Their shops

Mrs Hanley and Mrs Dillon were working in their shops; Philip O´Brien's mother went up to the church and cleaned the brasses or arranged tghe flowers for Father Baily. There were mothers who went to Mother Bernard and helped make things for the various sales of work, bazaars and functions that were held regulary to aid the Order's work on the missions.

Mother did none of these things. She spent time in the kitchen with Rita, helping, experimenting, improving the cooking, much more than other people's mothers spent with maids. Mother arranged leaves and branches as decoration in their sitting room and framed pictures of the lake so that one whole wall had two dozen different views of Lough Glass. If people came in they were amazed to see the collection.

But people didn't often come in. And Mother's work was swift and efficent. She had a lot of time on her own... all the time in the world to come out with Kit in the boat. "Tell me " Kit asked again. "What do you like doing if you won't come out with me?"

"I live my life the best I can " her mother said. And Kit felt a shock at the faraway look that came over Helen McMahon's face as she said it.

"Dad, why do you and Mam sleep in different rooms?" Kit asked.

She picked a time when the chemist's was empty, when they would not be disturbed. Her father stood in his white coat behind the counter, his glasses pushed back on his head, his round, freckled face full of concentration. Kit was only allowed to sit on the high stool if she didn't distract him.