‘Holy Mother of God ... it’s a ruin.’ Uncle Eamon got out on the pavement to look and opened my mum’s door. She put me out off her lap and let me stretch while my dad got the others out on the roadside and sent them round to the pavement. My mum wasn’t moving for a bit so we waited for her. My uncle shook his head again, ‘They’ll speak no word and they’ll curse you.’

My dad came round to the pavement and shoved his chin at them knocking down the houses, ‘They can do their worst.’ He leaned down over the car door to my mum.

We all stood up by the front door and I put my hands in my pockets because it was chilly and watched Uncle Eamon taking it in. He shook his head once more, and turned to look at my dad helping my mum, ‘The stitch, is it?’

‘I’ll be all right,’ my mum said.

‘Terrible squeeze, the lot of you there in the back,’ and he held open the car door while my dad lifted my mum out on to her feet. She stood for a moment holding on to the door to get her breath back.

‘I’ll be fine,’ she said.

Manus went over and put his shoulder under for her to lean on. She laughed but it hurt, so she took it and came towards us, telling my dad over her shoulder, ‘The keys.’

He started to look for them in his pocket, and said to Uncle Eamon, ‘Please, come inside.’

‘No, there’s work in the morning, a clear head or a brick’ll split it.’ He was looking at Busola and she stopped in the middle of a yawn and frowned. ‘It’s not any old ugly duckling gets to be a beautiful black swan, I’ve to sleep.’

No one moved as he got in the car, turned round in the road and drove off, waving out the window. I saw my mum look at my dad until he shook his head and said, ‘School tomorrow.’