Chapter 2: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

“Merry Christmas love,” Mrs Kennedy said opening Lee’s door on Christmas morning, “there’s a couple of gifts downstairs for you.”

“Morning mam,” Lee answered groggily, “merry Christmas to you too.”

Lee got out of bed and put on the silly Christmas jumper his mam wanted him to wear. It had a Rudolf on it with a large fluffy red nose. Lee didn’t like the jumper but it wasn’t like he would be going anywhere today and no one would see him in it.

As Lee reached the sitting room, with the seven-foot Christmas tree, his dad was already drinking a beer. Lee looked at the clock on the sitting room wall; it was only a little after nine am. Like Lee, Michael was wearing a woolly Christmas jumper. His had Santa Claus on it though and the beard and white hair were fluffy, like the nose on Lee’s. Maeve was also wearing Christmassy clothing. She had a dress with little reindeer, snowmen and Christmas trees on it. She had her hair tied up in a red ribbon as well. To anyone looking in they almost looked like the perfect family. The house was decorated, tastefully, with matching colour decorations on the walls, ceiling and tree. Nothing was out of place. Even the woolly jumpers and dress the Kennedy’s were wearing matched the decoration colour theme; to the extant that it could.

As with most families the Kennedy’s have Christmas day traditions. The first of these is that the three members toast in the day with a drink of their choice. Usually it is the first drink they drink on that day. Lee had a Coke, his mam had a mulled wine and his dad had his third beer of the morning.

After they finished this drink they had some breakfast and following that there were gifts to be opened. The tradition surrounding this was that Mrs Kennedy went to the tree and divided out the gifts to her husband and son and created a pile for herself.

She did just this. There were the normally gifts from family members: mugs, shower gel and deodorant packs, socks, a scarf, a calendar and a few other bits and pieces. His parents got him new runners and a hurley, his last one broke in November, and a couple of new video games and books. There was one other gift there. It was the strangest shaped of all the gifts. Lee picked it up and examined it. It was from Joshua. Lee didn’t remember Joshua handing him a gift in school and it was extremely unlikely that Joshua had given it to his parents to put under the tree.

Lee was staring at the gift confused when his mother noticed:

“Who’s that from dear?” she asked.

“A friend in school,” Lee said.

“That’s nice, isn’t it?” Maeve said. Lee didn’t respond and so she asked her husband, “that’s nice that Lee would get a gift from someone in school isn’t it Michael?”

“Fantastic, yeah,” he said not looking up from his newest gadget his wife had bought him for Christmas.

“He didn’t hand it to me though,” Lee said and looked at his mam questioningly.

“I don’t think I know any of your friends,” Maeve said in answer to his unasked question.

Lee shrugged and looked back to the gift from Joshua and opened it. Inside there was a snow globe and a note. Inside the snow globe there was a church and a house and an old style light post. There was also a little figure standing outside the front of the church. Lee bent down close to the globe to take a closer look at the figure. It looked as if it was in the school uniform Lee and Joshua would wear. Looking closer he saw that it was meant to be him.

“Wow,” Lee couldn’t help but say.

“Hmmm?,” Mrs Kennedy asked.

“It’s me,” he said lifting up the globe to show his mam.

“Where?” she asked looking at the church in the globe.

“There, in front of the church,” Lee said.

“Oh my,” she said, “it does look like you, a little at least.”

“Crazy isn’t it?” Lee said and opened the note.

Just so you will be able to know that there is someone who cares for you and wants to look out for you and is watching over you. I hope that when you are feeling down that you can remember there are people who care for you. Joshua.

PS my dad wants you to come away with us for New Years if you are willing. You can text me whenever to let me know.

“Well I best go and cook the turkey,” Maeve said as Lee gathered up all the wrapping paper and put it in a black plastic bag, “where is it dear?”

“Where’s what?” Michael asked looking up from whatever was engrossing his attention at that present moment, probably another beer.

“The turkey?” Maeve asked all smiles.

“I don’t know, where did you put it?” he responded.

“Don’t tell me you forgot,” Maeve said getting a little worked up and frustrated.

“Forgot what?” Michael shouted back.

“The turkey of course?” she replied.

“I wasn’t to get the turkey,” he insisted, “that was your job.”

“No, actually, you headed off for beer one night a couple of weeks ago and I asked you to pick up a turkey on your way and you said you would do that no problem.”

“I never did.”

“I remember that,” Lee said, “you did dad, and you were sober for once too so no reason you shouldn’t remember.”

“What did you say you little punk?” Michael said jumping from his seat and knocking over all the gifts he had gotten, even breaking a glass from Maeve.

“He said nothing dear,” Maeve replied standing between them, “go to your room Lee,” she said to him and waited through his protests for him to leave.

“Let’s talk about this in the kitchen while we find something else to cook?” she asked her husband; who followed her to the kitchen.

Lee was already in the kitchen and when he heard them coming he moved towards the washroom, hiding behind the door where he could peek through the gap and watch the proceedings.

“I cannot believe you forgot the turkey you stupid woman,” Michael roared at his wife.

“I didn’t though dear, did I, it was you that forgot it.”

“You should have checked with me after I got back to make sure I remembered it. Anyway, kitchen stuff is your area. Why do you expect me to do everything?”

“I don’t it was one simple job love.”

“Don’t give me that ‘love’ rubbish. What were you doing when you should have been buying a turkey anyway?” Michael shouted.

“Buying your presents and running this house by myself,” she replied.

This caused Michael to hit her with the back of his right hand.

“Are you implying that I never do anything in the house to help you?” he asked.

“No,” she said, he voice changing in tone completely from her previous sentence. Lee noticed she was no longer angry but scared now.

“I shouldn’t have hit you,” Michael said calming down a little bit, “it’s just that you know how hard everything has been for me and how difficult I find everything. I worked really hard for years and years, providing for this family. I feel so hurt by how little you made of that just there and I saw red. I lashed out but I shouldn’t have. You need to realise that you can’t just say whatever you want though and remember that I do a lot for this family.”

“I know,” Maeve said, crying now, “I’m sorry I made you so angry.”

Lee wanted to be sick. His dad had convinced his mam that him hitting her was her own fault and Lee was hearing, with his own ears, his mam apologise for angering him so that he hit her.

“Let’s see what we have to eat will we?” Michael said and opened the freezer.

After a brief search he came up empty handed.

“I don’t think there’s anything we can substitute for turkey,” Maeve said, “only breaded chicken breasts.”

“That won’t do,” Michael said, he was angry again, “why did you have to forget the turkey?”

Maeve whimpered a sorry and Michael threw some frozen vegetables across the room. They didn’t hit Maeve but did break a plate near the sink and begin spilling all over the kitchen.

“You are such a stupid cow,” Michael roared at the top of his lungs, “you’ve ruined Christmas, the one day in the year when I get to relax.”

“Honey, calm down,” Maeve pleaded, “or Lee will hear you.”

“The boy?” Michael said and his anger rose further, “you’ve managed to turn him against me to haven’t you?” he asked sarcastically; “he’s convinced I am some sort of abusive alcoholic. I bet when I’m out looking for work you are whispering all sorts of terrible things into his ears the poor lad. He doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going anymore. Thinking his whore of a mother is a victim of abuse and that his dad is some monster abusing her when he’s drunk, which is probably all the time in your warped mind. You probably tell him I’m off in the pub when I’m out looking for work. You liar.”

As he was speaking Michael was making a fist. He punched Maeve in the face and caused her to fall over and smack her head off the counter. She was bleeding from her nose and the back of her head when she hit the floor.

Michael put a pillow from the sitting room under her head and while he was gone Lee ran to the phone and called the police.

They were there in minutes; Lee found this surprising because it was Christmas day. They came in and found Maeve on the kitchen floor, as had been described in the emergency call.

She was brought to the hospital to see if she was concussed or had any other head trauma. Michael was taken into the front room for questioning because the officers did not want to interrupt his Christmas any further than it had been.

Michael told them that he had been in the sitting room when he heard some commotion. He ran into the kitchen when he heard something smash, the plate. He said that it appeared as if his wife had gotten angry because they had forgotten to buy the turkey and had no alternative, appropriate meat for Christmas dinner. In her anger she appears to have slipped and hit her head off the counter, causing the bloody nose, and hit the ground causing the gash on her head. Michael made it clear he was not a witness to the fall and was only guessing at what might have occurred but that it was obvious she was bleeding in two places. He admitted to resting her head on the pillow, which made the female officer smile and remark about how good a husband he was.

Lee was outside the room listening to his dad the whole time. He was disgusted by the lies his father was telling the police officers. The officers came out to him and asked him to join him in the room as he would have to be questioned as well.

“Lee knows nothing,” Michael was saying as he was led in, “he was upstairs the whole time and didn’t come down until he heard the sirens outside, isn’t that right lad?”

“Is he leaving?” Lee asked the officer, ignoring his father.

“As you are under eighteen you will need to have an adult here with you, and someone that is not on the force,” the policeman explained.

“Okay,” Lee said and looked at his father.

“Were you upstairs?” the officer asked, “did you see anything happen to your mother.”

Lee was silent as he stared at his father. He was thinking about whether or not Michael would get away with what he had done and then come after Maeve and himself. It would be better to say nothing than allow him to get more angry and come home from prison at New Years, when Lee wasn’t at home, and let him take his anger out on his mam.

Michael was nodding at Lee, but he could see that Lee was miles away in thought. An ounce of panic arose in Michael’s throat, “tell the man where you were,” Michael said slowly, but Lee knew, threateningly as well.

He had made up his mind. To protect his mam he would have to lie and convince her to tell the truth when she woke up, or he got back from Joshua’s dads in the new year.

“I was upstairs,” Lee said, almost robotically, “I didn’t see or hear anything. I only saw my mam after dad had placed a pillow beneath her head. He’s a good dad and a good husband,” Lee lied, “can I go now?”

“You can,” the male officer said.

“Thanks Lee,” the female one said and placed a hand on his shoulders, “sorry about ruining your Christmas.”

Lee faked a smile at her left the room. Once the sitting-room door was closed he ran to the bathroom and threw up. Then he leaned against the locked door and the tears began to flow. He slid down along the door as the tears fell. He apologised to his mother in whispers about how he couldn’t tell the police the truth and hoped he wasn’t doing the wrong thing.

It was a long time before he came out. When he did he turned to Michael and informed him he was going to the hospital to wait for his mam to wake up.

“No you aren’t,” Michael said.

“Why not dad?” Lee asked, “someone should be with her in there.”

“We haven’t had dinner yet,” Michael pointed out.

“Are you making it?” Lee asked; sounding surprised.

“No, I thought you could,” Michael said, “you know I’m a useless cook. You are much better than I am at it.”

“Fine,” Lee said, “I’ll cook some food, afterwards I am going to the hospital okay?”

He didn’t wait for answer from his father but headed to the kitchen and, closing the door behind him, began work on ‘Christmas’ dinner.

*          *         *          *          *

27^th of December 2016

Hey Joshua,

I got your invitation to come with you and your dad for the New Year. Could I please join you? I would be delighted to and I need to get away from here as soon as I can.

Lee.

30^th of December 2016

There was a knock on the door, Maeve was still not out of hospital and Lee could not wait to leave his dad behind for a few days. All he did was sit on the sofa and watch crap that he shouldn’t be watching as he drank himself into oblivion. If it wasn’t for the fact that Lee could cook both he, and his dad, would have starved to death over the past few days.

Lee went to answer the door. It was Joshua.

“Hey Lee,” he said brightly as his friend opened the front door, “I’m so excited you’re coming with us. Normally it’s just me and father and his friend so it will be good to have someone for me to talk to and not just be by myself a lot of the time.”

“I’m really excited to be going too,” Lee said as he moved aside for Joshua to come inside, “thanks so much for inviting me.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Is your dad outside in the car?” Lee asked, “would he like to come in for a cup of tea?”

“He’s eager to get going so I would think we should just get your stuff and head out,” Joshua said.

“I’ll just go and tell my dad,” Lee said as he entered the living room.

“Dad?” Lee called, not sure if he would be awake or asleep, “I just wanted to let you know that Joshua and his father are here and I am heading off with them until the fifth of January. I’ve left some simple recipes on the kitchen work surface so you can prepare some easy meals. Please look after yourself.”

“Lee?” his dad called as Lee was leaving the room again, thinking there would be no response.

“Yeah dad,” Lee replied coming back in.

“Why didn’t you cook it and freeze it for me? That’s what your mother would have done.”

“I’m obviously not as on the ball as mam is,” Lee replied, trying to keep his cool he should have just left this man starve.

“Evidently,” Michael said as he opened another can.

“Bye dad,” Lee said and left the room.

Joshua was standing outside and looked at Lee sadly as he came out of the room; “I heard what was said,” he admitted to Lee, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok,” Lee said, “let’s just go. I need to be away from here for awhile.”

“Okay,” Joshua said as Lee picked up his things.

Joshua’s dad drove a red Honda Accord with a 2014 registration plate. He was about six feet tall with long, straight, dark hair and deep-set blue eyes. His face had a warmth about them and it was clear to Lee that he was a man that kept himself active. Despite being in his mid forties he looked only in his twenties. That was besides his face, although warm and friendly it looked old and haggard, not tired per se, but more like he had seen a lot in his time on earth; a lot of pain and hardship.

“Hello Lee,” he said the friendliness of his face and eyes equally evident in his voice, “Joshua has told me a lot about you, it’s nice to finally meet you,” Joshua’s dad said as he lifted Lee’s stuff into the trunk of the car.

“Nice to finally meet you Mr Tetra,” Lee said as he shook the man’s hand.

“Please,” Joshua’s dad said, “call me Jacob.”

“Jacob,” Lee repeated, “okay.”

“Shall we go?” he asked as Joshua jumped into the back seat of the car. Lee sat in beside him.

Jacob Tetra got into the front seat and started the engine and they were off.

“Where are we going?” Lee asked as they left the city.

“Didn’t Joshua tell you?” Jacob asked, “We have a house near the beach in County Kerry. It’s only a little two bedroomed thing but it is a nice place. You’ll have to share a room with him,” Mr Tetra said as he thrust a thumb back at his son, “if that’s okay with you?”

“That’s fine Jacob,” Lee said.

“I’m sorry,” Joshua said when his father’s attention was back on the road, “I thought I had told you. It’s a lovely place. The main road to Killarney, the N70 runs outside it. Well actually that goes to Kenmare and then the N71 goes to Killarney from there, but anyway, we think of it as the Killarney Road. The house is off the road though. A small forest surrounds it, with very few other houses near it; there are a few farms around. The house has a backyard which becomes a beach, we don’t own the beach but it is only separated from the house by a fence with a gate and so it sort of feels like we do own the place. Inside there is only one floor. You come in on the west side of the house and there is a sitting room to your right and a kitchen straight in front of you. A corridor on the right brings you to the two bedrooms and a bathroom.”

“Scenically it sounds beautiful,” Lee commented.

“It is,” Joshua began.

“It is one of my favourite parts of Ireland,” Jacob said and Joshua went quiet to allow his father to speak, “I first fell in love with it a long time ago. Although the landscape has changed a lot since then it still is a really beautiful place. I like where our little house is, as Joshua said it is relatively untouched, almost still the same way God made it, except for the road, and our house, that is. We have some breath-taking views though. I hope you will enjoy them when we get there.”

“I’m not really a nature person,” Lee admitted, “though I’m sure it’s lovely.”

“We love nature.” Joshua said when it was obvious his father was not going to say anything, “don’t we father?”

“We do son,” Jacob replied, “how is your mother by the way?” Jacob asked Lee, “I hope you don’t mind that Joshua told me about what you think has been going on?”

“I don’t mind at all,” Lee replied, “we discussed him telling you and I told him it was probably a good thing to do.”

“I’m glad,” Jacob replied, “how is she?”

“She’s not good at all,” Lee admitted, “he put her in hospital on Christmas day.”

“What? Are you sure it was him?” Joshua said blurting out.

“Joshua,” Jacob chastised, “it’s very sad. Who would have thought Michael Kennedy would turn out to be such?”

“Do you know my dad?” Lee asked Jacob.

“He has encountered me a couple of times,” Jacob said, “but I would not say that I know him, or that he knows me though.”

“When did you meet him?” Lee asked.

“It was a long time ago. Before you were born, before he married your mother. It was the summer of 1986, your dad was sixteen and we were at a summer camp. He didn’t acknowledge my existence much during it but one night he did come and talk to me. I was really excited because I am the kind of person who likes everyone to be my friend.”

“What happened?” Lee asked.

“Well he talked to me for the rest of the camp but once we left we fell out of touch. He was a nice guy back then, I never would have thought he would turn out to be a person who beats his wife and causes her to be hospitalised.”

“What happened?” Joshua asked.

“Mam asked him to buy the turkey but he forgot so we had none on Christmas Day. Dad was angry about this and blamed mam, excepting no responsibility for what happened himself. They sent me to my room but I went to the kitchen where mam came looking for something else to cook.

“Dad followed her into the kitchen and he threw some stuff around the room and shouted at her a bit. I think that some frozen meat or vegetables broke a plate. Then my dad got really angry and hit, or punched, my mam in the face and she fell over and hit the back of her head off the counter and went unconscious. I phoned the police but when they got there my dad had to be with me when I gave evidence and I was too scared to say anything bad about him, or about what he did, in front of him in case he attacked mam again when she got out. Instead I told them I was upstairs, like my dad told them, and that I saw nothing but came down and saw my mam unconscious on the floor.”

“Lee, that’s horrible to hear,” Jacob said.

“There is no doubt left about what he is doing now then?” Joshua asked.

“None,” Lee agreed, “what do I do?”

“Unfortunately there is not much you can do,” Jacob said, “except be there for your mother and encourage her to speak out about what happened to her.”

“I’m hoping she will want to do that when she gets out of hospital,” Lee admitted, “I’m afraid if she stays around him much longer she will just keep getting beaten up, and if she has any more falls like the one she had Christmas day she might not live. He would never kill her on purpose but he might just do it by accident.”

“It is important that you talk to her,” Jacob said, “let her know she has your support.”

“Yeah,” Lee replied, “Joshua said that. I tried to do it in November but she wouldn’t talk about it with me.”

“Maybe she is ready to now,” Joshua said and placed a comforting hand on Lee’s shoulder.

“Do you know if she has spoken with anyone else?” Jacob asked Lee.

“Not that I am aware,” Lee replied sadly, “I’m not sure if she even has anyone else she can talk to. I haven’t seen any of her friends in around a year and a half.”

“That’s not a good thing,” Jacob said warningly.

“Why not father?” Joshua asked as Jacob withdrew to his own head.

“It means that she is aware that what her husband is doing is wrong but she does not want any of her friends to see what he is doing and judge her harshly because of it, or judge him harshly. It may be that she blames herself for what is happening and so wants to hide it from everyone around her,” Jacob explained.

“If that’s the case,” Lee questioned, “what do I do to convince her that it isn’t her fault?”

“There are plenty of women’s magazines that carry stories about abused women, or websites even, one of those stories may inspire her to stand up for herself or to realise that this is not her own fault,” Jacob advised.

“I think you could try getting a friend back in touch,” Joshua suggested, “would you have any of their numbers or access to any of their numbers?”

“I have one or two,” Lee said, “I know mam’s best friend, Sarah, she would be more than happy to help.”

“That’s what you do then,” Joshua said, “relationship restoration is always a good thing, so if we can mend some bridges while getting your mother away from a relationship that is dangerous.”

“It would be good if they could stay together,” Lee said picking up on Joshua’s ‘relationship restoration’ comment.

“It would,” Joshua agreed, “sometimes the best way to relate to someone is to be apart though,” he added, “if your dad hurts your mum then it would be best for him to leave her be and if she loves him perhaps she needs to leave him before he realises his mistakes and begins to make up for them.”

“That’s true,” Lee said, taking it all in.

After discussing a few more things for another hour or so Jacob finally stopped the car. He had been right about the scenery. The house was just off the road but was surrounded by trees. The other side of the road had a hill with a path to the top. The house was petit and yellow and you could hear the sound of the ocean behind the cottage and smell the sea in your nostrils as you stepped out of the car.

Jacob gave Joshua the key to the front door and he unloaded the car. Lee helped him carry the contents into the house. Joshua was inside turning on the electricity, which they left turned off when they weren’t using the house.

Joshua came and took his stuff and showed Lee to the room on the right down the corridor, it would be their room while they were staying in the house. The room was painted a light blue and had two single beds. There was a big window that looked out at the beach. Lee watched, and smiled, as the waves hit the rocks off to the east of the house. The two beds in the light blue room faced the window. There was a wardrobe along the wall that was at a right angle to the wall with the window and the door opened so that the wardrobe wall was behind it. Each bed had a bedside table and on the other wall there was a TV with a small, two-seater settee facing it.

“This is a lovely room,” Lee commented eventually.

“I know,” Joshua said, “father did well with this house.”

“Can we go outside and see the beach?” Lee asked.

“We are going to go walk up the hill the other side. There is a little restaurant just over it, it should take an hour to get there. Then we have some movies you and I can watch on that big screen while father goes and meets his friend.”

“Cool,” Lee said and changed out of his jeans into tracksuit, which would be more appropriate for a hill walk.

“We’re going to go into town and see the fireworks tonight; if that’s okay with you boys?” Jacob called from the gate looking on to the beach where Joshua and Lee were throwing a Frisbee.

“I love fireworks,” Lee said, “they are so awesome.”

“I’m glad,” Joshua replied, “Father and I go every year; it’s like a tradition.”

“We’re both coming,” Joshua shouted back to Jacob who smiled a warm smile and headed back into the house as Lee’s phone rang.

Lee answered the phone and put it to his ear, “hello?” he said.

“Hi Lee, it’s your dad. Just ringing to let you know that your mother is getting out of hospital today. I’m going to pick her up in a little while. Hope you are enjoying yourself and that. Looking forward to seeing you when you get back in a few days, and I’m sure your mother will be too.”

He disconnected the phone before Lee could say anything.

“Who was that?” Joshua asked, noting the fact that Lee was upset by something; he was holding his phone about two inches from his face and was staring at it as if it had committed the gravest of sins.

“My dad,” Lee replied, “he says my mam is coming out of hospital…”

“That’s great news,” Joshua said a little too quickly.”

“Today,” Lee pointed out, “meaning that she will be home with dad for a few days without me.”

“It’s okay,” Joshua said taking the phone out of Lee’s outstretched hand, “he won’t hurt her again so soon.”

Lee said nothing. He just walked away from his friend staring into the horizon, where the sea met the sky.

Lee was with them later on as they drove into town in order to watch the firework display that would see in the New Year. He had talked with his mother on the phone just after she got home and knew she was doing well and so his concern for her well being had lessened, though not disappeared.

Arriving at the little town they watched the firework display. The colours of the fireworks fascinated Lee, there were many more than you would see in Innishannon anyway. He left Joshua and Jacob behind as he moved to get closer and closer after a better view; at least that is what Joshua and Jacob believed.

Lee had the desire to have some fireworks. He got close to the person firing them off and nicked five before he even noticed. He hid them in his coat and went and stowed them in Jacob’s car, having gotten the keys from him.

Two nights later, at about four am, Lee snuck out of the house while Joshua and Jacob were sleeping. He lit the fireworks and ran for cover to watch as they blew up. The first shot into the sky with a whirring sound and exploded in bright blue light, the ashes falling into the sea. The second did the same but it exploded three times with three smaller red lights. The third shot up multi-coloured explosions in lines. Lee relaxed and imagined his problems were exploding in all those colours. The fourth firework shot up a double line, which exploded into what looked like a purple and a green hourglass with crackling yellow and blue in the background. The final firework exploded but Lee didn’t see it in the sky. He wondered was it perhaps a smaller one that stayed nearer the ground and he missed it because he moved to the front of the house to watch it. Then the firework exploded in a massive bright pink explosion. Lee saw it reflected in the window.

He turned around to look for the fizzling explosion in the sky but didn’t see anything. Turning back towards the house he saw a new light. The firework was after setting something out the back on fire. Lee ran around the house and saw that he was wrong. The firework had crashed into Jacob’s bedroom window and was now setting the room alight.

Lee ran back around the front of the house and inside to wake Jacob and Joshua up. He woke Joshua up and they went and banged on the door of Jacob’s room. Jacob didn’t answer and they couldn’t hear anything from inside.

“What happened?” Joshua asked as they ran outside.

“I heard an explosion and then went into the hall and saw smoke coming from your dad’s room,” Lee explained.

Joshua ran to the front window and banged on it. He could see the fire inside.

“Look,” Lee pointed across the room, “the other window is broken, we can get in from there.”

Joshua nodded and began to run, when they were at the side of the house they heard Jacob calling.

“Boys,” he roared over the sounds of fire and something crashing to the ground inside the house, “get up and get out… fast.”

Joshua turned around and ran to his dad, “father,” he shouted as he jumped into his arms, “we thought you were inside.”

“I went for a short walk, I came back as fast as I could when I thought I saw fireworks?”

“Really?” Joshua asked, “where?”

“Coming from right about here,” Jacob said, “did you buys have fireworks?”

“No,” Joshua said, “we were both asleep, weren’t we Lee?”

“Yeah,” Lee lied, “I heard an explosion, which woke me and I came out to look and saw smoke coming from your room, so woke Joshua up and tried to get you up as well,” Lee explained his thought out lie.

Jacob nodded and ran to the shed pulling a power hose out he turned it on and began spraying into the room through the broken back window. It wasn’t long before he had the fire out.

“Get your things,” he said to Joshua and Lee when it was safe to go back into the house, “we’ll have to try and find a hotel or bed and breakfast to stay in tonight and I will assess the damage when it’s light again.”

Joshua and Lee got their things and the three of them drove into the night looking for somewhere to sleep. They were unsuccessful and only found an open hotel in the morning when they began to open again. The hotelier took pity on them and allowed them to check in much earlier than was normal when Jacob told him their story. It was eight am by the time they were lying down to sleep. It would be another hour before it got bright outside. The curtains in the rooms seemed really thick though and would hopefully keep the light out.

Jacob got someone to take Lee home later that day; he would have to stay and try and get a builder to look at the house. He was fuming since four pm, when they all woke up. Jacob was convinced he had seen fireworks and couldn’t but ask himself who would want to endanger his life, and the life of his son, by shooting a firework in the back window of his house.

Lee had suggested that perhaps it had been an accident and someone was shooting off fireworks and one went astray.

“That couldn’t be” Jacob had remarked, “why would someone be out that far?”

At times it appeared to Lee as if both Joshua and Jacob knew it was him, or at least strongly suspected it, and were giving him every opportunity they could to own up to it. Jacob was, as well as giving out, also making sure that both boys knew there would be forgiveness if they owned up.

Lee couldn’t own up though. His family was in a delicate enough situation as it was and if they had this added there was no telling what Michael Kennedy would do. He could blame Lee’s mam and attack her for what Lee did. Anyway, Jacob was going on about forgiveness; but to be forgiven one has to be sorry. Lee wasn’t sorry, not that he stole those fireworks at least. He was sorry that one went through the window; but he figured if he owned up to one bit and apologised there would be a lot more trouble, and apologising, later. This meant that Lee decided to stay quiet.

He got home with his silence, and ‘innocence’ intact.

“Mam?” Lee called as he entered the house, “mam, I’m home, where are you?”

“I’m in the kitchen love,” Maeve called, “good to have you back.”

“Is dad here?” Lee asked.

“No, he’s gone to the… out, he’ll be back later.”

“Okay, that’s good because I want to talk to you,” Lee said as he opened the door to the kitchen.

Maeve was wearing a red dress with a darker red cardigan over it. She looked as if she was planning to go out somewhere.

“Mam,” Lee commented taken aback, “are you going somewhere?”

“No,” Maeve replied, “your father prefers it when I look my best,” she stated matter-of-factly.

It was only then that Lee noticed it, there was a bruise on her face.

“How did you get that?” Lee asked her.

“Oh this?” nonchalantly Maeve asked as she rubbed the bruise, she winced, which Lee noted, “that is from when I feel.”

“Mam, it’s too sore to be over a week old,” Lee pointed out.

“It’s not sore,” Maeve lied.

“I saw you wince when you touched it,” Lee said, “did dad do that, is that why you are wearing a dress like that, so he doesn’t hit you again?”

“Lee Michael Kennedy,” Maeve shouted, “how dare you say such a thing against your own father. He would never hit me and I am wearing this dress because I want to, not because your dad has forced me to.”

“Mam,” Lee said slowing his voice down and trying to keep his cool, “I know dad hit you, I know you were in hospital because of him and I’m ninety-nine per cent sure this bruise is from dad hitting you again and now you are dolled to the nines to try and stop him from hitting you again but he won’t stop mam, he won’t stop. You need to do something about it.”

“Lee,” Mrs Kennedy said, taken aback by Lee’s outburst, “I don’t know what you saw the day I went into hospital but it most certainly was not what you are saying it was. I won’t have your father spoken about like that in his own home. It’s an outrage. He would be furious…”

“You could have died,” Lee said, emotions were beginning to get the better of him and a tear slipped down his cheek, “if you keep letting him get away with hitting you then he will keep hitting you; and if he keeps hitting you then the next time something like Christmas happens, and he hits you hard enough to send you to hospital you might not get back out.”

“Lee…” Maeve began.

“You could die!” Lee shouted, interrupting his mother.

“Lee,” Maeve shouted back, “go to your room, now.”

“Mam, you have to listen to me,” Lee begged.

“Not to this nonsense I don’t,” Mrs Kennedy shouted, “now go before I get really cross with you.”

“Fine,” Lee said, “it’s your funeral.”

“Lee,” Maeve sighed, “please just go.”

“Okay,” Lee said and slammed the door behind him knocking a picture off the wall so the glass smashed on the floor.

As he walked away he thought he could hear his mam crying.

“Please let her listen to me,” he almost prayed.