‘My husband was a good man,’ Betty said, ‘but he was very set in his ways and most certainly didn’t advocate any kind of alternative living. Ben was never able to tell James he was gay. I was a housewife in the old-fashioned sense of the word. I never worked outside the home.’
‘But you were happy?’ Kathleen asked hopefully.
‘Yes, I was,’ Betty said. ‘But I’m enjoying this part of my life too. It’s different – I’m able to get out and about more. I feel truly blessed.’
‘I know Jackson is still with me all the time,’ Kathleen said. ‘From the second I arrived on Irish soil I’ve met one angel after another. Lexie and her husband, Sam, who live at number three now, have been so generous and kind. I have to remind myself that I haven’t known them for ever.’
‘That’s lovely,’ Betty said. ‘I’d say you’ll stay in touch now too.’
‘I hope so,’ Kathleen said. ‘I’ve gained a little granddaughter along the way also,’ she said, and explained about Britta and Agata.
It was after eleven by the time Jenny managed to join them. ‘It’s been one of those non-stop evenings,’ she said, dragging a chair to the table. ‘Clara is bringing me a gin and tonic. Sometimes that’s the poison I require.’
‘So,’ Betty said, ‘we’ve had the most fantastic catch-up, haven’t we?’ She looked at Kathleen.
‘It’s been wonderful. I’ll admit I was begging Jackson to hold my hand as I left my room earlier on. It suddenly occurred to me that we mightn’t have a single thing in common.’
‘I’ve come to the conclusion that people don’t really change that much,’ Jenny said. ‘Of course we all grow up – life and responsibility teach us a hell of a lot – but at the end of the day, we’re still the same people.’
‘Even though we were eight years old last time we knew one another, I have to agree with Jenny,’ said Betty. ‘Apart from the high heels and the sophisticated dress, you’re still the girl who marched into the murkiness of your basement ahead of me and stood with her hands on her hips defying the darkness.’
Kathleen laughed. ‘Lexie and Sam have done a wonderful job of renovating it. If you feel like having a little trip, the two of you might come visit me?’
‘That would be a bit of fun, wouldn’t it, Jenny?’ Betty said. ‘We could travel up on the train. Ben and George are always badgering us to come and we don’t do it half enough.’
‘All right. It’s a promise. We’ll have a Golden Girls day out!’ Jenny agreed.
‘Morris might even drive us if we play our cards right,’ Betty said.
‘As long as he doesn’t expect us to go in the hearse. I’m not going near one of those until I have to.’
‘Whoa! Hold up a second,’ Kathleen said in amusement. ‘Who is Morris and why would he want you to travel in a hearse?’
‘He’s Betty’s fancy man,’ Jenny teased. ‘His family own the local undertaker’s.’
‘I’ll never forget seeing him pull up outside my house,’ Betty said. ‘I had to touch up my makeup in the hall mirror before opening the front door. I was actually crying with laughter.’
‘Morris isn’t blessed with a sense of humour and has reached the ripe old age of seventy-five still living with his mammy,’ Jenny added. ‘Old Mrs Monahan must be tipping towards a hundred and she’s still shuffling around cooking for Morris and ironing his shirts.’
‘That’s kind of sweet,’ Kathleen observed.
‘You must be joking,’ Betty said, with a grin. ‘The woman is like a ninja. Four foot tall with more wrinkles than a raisin and a brain as sharp as a Stanley blade. She’d strangle you with the Hoover flex if you tried to get your claws into her Morris.’
‘So what possessed you to date him?’ Kathleen wondered.
‘He was persistent,’ Betty said. ‘It was a long time since any man had pursued me, and I decided it wouldn’t do any harm to share a meal with him. I’ll never forget it. My clothes reeked of incense and lily-of-the-valley afterwards. He sat like a mannequin for the entire evening. As he dropped me home he said it was the best date he’d ever been on.’
‘That’s because it was the only one!’ Jenny giggled.
‘But the worst part is that he asked me to promise not to tell his mammy!’ Betty said.
The three women laughed until they cried, and Kathleen added, ‘He must’ve thought you were as much fun as dating Joan Rivers. All he had to compare you to was a corpse. I’d say you’re on to a winner there.’
‘That’s what I said,’ Jenny agreed, holding her hands up dramatically. ‘Mammy can’t possibly last much longer and they must be loaded. Funerals cost a fortune, as we all know.’
It was two thirty by the time Kathleen finally crawled into bed. She’d drunk far too much wine and knew she’d pay for it next day. But as she lay down, instead of the usual intense, gripping pain, she felt a tiny kindling of hope in her soul. The two women had demonstrated such warmth and positivity that Kathleen couldn’t help being drawn to them. It transpired that both had survived widowhood and seemed to have found a new equilibrium. A part of her wanted never to move away from the love she and Jackson had known. But in her heart of hearts she knew he would hate her to waste the time she had left mourning the past.
Chapter 38
Lexie woke with a start. Sitting bolt upright, she stared at the alarm clock and cursed. She’d thought she hit the snooze button but she had unwittingly turned the damn thing off. With Sam gone to London there’d been nobody to give her a nudge. She pulled on her frilly shower cap – she hadn’t enough time to wash her hair.
The gallery would probably be busy as it was Saturday and Kate was away at a wedding. Normally Lexie didn’t mind covering the weekend shift alone. Sam would help out and most of her customers were patient enough if there was a queue. An art gallery didn’t normally attract the sort who expected to be zoomed through at the cash desk.
Today, for the first time ever, she briefly considered not opening at all and berated herself for not accompanying Sam. She thought of Amélie and her heart ached. She knew her niece was fiery, but she’d really hoped they’d be friends again this morning. Poking her head into Amélie’s room, she decided to pretend everything was cool and hope she’d go along with that.
‘Hi, lovie,’ she said. ‘Sorry to wake you, but Kate is away and I need you to come and help me today, remember?’
Amélie stirred and groaned. ‘Sure thing,’ she said. Sitting up, she stared at Lexie with bedhead hair. ‘Auntie Lex?’
‘Yes?’
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said. She staggered out of bed and wrapped her arms around Lexie. ‘I’m a cow and I hope you can forgive me. You always back me up and I should’ve done the same for you. I know you and Sam are having a shit time at the moment.’
‘Oh,’ Lexie said, in shock. ‘I didn’t think you’d noticed.’
‘I’m not three,’ Amélie said drily. ‘Anyhow, hopefully you guys will sort it and I’m going to get myself together too. I want to be a business person like you so I need to knuckle down.’
‘Are you kidding me?’ Lexie said delightedly. ‘You’ve no idea how happy that makes me. I’m so proud of you, darling. But I really need you today, so let’s go and rock this gallery, right?’
‘You got it!’ Amélie said.
A short while later, as they went out of the front door, they bumped into Agata and Britta. ‘Good morning, you two,’ Lexie said.
‘Hello,’ Agata said. ‘Did Kathleen mention we were coming?’ she asked, blushing.
‘Yes.’ Lexie thumped her forehead with the heel of her hand. ‘She did, of course. And she asked me to give you keys. I’m such a featherhead. I’m running a bit late so I’m hassled. Don’t mind me,’ she apologised.
‘No problem!’ Agata said, looking relieved. ‘We weren’t meant to be here until tomorrow, but I have a few things to do.’
‘As a matter of fact, I was going to ask you and Britta to join me for dinner one evening. How about toni
ght?’
‘That would be lovely, Lexie.’
‘It’s just us. Sam is away so we can suit ourselves pretty much. If the sun keeps shining we could eat in the garden. That way you can put Britta to bed if you need to and we can still hear her through the back door. It’ll be a girls’ night,’ she said, putting her arm around Amélie.
‘I’m going to a party, actually. Hope that’s cool?’
‘Of course,’ Lexie said. ‘So it’s only the three of us. That still okay?’
‘Superb!’ Agata said. ‘I’ll really look forward to it.’
‘I’ll be home by six thirty at the latest. I’ll grab something for us to eat on my way home later.’
‘I’ll do dessert.’
‘Let me get the keys to the basement,’ Lexie said. She ran back up the steps and grabbed the keys for Agata. Britta waved her chubby hand and grinned.
‘’Bye, Britta,’ she said, feeling ridiculously emotional that the baby had engaged with her.
As they walked swiftly to the gallery, Lexie tried to imagine what it would be like if Britta were hers. When Amélie was that age, Lexie wasn’t even in the zone of thinking about being a parent so it had all gone over her head. She had vague recollections of baby Amélie being wheeled around restaurants and bobbed on knees during Christmas dinners, but none of it had seemed like a big deal. Now that she was considering bringing a baby into her life, it all seemed vitally important.
The day flew at the gallery. Lexie was so impressed with Amélie that she gave her a large tip.
‘This is so much money!’ Amélie exclaimed.
‘You deserve it,’ Lexie said. ‘When you work hard you get paid. Simple!’
They walked home and Lexie began to cook the meat she’d bought that afternoon.
‘See you!’ Amélie said, as she wafted by leaving a trail of cologne in her wake.
‘’Bye, sugar plum,’ Lexie called. She peeped out and saw Amélie bouncing down the road wearing a gorgeous little mini dress. She looked like a fashion model.
Agata and Britta waved from outside and Lexie rushed to open the door. ‘Hi, ladies,’ she said, kissing Agata, then Britta. The baby waddled around babbling as Lexie placed a gorgeous feta cheese and watermelon salad on the table.
‘Make yourself useful and open the bottle of wine in the fridge,’ she said. ‘That cake looks divine. It’s lovely outside – are you happy to eat out?’
‘Um, totally,’ Agata said, popping a piece of watermelon into her mouth.
The meat and salad complemented each other beautifully. After a large glass of wine, Lexie finally began to relax. It was a relief not to have to talk about anything too taxing. Agata was such easy company and the baby was a constant source of entertainment.
By the time the sun went down and the evening became chilly, Agata said she’d hit her bed. ‘I can’t believe this little one has stayed awake for so long.’
‘She’s a little gem,’ Lexie said.
When Agata and Britta had gone, Lexie brought all the dishes into the kitchen and stacked them in the dishwasher. She switched off the lights and remembered not to bolt the front door so Amélie could get in later. She’d leave her bedroom door ajar so she’d hear her come in. She never slept properly until she knew Amélie was home safely. The landline rang. Lexie groaned and considered letting it go to the answer machine, then picked it up.
‘Is that Lexie?’ a young girl’s voice said frantically.
‘Yes? Who is this, please?’
‘I’m Yvonne. I’m a friend of Amélie’s. We’re at a party. She was talking to this guy. He was really pushy and we didn’t like the look of him. The guy who owns the flat told him to go but we reckon he spiked Amélie’s drink.’
‘Where is she now?’ Lexie asked, as fear shivered through her. ‘How do you know he spiked her drink? What’s she doing?’
‘She started going all floppy and her eyes were rolling. She slumped off the chair and we couldn’t wake her—’
‘Oh, Jesus. Did you call an ambulance?’
‘Yeah, she’s gone off in it. She told me she was staying with you so I got your number from her phone. She hadn’t any credit so I’m using the phone at Jake’s flat.’
‘Thank you, Yvonne. I’ll follow her to the hospital right now.’
‘She’s gone to St Mary’s.’
Lexie put the phone down and panicked. She couldn’t drive after the wine, so she rang a taxi and pulled some clothes on. She was in the car by the time she managed to get hold of Dee and Billy.
‘Which hospital is she in?’ Billy asked.
‘St Mary’s.’
‘Oh, shit – that place is meant to be like something from M*A*S*H.’
Lexie hung up and begged the driver to hurry.
When Lexie ran into Accident and Emergency, the usual weekend carnage was beginning. Drunk and bewildered people staggered around, and a man with what looked like a stab wound groaned from a trolley.
Lexie forced herself not to collapse in panic. If anything happened to Amélie she didn’t know what she’d do.
Minutes later Billy and Dee appeared.
‘Any news?’ Billy asked.
‘Nothing yet,’ Lexie said. ‘I’ve notified the receptionist that I’m here. She said a doctor will speak to us when they know more.’
A minute later a doctor appeared, looking grave. ‘Are you Amélie’s family?’
‘We’re her parents and this is her aunt,’ Billy said.
‘We’ve performed a gastric lavage, or stomach pump,’ he said. ‘She’d ingested a small amount of beer and what we reckon were several Rohypnol tablets.’
‘Oh, God, that’s the date-rape drug, right?’ Lexie said.
The doctor nodded. They’d administered an antidote. ‘She’s a lucky girl. Her friends reacted quickly and thankfully she hadn’t drunk much alcohol.’
‘When can we see her?’ Dee asked, shaking.
‘We need to make sure she’s stable and get some fluids into her.’
They thanked the doctor and huddled in a corner of the waiting area.
By the time they were allowed in, Amélie was propped up against pillows with drips in either arm. In a hospital gown, she looked like a tiny child. Her pallor and large, frightened eyes broke Lexie’s heart. She hung back and allowed Dee and Billy to hug her first.
Amélie peeped past her parents. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she managed. ‘I wanted to make you all proud. I didn’t want to cause more trouble.’
‘You didn’t know,’ Dee said. ‘We’re just relieved you’re all right.’
Lexie left Dee and Billy with their daughter and made her way home. She called Sam’s mobile and wasn’t surprised when it went directly to his voicemail. She left a brief message telling him what had happened and said she’d call again when she had further news.
Lexie thought morning would never come. Very early, she heard Britta’s voice from the garden, so she went down and knocked on the door.
‘You’re up very early,’ Agata said, with a smile. Her face clouded as soon as she saw Lexie’s. ‘What’s happened?’ Lexie told Agata about the eventful night and how scary it had all been.
‘I’m so shocked. That poor girl has been through so much lately, hasn’t she?’
‘She’s certainly had a lot of growing up to do, that’s for sure. But I think she’s going to be fine. She’s a good girl and she’ll come out the other side.’
The two women drank coffee and watched Britta waddle about. Moving out to the early-morning sunshine, they sat on the comfy chairs.
‘She’s so chilled out,’ Lexie said in admiration. ‘You’re amazing with her.’
‘Well, she’s my little treasure, aren’t you?’ Agata kissed her nose. ‘She’s no trouble. I’d be lost without her.’
Britta was happily munching a mini rice cake while picking individual blades of grass and examining them intently.
‘Kathleen is so kind,’ said Agata. ‘She left a note to say she’s been shopp
ing and to help myself to the cupboards.’
‘You couldn’t meet a nicer person,’ Lexie agreed. ‘From the first second I met her I knew I was going to get on with her. I admire her hugely too. It takes a lot of courage to jet halfway across the world by yourself.’
‘Totally,’ Agata agreed. ‘I really hope to stay in touch with her after the summer.’
‘Me too,’ said Lexie.
As the heat from the sun warmed the air, Lexie shrugged off her cardigan. Britta watched and did the same thing. Both women giggled.
‘She’s so cute!’
‘Thanks. I think so too.’ Agata laughed.
‘Aren’t you going to ask me why I don’t have children?’
‘No,’ Agata said immediately. ‘But if you want to tell me, feel free.’
Lexie laughed. ‘I always thought I was a straight shooter, but you’d give me a run for my money. Sam and I had it all worked out. We never wanted children. We agreed on it. And it wasn’t an issue for us until recently.’
‘What’s changed?’
‘Well, it’s sort of complicated …’ Lexie told Agata about her mother and the misunderstanding, and how the entire world, Sam included, seemed to think her approaching birthday should signal baby season.
‘I can see both sides of the argument,’ Agata said. ‘Your mother wants you to be certain you won’t regret it if your fertility goes. That’s hardly unusual coming from a mother, if you think about it. What you really need to discover is whether you’re deciding not to have a baby just to oppose your mother because she clearly irritates you.’
Lexie rubbed her temples. ‘I fully admit I can be as stubborn as a mule. But the fact of the matter is that Sam and I had it all sorted in our heads.’
‘Then forget it. Don’t give it another thought,’ Agata said matter-of-factly. ‘If you don’t engage in constant conversations about the subject, your family and friends will have to stop too.’
‘I’m doubting myself now. Sam and I aren’t in a great place at the moment either. We never used to argue and lately I’m as wound up as a spring. I’m afraid we’re not on the same page just now.’
The Summer Guest Page 28