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notice his careless ways, but of course she did. Like she noticed how he flung his clothes on his bedroom floor, presuming they would magically walk themselves into the washing machine and then out onto the line to dry. She noticed how he hadn’t once helped hoover the house since he had moved back home, even though it was his rugby boots that every Thursday night trailed mud and bits of grass right through the hall and up the stairs. She noticed he never once offered to make dinner, or clean up after it. She loved him deeply, but saw that he was getting more and more lazy each day.
    He was never as bad in college, back then he’d been like every regular boy: needed a push when it came to helping around the house, but would do it eventually. But ever since he’d moved back home this second time he’d seen the house as a hotel – somewhere he was temporarily staying and so did not need to help out at all. It saddened her to see him so lost. He had changed jobs three times since college, and never settled. If only he could see how he was wasting his training and talent as an accountant.
    Maura and Joe were heart-broken that he refused to go into the family business. At first, when he left college, Ben had said he didn’t immediately want to go into Joe’s office, he preferred to experience working for other people and not be tied down to the one job for the whole of his life. So Joe had got him work in a friend’s company: it was small but well respected. Ben had only lasted one year and eventually left to do a year’s travelling in Australia. It had been embarrassing for Joe, and upset the friendship he had had with the company’s owner, but that was nothing to the embarrassment he now felt when people could not understand why his one and only son, a qualifiedaccountant, refused to join him in his company, refused to work side by side with him as a business partner.
    Maura did not know what to do, and swung between disappointment and sadness. And even though Joe was heart-broken, he was a perfect gentleman. Not wanting to ever cause a scene, he had welcomed Ben back home when he couldn’t afford to buy a place of his own. Ben was great fun, and Maura did love having more company around the house, and fussing over him and hearing all the gossip about his friends, but she knew Ben needed to change, and soon.

11
    Ali walked across Merrion Square and up Mount Street into Heavenly, feeling really in the mood for one of their spinach and ricotta tartlets. As she got into the busy queue she could see one of her best friends, Molly, covered in flour and what looked like tomatoes, laughing away with her mother. The two floury, petite, dark-haired women could have been sisters. As Ali approached the till and went to pay Eve for the tartlet, she caught Molly’s eye and Molly came out from behind the counter.
    â€˜How’s work, Ali?’
    â€˜A nightmare,’ replied Ali. ‘Mary has got me checking the legal aspects of planning permissions all morning. It’s so boring, I’m dreading going back.’
    â€˜But Ali, imagine, in a few weeks’ time you will be in South Africa! I’m so jealous, I would love to go there one day with Luke, and visit all the Cape wineries. The food and wines are supposed to be the best in the world. Think of all the treats I could bring home to sell here!’
    â€˜Yeah, I know, Molly, I’m lucky to be going away. I can’t wait to go on safari, and try whale-watching. I just wish I was going away today.’ She laughed. ‘Anyway, I can see you are busy, but what are you doing this weekend? Maybe we can go for drinks? I’ll ring Sarah and see if she’s free.’
    â€˜Good idea, I’ll talk to you then. I’ve got to check on some brownies. Good luck with work.’
    â€˜Yummy brownies. You’re so lucky. I’m going back to an afternoon of total boredom. Anyway, hope to see you on