She paused for breath and calmed down a little. “Come on, Mum,” she went on. “You know all he thinks about is money and betting and racing his greyhounds. And do you know what? He doesn’t even like the dogs. And what’s more he doesn’t even want me to like them. He does all he can to stop me. ‘Don’t pet them,’ he says. ‘Bad for them,’ he says. ‘They’re racing dogs, athletes, not poodles, not pets.’ He just uses them up, Mum, and when they don’t make him any more money, when they don’t win, he just gets rid of them. I’ve tried, Mum. I really have. I just wish you’d never met him, that’s all. I don’t know what you see in him. I really don’t.”

Becky knew her tirade had gone too far, that she’d spoilt the day, that it would make her mother cry, and that she’d hate herself later for making her unhappy again. But to her surprise, her mother didn’t cry this time. Instead she went very quiet.

“You don’t understand,” said her mother after a while. “He was good to me, kind to me. We had fun together. I needed some fun.”

“Didn’t last though, did it, Mum?”

Her mother didn’t reply. For a few moments she just busied herself filling up the water buckets. Then she went on. “It’s not all bad though, is it, Becky? At least you’ve got the dogs. You love the dogs, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.”

“Well then. And we’ve still got each other. How does the song go? Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.” And they both began to hum it together.

Becky’s mother smiled across at her then, and Becky knew there was a lot she was saying in that smile, maybe that she didn’t entirely disagree with much of what Becky had said, but that she just couldn’t say it, not yet, maybe not ever. The dogs were suddenly barking from the kennels across the yard. That was when they both heard the van come crunching down the farm track, and rattle over the cattle grid into the yard. They looked at one another, and Becky knew then that her mum was dreading his return as much as she was. Craig was back.

They looked on from the stable door as Craig slipped a choke-chain around the dog’s neck, and hauled him out of the back of the van – Craig was never gentle with his dogs. That was when he caught sight of them. “Well, what d’you think? Smart dog, eh? Looks the part, doesn’t he? He may be a bit small at the moment, but he’ll grow. He goes like the wind, I’m telling you. I got him cheap too. Few months time, and he could be as fast as Alfie, maybe faster.” The dog tried to escape, but Craig jerked on the chain and yanked him back. “Come here, you little beggar you! You see. He can’t wait to get running. It’s what he’s made for. You know what you’re looking at? A champion. I mean it. This one is the real thing. He is going to win and win. And that means money, lots of it. You’ll see.”