Chapter 8

After the consultation, Ron and Joyce sit beside the bowling green with beers while Ron’s son, Jason Ritchie, joins them. Dennis Edmonds, a retired one-armed jeweller, congratulates Ron on his points at the meeting but quickly shifts his attention to Jason, treating Jason as the real attraction because of his boxing fame.

Jason tells Ron and Joyce that a television programme, Famous Family Trees, wants to explore his ancestry and interview Ron on camera. Joyce enthusiastically encourages Jason, while Ron asks about Jason’s other television appearances, including a celebrity ice-dancing show and MasterChef. The conversation shows Jason trying to enjoy life after boxing, while Ron remains watchful and faintly uneasy about his son’s public life.

Ron points out Ian Ventham near a BMW and identifies Tony Curran with him. Ron and Joyce boast that Ron bested Ventham at the consultation, then the three discreetly observe Ventham and Curran in what appears to be a tense, contained argument. Jason admits he has come across Curran before but gives no further detail.

When Ron suggests a game of snooker, Jason says he has a dull errand to run. Before leaving, Jason asks whether Ron has received any calls, letters, or attention from journalists, but he refuses to explain why. Ron notices the oddness of the question and becomes worried.

After Jason departs, Joyce assumes the issue is probably romantic, but Ron remains concerned as he watches his son go. Ron reflects that worrying about Jason has always been part of being Jason’s father, whether Jason was in the boxing ring or out of it.