I imagined my love for Cliesh was a secret. I left trails a retired bloodhound could follow. My Old Lady was my keenest observer. I was sixteen. I was in love. Who can resist falling in love? My eagerness to go to Cliesh"s rooms on Sunday afternoons, my heightened mood as the weekend approached. My mother couldn"t fail to notice. I wonder what else she looked for to confirm her suspicions that I was in a state of mortal sin. I wouldn"t have put it past her to examine the bedding and monitor nocturnal emissions. I was too relaxed, too happy. That day, she"d convinced herself that I was "doing it" and it had to stop. My long, private war had just got much worse.
She raised her hand to slap my face. “Don"t you speak tae me like that.”
I caught her arm. “Don"t you bloody dare.”
My Mother ha
