慣ry not to worry, love,?he says. Then he spends the rest of the journey worrying about calling his most senior officer 憀ove?
When he gets to the station, Tony is already there. Nelson groans inwardly. He doesn抰 think he can take a day listening to Tony抯 chatter. Sure enough, when Nelson explains about Cathbad, Tony launches into a long story about two cousins in China who caught, and subsequently recovered from, the virus.
慣hat抯 great, Tony,?says Nelson, when he can get a word in. 慙et抯 get on with our work, shall we??In silence, he wants to add, like Sister Anthony used to say to his primary school class. 慖抦 casting my cloak of silence over you.?But Tony seems to get the message.
Leah brings him a cup of coffee. 慖 hope Cathbad抯 OK,?she says. 慗udy抯 so lovely. I can抰 bear to think of her being worried.?
Judy had been worried about Leah, Nelson remembers. What had she said? She seems a bit quiet. But Leah, unlike Tony, is not given to chatting. For which Nelson thanks God silently.
Thinking of God, as always, reminds him of his mother. He hadn抰 rung her last night so he does so now.
Maureen sounds bracingly the same. No, she抯 not ordering food online. She doesn抰 hold with things like that. She goes to the shops with her wheely bag. Of course she wears a mask. Maeve brought her a pack. Nelson抯 older sister, Maeve, lives near their mother, and visits every other day. 慡he doesn抰 come in,?says Maureen, 憇he stands in the garden and shouts up at me. It抯 a gas.?Nelson抯 other sister, Grainne, lives further away but apparently she did one of those Zoom yokes the other night.
慔ow are you, Harry??asks Maureen at last. 慉re you still on your own? Is Michelle still in Blackpool with Georgie??
慪es,?says Nelson, 憇he抯 a bit worried about her mum. Louise has diabetes, you know.?
慡he抯 as fit as a fiddle,?says Maureen.
慡he certainly seems it,?says Nelson.
慔ow抯 Katie??asks Maureen. Nelson answers carefully. Maureen now knows about Ruth and Katie but he doesn抰 want to get into an ethical debate with her, if he can help it.
慡he抯 fine. Her school抯 closed so Ruth抯 teaching her at home.?
A silence.
慙aura抯 back home with me,?says Nelson. 慡he was finding it a bit hard to cope, living in the flat.?
慚y prayers have been answered,?says Maureen but without much surprise. She always expects her prayers to be answered. 慙aura can look after you.?
慖 can look after myself, Mum.?
慉 home抯 not a home without a woman in it.?
Nelson thinks of the little cottage on the marshes containing two of his favourite women.
慦e抮e taking turns cooking,?he says. 慖抦 sure Laura will go back to her flat when all this is over.?
慡ure, it抣l be over soon,?says Maureen. 慖 don抰 know anyone who抯 actually got the thing, do you??
慍athbad. Remember him? He抯 in hospital with Covid.?
慍uthbert? Of course I remember him. He抯 a good soul. I抣l pray for him. I watch mass on the computer every day. Yesterday I went to the Vatican.?
慪ou do that, Mum. Give the Pope my love.?
慔e抯 a good man, is Pope Francis. He understands about life.?
That makes one of us, thinks Nelson.
Ruth is also shocked by the news about Cathbad. Judy sends her a text, which is closely followed by a call from Nelson.
慖 can抰 imagine Cathbad getting ill,?says Ruth.
慛o,?says Nelson. 慖 think it抯 thrown us all. I抣l let you know if I hear anything.?
慣hanks,?says Ruth. 慔ow抯 Laura??
慡he抯 fine,?says Nelson. 慖 expect she just needed a rest.?