Mary's mum has killed and cooked one of her pigeons without asking her. Her logic infuriated her. Mary is angry with her mum and she raises her voice and speaks in a rude way, saying, 'You'd no right! No right to take them!' Mary's mum is angry with her, because she says, 'I had every right, my girl!' but she doesn't have any sympathy or understanding for how Mary feels.
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'My pigeons, you've cooked my pigeons!'
'Your father's pigeons,' her mother corrected her. She was prepared, ready for battle.
'We've had pigeon before,' said Mum calmly. 'Your dad doesn't give them an old age pension, does he, when they're past it? They go in the pot.'
'But Dad chooses. Dad decides,' said Mary.
'And Dad's not here.'
'You killed Ruby,' Mary's voice rose. 'Ruby!'
'I just took the nearest.'
'But Ruby had a squeaker, a baby. And you killed her.'
'I've got a baby too. Your sister, Doreen. Isn't she more important than a pigeon?'
Her logic infuriated Mary. 'You'd no right! No right to take them!'
Her mother turned on her. 'I had every right, my girl! It's my job to feed this family, my job is to find food. Your sister has the right to eat. And so do I, because if I starve, Doreen starves.'
Ann Turnbull: adapted from Pigeon Summer (Walker, 2014)
What conclusion can you come to about the relationship between Mary and her mother? Refer to the text in your answer.
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