For the next few minutes the room was silent apart from the sound of spoons and forks scraping against the plates.

When they had finished their supper, the men headed down to the pub whilst Cadi helped her mother collect the empty dishes.

‘I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with being a housewife mam, it’s just not for me, I want a bit of excitement first.’

Her hands covered in soap suds, Jill itched her forehead with the back of her hand. ‘Has all this come about because of today?’

‘Not entirely no, I’ve always known I wanted more out of life, I suppose you could say today just confirmed it.’

Jill passed her daughter a plate to dry. ‘I admire your gumption, but I think you may have difficulty finding what you’re searching for.’

‘I don’t expect to be treated like a queen every day,’ said Cadi as she began stacking the plates, ‘but I do want to feel like I matter, and I liked it when people asked for my judgment in the beauty contest. It made me feel important and I want more of that.’ She gazed wistfully at the plate she was drying. ‘I want people to look up to me, to value my opinion.’

Her mother took the dishwater out the back door and emptied it down the drain before coming back in. ‘Sounds very much like the role of a mother to me.’

Cadi loved her mother and was keen not to upset her. ‘Being a mother is a very important role, but not the one for me. I want to do something different, break away from the norm, pave my own way in life, be responsible for myself. Is that really so bad?’

Wiping her hands dry on her apron, her mother placed the cutlery into the drawer. ‘Not at all, if you’re a man …’ She wagged a chiding finger as her daughter made to protest. ‘You may not like it Cadi, but that’s the long and short of it, we live in a man’s world and it’s men what call the shots, not women.’ She smiled kindly. ‘Do you have any idea how hard it would be for a woman to take on the role of man?’

‘I only want a small piece of it,’ said Cadi, ‘there must be something a woman can do without a man’s say so?’

‘If there is then I’ve yet to hear about it, apart from being an actual Queen of course.’ She gave her daughter a calculating stare, ‘Tell you what though, if there is summat out there, I reckon you’ll be the one to find it, be damned good at it too I shouldn’t wonder.’

‘Thanks mam. It’s nice to know someone has a bit of faith in me.’