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“According to Mam and Dad, I have to repeat sixth year, which I am absolutely not doing.” She released a frustrated growl. “I mean, it was hard enough last year. How the hell am I supposed to focus this time around with a baby to look after?”
“Aoife.” Jesus, I could hardly speak I was so laden down with guilt. “I’m so fucking sorry, baby.”
“It’s not on you, Joe.”
Yeah. It was.
“Trish wants you to repeat, huh?” I knew it would be Trish, because Tony wasn’t the school promotor type. In his mind, if you could read, write, count money, and had a good head on your shoulders, then you would make your way just fine in life. Trish, on the other hand, was the one gunning for her kids to make something of themselves.
“Yep,” she replied. “Mam thinks it’ll be good for me to get it done. She’s been in contact with Mr. Nyhan, and he’s been really good about it—all things considered. He told Mam the school will work with me—you know, sending homework and stuff—and that I don’t have to attend in person until after the Halloween break.”
“Jesus.” I scrubbed my jaw, feeling overwhelmed for her.
“Mam offered to mind the baby for me if I go back to school, but I’m not doing it, Joe.”
Anxiety filled me. All these plans and decisions were being made without me.
“What about me?” I heard myself interject. “I can have the baby while you go to school. I’ll find evening work that’ll fit our schedule.”
“And Tommen? Where does that fit in?”
“It doesn’t.”
“You’re going to do this, Joe.”
“No, Molloy. I’m going to take care of you and the baby.”
“Yes, by finishing out school,” she pushed. “At least that way our baby has one parent to be proud of.”
Fuck, that stung.
“There’s nothing about me to be proud of,” I told her. “You’re the good one, Aoife. You’re the parent our kid will be proud of.”
“Listen to you with all the compliments.”
“Seriously, you do the whole school gig by day and I’ll have the baby, and then I’ll work at night while you’re with him.”
“Yeah, because my dad’s really going to go for that.”
I rolled my eyes. “He can fire me, but he can’t keep me from my kid.”
“That’s not it, Joe,” she was quick to say. “He loves you. You know he does. He’s just…protective of me after everything that happened.”
“You mean after I left you alone and pregnant.”
“He knows you had to go.”
“He might know it, but he doesn’t accept it.”
“Well, I do, and that’s all that matters,” she replied. “So, don’t let it get you down. You and Dad will patch things up when you’re home. You guys always do.”
Yeah, somehow, I doubted that. I’d overheard Tony ranting and raving the other night when she was on the phone to me.
He didn’t want me going anywhere near his daughter, and I didn’t blame him. Jesus, it was a miracle he hadn’t confiscated her phone to stop me from calling. I sure as hell wouldn’t blame him if he did. I’d put his daughter through hell.
“He’ll give you back your job at the garage once he sees how well you’re doing,” Molloy said down the line. “Maybe not right away, but he will. Dad never replaced you. He never hired anyone else, Joe.”
“I really fucking hope you’re right, Molloy,” I said honestly. Because they could talk about college degrees to me until the cows came home, but the only career I’d ever been interested in pursuing was under the bonnet of a car.
