Act 2, Scene 1 Summary

This act takes place approximately a hundred years later, in present day London. Three characters from the first act - Betty, Edward and Victoria - have aged twenty-five years since we last saw them.

The first scene takes place in a city park, where Victoria sits reading, as her friend Lin keeps an eye on her four-year-old daughter, Cathy (played by a grown man). As Lin tries to get Victoria involved in a conversation, Cathy sings a rude skipping song. Lin convinces her to play somewhere else. As Cathy leaves, Victoria yells out a comment to her (unseen) son Tommy, and then Lin tries again to talk to Victoria. As they make small talk about the violence of children's games, Lin reveals that she's got a brother in the army keeping the peace in Belfast. They then talk about the men...