Page 134 of To Hell With It

‘Yes, but what would you call me?’

‘You’ll have to wait and see,’ I said.

‘Don’t make it too obvious.’

‘I won’t.’ I grinned.

‘Pearl?’

‘Yes.’

‘There was one thing I was going to ask of you.’

‘What?’

‘I haven’t been to my dad’s grave since his funeral.’

‘Oh, really?’

‘I couldn’t because it made me mad.’

‘That’s understandable.’

‘I think I’d like to go and see him.’

‘OK.’

‘Would you come with me?’

‘Really?’

‘Yes.’

‘When would you like to go?’ I asked.

‘After your shift?’

‘Sure.’

‘Thanks, Pearl,’ Niall picked up his keys. ‘I’ll see you there.’

‘See you there,’ I said, and I don’t know why but I felt like I was going on a date, even if it was to the graveyard to see Mr O’Callaghan.

ChapterSixty-Five

Iknew where Mr O’Callaghan was buried. He was buried at the back of the cemetery in a plot of land that Mr and Mrs O’Callaghan had bought so that they could all be buried there together one day. I wondered if Maggie Ryan had bought the plot next door, then she really would take their secret to the grave.

Niall was already there. The rain had stopped though the sky was grey and the air was damp, but I could still see the top of Slievenamon in the distance. We stood there for a moment, looking at it.

‘Did it take you long to walk up?’ Niall asked.

‘Huh?’ I said with a frown.

‘When you went up with Jack?’

‘Oh, about that,’ I said. ‘I lied. We didn’t go up.’

‘You said he took you for a picnic?’

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