The Bee Sting

Content warning: This section of the novel describes sexual assault and domestic violence.

Maurice’s celebratory dinner is being held in the same hotel where Imelda and Dickie got married. Imelda is worried that Dickie will not ask his father for money, so she tells Maurice that Dickie wants to talk to him about the business.

Cass is upset that Imelda didn’t let her go to Dublin with Elaine and Big Mike earlier that day to go apartment scouting. Another girl from school named Jane happened to be looking at the same apartment as Elaine.

Imelda can see that is something is wrong with PJ, who looks pale and worried. She is ashamed of not noticing that he needed new shoes, and of him not being comfortable enough to ask her even though he was in pain. When Imelda can’t find PJ in the hotel’s dining room, she panics, certain that he is gone. Dickie finds PJ by the door and returns him to a worried Imelda. PJ smiles at his mother, but Imelda sees that it’s the same smile she uses when she needs to lie about being okay.