Free Wednesday's Child by Shane Dunphy Page A

well, you know. She’s only a kid herself.’
     
    ‘I know.’ I heard the words catch as he fought to keep tears at bay and I squeezed his shoulder.
     
    I walked over, opened the curtains and the window to let in the air. I then walked over to Max McCoy and shook him, gently at first but progressively harder. Eventually he started and looked at me through fuggy eyes. He was probably in his early forties with short salt-and-pepper hair and several days’ growth of beard. He was dressed in ill-fitting jeans and a check shirt.
     
    ‘Mr McCoy.’ I said it louder than I needed to, but I wanted him to understand me clearly, or at least as clearly as he could in his present condition. ‘Mr McCoy, I am a community childcare worker with the Health Board. I need to take Cordelia, Victor and Ibar into care this evening. You are not in a conditionto look after them. I’ll be back out tomorrow to talk to you some more, when you’re sober. Do you understand?’
     
    ‘Y … yes … yes …’
     
    Victor was still standing at the door. A loud banging announced Cordelia’s desire to gain access. I had forgotten that she, Ibar and Betty were still outside. Max seemed to be trying to reclaim dominion over himself, but he was fighting a losing battle. I heard Victor opening the front door, and then Cordelia pushed past me and embraced her father, crying quietly. He looked at me with such shame and self-disgust, I had to look away. Ibar shot past us down the hall to one of the rooms, like an animal into a bolt-hole. Betty was standing beside Victor and motioned with her head for me to step outside. I followed her out to the front step. Victor lingered just inside the porch, watching Cordelia and his father, seemingly sensing that he was not required.
     
    ‘There’s a woman out by the coast road who will take them tonight. She had them when he was in getting dried out before.’
     
    I nodded. ‘It doesn’t look like he stayed dry for long.’
     
    Betty said nothing, fumbling for a cigarette with shaking hands. I took the box from her and tapped out a cigarette, lighting it for her. There were tears in her eyes and she wiped them away, taking the cigarette and inhaling deeply.
     
    ‘I should have seen this coming. I was supposedto be the contact worker! How could I have been so stupid?’
     
    ‘You know how manipulative drunks can be. And those three have been colluding with him. Cordelia looks like she would be a very daunting adversary. You saw what they wanted you to see. The only reason we caught it now is because we called unannounced. It was pure chance.’
     
    ‘It doesn’t excuse the fact that I fucked up, and fucked up badly.’
     
    ‘I can’t absolve you of that, Betty. You’ll just have to beat yourself up for a while over it. But of course, you know as well as I do that there’s nothing to be gained by torturing yourself. Learn from it. Be more vigilant next time. You know what, though?’
     
    ‘What?’
     
    ‘There probably isn’t a damn thing you could have done differently. He would have slipped up eventually, or he wouldn’t. We caught him. The kids will be cared for this evening, and we’ll come out here tomorrow and see what we can do. That is what is important.’
     
    She sniffed and smiled at me. I gave her a quick hug and went into the living room. Max and Cordelia were on the couch. The tears had subsided, but both were still hiccoughing and sighing. It seemed that Max had come to himself a bit in the few moments.
     
    ‘I’m Max McCoy,’ he said.
     
    ‘Shane Dunphy.’ I offered my hand but he made no move to take it.
     
    ‘I am not pleased with myself, Mr Dunphy. I know what I am, and what I am doing to my children.’
     
    ‘I’m not here to judge you, Mr McCoy. My role is to represent the children. You understand that I must remove them, for this evening at the very least.’
     
    He nodded. Cordelia wrapped her arms around him even more tightly.
     
    ‘I’ll come out to