The school day went by without incident or interest for Uchenna, partly because she was mostly avoiding her schoolmates when she didn’t have to be in a class with them: she felt strongly that it would be smart for her to keep her head down at the moment. Afterwards she walked home in company with Emer as usual, then sat down to do her homework on the kitchen table as she normally did on weeknight evenings. She’d discovered that this kept her parents calm about whether she was actually getting the work done, and right now Uchenna definitely wanted them calm. But a little after six, while her Dad was standing in the kitchen making some tea, her Mam came through the back door and before even taking her coat off, said to her Dad, “Did you see the Kildare People today?” Her Mam’s expression was peculiar, and there was something a little odd about her tone of voice, too, as she looked at Uchenna’s Dad. He shook his head. “Didn’t stop by the newsagent on the way home,”
