Divided Loyalties

by Patricia Scanlan

  Chloe appeared at her bedroom door, tousled and excited. ‘Mom, they’re here. Davey and Olivia are here and I never heard them coming and you promised to wake me up!’ she scolded.

  ‘I tried to but you were fast asleep,’ fibbed Shauna, hauling herself up onto her elbow.

  ‘Come along, Chloe.’ Filomena appeared at the door. ‘Let me get your breakfast.’

  ‘I want to have breakfast with my cousins,’ Chloe demanded.

  ‘Don’t wake them up,’ Shauna warned. ‘Filomena, I’m going back to sleep for a little while. Wake me as soon as Carrie and Dan are up.’

  ‘Yes, ma’am,’ the au pair said, taking Chloe by the hand and closing the bedroom door.

  Shauna was back asleep in minutes. Having Filomena was a great bonus, she told Carrie an hour and a half later as they sat in the middle of a rowdy group of children, having a lazy breakfast.

  ‘I wouldn’t mind having a Filomena myself.’ Carrie grinned as she watched the young girl feeding mashed banana to Hannah.

  ‘It’s as good as Christmas. I feel just the way I do when Santa comes.’ Chloe danced over and threw her arms round Carrie. ‘I wish you could stay for ever.’ Carrie hugged her back.

  ‘Just think of our lovely long holiday in the summer,’ she reminded her niece. ‘We’ll all be together again.’

  ‘I like being together.’ Chloe ran back to Olivia who was playing with one of her cousin’s Barbies, and kissed her excitedly.

  ‘Me too,’ Shauna said ruefully to Carrie, ‘but Greg’s talking about a new job that’s coming up in Dubai and I’m beginning to wonder if we’ll ever get home for good.’

  ‘Don’t say that,’ Carrie said quickly.

  ‘I know, but it’s something I’m going to have to deal with and possibly sooner rather than later.’

  ‘Oh.’ Carrie couldn’t hide her surprise at the news.

  ‘Let’s not even think about it now, we’ll talk about it in the summer,’ Shauna said briskly, realizing that Carrie was a little dismayed. ‘Right, I think we should all get our togs on. I’m going to bring you to our beach club and we can have a bite of lunch there. What do you think?’

  ‘Deadly. Can we snorkel?’

  ‘Can I wear my new pink togs?’

  ‘Our beach club is the best one in Abu Dhabi. My dad’s friend has a boat there.’

  ‘Want gocklat.’

  A cacophony of voices assaulted the two sisters.

  ‘Just like old times.’ Shauna laughed as she picked up Hannah and cuddled her tightly. She was going to enjoy every precious moment of the Morgans’ visit. She wanted Chloe to know that family was more important than anything.

  24

  ‘It’s so different.’ Shauna smiled as she poked her head round the door of Carrie’s en suite to see her sister wiping the bath.

  ‘What’s so different?’ Carrie looked at her in surprise as Shauna flipped down the lid of the loo and sat on it.

  ‘Having you to stay. Filomena can’t believe the difference between you and Della, and your kids and hers. Honest to God, Carrie, she was such a bitch. She would have treated Filomena like a skivvy if I’d let her. She wouldn’t even pick her towels up off the floor. You have no idea. I was furious with her. You know the way you arrived with bags of goodies and magazines and gifts? They arrived with a couple of packets of sweets that they’d bought at the airport.’

  ‘You’re joking!’ Carrie exclaimed.

  ‘I’m not, and they bought a boxed set of candles and a story book out of Tesco’s for the Christmas presents. They’re so mean they piss me off. They just take, take, take, as if it’s their due. Greg’s worked hard for what we’ve got and I did too when we were in Saudi. We didn’t just pluck it off a tree, but Della thinks it got handed to us on a plate and she’s always making sly little digs about how rich we are,’ Shauna complained.

  ‘Well, you are rich,’ Carrie said, straight-faced.

  ‘Smarty.’ Shauna laughed, caught off guard for a second. ‘Sorry for the rant,’ she added sheepishly.

  ‘Rant away,’ Carrie invited as she folded the fluffy peach bath towel neatly and hung it on the rail. ‘I just wouldn’t be able to walk out of any bathroom and leave a towel on the floor. Am I sad or what?’

  ‘No, we were just brought up properly,’ Shauna retorted. ‘We’ve got respect for others. Some of the maids have terrible lives here. People treat them like dirt.’

  ‘There’s lots of poor unfortunate immigrants at home have terrible lives too, being underpaid and housed in dreadful conditions. Dan employs migrant workers but he pays them the going rate, the same as everyone else. It wouldn’t cross his mind to do otherwise. That’s one of the things I love about him. He has real respect for people.’

  ‘Dan’s a very decent guy,’ Shauna said quietly. ‘You’re lucky.’

  ‘I know.’ Carrie smiled. ‘I’m so glad he’s with us. He’s really enjoying himself. He works very hard for us. It’s great to see him having fun. How are things with you and Greg? You seem to enjoy the life here.’ Carrie perched on the side of the bath and started to fold up Hannah’s pyjamas.

  ‘It’s different. It’s varied; you meet so many different people and are exposed to a multitude of cultures. But it’s unsettling on kids, I think. They make friends and then they move, or you move, and you have to start off all over again. Greg might have a chance of working on a big project in Dubai and he desperately wants to give it a go. I’d have preferred to come home and get Chloe settled in a school at home. And there’s a worry at the back of your mind about the political situation; the war in Iraq is unsettling and you can’t help wondering if some misguided fanatic will set off a bomb in the souk or some other public place.’ She gave a deep sigh. ‘It just adds to my list of pros for going home, but of course Greg doesn’t want to know.’ She made a face. ‘At least he’s finally agreed to try for a baby when we do go home this summer, not that it will be much company for Chloe. There’s too much of an age difference now, but I’d really like her to have a brother or sister so that she won’t be on her own when she’s older . . . our age even.’ She smiled wryly at her sister.

  ‘Forty’s the pits. At least you’re still in your thirties,’ Carrie said ruefully.

  ‘Just about.’ Shauna grimaced. ‘It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? Where does the time go? Just look at the kids. I remember when you were pregnant with Davey; it only seems like yesterday. Carrie, do you think Chloe’s happy?’ she blurted out. ‘I think she’s a bit insecure and clingy. Olivia and Davey are much more confident.’

  ‘Don’t compare, Shauna,’ Carrie said gently. ‘Our circumstances and lifestyles are very different and they are that bit older.’

  ‘I don’t know if it’s that, even. Greg’s hardly at home to see her. He works all hours and then the social scene here is very tied up with work. He likes me to be out and about with him and Chloe’s left with Filomena a lot. And I know we’re really lucky with her, she’s a great girl, but when I see you all together there’s such a sense of family about you and I always wanted that for Chloe. I think we’ve failed her in some ways.’ She bit her lip, her eyes dark with anxiety.

  ‘Don’t be so hard on yourself, Shauna,’ Carrie comforted, at a loss what to say. Her sister’s fears and worries were not entirely baseless. Carrie could see how clingy and attention-seeking Chloe was. It was true; Greg was gone from early morning until late at night. Spending time with his daughter did not seem to be a priority, she thought ruefully, but she certainly wasn’t going to say anything to Shauna about it. Her sister was well aware of the negatives in their lives because of their life choices. ‘Don’t forget the summer’s coming and we’ll be spending a lot of time together and Chloe will have a sense of family, so stop fretting.’

  ‘You got the kind genes in our family, Carrie.’ Shauna stood up and hugged her sister.

  ‘You must be joking. I wasn’t very kind to Della last week, although after what you’ve just told me, I’m not sorry. The che
ek of her treating Filomena like that. Thinking about it, though, why would I be surprised? It’s typical of her. Wait until I tell you what happened the day she arrived at my door, pretending to have “forgotten” your presents.’ Carrie launched into the story of the trip to the café and how Della had assumed Carrie would be footing the bill for the meal.

  Shauna’s peals of laughter carried out into the hall and Dan stuck his head round the door. ‘What’s so funny?’ he asked.

  ‘Della,’ the two of them chorused and he grinned.

  ‘Tsk tsk! Having a good backbite, are we? What’s on the agenda today, women?’ It was the fourth day of their holiday and they’d already been to the souk, the Cultural Foundation, the beach club and a party at the Hilton.

  ‘I was thinking I might bring you to some of the antique and rug shops on al Nasr Street, behind the big gold building we can see from the balcony. We could go there for an hour or so and Filomena could bring the kids to the women’s and children’s park and we could meet them in the Pizza Hut for a treat.’

  ‘It’s not really fair on Filomena, though, is it?’ Carrie murmured. ‘Four kids are a lot to take care of.’

  ‘Listen, your children are angels compared to Della’s pair. Filomena doesn’t mind and it’s only for an hour. We can go to the beach club later, and then tonight we’ve been invited to a party at the al Hamades’ villa. Tomorrow I’m going to bring you to Al Ain, the university city. There’s a great zoo there. And we’re going camping in the desert and for a picnic on the island at the weekend. Then next week the lads are off to Dubai and you and I are going to a ladies’ night and we’re going to—’

  ‘Stop! I’m exhausted.’ Carrie held up her hand, laughing. ‘You don’t have to plan for every day. Let’s just chill out and spend time with each other,’ she added gently. They’d been out every night partaking in the gay social whirl of expat society and while it was enjoyable, Carrie was feeling a little overwhelmed.

  ‘Oh, OK,’ Shauna agreed. ‘I just want to make sure that you’re having a good time.’

  ‘We’re having a great time,’ Dan assured her. ‘We’ll need a holiday to get over this one.’

  ‘But I want to come to the shops too,’ Chloe whined when Shauna explained what was happening, ten minutes later. ‘I don’t want you to leave me, Mom.’

  ‘Now, Chloe, be a good girl and don’t be silly. You’d be bored in a furniture shop, you know you would. Wouldn’t you much rather go and play in the park with your cousins and then meet us in the Pizza Hut or Kentucky Fried Chicken? You can pick,’ Shauna wheedled.

  ‘Don’t want to go to those places. Want to go with you,’ Chloe sulked.

  ‘Sure they can come with us,’ Carrie said easily.

  ‘They’ll be bored,’ Shauna protested.

  ‘Come on, Chloe, we could play games in the park. You can push Hannah in her buggy,’ Olivia offered kindly and Carrie felt like hugging her daughter when Chloe’s face split into a wide beam.

  ‘Can I? I like pushing the buggy. I wish I had a baby sister,’ she said wistfully and Shauna felt a dart of sadness. Chloe was having a ball with her cousins. She’d really come out of herself, showing off her favourite places, proudly introducing her friends to them, even boasting about how rich her daddy was. Shauna had nipped that smartly in the bud, noting Olivia’s frown at Chloe’s implication that Greg was superior to Dan.

  ‘My dad’s got millions of glasshouses,’ she’d countered stoutly, much to Shauna’s amusement.

  ‘’Oee, ’Oee, push,’ Hannah demanded, clambering into her buggy, and Chloe forgot her sulks and became engrossed in manoeuvring her cousin out into the lift, much to her mother’s relief. It was stressful when Chloe was acting up in front of Carrie and the kids.

  Two hours later, Carrie had bought two oriental rugs, a kilim, a hand-carved figurine of an Arab girl holding a baby, and a set of wooden napkin holders. Dan had treated himself, urged on by Carrie, to a hand-carved marble and wood chess set. It had been a very satisfying spree and it was made all the better by the reaction of the children when they saw the purchases unwrapped as they waited for their pizza to be served.

  ‘Cool, Dad. We’ll have a great game of chess with that,’ Davey enthused as he fingered an exquisitely carved pawn.

  ‘Oh, Mam, isn’t she gorgeous? That’s a brill thing to buy.’ Olivia was enthralled with the Arab girl.

  ‘You guys are going to have to buy another suitcase before you go home,’ Shauna remarked as a waiter arrived with a steaming pepperoni and pineapple pizza in one hand and a chicken, mushroom and cheese one in the other.

  ‘Oh, goody, I’m starving,’ Chloe declared. Shauna threw her eyes up to heaven. ‘You’d think she never got a bite,’ she said defensively.

  ‘Don’t say that, Mom!’ Chloe flashed a glare at her mother, stung at being made a show of. ‘Auntie Della says you don’t feed me properly, anyway,’ she added petulantly.

  ‘What!’ demanded Shauna, eyes flashing.

  ‘Auntie Della said you don’t feed me properly. She said I eat too much rubbish and that you don’t know how to cook properly like she does,’ Chloe riposted defiantly.

  ‘Is that so?’ Shauna said grimly. ‘When did she say this?’

  ‘At Christmas when you and Dad had to go to the office party and Filomena got us some chawirma.’

  ‘Oh, I loved the chicken chawirma we had last night,’ Olivia announced matter-of-factly. ‘It’s my favourite thing since I came here.’ They’d all gone walking in the gardens along the Corniche, as was the custom in the cooler evening, and Shauna had introduced them to the spicy treat.

  ‘I liked the lamb one,’ Davey remarked, his mouth bulging with pizza. ‘What did you prefer, Dad?’

  ‘I liked the lamb too,’ Dan said easily.

  ‘And I liked the chicken,’ Carrie said brightly, glad of Olivia’s timely intervention. She could see that Shauna was raging at Della’s remarks. And why wouldn’t she be? It was highly inappropriate of Della to undermine Shauna to Chloe and just the type of thing she’d do. Even if she had a point, Carrie thought ruefully. Chloe and Filomena seemed to eat an awful lot of fast food.

  ‘Isn’t that Della a real bitch?’ Shauna murmured to Carrie that evening as Greg drove them through the city to the al Hamades’ villa near the embassy belt. She and Carrie were sitting in the back and the two men in the front were engrossed in a discussion of property versus shares in terms of investment.

  ‘Take no notice of her,’ Carrie advised.

  ‘Imagine saying that about me to my daughter. How underhand is that? And how ungracious after all the hospitality she’s had at my hands. I detest that woman. She’s one to talk about nutrition. Did you ever see the crap she feeds her family? Beans and lentils and lettuce leaves because she’s too lazy to cook a proper dinner.’

  ‘Forget her,’ Carrie urged as Greg drove up to a pair of high wooden gates set into the big walls that surrounded the villa. He parked between a Mercedes and a Range Rover.

  The noise of laughter and chat carried on the breeze. Monique greeted her guests warmly, leading them into a large garden full of luscious flowering shrubs and frangipani trees. Fairy lights strung between the trees lent a magical air and Carrie recognized several people she’d already been introduced to at the functions she’d been to with Shauna.

  A plump American woman swooped down on Shauna and planted a kiss on each cheek. ‘My, honey, don’t you look swell? I like the dress. Is that a new piece you’re wearing? Where did you get it?’ She stood back to admire the gold and ruby necklace and earrings that Shauna wore.

  ‘Hello, Darlene. You don’t miss a thing. Greg bought it for me at Al Manara’s. They have a new collection in,’ Shauna informed her dryly.

  ‘Oh, I must check it out,’ the other woman said enviously, her eyes flicking up and down over Shauna, who looked stylish and elegant in a crimson silk sheath dress and a pair of impossibly high Manolo Blahniks.

  Monique smiled at Carrie and D
an. ‘Why don’t I get you both a nice cool drink? We’re having a buffet supper so feel free to help yourselves. I must get Rashid to come over and say hello.’ She waved at a waiter who was carrying a tray of drinks. ‘It’s great that you’re here. Shauna has been so looking forward to your visit. Are you enjoying your trip?’

  ‘We’re having a fantastic time,’ Carrie assured her. ‘And it’s so nice to be able to put faces to names. We hear all about you. I feel as if I know you.’

  ‘Nice to meet you folks. Shauna should throw a party to introduce you properly to Abu Dhabi society. It’s been a while since you had a bash, Shauna.’ Darlene beamed and then saw some new arrivals and made a beeline for them.

  ‘That’s Darlene Whitman and she’s the nosiest busybody in the Emirates. And I won’t be inviting her to any bash in the near future,’ Shauna informed them as she waved at Jenna and Brett, whom Carrie and Dan had already met.

  ‘Darlene’s husband works with Rashid and he’s as quiet as a mouse and so nice. I feel very sorry for him with a wife like her. And she goes to every single party they’re invited to and never hosts one in return,’ Monique explained, laughing at Carrie’s bemused expression.

  ‘This place is mad,’ Dan murmured a couple of hours later as he and Carrie sat on a swing seat in a corner of the garden and watched the guests chatting animatedly as though it had been months since they’d seen each other rather than days or, in some cases, hours.

  ‘It’s all a bit frantic, isn’t it?’ Carrie remarked as she watched Shauna, Jenna and a slender Asian woman gesticulating vivaciously as they discussed the latest gossip.

  ‘Would you like to live here?’ her husband asked as he took a long draught of beer.

  ‘For a couple of months maybe, but not for as long as Shauna has. It’s a kind of superficial lifestyle, isn’t it? All these parties and coffee mornings and social gatherings. Shauna told me she often changes her outfits three and four times a day if she’s got a lot on.’ Carrie wrinkled her nose, brushing away some irritating insect that was taking a big interest in her upper arms.