d go down this road …’ Both of her eyes narrowed.

‘I’m so sorry, Mammy,’ the taller one said.

‘I’m sorry too … ya know, far going there, but like that’s literally where everywan’s hanging out,’ Michaela said, whispering cautiously. ‘It’s just dat all our friends go there.’

‘Everywan? Who’s everywan?’ Margaret Rose shouted, sitting up again. ‘I warned ye before about everywan, bad news hanging out there, the place is not fit far … far rats, and look what’s happened? No wan of us there ta protect ye is all is all … that’s all. I’ll just be worrying now … worried sick.’

Margaret Rose took another deep breath and composed herself, recognising perhaps that there’d be no more blather from the girls if she chastised them over spilt milk. Or that she was passing the spot of parent warning that entered into unnecessary fear and would make her daughters overly cautious to live out their lives with some semblance of independence.

But Michaela was not stopping. ‘An’ them girls of the Lally’s was walking past … and Johnny starts at Nick, calling her bad words.’

‘What kind of words?’ Margaret Rose asked.

‘No, please, don’na ask me ta say them again … just names, like … bad names.’

‘Did ya do anything? Or say anything?’

‘Yeah … well, Nick like, she like told him ta stop, but he walks right up ta her and like made this kind of face …’ Michaela moved her head up and down and leaned over her mother, with her hands behind her back. ‘And then,’ she whispered, quickly, unlocking the hands that were behind her back as she shoved Margaret Rose gently to imitate young Jonathan, ‘he pushed her clean off the high wall … harder like than that … then pretends it was all an accident.’