Divided Loyalties

by Patricia Scanlan

  ‘I will of course, Dad. Say goodnight to Grandpa, everyone, and wish him a happy Easter and thank him for all that money,’ Carrie said to the children. They crowded round him, hugging him and kissing him.

  ‘Gank you.’ Hannah hugged his leg and he bent down and picked her up.

  ‘Will you give your old grandpa a curl?’ he asked, smiling at her upturned little face, which was just now eager for fun.

  She loved that game and tugged at one of her copper curls and patted his head with her palm. ‘There, Gankgank,’ she said kindly, chuckling as he gave her one back.

  ‘She’s a grand little girl,’ he said to Carrie, his eyes bright with emotion.

  ‘See you soon and take care of yourself.’ Dan held out his hand and gripped Noel’s in a firm handshake.

  ‘Have a good holiday, Dan,’ Noel said sincerely, handing Hannah over to him.

  ‘I will.’ His son-in-law smiled back at him and Noel realized yet again what a solid, kind man his daughter had married. Dan was not the sort of man who would make someone feel guilty, he thought, another wave of shame washing over him.

  ‘I’ll walk you to the car, Dad,’ Carrie murmured, leading the way to the hall and opening the front door.

  It was a balmy spring evening. Wisps of cloud were tinted pink and gold and the trees sported their new spring coats as buds of white and pink blossoms burst out effervescently. The breeze off the sea was only slightly chilly and there was definitely the merest hint of the summer to come in the air.

  ‘I’ll phone you tomorrow when we land in Schiphol and I’ll ring you from Shauna’s when we arrive. And we’ll keep in touch,’ she assured him.

  ‘I appreciate that, Carrie, but don’t be worrying about me, I’ll be grand. Enjoy your holiday and we’ll have a good night when you get back and you can tell me all about it,’ he said heartily, hating having to say goodbye to her.

  ‘Just be sure to defrost your dinners the night before and make certain they’re thoroughly heated,’ she instructed.

  ‘I will and . . . er . . . thank you.’ His grey eyes met hers and a flash of affection passed between them. For the first time in his life he held out his arms and drew her to him in a hug.

  They held each other tightly for a brief moment and he patted her back awkwardly as he felt her tears against his cheeks. ‘We’ll be home before you know it,’ she gulped, trying not to cry.

  ‘I know that. Have a good time now,’ he murmured, before drawing away from her and getting into the car. She stood waving forlornly and he rolled down his window and waved back at her, his eyes blurry.

  It was a miracle that he got home without having an accident, he thought as he drove into his drive, stricken with such unexpected emotions. The last time he’d felt this lonely was when Anna had died.

  He locked the car and was about to go into his house when Mrs O’Neill called to him.

  Not now, he thought in desperation, but he couldn’t ignore the woman. He walked slowly over to the small wall that divided their properties.

  ‘Are you all right, Noel?’ She looked at him in concern, noting his watery eyes.

  He swallowed hard. ‘Just saying goodbye to Carrie,’ he mumbled.

  Comprehension dawned. ‘Ah yes, but sure it’s only two weeks and I’ll keep an eye on you,’ she said reassuringly, her bright blue eyes kind and concerned. It was the last straw. Tears welled up in Noel’s eyes and he gave a strangled little sob.

  ‘Sorry, sorry,’ he muttered, mortified, and turned away.

  ‘Ah you poor old craythur,’ Mrs O’Neill exclaimed. ‘Come in to me this minute and we’ll have a cup of tea. I know exactly what you’re going through. I go through it every time mine come home from abroad and have to go away again.’

  ‘I don’t want to put you to trouble,’ Noel sniffled.

  ‘What are you talking about, trouble? Aren’t you me next-door neighbour and haven’t we been through a lot down the years? Come in now and get it off your chest and you’ll feel the better of it,’ she urged.

  And somehow, knowing that Mrs O’Neill understood what it was like to be lonely helped him enormously and it ceased to bother him that he’d made a show of himself crying in front of her. He followed her into her neat little kitchen and sat at her kitchen table and didn’t feel as alone as he’d feared he’d be.

  As for the feelings of guilt and shame, he wouldn’t think about them any more. It was too uncomfortable. He could deal with feelings of loneliness better and besides, it felt good to have Mrs O’Neill feeling sorry for him. No-one else did. He couldn’t help the feelings of self-pity that washed over him. His life was difficult enough. There was no point in being too hard on himself, he decided as he took the cup of hot, sweet tea from his neighbour and bit into one of her delicious cherry buns.

  23

  ‘I can’t believe you’re finally here. I’m so excited.’ Shauna hugged the daylights out of Carrie, who had tears in her eyes as she hugged her sister back tightly. ‘Oh my God, look at the size of Hannah. Oh, darling, aren’t you beautiful?’ She knelt down to the toddler who was yawning her head off in her buggy. ‘And Davey and Olivia. Quick! Give me a hug.’

  ‘Come on, Shauna, let’s get these poor travellers home,’ Greg suggested as his wife was enveloped in a flurry of hugs.

  ‘We brought you the King crisps and Club Milks and lots of other treats,’ Olivia informed her aunt breathlessly, surfacing from her bear hug.

  ‘And some Barry’s tea bags,’ Davey added.

  ‘Barry’s tea bags! Did you hear that, Greg? Let’s go home and put on the kettle.’ Shauna laughed, thrilled to be surrounded by her beloved family.

  ‘That sounds like a great idea to me.’ Dan angled the laden trolley towards the exit.

  ‘It’s very warm, isn’t it?’ Carrie exclaimed as they emerged into the humid, starry darkness and the warm night air enveloped them.

  ‘I thought it was a little cool, actually,’ Shauna remarked. She was wearing a light cardigan over her sundress.

  Carrie looked at her, amazed. ‘You really have acclimatized, haven’t you? It’s warm, Shauna.’

  ‘We’ve got AC in the car,’ Greg said, leading them over to a large SUV.

  Dan whistled. ‘Nice going, Greg. A Merc jeep. Bet it’s a dream to drive.’

  ‘Does the biz all right. Great road holding,’ Greg agreed.

  ‘Deadly.’ Davey gazed at the huge car with undisguised admiration.

  ‘You like it, Davey?’ Greg was delighted with their reactions.

  ‘Dad, can we get one?’ Davey asked eagerly.

  ‘Sure.’ Dan laughed, winking at Carrie.

  They settled themselves in for the trip through the desert out to the island city. ‘Fabulous road, isn’t it,’ Carrie enthused as they drove under the inky, starry skies along the straight highway that led to Abu Dhabi.

  ‘Tell us all the news. How’s Dad?’ Shauna asked eagerly. ‘He got used to the idea of you coming?’

  ‘Yeah.’ Carrie nodded as she snuggled Hannah in close to her. ‘He actually came round very well, believe it or not. I’ve got an Easter present for you.’

  Shauna’s eyes widened. ‘Really!’ she exclaimed. ‘I certainly wasn’t expecting that.’

  ‘I was slightly gobsmacked myself. He gave us all a load of cash and I’ve got an envelope for Chloe as well. There’s fifty euros in it for her.’

  Shauna gave a low whistle. ‘Are you serious? What’s going on? Is he OK?’ she asked, a note of concern in her voice.

  ‘I think he’s fine. Maybe he’s starting to mellow a bit. He’s taken up bowling,’ Carrie informed her.

  ‘So you were saying in your emails. Well done Mrs O’Neill.’

  ‘You can say that again,’ Carrie agreed. ‘She’s a great neighbour. I’ll give him a ring when we get in if that’s OK. I told him I would.’

  ‘Fine. I’d like to thank him for the gifts.’ Shauna smiled at her sister as they raced along the desert highway and the lights of the
city began to sparkle more brightly against the dark velvet sky, the outlines of the highrises silhouetted against the horizon.

  ‘It’s a big city, isn’t it?’ Dan observed as they reached the suburbs that lined the airport road, passing beautiful mosaic-decorated mosques along the route.

  ‘I love their roundabouts. They’re works of art, aren’t they?’ Carrie enthused as they drove past the huge roundabout at Zayed the Second Street.

  ‘That’s the Cultural Foundation over there.’ Shauna pointed out an impressive building to the left of them. ‘We’ll be going there one evening. We’re right in the centre now. This is Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Street that we’re crossing and we’re coming to Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Street,’ she explained to Davey, who was fascinated.

  ‘Quite a mouthful,’ Carrie observed as they emerged onto the Corniche road.

  ‘You’d just say Khalifa Street or Hamdan Street. You wouldn’t have to say the whole palaver.’ Shauna laughed as she pointed out a magnificent illuminated fountain. ‘This is called the Volcano Fountain. Isn’t it something else? It’s the most spectacular fountain in the city. See the way it gushes out.’

  Olivia and Davey, eyes on stalks, were oohing and aahing at the splendid illuminated showpiece that was a great focal point in the city.

  ‘This is stunning. Aren’t the gardens magnificent? I can’t believe how green the city is.’ Carrie’s head was on a swivel.

  ‘Sheikh Zayed, the ruler of Abu Dhabi at the time, wanted to have beautiful gardens all over the city. It was very important to him and you’ll see in the morning just how terrifically he succeeded. The city is so built up; the gardens really enhance it and take the harshness out of it. And don’t forget it’s built out of the desert,’ Shauna clarified, feeling very proprietorial and proud of her adopted city.

  ‘Oh, Dad, look. Look at the boat,’ Davey exclaimed, pointing out to sea at a boat lit up as brightly as a Christmas tree.

  ‘That’s a dhow,’ Greg explained. ‘We’re going to take you on a trip in one.’

  ‘Did you hear that, Dad?’ Davey was jiggling with excitement.

  ‘And we’re going to go out to the islands for a picnic on one of my friends’ speedboats,’ Greg assured him as he swung down to the underground car park below the apartment block.

  ‘Isn’t it great that you’ve got a view of the sea?’ Carrie exclaimed.

  ‘Yeah, we were very lucky. Only two of the company apartments have sea views and we got one of them. The balcony from the lounge is a wraparound and the end bit of it overlooks the sea. They used to have an apartment block out on the airport road but they relocated to this more modern block a year before we came out, so we were dead lucky. Lots of my friends have apartments that don’t have great views. Friends of ours that you’ll like have invited us to a party next week and they have a villa with a garden. It’s gorgeous. Private houses with gardens are like gold dust out here.’

  ‘I’d say so,’ Carrie said, trying to imagine herself with three children and no garden to play in. She took her gardens so much for granted. Her back garden was like an extra room in their house.

  Carrie, Shauna and the children travelled up first in the silent lift, and Carrie raised an eyebrow when it opened onto a small, marble-floored, mirrored landing, off which there were only two front doors.

  ‘Nice and private, isn’t it?’ she remarked.

  ‘Yep. We share the landing with a very quiet couple, the Mansours. She’s a nurse and he’s an IT specialist,’ Shauna told her as Filomena opened the door of the apartment to welcome the visitors.

  ‘You know Filomena. I’d be lost without her,’ Shauna said, smiling at her au pair.

  ‘Thank you, ma’am,’ Filomena said shyly, but Shauna knew she was pleased.

  ‘Hi, Filomena,’ Carrie said warmly. ‘Nice to see you again.’

  ‘Is this your house?’ Olivia asked, peering into the hall.

  ‘It’s called an apartment. Come in, everyone,’ Shauna invited and stood back to enjoy Carrie’s reaction to her home.

  ‘It’s gorgeous,’ breathed Carrie as she wandered along the hall and into the lounge. ‘Where did you get the furniture, or did it come furnished?’

  ‘The leather suite was here but the coffee table and the sideboards are antiques I’ve picked up. The Gulf’s a great place for well crafted, unusual pieces. If you see anything you like we could get it and when someone’s going home with a shipment I’ll ask them to bring your piece with them. We do that all the time out here,’ Shauna explained as she led them to the guest bedroom.

  Carrie gazed round at the pale mint green and white room with the big bed dressed in green and gold. White wicker furniture and white muslin curtains lent an airy, tropical feel to the room. Shauna had turned on the air conditioning so it felt nice and cool. A cot stood beside the bed for Hannah, who gazed at her mother and said longingly, ‘Bottle, Mamee.’

  ‘Let’s get this baba to bed,’ Carrie suggested. ‘What time is it here?’

  ‘About one fifteen,’ Shauna said ruefully. ‘And Greg’s got work in the morning. Our weekend is Thursday afternoon and Friday, generally. So even though tomorrow’s Saturday, it’s like Monday morning here.’

  ‘Oh! Hadn’t thought of that. That’s a shame.’ Carrie rummaged in her travel bag and found a bottle. ‘I’ll just pour some milk into it and stick it in the microwave.’

  ‘No, you get her into her jimjams, I’ll do that. Davey and Olivia are sleeping in Chloe’s room. Do you want to have a peep in?’ she asked her niece and nephew. ‘One of you can sleep in the fold-up bed and the other can sleep in the top bunk.’

  ‘Fold-up, fold-up.’ Davey raised his arm.

  ‘That’s not fair,’ Olivia sulked. ‘Why does he always get what he wants?’

  ‘Now don’t start, it’s been a very long day,’ Carrie warned as Dan lugged their cases into the bedroom.

  ‘Look, you can swap between you and all have a go of the fold-up bed. OK?’ Shauna said soothingly as she opened the door to Chloe’s bedroom a little wider.

  ‘Look at the size of her. She’s growing up fast, isn’t she?’ Carrie said regretfully as she saw her niece’s tousled blond head on the pillow.

  ‘I know.’ Shauna sighed as she closed the door. ‘Where are the years going? Come on now; I’ve a light meal of chicken, salads and dips for you. I bet you’re hungry after the flight and I’m dying for a cup of Barry’s tea.’ Shauna led them down the hall to the kitchen. The dining room led off it and the big mahogany table was laden with a selection of platters and dishes of food. ‘I’ll make the tea while you’re putting Hannah to bed.’

  ‘Good thinking,’ yawned Carrie as she filled the toddler’s bottle with milk and gave it to Filomena to put in the microwave. Ten minutes later Hannah was in her cotton pyjamas and almost asleep as she drank her bottle in the cot.

  Supper was a jolly meal as they caught up with the news and gossip. Davey and Olivia laughed as Shauna and Greg licked their fingers after devouring a packet of crisps each.

  ‘That was to die for. I was longing for a packet of proper crisps. The ones out here are very greasy. I’m nearly tempted to have another packet.’ Shauna ran her finger around the inside of the packet to get the last precious crumbs.

  ‘Go ahead,’ Dan urged. ‘We brought plenty.’

  ‘No, I think I’ll have a Club Milk with my cup of tea and let the hot tea melt the chocolate when I take my first bite,’ Shauna decided, feeling like a miser with her treasure.

  Greg yawned.

  ‘You should go to bed. We should all go,’ Carrie suggested, aware that her brother-in-law had an early start in the morning. She hadn’t thought that he would be working on a Saturday when she’d booked the flights.

  ‘I will if you don’t mind. I have to be at the office for seven. Listen, Dan, I have to go to Dubai early next week. How would you and Davey like to come with me for an overnighter and we could go to the camel races? It’s a great experience, and the girl
s could do their girly thing or else come with us and go shopping?’ he suggested.

  ‘Sounds good,’ Dan agreed. ‘We’ll think about it – it might be too long a drive for Hannah.’

  ‘Fine. We’ll play it by ear. ’Night all.’ He waved a hand in salute and headed for bed.

  ‘Camel racing. Wait until I tell the gang at school.’ Davey was in ecstasy.

  ‘We’ll have a girls’ day.’ Shauna noted Olivia’s crestfallen face. ‘It’s about a two-hour drive to Dubai, and you wouldn’t have much peace shopping, unless you’d like to leave Hannah with Filomena?’ Shauna eyed her sister across the table.

  ‘I don’t think so. It wouldn’t be very fair on either of them. They don’t know one another. We’ll see,’ Carrie demurred. ‘Right now I think we should all hit the sack. Even though we all snoozed on the plane we’ve been up since five this morning.’

  ‘Well look, there’s no rush at all getting up in the morning. We’ll have a lazy day tomorrow and get you settled in and then I’ll start showing you the sights.’ Shauna licked her lips for every sliver of melted chocolate.

  Dan laughed. ‘Have another one. Go on. You deserve it.’

  ‘I do, don’t I?’ she agreed and unwrapped another precious Club Milk and dunked it in her tea.

  Half an hour later she lay in bed beside her snoring husband and stretched like a cat. It had been a great day. And what a surprise to get a bottle of perfume from her father. It was Shalimar and she guessed that he must have asked Mrs O’Neill’s advice. He’d sounded pleased when she’d spoken to him on the phone and told him how much she liked it. It was good to have a peace of sorts between them. She wondered whether he and Bobby could ever come to an understanding. That might need a miracle, she thought wryly. She yawned. It had been a long day.

  She had a full itinerary for Carrie, Dan and the kids. She wanted them to have the holiday of their lives. And she had a big treat planned for them. Shauna lay in bed, eyes sparkling with anticipation before she eventually drifted off to sleep.

  It seemed like no time before she heard Chloe’s voice yelling, ‘Mom, Mom, my cousins are here.’ She roused herself from a deep sleep and glanced at the small clock on her bedside locker. It showed six forty-five. She hadn’t even heard Greg showering or leaving.