‘This is all about Mandy, Liam’s bird. Apparently I am ogling her, giving her the eye, so to speak. I tell you, Ria, I ain’t in the mood for this tonight. Talk to your daughter, because if this keeps up I will slap her down.’

Ria watched as he walked away from them.

‘I mean it, Mum, I can’t do this any more.’

Ria looked at her child. She saw a beautiful girl, with a great bone structure, high cheekbones, and olive skin that looked like burnished copper. She wished Imelda could see how lovely she really was instead of constantly wishing she looked different. She had huge eyes that were framed with thick, dark lashes which, even as a baby, had brought comments from complete strangers. She had a good figure, she dressed well, she had long slim legs, and she was as lovely today as she had been as a sixteen year old. She still had the fresh-faced beauty that Ria had always seen as something really special. Imelda was what her father would call a good eyeful.

Grabbing her daughter by the arm, she pulled her through the crowd on the dance floor and into the ladies’ toilets, before saying seriously, ‘Listen, Mel, I love you dearly, but you need to stop all this jealousy lark. Liam’s girlfriend is gorgeous, and you can’t do anything about that, love. Everywhere you go, there will always be good-looking girls, younger girls, prettier girls. That doesn’t mean that he is going to go off with them. All men look – your father’s the world’s worst for it. But that’s all he does, and he loves me as much as I love him. I never felt the jealousy you feel. I see how it eats at you, and I’ve got to tell you, Mel, it’s not a pretty sight. It makes you look ugly and mean. You must learn to control it or, one day, if you’re not careful, you will drive him away. You’ll accuse him once too often and he will think to himself, fuck it, I’m always being accused of shagging around, so I might as well do it. Now, I am half pissed and I don’t want to argue with you, not today, on little Delroy’s First Holy Communion. So, promise me you will let this go.’

Imelda looked at her mother’s kind face, saw the love there, and the worry for her and, nodding sadly, she said, ‘OK. But he does take a flyer, Mum, I know he does.’

Ria pulled her daughter into her arms and, hugging her tightly, she said sadly, ‘So what, darling? As long as he don’t rub your face in it, so bloody what! You’re his wife, you have his child. You’re his first priority. Now, let’s get back to the party, shall we?’

Chapter Seventy