Two months gone already and no sign of Da coming back, but at least he had work, had found cheap lodgings and was sending money home.
They had to be grateful for that. Ma kept on saying so, though it was with a bitterness that made Marina wince. It wasn’t Da’s fault, this, however much she hated him being away. But Ma had changed. She was worn out with all the work she’d taken on, even though Marina helped with it, did her share.
It was Da not being there. Quiet though he was, he was steady and companionable and they missed his company.
These thoughts whirled about her as she made her way to Grandma’s, a mile or so away. It was almost spring but there was a sharp wind, which made the journey feel longer, colder.
It made the tree-lined avenue where Grandma lived, with its view of fields and the mill beyond, seem like a foreign land compared to the grey streets bordering the shipyard and the river.
When Grandma answered the door, she shivered as if it was she who had made the journey in the cold. ‘Come in, child, into the warm.’
Marina kissed her cheek, then hung up her hat and coat, which looked shabby next to Grandma’s. She even felt shabby, now that her home had been turned into a wash house.
‘Now, here’s a sorry face… what ails you, child?’
‘It’s windy out,’ Marina said, trying to smile. ‘That’s all.’
‘Sure, if you’d lived on the auld farm, you’d be able for it. Never stopped
