‘You’re damn right I am. It’s the first dry night we’ve had for weeks and I’m not taking any chances. If anyone wants to break the place up they can do it when I’m not there. I’ve had the lads in twice demanding money, they can get it from someone else tonight. Twenty Carrolls. We have the granny staying and I’m taking the wife out for a drink across the border. A break. A bloody break.’

‘Everyone needs a break,’ agreed Kathleen.

‘I hear your brother’s home, Joe?’

‘Aye … He’s home.’

‘More fool he.’

There was a wave of shouting from down the hill, and the sound of glass breaking.

‘I believe he was making good money over there.’

‘I wouldn’t know,’ said Joe, with caution.

‘More fool he.’ He picked the money up from the counter and looked at it for a moment and then put it into his pocket.

‘I’ll tell you something,’ he said. ‘They’ll not get my cash the night and that’s for sure. If I have to spend it all. I voted for McAteer all the years. Regular I voted and I’ll vote for John Hume so I will, but I’m damned if I’ll go on letting those gawbeens in here taking the money out of my till. It gets me, that’s what it does. Four times I’ve had to put new glass in them windows. And I’ll tell you another thing, Nationalist or no Nationalist, if this lot goes on, the minute my wains is out of school it’s over to England on the first boat they’ll go. My God, tonight. Here.’

He took a bar of Cadburys milk chocolate down from the shelf and held it out to Joe.

‘Oh, no thanks, I couldn’t.’

‘Go on, take it. You might as well, better you than some others I could mention.’

Joe took the chocolate from his hand.

‘Thanks,’ he muttered.

‘Goodnight,’ said Kathleen, pushing Joe out into the street. ‘Have a good evening.’

‘I will if it’s the last thing I do.’ He slammed the door behind them and they could hear him clattering the bolts home.

Kathleen and Joe began to laugh.

‘I bet he’ll get pissed,’ said Joe, unwrapping his chocolate. ‘Have a bit?’

‘Out of his mind and he’ll regret the whole thing tomorrow.’

‘I bet the Provos will be waiting for him when he gets here in the morning. Your money or your life.’

‘No money. He’ll let them have the edge of his tongue, what’s left of it.’

‘And all the bars of Cadburys chocolate.’

‘Yes please, I’d love a bit.’

She took a piece from his outstretched hand and put it into her mouth.

‘I don’t know why we were laughing. It’s not really funny.’

‘I’ll go this way now.’

They stopped at the corner of the street leading down the hill. The houses leaned together for support, grey against red, red against mauve, mauve against a tired white, each roof slightly higher than the one next to it. The curve of the road was gentle, the windows were now full of light.