Michael was shaking his head in amazement now, his earlier annoyance with his wife and mother-in-law gone. He listened closely to Lana as she told him the score about Patrick’s daughters; she was very knowledgeable about them, and their lifestyles – that much was obvious to Michael. It seemed that the women knew far more than the men around them about what was actually going on.
He found himself believing everything that Lana was telling him about the Costello girls and their carryings on. There was a ring of truth in what she was telling him which he couldn’t ignore. He felt the same burning heat of humiliation and anger that his friend would be feeling at his daughters’ shame, and he was sorry to the very heart of him.
‘If Patrick knew that his daughters were laying down with all and sundry on a regular basis he would go off his fucking tree. The men who they have been with can’t have known whose daughters they were cavorting with, surely? No one would dare to touch them knowing they were Patrick Costello’s girls.’
Lana shrugged, irritated now. She had not trusted her daughter’s husband since the night the Barber brothers had gone on the missing list. He was a dangerous man, who acted like he was normal, but it was all a sham. If she had had her way, her daughter’s wedding would never have gone ahead. Her husband loved him, though; he saw him as the son he had never had, thought the sun shone out of his arse, as did her daughter. But she had sussed the real Michael, and his complete ignorance about men and the lure of girls like the Costellos incensed her. It just proved to her how foolish these men could really be.
‘You listen to me, Michael Flynn. You’d be surprised at just how low some men are willing to sink. From what we’ve heard, those girls have been at it for years. Carmel Costello might not be my favourite person, but she didn’t deserve what those girls have done. She tried to give them a decent start in life. Patrick Costello, the big-headed bully that he is, has to come to terms with his daughters’ actions. It won’t be easy for him, but he has no other option. So remember this for the future, Michael – it takes two to tango. If she can name the father of Patrick Costello’s first grandchild – and that is what her child is, remember, his grandchild, his flesh and blood – I will eat my fucking knitting.
‘And another thing, Michael, while we are all being so honest. I would lay good money on the child being black, or at least dark-skinned. But I expect you and the Costellos will sort it out. “Who would sleep with Patrick’s daughter?” This from a man who knows first-hand what men are capable of, who prides himself on his knowledge of the world around him. Patrick Costello is going to get the shock of his life, and do you know something? I’m glad. It’s about time you realised that you are not the be all and end all. There is always someone who will sneak under your radar, and take what’s yours, destroying everything you hold dear without you even noticing it.’
Michael was utterly taken aback at his mother-in-law’s vehemence. He had only sought to give his wife a bit of gossip, as he usually did when he came home. He told her everything about his life, his work – he always had done.
Josephine, however, had been very quiet throughout this conversation. She had left her mother to tell him what they knew about Assumpta and her unfortunate situation. In truth, he had heard far more about the Costello girls and their sexual gymnastics than he felt comfortable with. He could never let Patrick know that he was aware of any of this.
Lana, he realised, had enjoyed giving him the truth about the situation. Lana had never really been right with him since before his marriage to her only daughter. She had seemed to change overnight. He had put it down to his own mother’s interference, and Lana’s natural concerns for her only daughter. Now, though, he couldn’t help wondering if she just didn’t like him. She had once been his biggest fan – now she had no real care for him at all. Every time Josephine had lost a child, Lana had been there, holding her daughter’s hand, and he had seen her watching him closely, as he grieved the loss of his child with his wife. He had felt her blaming him for each one, even as he guessed that she didn’t want her daughter to carry his spawn.
While they were childless, Lana felt that she had the upper hand. As though the marriage wasn’t really consummated and, therefore, it could be dissolved. She didn’t understand that, as much as he wanted a child, he would always want Josephine more. She was everything to him, and she always would be. It was Josephine who craved a child. He didn’t care any more one way or the other. He just wanted his wife, his Josephine.