...Rabbit on our gate. My dad came into my life late. I was thirty-eight. He rang me up and said he thought it would be a good idea if I knew where I was conceived.

"Where then?" I had asked, staring at the widow's peak of his hair, and fingering my own.

"Steps of St Patrick's. I was thirteen, your mother fourteen."

I never knew my mother. She was whirled off with the rest of the flotsam and jetsam. I did not know whether she was still alive. My dad didn't either.

Dad used to turn up unannounced and stay for about three days. He sauntered about our house as though he owned it. I didn't really care if he came or went. I couldn't say loyalty pumped through my arteries. He met Don and the two boys briefly before they were off to Canada for a six-month trip. We'd planned it for years. They went before university. They were both going to study geology, Don's passion. He wanted to take them on an exploration trip in the forests and up in Alaska. Long hours but well paid. Hardship allowance to boot.

"Is...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



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