A week goes by with no sign of Michael, and Cushla gloomily wonders what she did to reveal that she is “too young, too unsophisticated, too Catholic” for him (64). Teaching her eager students the Hail Mary in Irish helps her feel a little better. Gerry informs Cushla that Davy is absent because his father was severely beaten and is in the hospital. The headmaster and Father Slattery summon the students to an assembly in response, and the priest begins to relate another one of his frightening, violent stories. Gerry stops him by playing a song he wrote about peace.

When Cushla comes home, she sees that her mother has been to the hairdresser and has made soup, two indicators that she is trying not to drink. They make dinner for Davy, Tommy, and their sister, Mandy. A group of teenagers gathers outside the McGeowns’ house to taunt them. Gina sends Tommy back inside to watch his younger siblings and sends the teenagers away after a brief standoff. Back home, Cushla doesn’t object when her mother drinks some gin.

Michael calls her from a payphone and picks her up. She tells him about her day and Davy’s father as they drive to his flat.