He strokes through Random's hair as he talks, once more finding that he hates Oberon for what he's done to him. It would have been nice to think of Random getting at least a happy childhood with his mother loving him. Ramon is not a sentimental type of man and normally just shrug and say, 'That's life.' But - not when it's Random that's been abused.

'She was pretty. And religious. And my father loved her to distraction, from what I remember. So did Hector, he was the mamma's boy.' He takes the cigarette and smokes idly. 'She was a pretty typical Catholic working-class woman. Get on the wrong side of her, she'd hate forever. A hell of a temper and free with the slaps if you did something wrong. Prayed a lot. She was a good mother, but I didn't appreciate that - we fought every time I was home for the vacations after I went to boarding school. She could see what was happening, I used to meet her for lunch in the city when I should have been at school.' He laughs. 'She always used to say she'd pray for me. Probably did too - but she loved me as well. I upset her though, always. She died a few years after my father and that was that.'

He shrugs. They'd never been close really, not after the money came. But he thinks of her well enough.

'So does it bother you baby? I mean...' He's hesitant to ask this, but wants to know. '...it might have been nice for you to have her. Was there no one that was nice to you?'