Bridie looked at her sister, Sian across the table. 'Have you heard the news?’ she said.
'What news would that be?’ Sian replied, slipping the bag-strap from her shoulder and placing thenbag by her feet.
'Magilligan’s dead.’
'Holy mother of God, the pur ol’ lad! Who told you?’
'Jeannie was in this morning. Tears spouting out of her eyes like a fountain.’ Bridie replied and placed a mug of tea beside Sian’s plate of soda bread.
'Ahhh - pur wee woman. Wasn’t she mad about him, and her only losing his brother Clarence a few months ago.’ Sian shook her head and reached for the butter knife.
'Aye, it’s hard on her sure enough. And she isn’t the one to hide her grief, she was wailing like a banshee, and stringing snot all over me clean, white tablecloth.’
Sain ran her gaze across the table. 'Not this one?’
'Catch yerself on - I put it straight in the machine when she’d gone.’ Bridie’s tone was sharp.
The bread knife bit into soda bread and severed it in two. Sain breathed in the smell of new baked scone bread, and laid butter across the surface in slices as thick as cheese.
'And how did he go?’ said Sian.
'The same way as Clarence.’
'Oh holy Mother! What did Jeannie say?’
'She’s ragin’ . She’s going to complain to the council. Didn’t we all sign a petition when they ran the bypass so close to the village? And did they listen? no.' She said she was pruning roses and she heard Magilligan crunch under the lorry wheels.
'Oh no, she was there when it happened? Did the Lorry stop?’
'Not at all. Sailed on so fast she didn’t even get his number.’