At the door, she paused and looked at her husband’s profile. He had a double chin like a baby. That was what she should say to her daughters: ‘Girls, a word of advice. Don’t marry a man with a weak chin. Or someone who bores you.’ Would she throw in a line about avoiding men who have affairs? That might be going too far. Besides, she didn’t feel qualified to give advice. Not when her own life had become a list of questions. Too often she found herself looking back at the past quarter-century and thinking, Well, there I was, and here I am, and how did that happen? She reflected on decisions she’d made, friendships she’d allowed to fizzle out, opportunities she’d spurned. Was that when I blew it? she would ask herself. Was that when I blew it?

Sometimes, she invented versions of herself. She pictured herself living in a big house in the country or with a large family of children or as a free spirit who’d travelled the world. Then she told herself to make the most of what she’d been given.

While Alannah was in London for the summer, poor Bea was in the middle of the Leaving Cert. Her chemistry exam was the next day. As Nina passed her daughter’s bedroom, she heard a tinny sound. She eased open the door and saw Bea with the bedside light on, headphones clamped to her ears. Her daughter was a music obsessive, her favourite bands from the 1990s, the decade in which she’d been born.

‘I’m going to sleep soon, I promise,’ said Bea, taking off her headphones.

Nina sat at the end of the bed. ‘What were you listening to?’

‘Nirvana.’

‘There’s a blast from the past.’

‘Did you know that just before they became mega-famous they played in Cork?’

‘It does ring a bell. What year was that?’

Bea scrunched her nose. ‘1991. Those must have been amazing times.’

‘The year I met your father.’

‘You could have met Kurt Cobain instead.’

Nina laughed. ‘I was too square for that.’

‘I bet you weren’t,’ said Bea. ‘You were best friends with Tess Fortune so you must have been a little bit cool. I’m sure you could’ve met Kurt, if you’d wanted.’

‘I was never as cool as Tess.’

‘One day, Mum, we’ll get to hear some of your secrets. Even you were young once.’

‘Thanks a million, Bea. You make me sound like a pensioner.’ Nina got to her feet and flicked off the light. ‘I forgot to tell you, I’ll be slightly late tomorrow. I’m meeting my old friend Conor after work.’

‘No problem. After tomorrow, I don’t have another exam until Friday.’

‘Good woman. Now go to sleep.’