A Family Matter

One Saturday afternoon, Heron and Maggie sit at his kitchen table, happy to be in each other’s company. She helps him go through a box of old papers, discarding things that no longer need to be kept, like old bank statements and school reports. Heron finally tells her about his cancer diagnosis.

Maggie and Conor agree not to tell the children that their grandfather is ill to protect them from stress. The parents go through their usual evening routines, making sure that the children do the small tasks they are supposed to do. Conor takes the lead, and Maggie is pleased with him. She loves her husband.

In her relationship with her father, Maggie tries to carry on as normal, and no more is said about his terminal illness. Meanwhile, Conor keeps asking Maggie to talk to her father about the past. Maggie knows almost nothing about her mother, other than the fact that she had an affair, there was a divorce, and she moved away. Maggie, however, thinks it is not the right time to ask about her father about her mother.