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He shrugs. "It's fine. You and Ruairi need to talk. Girls, get your bags and we'll go."
I cross to him and pull him into my arms. He doesn't resist—something he would have done months ago. Now, he's used to it and even hugs me back.
"Here," I tell him as I reach for my purse. I take out forty euros and pass it to him. "Get yourself something to eat on the way home." I know he doesn't tend to eat out unless there's extra money. "Go with your friends. Ruairi's here so you don't have to be home early."
Mikey grins. "I knew having him home would be the best. Are you sure?"
I nod. "Go. You haven’t been able to hang with them for ages. Treat yourself."
"But the money?—"
"Is fine. Honestly, it's okay. I had a really good night last night so I can afford to treat you. It's forty euro, Mikey, not a couple of hundred. So, please, enjoy yourself and don't worry."
He presses a kiss to my cheek, which shocks me. It's not something he's done before. "Thanks, Al. I'll see you later."
"Have a great day," I call out to Fiona and Hannah as they traipse toward the door.
"Bye, Ailbhe," Evie says as she rushes toward me. I crouch down and pull her into a big hug. "I'll miss you."
My heart melts at her words. "I'll miss you too, but I can't wait to hear all about your day when I pick you up, okay?"
She grins, giving me a nod. "Bye," she says as she follows her brother's lead and kisses my cheek.
"Bye, Evie. Have a good day."
She waves goodbye to Ruairi and runs up to Mikey. I watch as he takes her hand and carries her backpack for her.
"Mikey, can you?—"
"Text you when they're at school safely. Yes, I can do that. Relax, Al, it's all going to be okay."
I blow him a kiss and feel my body start to relax once again. The stress is easing and I feel calmer. I'm so glad I have two amazing brothers who'll do anything to help.
"Okay," Ruairi says once the kids are gone. "Start talking. What happened? Ma's fucking nuts, Al. She's been dealing with Da's shit for years. What made her up and leave?"
I busy myself with washing the dishes as I talk. "That's just it, I have no idea. From the drunken rambles Da goes on, I've gathered that she found a new man and ran off to Cyprus with him. But I can't be sure."
"It makes no fucking sense. Why would she leave the kids behind?"
"That's it, I don't actually know. It's crazy. All I know is, the arguing ramped up. It got so much worse. They would have screaming matches at four in the morning loud enough to wake the house. It was beyond crazy. Then one night, Da was drunk as a skunk and began bitching about her being useless and not working, expecting him to take care of everything."
Ruairi scoffs. "Which is a goddamn fucking lie."
"Right?" I snap. "So I'm in the kitchen, cooking dinner, and the next thing I know, they're in the sitting room, screaming at one another. He's calling her a whore and she's calling him a drunken bastard." I shake my head. "I swear to God, Ruairi, I never saw it coming. He backhanded her so hard she fell to the ground."
Ruairi curses. "What happened next?"
"I told Da to stop it and screamed at him to back the fuck away. Of course, Mikey came downstairs at that stage. He must have heard me screaming. I told him to go back upstairs, and thank God I did because Ma then went for Da with the butcher's knife."
"The fuck?"
"Yeah. I managed to wrestle it off her, but she was raging—not that anyone could blame her. She was spitting mad, and that just started the two of them arguing again. And then she just looked at him and sighed. She told him she'd had enough and wanted out of the marriage."
"Let me guess, Da, being Da, told her to fuck off."
"Bingo. So Da went out, decided to get drunk again, and didn't come home for days. Whereas Ma went to her room, packed her bags, and left that night. Not one of them said a word. Hell, Ma never even said goodbye to the kids. She just upped and left."
"She should have tossed that cunt out on his arse. The fuck was she playing at just leaving? Fuck, had she called me, I'd have kicked the prick out of the house."
