‘Don’t be getting him worked up,’ Moira said.

‘I do take them pills like clockwork,’ Peader said.

Bimbo sighed. He tilted his head back, squared his shoulders. Denise McIlenden was behind him. He could smell her watching him.

‘Peader,’ Bimbo said. ‘I’ll race you round the car park. A single lap, full bore. Fella comes last owes the other ten bob.’

‘I’d leave you for dust, kid,’ Peader said.

‘You would, too.’

‘Come over here and eat your toastie before I do,’ ordered Rory. Bimbo looked his brothers’ way. Rory’s mouth was shiny with grease, Eustace had his face down almost on the plate, the pair savaging at their food with the shameless avidity of children.

Bimbo came over, took his pint and crisps.

‘You don’t want that?’ Rory nodded at the sandwich.

‘Have at it.’

‘I will, so,’ Rory said, transferring the toastie on to his plate.

‘Have you your Skybox fixed yet?’ Eustace asked Mikey.

‘We do.’

‘Throw it on there.’

Mikey picked the remote off a back shelf, turned on the TV angled above the bar and began promptly flicking.

‘Tell me when,’ Mikey said.

‘Please don’t go turning up the telly,’ Softly said.

‘Why?’ Bimbo said.

‘TV lowers the tone,’ Softly said.

‘The tone ?’ Bimbo said.

‘Before you boys barrelled in, we were sitting here in silence,’ Softly said, ‘and it was an awful cultivated silence.’

‘I’d say it was,’ Bimbo said. ‘And oh, do you know what else I saw out there?’

‘Aside from the peacock,’ Moira said.

‘Pheasant,’ Softly said.

‘You don’t know for sure I didn’t see a peacock,’ Bimbo said.

‘I will put down any money it wasn’t a peacock,’ Softly said.

‘They are related creatures, though,’ Denise said, ‘so it’s not like either of you are far wrong.’

‘Thank you, Denise,’ Bimbo said. He caught Softly’s eye. ‘I suppose they are awful easy creatures to get mixed up.’

‘Not if you know what you’re at,’ Softly said.

‘I saw a drone,’ Bimbo announced, ‘flitting about over Marcus Landry’s fields.’

‘A drone,’ Peader said.

‘It’s like a little unmanned craft,’ Bimbo said. ‘A little spaceship job.’

‘I heard talk about him at something like that, all right,’ Softly said.

‘Shush,’ Eustace said, eyes intent on the telly. ‘That’ll do, Mikey.’

A playback of a women’s track race was on. It was the jittery, ­in-­between bit before the race, where the competitors go through their final ­warm-­ups and rituals and dance nervously on the starting line like they had to use the toilet. Mikey kept the sound low.