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as a journalist, he hadn’t even studied English in college. He had actually studied commerce at UCD, and specialized in accounting, mainly because his father owned a small accounting firm. His father had taken over O’Connor & Son from Ben’s grandfather, and his dream was that Ben would also work with him and eventually take it over. And although Ben had at one stage wanted that, the older he got the more he had felt pressurized into it, and hadn’t wanted the responsibility of running a family company. He liked to feel free and not be tied down, and he knew that the minute he went into the company he would be in it for life, no turning back. And Ben was not that kind of person: he liked freedom and no responsibilities. He liked to feel he could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. But, of course, he did feel guilty quite often. He saw how disappointed his father was with him. His father should have retired a few years ago, but Ben knew he was holding out in the hope that Ben would change his mind and run the business. His father was the perfect gentleman and family man. Always there to help his mother around the house, and then head for a round of golf in Foxrock Golf Club, but making sure he was back in time to get the house ready for the dinner parties they threw almost every second weekend. Both Ben’s parents had plenty of friends and were great at having parties, going on holiday and socializing. His father was a fine host, and always made sure everyone felt comfortable in any occasion, and while his mumwas always nagging Ben, it was her concern and interest in others that made her so popular. She was always first to visit a friend in hospital, or bake a cake for a family in times of grief.
    They were a great couple, and even though seeing them so happy should have made Ben want to settle down and experience what they had had for almost forty years, it didn’t. He knew eventually he would settle down, but for now he needed to experience the opposite: live life to the full with whoever he wanted. He wasn’t the biggest womanizer or anything, but he just had itchy feet, and liked to work and be with whoever felt right at that time. And at this moment he felt like being an underpaid yet happy and relaxed sports correspondent on his oldest friend Jeremy’s latest venture – a free Dublin daily paper. He had only got the job because of Jeremy, and even though he knew that all the sports staff had felt a bit miffed that he had got it without any qualifications, he was able to hold his own and, after a few articles, started receiving praise from the editor and getting on better with the staff. They were a relaxed bunch, really, and usually great for drinks after work on Friday on Dawson Street. Though sometimes, when he ran into his old University College friends, all coming back from work in Dublin’s biggest accountancy firms, he did feel a pang of guilt, and regret that he wasn’t working alongside them. But then he would always think of O’Connor & Son and tell himself, not yet, or maybe never, and remember he was only thirty, and that was young enough.

10
    Maura O’Connor came back from her hour-long walk around leafy Foxrock and Cabinteely. She did it every morning, not only to try and stay fit but also to try and tire out the family dog, Honey. Honey, their golden Labrador retriever, was as mad as a hare, and needed a good long walk every morning to at least tire her out until Joe came home and could take the young dog out again.
    As she walked into the kitchen, she noticed Ben must have left in a hurry: the ironing board and iron were still out, as was the milk and a cornflakes box. Tidying them away, she went to put his coffee cup into the dishwasher, and saw it was still clean and full from the wash she had put on earlier. The lazy so and so, she thought. As usual he had hand-washed his bowl to avoid unpacking the dishwasher. He thought she didn’t