On our last afternoon up north I walked down to the chip shop to see if they had the paper - I was going crazy for the answers to the cryptic crossword from the day before. there were no papers left and it was starting to rain as I left, but I was rescued just then by my step-aunt pulling up in her old brown Torano. I got in out of the rain and she apologized for her sweet alcoholic energy drink - she didn't usually drink those, she said, too sweet, and she introduced me to her friend in the passenger seat, Auntie Ma.

Auntie Ma had a jar of oysters they had got down at the point that afternoon, and they were going to get them fried for 50 cents. after that they would drop me back at the bach, but they weren't going to come in, Ally explained shyly, because she was too pissed. Auntie Ma went in to get the oysters fried, and Ally explained how Ma was a nurse, an alky but a good nurse who never went to work drunk and never missed a day. Except today because she hadn't been too well. Auntie Ma came back out with the fried oysters wrapped up in newsprint and insisted that I have one of them, and then two. They were delicious. Ally drove me back to the bach and sitting outside in the rain I tried to get them to come in to share the roast chicken we were having, but they refused, saying again that they were too pissed. Ma explained that she was a nurse, and she never went to work pissed or missed a day, except today, because she was a bit hungover. I told Ally that Stuart and I we would pop in to say goodbye before we left that night.

We didn't, though, because by that time it was hosing down and we were having an argument and it was late and I had forgotten. The whole way out I felt like crying, because of everything, and because of saying goodbye to mum and Manuel again.

By the time we got to the Brynderwyns it had stopped raining but there was an incredibly thick fog waiting for us at the top. We were in a Stuart's mum's VW and I couldn't find the fog lights. I could see no more than one cat's eye ahead. There was no room at the shoulders to pull over, so we just crawled along, hoping the next light would reveal itself before the last one disappeared.