There was some tension around the pool, but once Coco went inside to eat Patsy seemed to relax. Grace caught up on what was happening back home, and they both discussed how she ought to pack up for the trip to Ireland.
Before long the sun went in, and it was time to get some dinner.
‘Let’s go out tonight, Mum. A great new sushi place has opened in Seaport Village.’
‘Raw fish? Oh, that doesn’t sound safe to me, love. No, I will stick with chips if they have any.’
Grace sighed. Her mother could be so old-fashioned sometimes. But she ignored Patsy’s remark, and, after quick showers, they headed to the nearby waterfront shopping, dining and entertainment complex. After some shopping and a few cocktails they headed for the sushi bar, and as Grace got stuck into some sashimi, Patsy ate a ‘safe’ chicken noodle salad.
After dinner they returned home, and Patsy was delighted to see her son-in-law’s jeep in the driveway. Ethan was waiting for them in the living room.
‘Patsy! It’s great to see you! Sorry I missed dinner, but I got held up at work. But you girls sit down, as I have a nice bottle of champagne chilled for us.’ And with that Ethan headed for the kitchen. It wasn’t long before the three of them were relaxing on the couch, and Ethan was filling Patsy in on his work, and his plans for their ‘stint in the Emerald Isle’!
As Ethan chatted away, Patsy noticed that Grace was unusually quiet and seemed to excuse herself to go to the bathroom a few times. But since she didn’t indicate anything was wrong, Patsy said nothing, too. As Ethan was showing Patsy the plans for his new Dublin office, Patsy shook off her shoes and curled her pale Irish legs under her new dress. She saw Ethan glance at Grace.
‘Oh, Mum, we don’t allow feet on seats in this house. The couches were very expensive.’
Ethan nodded his head in agreement. Patsy turned and looked at Coco the dog sprawled out on one of the cream couches, feet and all on board.
‘Well, that’s funny, Grace, because I don’t remember you ever caring about couches before, especially not the ones at home. Remember how you used to drive your father mad by painting your toenails on them? There are still bright pink stains on the three-seater from the time you spilt a whole bottle of my good nail varnish on it.’
Grace looked at her mum and started to cry, and then ran for the bathroom. Patsy immediately felt guilty and ran after her.
‘Oh, I’m sorry, pet, I won’t mention that blasted nail-varnish accident again, but it’s hardly fair that Coco is allowed to put his grubby dog feet on the couch when I, your mother, can’t!’
‘It’s not that,’ said Grace, reaching for the toilet. ‘I don’t feel well all of a sudden. I think it was the sushi, my stomach is upset,’ and with that she started to cry.
Patsy resisted the urge to remind her daughter that she had told her raw fish wasn’t safe. Instead she did what every mother does best: she rubbed Grace’s back, and looked after her all evening. And later, as Ethan and Patsy helped her to bed, Grace thought that, as mad as her mum drove her about not having children, sometimes it was worth all that fighting just to have her around. There was no one like your mum.
13
PATSY SLATTERY’S WEEK in San Diego flew by. Grace had been sick for a few days with food poisoning from the blasted sushi, but Patsy had busied herself sunbathing, reading Hollywood star gossip-magazines and shopping in a nearby mall. She was just coming in the door when Grace greeted her.
‘Hi, Mum. I’m so sorry I couldn’t get up this morning. My stomach was in bits again, but I do feel much better now. I see you found the shops OK, though!’ Grace helped her mum, who was struggling with eight oversized paper shopping bags. When she flung them down on the counter out poured jumpers, jeans, bracelets and toys.
‘Who are these toys for?’ Grace asked, surprised to see a Disney bag crammed full of dolls, games and T-shirts.
‘Well, the dolls are for Tara and Jade. And the games and T-shirts are for Michael, Tommy and little Paul,’ Patsy replied, as she took off her shoes and rubbed her tired feet.
‘Who the hell are Tara, Jade, Michael, Tommy and what’s-his-name?’ Grace asked.
‘Well, they are the kids I babysit for! I have no grandchildren to mind, so when Brona and Derek across the road asked me to help out and babysit their four kids a couple of afternoons a week I said yes. Brona’s studying for her degree in science and needed some help. And then her sister Angie had to go back to work, and her Tommy’s such a sweet little boy – well I just couldn’t say no. They are all real dotes and I have great fun with them. Wait until you see Jade! She has just learned to walk and is causing havoc!’
Grace looked at her. She felt half-annoyed by the usual grandkids digs and half-sad that her mum was so looking forward to being a granny that she was minding friends’ children. Grace decided to take the high road and avoid a fight, so she simply walked to the large fridge and began to pour her mum some organic lemonade.
After Patsy had recuperated from her morning’s shopping, she and Grace decided to go for a walk, as Grace needed some fresh air.
‘I’m sorry for being sick the last few days, Mum. I hope I haven’t ruined your trip,’ she said, as they slipped off their sandals and began walking barefoot on the beach.
‘Not at all, pet,’ Patsy replied, taking in the beautiful surroundings. ‘I just love being here with you and Ethan, in such a gorgeous location. You’re going to miss all of this.’
Grace looked around at the beach, ocean and bright sun.
‘I have to admit, Mum, I will miss San Diego, it’s been my home for ten years now. But of course I am looking forward to spending more time with you, and being able to see Colm and Aidan more regularly. Sometimes I feel like I don’t know my little brothers at all. When I lived at home they were still in school, playing computer games and trying to persuade me to buy them alcohol! But now when I hear they have jobs and are living with “mates”, I feel so distant from them.’
Patsy looked at her daughter and knew it must be hard to have your husband on one continent and your family on another.
‘Don’t worry about your brothers! Those two lazy lumps haven’t changed at all. They’re still playing computer games, leaving their washing in my house, and trying to get me to buy the alcohol, so they can “save” their money for important things! Nothing has changed. We all still love you and can’t wait for you to be back in Dublin.’
Grace smiled.
‘I just wish your dad was here to bring Ethan for a pint in O’Donoghue’s. Dad would have loved that, bringing a “real Yank” to his local!’
Grace looked at her mum, and knew she was still grieving for her husband. It had been five years since Teddy Slattery had gone to work one day, to the bakery factory where he had been for over thirty years, and never returned. Patsy’s beloved husband had suffered a massive heart attack and died before she could say goodbye. Grace and Ethan had flown to Dublin straight away, and Grace had spent three weeks with her mum, but eventually she’d had to follow Ethan and go back to work. She’d felt so guilty at abandoning her mum, and leaving her to deal with becoming a widow all on her own. Patsy had plenty of close friends, and the neighbours had been great keeping her busy with bingo and long chats, but it had taken a few years for her to accept her new, lonelier, life. And now, with Colm and Aidan living out of home, and Grace being so far away, Patsy did feel at a loss what to do and who to talk to. But since Teddy’s death she had accepted Ethan’s generous offer to fly her over to visit Grace more, and she admitted she was becoming quite used to her biannual visits to the West Coast.
‘I’ll miss the sun and shopping myself,’ Patsy said as they sat down at a local beach bar and ordered ice creams.
‘Well, maybe we should find you a nice American bachelor, Mum! So you can spend more time here with me!’ Grace laughed as they watched men of all shapes and sizes jog past.
‘Oh, I don’t know. They all look a little too “pretty” over here, a bit too “feminine”
for me. I mean, how could I date a man who uses more moisturizer than me? Or who works out more than I ever have? Your father never worked out anything, apart from how to save enough money for pints on a Friday!’
Grace laughed at her mum, but saw Patsy still kept her eyes firmly on the joggers as they ran past looking like Abercrombie & Fitch models!
As it was such a hot evening, Ethan decided to cook outside, and they all enjoyed his famous barbecued beefburgers and ranch salad before they began talking about the ‘big move’, and how Ethan was looking forward to enjoying a big proper family Christmas for once and seemed to expect it would be a ‘white one’.
‘I hate to disappoint you, but we never have snow at Christmas in Ireland. It’s cold, but never that cold,’ Patsy explained, as Ethan’s face dropped.
‘But don’t worry, honey, once you try Mum’s mince pies and Auntie Mary’s stuffing you will forget all about snow,’ Grace said, starting to get excited herself about the move.
And soon Grace and Patsy were telling Ethan about all the places in Dublin he would have to go and see. He had only been twice, and both had been flying visits, and he seemed keen to ‘get to know the real Ireland’ this time.
‘Well, we don’t mind you visiting the Book of Kells, but watch out we don’t see you turn into a complete American tourist and start wearing any of those Guinness T-shirts or taking photos of buskers on Grafton Street!’ Patsy laughed.
After reminiscing about how great Ireland really was Grace decided she was tired out and headed for bed. Patsy decided to stay up and watch a Danielle Steel made-for-TV movie.
‘You just can’t get good films like this in Ireland,’ Patsy exclaimed, as Ethan groaned at the corny name and opening credits of the film.
Later, when Patsy was going to bed, she saw Grace’s bedroom door was open and the light was on, and so popped her head in to say goodnight. Grace and Ethan were both sitting up in their large four-poster bed, reading the newspapers, while Coco lay in-between them, on top of the expensive-looking Egyptian cotton sheets.
‘Please God, one day you’ll have a child lying between you there instead of that dog,’ Patsy said. She waved goodnight to them, and closed the door quickly, before Grace could come back with a comment.
14
BETH PRENDERGAST WAS distracted as she sat in on an early department meeting. As team leader she knew she should be more enthusiastic, but she’d slept badly the night before, and spent the night tossing and turning before eventually giving up on any chance of sleep and just started reading the new Harry Potter book. She had gotten lost in the pages of magic, and found herself reminiscing about her own days at boarding school as she read about Harry in the best boarding school of them all: Hogwarts! But now, as she sat in on this very boring meeting she regretted not trying to sleep, as even her third cup of coffee couldn’t keep her eyes open. She caught Tom’s eye, and could see he wasn’t impressed with her lack of energy and spirit at the meeting, but she couldn’t muster up enthusiasm – even for him. Beth hadn’t seen Tom in almost three weeks, what with his business trip to the States getting extended, and Beth herself being flat-out busy with a new client. But she hadn’t had the energy to suggest a night out; she had being feeling unwell all week, and it was getting to her.
After the meeting she walked back to her office, bumping into her only real friend at the company, Susan Morgan. She wasn’t as senior as Beth, but, being the only two high-ranking women in the office, they had struck up a friendship. It at least meant Beth had someone at work to talk to about clothes, movies and Sex and the City.
‘Are you OK? You look a little washed-out,’ Susan asked kindly.
‘I don’t know. I’m sure it’s nothing. I’m just tired this week. I think it must be my glands, as they’re so sore. I feel wrecked.’
Susan looked at her friend. Beth, in her very expensive Chloé suit and slicked-back hair looked the picture of professionalism, but under her make-up Susan could see she was tired and not herself.
‘Well, why don’t we go out for lunch today, somewhere nice? And if you feel you need to go to the doctor we can go there, too.’
‘Oh, I won’t need the doctor,’ Beth said suddenly, realizing she must look even worse than she felt. She didn’t like to appear weak in the office. ‘But lunch at Milano’s would be nice. I never say no to a pepperoni pizza!’
The girls arranged to meet outside the office later, and then Beth got back to her desk and mounting workload.
She struggled with the work that morning. Along with plenty of client meetings, her job involved a lot of paperwork, and she was not in the humour for it today. She managed to pass some of the donkey work on to Declan, the junior portfolio assistant, who was only too happy to take it on and prove himself to Beth. He might only be preparing printouts, taking minutes in meetings, and generally shadowing her, but he knew all of this would one day help towards building up his own client list, and hopefully becoming a portfolio manager soon. Beth thanked him for his help as she checked how her property funds were coming along, and then counted down the hours until lunchtime.
Finally it was 1 p.m., and soon Beth and Susan were sitting in the Italian restaurant discussing Susan’s upcoming wedding.
‘It’s impossible to find a good band. I mean, everyone we rang said they were booked out at least a year ago, some even two years ago! Like, who does that? Who are these girls who are booking their whole wedding one or two years in advance, and taking up all the hotels, churches and bands in the process? It’s unfair! We have no chance of getting any good band or DJ!’
‘It’s the same women who book their children into primary schools before the child is even born!’ Beth laughed.
Just then the waiter delivered their pizzas, but as he set the extra pepperoni pizza down in front of Beth the smell of the meat hit her, and she suddenly felt sick.
‘Oh, I’m sorry, can you take that away, please?’ she asked, as she gulped back a Coke and distanced herself from the pizza.
‘Are you OK?’ Susan said, looking worried.
‘I’m fine,’ Beth lied, and then turned to the surprised-looking waiter. ‘I’m sorry, but could you bring me some of your garlic dough balls instead? And sorry about the pizza.’
The waiter shrugged, and went off to get Beth her food. Susan looked concernedly at her.
‘Before you say anything, I’m fine!’ Beth said. ‘I’m just not feeling the best, and between that and the lack of sleep it’s obviously affected my appetite. But I’ll go to the chemist on the way back to the office and get something. Don’t worry about me – tell me about your honeymoon plans instead!’
As Susan filled her in on her plans to spend a month travelling around South America, Beth couldn’t help feeling a little jealous. Even though Susan wasn’t as senior as her, she still had a great job. Susan worked hard, and was well-respected by her peers, and yet had managed to balance her life better than most of their employees. She not only had a successful career, but a great social life, and a gorgeous fiancé, too. Beth wondered if she would ever plan a wedding and honeymoon of her own. The way things were with Tom she knew they would never happen with him. Of course it made her sad, as every girl dreams of one day walking down the aisle. But she did love Tom, and with that love came the understanding that she and Tom had a relationship that was different from others. As Susan questioned her about her love life, Beth did feel guilty lying as usual, and saying there was no one. She knew she could never tell anyone in work about Tom. She would instantly lose respect from colleagues like Susan. She didn’t want anyone thinking she had gotten so far up in Burlington because of Tom, so she kept their relationship to herself.
When they had finished eating Susan headed straight back to the office for a meeting, while Beth went to the chemist’s to get some painkillers. As she stood in the queue she saw someone familiar.
‘Jeananne? How are you?’ Beth said to an old school friend who she hadn’t seen in years.
‘Beth! H
ow lovely to see you. Wow, you look great, so professional. I heard you were some high-flying financial whiz. Congrats!’
Beth looked at her old classmate, who was holding one child in her arms and clearly had another on the way. Jeananne caught her looking at her stomach.
‘Yes! I’m pregnant again! Scott is two years old, and now I’m expecting again, and due in four months’ time. So it’s all go go!’ Jeananne said, as she tried to clean little Scott’s nose and hand in a prescription to the chemist at the same time.
‘Congratulations, that’s great. How are you feeling?’ Beth asked politely, but thinking at the same time that if that little boy and his snot came anywhere near her very expensive suit she would die.
‘Oh, I’m fine now. Tired, but that’s pregnancy for you! But I’m glad I’m into the second trimester. I tell you, nothing prepares you for those first twelve weeks. The morning sickness, the tiredness, and I swear my breasts and glands were so sore. My God, I couldn’t let my husband touch me! And there were some smells I couldn’t stand: like, if anyone even ate onion near me I thought I would puke! It’s funny how different pregnancies are; I mean, I was fine with Scott. Anyway, I had better go, we are meeting the hubby for lunch. Take care.’
Beth wished her well and then rejoined the queue, but as she waited to be served, what Jeananne had said about being tired, having sore glands, and feeling an aversion to certain smells played in her head.
No, I couldn’t be! Beth suddenly thought, almost falling down with the shock. I couldn’t be pregnant, could I? No, I’m just tired, she tried to convince herself, as she walked out of the chemist’s and began the walk back to her office.
Positively Yours Page 5