‘Oh thank you, Davey,’ she said, and she was crying again – happy, grateful, relieved tears – and she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly.

‘I love you, Davey,’ she said, and Davey exhaled. It’s done.

Two hours later, he received a call from Marjorie.

‘I was just thinking about you—’

‘Davey, are you sitting down?’

‘Why?’

‘I’m pregnant.’

Davey sat down with a thud.

Part Seven: The Homecoming

Chapter Sixty: Molly

Chapter Sixty

Molly

THE BIG FIGHT TO end all fights happened over Christmas dinner. It had been brewing since the court date.

The solicitor, who was a friend of their family solicitor and who agreed to act for all involved, was a man named Mark Mooney. He was in his fifties and a no-nonsense kind of man, with a low tolerance for waffle. He explained to all that they would not be pleading, he’d simply be asking for disclosure to gain insight into the evidence the Garda were using. Jack turned out for the hearing and sat down at the back.

The evidence was damning – mostly against Molly, the obvious ringleader. Mark explained that while the others might get off with a fine, she might be given community service.

‘I do that anyway.’

‘It’s a conviction, Molly.’

‘I’m in my seventies – what the fuck do I care?’

But Jack cared. He was horrified. ‘It’s not right.’ Before court they didn’t communicate much, and after that they stopped sharing a bed. Jack moved into Davey’s old room. She stopped cooking and he stopped caring. He went to the pub for his lunch and visited Sean and some of the lads from bowls. She carried on as though her marriage and life wasn’t imploding. Sorry.

*

Despite it all, she’d pulled out all the stops for Christmas Day. Grace, Lenny and the kids came, and it had been pleasant and polite enough until they reached dessert. Lenny asked Jack how the book was coming along.

‘What’s this?’ she asked, and Grace groaned and Lenny’s face fell.

‘She doesn’t know?’ he asked.

‘The book?’ she said.

‘Rabbit’s book is coming out in March,’ he said.

‘You thundering cunt!’ she shouted.

Lenny stood up. ‘Kids, get your coats.’

‘Calm down, Molly, you’re getting snotty and there’s no need for it,’ Jack said.

She stood up. ‘I told you not to put that book into the world.’

He stood up. ‘And I told you that I would do as my daughter asked.’

The kids were mesmerised.

‘Coats, now!’ Lenny shouted. They didn’t move.

Grace stood up. ‘Ma, Da, let’s just talk about this.’

‘You’re so desperate to be something special, aren’t you, Jack?’

‘It’s not about me, you vicious old woman.’

‘It’s all about you, Jack.’

‘She wanted this, she wrote it on her deathbed,’ he shouted.