Driving Home for Christmas

by Emma Hannigan

‘I’m planning on making a big bowl of coleslaw and we’ll leave it at that,’ Holly mused.

  ‘That’ll be gorgeous – simple and tasty.’

  ‘We were down at McBrides’ the other night. Remember I told you they were having a buffet for Mary?’

  ‘How was it?’ Sadie asked. ‘That woman always did think she was above the Lord, I’ve no idea why. She doesn’t even bother to bake for any of the parish cake sales so where she gets her notions from I’ll never know.’

  Holly stifled a grin and filled Sadie in on the evening.

  ‘That sounds very fancy altogether. And why did she think she needed to do all those courses?’ Sadie asked. ‘I never understood the sorbet thing, especially in the depths of winter when you’re feeding farmers and young fellas who want a good, hearty dinner.’

  ‘It’s not even that. I’m all about making people feel welcome. I hate nothing more than going to a person’s house and being made to feel the hostess has spent all day and night slaving over a hot stove. Mary was a like a woman possessed and she never sat at the table the entire night.’

  ‘Ah, sure that’s the way she is. Different strokes for different folks, eh?’

  ‘I’m going to grab a box of decorations, Sadie. Would you have a minute to help me with a few bits in here?’

  ‘Of course.’

  As Holly left the room, she felt a stab of longing for her mother. She’d always been here to back her up and give her a dig-out. Sadie was fantastic, but it wasn’t the same as having her mum by her side. She felt guilty for being rude about her to Sadie just now, but she was deeply hurt that her mother had chosen to move so far away. Now, opening a cupboard in the office, she pulled out the large cardboard box of decorations and made her way back to Sadie.

  ‘I’m sorry for biting your head off earlier on,’ she said, as they began to sift through the contents of the box. ‘I’m too old to behave like a spoilt child.’

  ‘Ah, don’t you worry, love. I know you don’t mean any harm. Christmas always makes us feel nostalgic, doesn’t it?’ Sadie patted her hand. ‘I’d another email from Maggie,’ she said, without looking up. She waited for the usual reaction. She wasn’t disappointed.

  ‘As long as Mum is healthy and happy I don’t want to know any details.’

  Deep down Holly knew that she’d be on the first plane to Australia should anything untoward happen to Maggie, but now, eleven months on, she was still struggling with her mother’s departure. She still woke some mornings expecting her to be there until it dawned on her yet again that Maggie was gone.

  ‘Indeed she’s healthy and happy,’ Sadie said firmly.

  ‘Great.’ Holly recalled the conversation she’d had with her mother just prior to her sudden departure.

  ‘You don’t need me here in the background all the time. You’re well able to carry on without me,’ Maggie had argued.

  ‘But it won’t be the same.’

  ‘Different doesn’t have to mean awful,’ Maggie had said dismissively.

  Holly’s fears had swiftly turned to anger. Her mother had told them all in no uncertain terms that she had given enough of her life to Huntersbrook House and all who resided there.

  ‘I didn’t realise we were such a penance,’ Holly had said icily.

  ‘Now, stop behaving like a spoilt toddler.’ Maggie had laughed. Holly had wanted to thump her. As her mother had gleefully boarded a plane with a man she barely knew to travel as far away as she could without leaving the planet, she’d managed to make them all feel she was ridding herself of an irritating thorn.

  That thorn had lodged itself in Holly. As the weeks had turned to months it had caused untold pain. Holly had known change was afoot – it was inevitable – but she couldn’t help resenting her mother for abandoning her when things were so precarious.

  3

  The Fairytale of New York

  Pippa felt like Carrie from Sex and the City. ‘Cheers, girlies,’ she said, as they clinked glasses. ‘Can you believe we’re actually here, drinking cosmopolitans and being New Yorkers?’

  ‘I thought this trip would never actually happen,’ Skye said. ‘The fact that we were flying on a Thursday made the week go a bit quicker at least. But now that we’re here it’s kind of surreal! I’ve been saving for this for nearly a year!’

  ‘Me too,’ Lucy said. ‘It was worth all those nights in so we could make it here. I can see why people fall in love with New York. It’s just so special, isn’t it?’

  ‘Totally,’ Pippa agreed. ‘I was worried it might be a bit of a let-down when we got here, but it’s even better than I’d imagined.’

  ‘The scale of everything is just mega,’ Skye said. ‘I had a total out-of-body experience this afternoon while we were sitting in the horse and carriage going around Central Park. I looked down at the Macy’s bags and thought I was going to pass out from the joy of it all!’

  ‘And here we are, drinking Cosmos like the local gals,’ Pippa carolled. ‘Uh, hello! Divine hunk of gorgeousness at six o’clock.’

  ‘Now, now. What about Jay? Skye asked. ‘I thought you said last night that he was the first guy you’ve met who makes you want to settle down, that you’re amazed to have finally managed a full year with the same boyfriend.’

  ‘That was then, this is now, and that guy is so happening and so right beside me, it’d be sacrilege to ignore him,’ Pippa said, winking at him. ‘Oh, Jesus, he’s coming over,’ she said, elbowing Skye.

  ‘Hi there, ladies,’ he said, with an unmistakable New York twang. ‘Where are you from?’

  ‘Ireland,’ Pippa said.

  ‘Oh, really?’ He nodded appreciatively. ‘My great-grandmother was from Galway. Wanna join us over here?’ He gestured towards the neighbouring table where some other guys were waving. ‘We’d all love to take you girls to a club, if you’re interested.’

  ‘Well, we’d love to come with you. And you’re the type of tour guide I had in mind,’ Pippa said.

  ‘We’ll follow you over in a moment,’ Skye said, flashing a smile.

  ‘Sure,’ said Mr Gorgeous. Pippa gave him a little wave and held his gaze for a moment too long.

  ‘Pippa!’ Skye hissed.

  ‘What’s up?’ Pippa said, dipping under the table to grab her lip gloss from her handbag. ‘That guy is hot and look at his friends,’ she said, as she rolled her lips together. ‘Do I have lip gloss on my teeth?’

  ‘What? No. Listen, we don’t want to end up in some crazy situation,’ Skye said. ‘New York is a dangerous place and, besides, I don’t want to spend all my money on drink. I want to have as much as possible for the discount outlets tomorrow. The stuff you can get is meant to be a third of the prices back home. It’s going to be so amazing!’

  Lucy agreed. ‘I’d love to go for a quick bop but let’s just keep our heads, yeah?’

  ‘Ladies, ladies, you need to chill. We’re in the Big Apple. We’re having cocktails and some guys want to take us clubbing. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this meant to be a fun trip? Aren’t we here to live it up a little? You both worry too much.’ Pippa pulled her credit card from her bag. ‘The drinks are on me!’

  The girls squealed and picked up their cocktail glasses.

  ‘Come on, then. Let’s show those New Yorkers that we Irish really know how to rock a party.’ Pippa picked up her cocktail glass and stood up, smoothing down her short, flirty dress. Her shoes were skyscraper high, but her need to command a bit of male attention meant she’d suck up the crushing pain in her toes.

  ‘Bloody hell, these shoes are killers. I need more drink and a good-looking man to take the pain away. Right, girls, let’s walk the walk and talk the talk,’ she said, swishing her glossy hair back as she pulled her tummy in, thrust her boobs out and did the best impression of Jessica Rabbit her friends had ever seen.

  ‘Those fellas are practically drooling,’ Skye muttered to Lucy. ‘I know I was raised by hippies so I’m probably the opposite end of the scale when it comes to being st
reetwise, but Pippa’s a force to be reckoned with.’

  ‘God only knows what she’s going to tell them now.’ Lucy laughed. Pippa, her friends knew, would simply have to stretch the truth with these poor unsuspecting fellas.

  ‘Ready to nod and smile a lot?’ Skye asked Lucy, as they followed Pippa’s lead. They knew they didn’t have the ‘model walk’ sorted, as Pippa had.

  ‘It’s so great to be here,’ Pippa said, as she bent to deposit her bag on the floor. Keeping her legs straight, she made sure the men got a good view of her toned thighs.

  ‘Charlie here tells us you gals are from Ireland.’

  ‘Sure are,’ Pippa said, holding out her hand so he could take it and kiss it. ‘I’m Pippa, and my friends are Lucy and Skye. We’ve come all the way from Dublin in search of some New York magic. We’d seriously appreciate some chaperones. Obviously we don’t know where we should be hitting tonight.’ Putting her finger to her lips, Pippa opened her eyes wide and did her helpless-little-girl act.

  ‘We all work and live right here in the city so it’d be our pleasure to show you gals around. I’m Bill, you’ve already spoken with Charlie and this is Zack.’

  ‘We’re here for a bit of relaxation and retail therapy,’ Pippa said. ‘We run our own company back home. I’m a lawyer, Lucy is a detective and Skye is an IT specialist. As you can imagine, we like to work hard and play hard. We’re Dublin’s answer to Charlie’s Angels.’

  ‘Wow, that’s pretty impressive.’ Bill was nodding enthusiastically.

  Skye gave Pippa a dig in the ribs. Pippa carried on: ‘We go on mini breaks every couple of months. It’s good for us to get away from the pressures of our day-to-day lives and let our hair down.’ She ran her fingers through her mane slowly, smiling sexily at Zack.

  ‘I’d say you get lots of clients,’ Charlie said appreciatively.

  ‘We’re very talented,’ Pippa said, draining her glass.

  ‘Would you ladies like another drink?’ Zack asked.

  ‘We’ll get our own—’ Skye began.

  ‘That sounds lovely,’ Pippa interrupted, flashing a wide smile. ‘Let me come and help you carry them.’ As she tottered towards the bar, linking Zack’s arm, Lucy and Skye tried not to giggle.

  Their conversation with Charlie and Bill was rather stilted.

  ‘Your friend’s quite a live wire, isn’t she?’ Bill said, unabashedly checking Pippa out as she stood and chatted at the bar.

  ‘She’s always the life and soul of the party,’ Skye agreed.

  Moments later they were back. ‘Look what Zack’s bought us, girls!’ Pippa chirped. ‘He’s so generous! Cheers, boys, we’re thrilled to have met you.’

  ‘So much for Jay being the love of your life,’ Lucy whispered to Pippa, who grinned back.

  ‘That was last night, Lucy – keep up!’ Pippa swatted her friend’s arm. ‘There’s no ring on my finger. We’re in New York, baby, and the boys are smokin’,’ she said, with a little shimmy.

  ‘How long have you girls been in business?’ Bill asked.

  ‘How long is it now?’ Skye said, staring at Pippa. She added, in a whisper, ‘I can’t believe you told them that lie. What’s wrong with saying I design websites and Lucy works for the bank? You’re still in the PR company, aren’t you?’

  ‘Not really. I sort of got fired. Long story, so I’ll tell you another time,’ Pippa said. ‘We’ll never see these guys again and it’s all a bit of fun. So what if I told a little fib? They’re wildly impressed with us and it’ll do them no harm to believe they’re privileged to be standing here with us. Don’t you love being a Charlie’s Angel even for one night?’

  Skye wouldn’t have chosen to lie to the boys but she had to admit they were hanging on their every word. Pippa was incorrigible but she certainly knew how to have a good time.

  ‘When we graduated jobs weren’t easy to come by in Ireland, due to the economic downturn, so we figured there was no point waiting for work to come to us. We set up our company and our feet have barely touched the ground,’ Pippa said.

  ‘That’s impressive,’ Charlie said. ‘How many clients have you?’

  ‘Much as we all adore talking shop,’ Pippa said, ‘we have a little rule that when we’re away we leave the business in the office. So if it’s all the same to you, the only agenda we have here is fun, fun and more fun!’

  ‘That sounds good to me!’ Zack said.

  As the guys ordered yet another round of cocktails, Pippa announced that she, Skye and Lucy were going to the ladies’ room.

  ‘They’re so charming, aren’t they?’ she said, as they fixed their hair and makeup.

  ‘They’re not like some of the Irish guys who get blotto and start trying it on before you’ve even told them your name,’ Lucy agreed.

  ‘They’re not really my type. I hate to rain on the parade but I find them a bit staged,’ Skye put in.

  ‘Don’t you want to go home knowing you broke a New York guy’s heart?’ Pippa asked.

  ‘Not really,’ Skye admitted.

  ‘What about you, Lucy? Keep talking – I’m running into a cubicle but I can still hear you.’ Pippa was hoping for a little more enthusiasm from Lucy. Skye was a lovely girl, but she’d always found her a bit sensible. Skye had been raised in a vegan commune, which was a million miles away from anything Pippa could understand. Sure she’d grown up at Huntersbrook, in Wicklow, but it was close to Dublin City and always full of fun visitors. Pippa liked Skye but found her a bit too level-headed.

  ‘Zack’s so cute,’ Lucy said. ‘I know where you’re coming from, too, Skye, but as Pippa said, we’re only here for two nights and it’s a bit different from the usual banter, isn’t it?’

  ‘Attagirl!’ Pippa said, as she emerged from the loo. Once she’d washed her hands she leaned forward and stared into the mirror. ‘I need to fix my face again,’ she said, examining herself critically. As she brushed on some more eye shadow and fished in her bag for her lip liner, she thanked God for the millionth time that makeup had been invented. ‘Well,’ she pouted, happier now with her reflection, ‘I happen to find the clean-cut American businessman thing wildly attractive. I’m not planning a wedding or anything but I’m loving the cocktails – and I don’t care what anyone says, I think their accents are hot!’

  The two girls had finished their own patch jobs and seemed ready to head back to the table.

  ‘Right then, let’s show them what Irish girls are made of!’ Pippa said. She twirled to check that her dress wasn’t tucked into her knickers, gave her hair a final flick, then flung the door open and did her best runway-model walk back to the boys.

  ‘Would you gals like to come to a club now?’ Bill asked. ‘There’s a really cool place on the next block. We’re members of the VIP lounge so we could check it out if you’re interested.’

  ‘Ooh, that sounds like a plan,’ Pippa said. ‘Ladies?’ She raised an eyebrow.

  ‘Sounds great,’ Lucy said, smiling.

  ‘Yeah, sure.’ Skye looked far from keen. Pippa chose to ignore the hesitation in her friend’s voice. They were in New York and it wasn’t the time for an early night with slippers and a mug of cocoa.

  As they pulled on their jackets and stepped out into the freezing air, the icy wind was instantly sobering. If she hadn’t been so intent on flirting, Pippa would’ve cursed like a tinker and insisted on going back into the warmth of the bar. ‘It’s pretty cold out here,’ she said, snuggling up to Bill. She’d decided he was the most fun.

  ‘You’re freezing,’ Bill said, removing his coat and draping it around her shoulders.

  ‘Thanks, Bill,’ she said. ‘You’re a gentleman.’

  ‘My pleasure,’ he answered.

  I could get used to this kind of chivalry, Pippa decided.

  Thankfully, the club was literally just around the block. The large queue made Pippa want to cry as she pictured them having to stand and wait, followed by the usual arguing with bouncers.

  ‘Evening, sir,’
the tuxedo-clad doorman said to Bill, as he stood to the side and beckoned them in.

  ‘Evening. We’ve three guests,’ Bill said.

  ‘Of course. Enjoy your evening, ladies.’ The man smiled.

  The steep stairs led to a contemporary balcony area with clusters of chrome tables and high stools. Several waitresses, dressed head to toe in white, were dashing around the room with trays held high.

  ‘We’d like a table overlooking the dance floor, if possible,’ Bill said to the hostess.

  ‘Sure, sir. Follow me.’

  ‘This is fabulous,’ Lucy said excitedly.

  ‘It’s one of the best clubs in the city,’ Bill told her. ‘I bring clients here on a regular basis – or charming ladies such as yourselves.’

  ‘Let’s have some champagne.’ Pippa had been swept along with the brilliance of it all. ‘My treat!’

  ‘That’s very generous of you. Thank you, Pippa,’ Bill said.

  ‘Would you prefer Moët, Taittinger, Bollinger or Krug, ma’am?’ A waitress had materialised beside them.

  ‘Oh, which do you recommend?’ Pippa asked, who had no idea of the difference between them.

  ‘Well, not the Krug, unless you’re making so much dough you don’t know what to do with it!’ Bill laughed.

  ‘Yeah.’ Pippa wrinkled her nose. ‘We’ll go for the Bollinger,’ she said.

  ‘Nice choice, little lady,’ Bill said. ‘I think they charge five hundred dollars for a bottle of Krug in this joint. But the Bollinger shouldn’t be quite as bad,’ he said. ‘It’s kind of you to make the gesture, though. Shows a real lady.’

  Pippa did her best to hide her shock. How much was this going to cost her?

  ‘I agree,’ Zack said. ‘Some girls we meet are totally at ease with taking drinks and being brought to funky places but never reciprocate. You Irish are different. I like that.’

  ‘Oh, we’d never want anyone to think we’re after their money,’ Pippa said. She had to resist the urge to yelp when the waitress brought the bill. ‘Do you accept Visa?’ she asked, trying not to sound strangled.

  ‘Sure. Would you mind coming to the counter?’ the waitress asked. ‘The mobile card machine has just malfunctioned so my apologies for dragging you away from your table.’