Part 11 (1/2)

'Whoops,' I say, like a child.

I smile weakly, don't bare my teeth.

'You seem worried about something,' she says.

'Do I? I'm not.'

'Good.'

She steps closer, the cus.h.i.+on still hiding her chest.

'Where're you going tonight? Have you got a date?'

'Yeah. I met her on the bus.'

'When?'

'On Thursday. On the way here. After I got off the train.'

'Is that the real reason you were late?' she laughs.

'No. I missed my train.'

'That was quick work,' she says.

'She's a teacher.'

'Ian's girlfriend is a teacher.'

'It's not the same one,' I say.

She looks at me as though she thinks I'm an idiot.

'Well,' I say, 'of course.'

She smiles.

'I better go,' I say.

I go, but stand out in the hallway a few minutes, turn back to the sitting room.

'Who was staying here before?' I ask.

'Before you? In your room?'

'Yeah.'

'A young man from Belfast,' she says. 'He left a few weeks ago.'

'How long was he here?'

'A short time. A few weeks.'

'Why did he leave?'

'I can't give you his personal information.'

'Right.'

I go on looking at her.

'Right,' I say again. She'll not say any more.

I go up to my room and I want to get into bed and nap a while before dinner, so I'll be rested for tonight. If all goes to plan, I'll have a late night at the pub with Georgia.

But the phone rings downstairs, a blasting ring so loud it can be heard all through the house.

Bridget shouts up the stairs. 'Patrick, it's for you. It's your mum.'

Welkin's sure to have heard, and Flindall too.

I take my time going down.

The phone receiver's hanging and I want to rip it from the socket but instead I pick it up and put it gently back in the cradle and then I loosen the connection. I can't talk to my mum now, not when I'm standing in this hallway when they're all here and probably listening.

Welkin's in the sitting room. He calls out to me.

'Par-trick!'

I go in.

He's on the settee and leans forward, puts his elbows on his knees.

'Why don't you come in and close the door,' he says.

I close the door and stand with my back to it.

'Was that your mum?'

'Yeah. But we got cut off.'

'We shouldn't have made fun of her last night.'

'I hadn't noticed.'

'Listen,' he says. 'I think we haven't got off to the best of starts.'