‘Kathleen and Will,’ Mr Casey replied and they all went into the house.
Anne introduced them to Cathy and Greg first, then to the rest of the family. No one mentioned Jonathan but there was an extra gentleness in their greeting of Mrs Casey. Laura and Phil stayed close to her but John bore Will away to where Tony, Joe and Gerry stood talking.
Mrs Casey seemed fascinated by the two babies, Felicity who lay placidly in Sarah’s arms and Thomas who lay on a rug on the carpet with wildly waving arms and legs. Cathy had drawn her down to sit beside her and asked if she might call her Kathleen and Phil’s mother said admiringly, ‘So you have two great-grandchildren?’
‘No, only one. Sarah is my daughter and Rosa her daughter is Felicity’s mother, but Thomas is the grandchild of Sarah’s husband’s brother Tony and his wife Helen.’
‘Everyone in the room is related in some way,’ Mrs Casey said wonderingly. ‘My husband and I are both only children. It might have been easier…’
Cathy pressed her hand and said quietly, ‘Yes, a big family can close round you in joy or sorrow. Greg and I are like you, with few relatives, but two of our children married into the Fitzgerald clan.’ She laughed. ‘I’m always thankful for it except when it comes to presents.’
Mary and Danny were kneeling beside Thomas who had grasped a handful of Danny’s curls and was shouting with joy. ‘Mary and Danny aren’t related. Mary is Laura’s friend from her schooldays.’
‘I can imagine that Laura would be a faithful friend,’ Mrs Casey said. ‘I’m very fond of her.’
‘And so am I,’ Cathy said. ‘She’s always been special to us. She comes to see us every Tuesday and she does my hair. Sometimes she speaks her mind and people don’t like it but she’s as honest as the day is long and a real loving, compassionate girl. She was my mother’s favourite and brought her a lot of pleasure and comfort in her last years.’
‘Yes, I think Phil has been very lucky.’
‘And so has Laura,’ Cathy said firmly. ‘I liked Phil the minute I met him and I’ve liked him more the more I’ve known him. He’s a lovely lad, everything that Greg and I hoped for Laura. The way we feel about her there’s not many fellows we’d think were good enough for her but Phil’s perfect. We think the world of him, don’t we, Greg?’
‘We do indeed,’ said Greg. ‘He must be well thought of at the bank too to be promoted so quickly. You must be very proud of him, Mrs Casey.’
Mrs Casey looked startled but she said hurriedly, ‘Yes, yes, of course.’ She looked thoughtfully at Phil and then at her husband who was laughing at something one of the men had said.
The party marked the beginning of Mrs Casey’s recovery although she still often had black days when she was overwhelmed by grief for Jonathan. The difference now was that she made a determined effort to overcome her sorrow and gradually picked up the threads of old friendships and commitments. Most people were eager to meet her more than halfway and soon she and her husband were leading a much more normal life, not unlike the life they had lived before the death of Jonathan.
Laura and Phil came often and were always warmly welcomed. Laura’s outburst had never been mentioned again but there was a definite change in his parents’ attitude to Phil. Laura often wondered whether her angry words had caused it or because they had seen how he was valued by her family.
David, who was the only one in whom she confided, said that it was probably a little of both. ‘And don’t forget that Phil’s their son and they loved him. It was just that the shock of Jonathan’s death knocked them off balance and they couldn’t see Phil because of their obsession with Jon.’
‘But they hurt him so much, David,’ Laura said. ‘Destroyed his confidence in himself.’
‘Not intentionally, I’m sure,’ said David. ‘They still loved Phil and perhaps your words made them see what was happening. Phil’s a strong character. He’ll bounce back even if it takes one of your piledrivers.’ He laughed and Laura was not offended.
As the preparations for the wedding went forward Anne and Kathleen Casey became firm friends. Laura and Phil spent much of their free time viewing houses but it was not until March that they found just the right house.
It was a smaller, more modern house than Laura’s home, with a big garden. There was a large cherry tree at the end of the garden and Phil teased Laura that this was the deciding factor for her. ‘We had one just like that in the garden where I lived as a child,’ she admitted. ‘I’ve always wanted one like it.’
The sale went through quickly as money was not a problem. They had both been saving and Phil was entitled to a low-interest mortgage as a bank employee.
They were discussing this on a night out with Mary and Danny and Mary laughed. ‘Bet you’re glad you saved, Lol, although this wasn’t what you had in mind, was it?’
‘Why? What were you saving for?’ asked Phil.
Laura said airily, ‘Just a daft idea I had. Are we ready for coffee?’ It was obvious that she was unwilling to talk about it and Phil said no more.
The house was within easy walking distance of Laura’s present home and of her Aunt Sarah and Uncle Joe’s house where Rosa still lived with her baby Felicity. The faithful Neil was her escort when she needed one but Rosa seemed determined not to become seriously involved with any man.
Anne was delighted that Laura and Phil would be living so near to her. ‘Everything has gone right for this wedding,’ she said. ‘Just like clockwork.’
‘Practice makes perfect, Mum,’ Laura laughed.
The day of the wedding was a beautiful May morning with blue skies and small fluffy white clouds and brilliant sunshine. The pews on the bride’s side of the church were filled with Laura’s numerous family and friends and the pews on Phil’s side were filled too. His parents had renewed contact with so many distant relatives and friends during the past few months and all were pleased to attend the wedding and to see them looking happy again.
Laura wore a classically simple white satin dress and carried a sheaf of lilies and Phil looked at her adoringly as she came to stand beside him. He only said, ‘Oh Laura,’ but she knew all that he left unsaid. She wore a white satin Juliet cap on her dark hair so her face was not hidden by a veil and everyone could see the loving glances she exchanged with Phil.
‘No doubt about this being a happy marriage,’ Sarah whispered to Joe and he agreed.
‘She deserves to be happy,’ he said.
Later they said the same to David. ‘She always had that way of holding her head back and looking at you with a sort of challenge,’ said Sarah, ‘but she’s changed. Looks softer somehow.’
‘She does but I think it’s the real Laura showing now,’ David said, then laughed. ‘I don’t doubt she’ll still hand out a few home truths at times, though.’
Laura and Phil spent an idyllic honeymoon in the Isles of Scilly and returned to their house in Crosby where Laura was delighted to find the cherry tree in full bloom.
She had worried that her mother might feel lonely as her three children had left home within such a short time but Laura and Phil lived so close to her old home that she could spend much of her free time with her mother.
Three months after the wedding there was another cause for joy in the family. Margaret and Gerry’s daughter was born and brought endless pleasure to Margaret’s father for the last six months of his life.
After his death the baby Hannah was a consolation to Margaret and her mother and helped them to bear their loss. Gerry took charge and looked after Mrs Norton and Margaret, as Mr Norton had hoped he would.
‘I feel ashamed,’ Anne said to Laura. ‘I miss Gerry out of the house so much and I envied Margaret’s parents having him there all the time. I should have thought of the reason he was living with them and thanked God that Dad and I have good health and we have each other. Nothing matters but that.’
Laura looked at her in silence. She really means it, she thought. She really feels like that about Dad.
�
�I miss you and Julie too,’ Anne went on, ‘but it’s lovely having you living so close. Makes it a lot easier for Dad and me.’
The cherry blossom had long since fallen to lie like drifts of snow about the garden until blown away by the wind but Laura loved everything about her house. The only drawback was having to leave it every morning to travel to work in Liverpool but she enjoyed her job and the challenge of running the busy office.
She was still forthright in her comments and was often involved in arguments in the office and very occasionally with Phil but he usually managed to defuse the situation and Laura was always eager to avoid an outright quarrel.
The only flaw in their happiness was that after two years of marriage there was still no sign of the baby they both longed for. Laura told Rosa that she had begun to dread visiting Phil’s parents.
‘She looks at me so hopefully and when I don’t immediately announce that I’m pregnant her face falls,’ she said. ‘It’s never mentioned so I can’t tell her that Phil and I want a baby as much as she does – more, in fact.’
‘That could be the reason you haven’t had one,’ Rosa suggested. ‘You’re worrying too much about it. Look at all the people who give up and decide to adopt, then start a baby right away.’
‘You could be right,’ Laura said doubtfully, ‘but what can we do? It’s too soon to think of adoption.’
‘Just stop worrying, ignore Phil’s mum,’ Rosa advised. ‘Tell yourself you’ll work for a couple of years and then have a family.’
Laura smiled. ‘You make it sound very easy,’ she said. ‘I had it all planned. I’d work until I was seven months, then stay at home with the baby for it’s first few years. We could afford to do that. That’s why it’s so galling.’
They looked down the garden to where Phil was pushing Felicity on a swing. ‘Phil’s a natural father too,’ Rosa said. ‘He’s the only one who can do anything with that little madam. She idolises him.’ Felicity had grown into a self-willed and obstinate little girl and Rosa sighed. ‘I was sorry for Moira at first,’ she said, ‘but I think I drew the short straw with Fliss. If she doesn’t want to do a thing, nothing on earth will make her. You should have seen the three of us, Mum and Dad and myself, trying to make her take cough mixture last night but would she open her mouth? Would she hell.’
Laura laughed. ‘Thomas is still wild though. I said to Moira that although he was mischievous, he was obedient, but she said he just goes and does something she hasn’t thought of forbidding.’
‘Maybe you’re better off as you are, Lol,’ Rosa said.
Laura could not agree. ‘My only consolation is that Julie hasn’t started a baby either. That sounds a selfish thing to say but Julie and Peter don’t want a family yet anyway. We haven’t given up hope yet and we’re very happy otherwise so I shouldn’t grumble.’
Although her father raged about the various troubles at home and abroad the strikes, the economic policy, the troubles in Northern Ireland and Watergate, Laura, cocooned in happiness, was oblivious of them. She ignored the news broadcasts and the newspapers and Phil was too busy working to have time for them but inevitably both were affected by them at work.
The three-day week and the work to rule on the railways affected Laura’s job most but Phil was harassed by the changes in economic policy and the rise in mortgage rate, with EEC regulations making his life more difficult, and he often had to work late at the bank. Both were consequently overtired, particularly Phil, and one morning when Laura snapped at him, he snapped back. She was unable to find her office keys and accused him of moving them.
Phil said angrily, ‘Why is it always someone else’s fault if you lose things? Try finding a place for everything and keeping it in that place.’ She looked so stricken that he said immediately, ‘I’m sorry, Laura, but you are untidy. I’ll have to go. I’ll be late tonight. Goodbye, love.’ He gave her a quick kiss and left and Laura immediately found her keys in her handbag where she had already looked twice.
It was their first quarrel and she felt upset all day. She telephoned the bank but was told that he was unavailable and could only leave a message that she had phoned. She felt so miserable that she decided to call at her mother’s house instead of going straight home. Anne was alone and had already had her meal but she fried egg and bacon for Laura and persuaded her to stay for a while.
She could see that Laura was upset and later as they sat drinking tea together Laura told her about the quarrel. ‘It was all my fault,’ she said.
‘If that’s your first quarrel you’ve done well,’ Anne said. ‘You’ve been married nearly two years.’
‘No thanks to me,’ Laura said. ‘We’d have quarrelled often if Phil hadn’t been so easygoing. I fly off the handle over nothing but Phil lets things pass.’
‘Only trivial things though,’ Anne said. ‘You don’t quarrel over anything fundamental, do you?’
‘Oh no, nothing serious,’ Laura said quickly. ‘I’d never say anything to really hurt Phil.’
‘Well, that’s what marriage is all about,’ Anne said cheerfully. ‘Give and take. You cheer Phil up if he feels down and he makes allowances when you fly off the handle. You understand each other and do whatever’s best for each other.’
‘Is that how it is with you and Dad?’ Laura asked, curiously. ‘Give and take?’
‘Yes, we understand each other, Dad and me. Dad’s not perfect and neither am I but we suit each other.’ She laughed. ‘We must do. We’ve been married for thirty years in December if God spares us.’
Laura left in good time to be home when Phil arrived and as soon as she heard his key in the door she rushed into the hall. He dropped his briefcase as he saw her and flung his arms round her. ‘I’m sorry, love. Sorry I was so snide this morning,’ he said. ‘I wanted to ring you but we’ve been up the wall all day.’
‘It was all my fault,’ Laura said. ‘I found the damn keys in my bag as soon as you’d gone.’
Phil kissed her and they both said ‘Forgive me?’ at the same time. They went into the living room laughing, their arms about each other. Phil refused food and would have only a whisky and they went early to bed.
They made passionate love, both relieved to make up their quarrel, and whether it was due to that or to Rosa’s theory, Laura soon found that she was pregnant.
Mary did not agree that Laura should hand in her notice when she was seven months pregnant. ‘You’re entitled to your maternity leave,’ she said. ‘At least have that and then decide. Girls often decide not to return when they’ve had maternity leave. They find that they don’t want to leave the baby or can’t make arrangements for it.’
‘No, I know now I don’t intend to go back so it wouldn’t be honest,’ she said stubbornly. ‘I’ll work until I’m seven months then leave. Rosa is making maternity frocks for me.’
The baby was born just before Christmas, a fair-haired, blue-eyed boy very like Phil in appearance. To Mrs Casey’s delight they chose the name Michael Jonathan for him. He was a happy, healthy child and Laura and Phil felt that now their happiness was complete.
The baby did not disturb them at night until shortly before their third wedding anniversary when he began teething and then he often kept Laura awake. She tried to avoid waking Phil as he was still working very hard.
Rosa was making a dress for Laura and one Saturday morning she called with Fliss and asked Laura to try on the dress. They left the little girl collecting petals as they fell from the cherry tree. Then, while Rosa made alterations, Laura settled Michael in his pram and wheeled him up to the shade of the cherry tree. She had been awake several times during the night because he was feverish and fretful and she was thankful that he was asleep.
‘Be careful you don’t wake Michael,’ she warned Fliss.
Phil came up the garden and Fliss ran to him squealing, ‘Play with me.’ Phil laughed and scooped her up in his arms then began to swing her round. One of her feet touched the pram and rocked it.
Laura sta
rted forward. ‘Be careful, Phil. Have some sense,’ she shouted.
There was no sound from the baby but Fliss flung her arms round Phil’s leg. ‘Don’t you shout at my Uncle Phil,’ she yelled, glaring at Laura.
Phil laughed but then he saw Laura’s stricken face and swiftly plucked a wallflower and gave it to Fliss. ‘Take this to your mother and stay with her,’ he ordered and Fliss sped off, casting a frightened glance at Laura.
Phil put his arms round Laura. ‘What is it love? What’s wrong?’ he asked gently.
Laura burst into tears. ‘Oh Phil, I am like my dad,’ she said. ‘I would never believe it but I am.’
‘But what if you are?’ Phil said, puzzled. ‘Your dad’s a good man.’ He drew her down on to a seat he had placed in the corner.
‘It was like a flashback,’ Laura wept. ‘I saw the garden of our old house and the cherry tree and Gerry lying on the grass after he’d fallen from a tree. Dad shouted at Mum and I put my arms round her and yelled at him the way Fliss yelled at me. It all came back to me.’
‘But that’s nothing to worry about,’ Phil said. ‘I thought that was funny the way Fliss shouted. She was so small and so belligerent. Your dad probably felt the same way.’
Laura shook her head. ‘No, I never forgot that. That’s what made me want to take Mum away to live away from him.’ Phil looked at her in amazement and she added, ‘That’s what I was saving for. You remember Mary talking about it.’
‘But your mum and dad are very happily married,’ Phil said. ‘Your dad takes a lot on and it makes him a bit quick-tempered but your mum has the temperament to deal with that.’
Laura said nothing but she was thinking furiously. Gradually she had realised that her childish idea that her father was a bully and her mother a victim was totally wrong but now she felt that for the first time she really understood her parents. They suited each other perfectly just as she and Phil did. She remembered her mother’s words about checks and balances and give and take and she stirred in Phil’s arms.
Honour Thy Father Page 45