Ria was absolutely dumbfounded at Lena’s words. In all the years they had known each other, Lena had never once discussed her husband in any way other than to praise him. For her to admit there was a problem of any kind was unheard of. If Daniel Bailey had murdered his neighbours with an axe, in front of an audience of fifty people, Lena would say, ‘Well, they must have upset him.’ She had never once said anything even remotely critical about the man she was married to. Now here she was, admitting the truth of the situation out loud. Ria knew it was her way of asking her to talk to Peter about it.

Tania watched the exchange between her mother and her auntie. Even though she didn’t know what the problem was, she understood enough of the conversation to know that the problem could only be solved by her Auntie Ria. And Tania, as young as she was, could see from the way her Auntie Ria was shaking her head slowly, that she wasn’t going to do anything to help at all.

Tania slipped her hand into her mother’s and, holding on to her tightly, she wondered why she was suddenly feeling frightened again.

‘It’s between them, Lena, you know that as well as I do, mate.’

Lena nodded; she had expected nothing more if she was really honest. Looking down at her daughter, she smiled sadly, as she said with forced gaiety, ‘Who fancies a Wimpy, then?’

Tania nodded in agreement, but she could see the glimmer of tears in her mother’s eyes. This must be about her dad, but she couldn’t for the life of her understand what was wrong because her daddy was the nicest man she knew.

Her Uncle Peter was a nice man too, she thought. She knew that he was her father’s brother, even though she had never seen them talk to each other. She only ever saw them under the same roof at Mass, when they did not even look at one another. When she had asked her mother why that was, her mother had told her quietly and seriously – almost angrily – to never ask her father or her brothers that question.

She had said it was something that was for the adults to know, and for children to mind their own business about. It was the one and only time her mother had seemed to be cross with her, and she had learned then not to ask any questions about the family.