Divided Loyalties

by Patricia Scanlan

  ‘’Bye.’ Della sounded as though she was smiling even though he was rushing her off the phone. That was a relief. No-one could get into a snit like his sister. He took the call from his boss and was immediately engrossed in plans for a two-day trip to Kuwait. By the time he had everything sorted to both their satisfaction his conversation with Della was totally forgotten.

  33

  ‘There’s nothing like a picnic on the beach, sure there isn’t?’ Shauna said to Carrie as they spread out a tartan rug and laid out an array of plastic beakers and saucers. Carrie opened a parcel of tinfoil-wrapped egg and onion sandwiches. Shauna inhaled appreciatively.

  ‘Egg and onion. Delicious. And I’ve made some banana sangers. Just smell them, Carrie. I’m eight years old again. Remember when we used to come to the beach with Mam?’

  ‘Yeah, she always made a picnic such an event. She’d love this with the grandchildren,’ Carrie said, sadness darkening her eyes momentarily.

  ‘I know. Look at Dad, can you believe him? He’s very good with the kids. He was so different with us.’ Shauna watched as Noel stood paddling with Hannah while Chloe, Davey and Olivia squealed and shrieked as they danced up and down in the foamy white waves.

  ‘I think Mam’s death, as well as knocking the stuffing out of him, softened him and made him realize he’s not in control of everything. Mind you, some things never change. I heard him the other day telling Davey that The Da Vinci Code was a tool of the devil and that he was never to read it.’

  Shauna laughed heartily. ‘You’re joking!’

  ‘Honestly. The sad thing is that he really believes it. You should hear himself and Mrs O’Neill arguing the toss. It’s hilarious.’

  Shauna shook some packets of crisps out onto the rug. ‘Will I call them? I’m ravenous.’

  ‘Me too,’ Carrie agreed. ‘I made a big bowl of fruit salad and frozen yoghurt for dessert.’

  ‘How healthy,’ Shauna teased.

  ‘I’ve got Soleros in the freezer bag as well,’ her sister confessed.

  ‘Excellent!’ Shauna stood up and yelled at the children. ‘Come and get it.’

  A mad race ensued as the youngsters dashed out of the water and arrived at the picnic rug, dripping wet and spraying drops of water all over the place.

  ‘Wrap yourselves in towels and don’t dare step on the rug with your wet, sandy feet,’ Carrie warned as she poured tea out of a flask into a plastic cup for Noel.

  ‘Tuck in, and eat your crusts.’ Shauna handed round the sandwiches as they all settled themselves down on the sand.

  ‘Phew, I needed this.’ Davey bit into his egg and onion sandwich with relish.

  ‘What is it about tea out of a flask? It’s so satisfying.’ Carrie drank her tea appreciatively.

  ‘Can I have crisps, please?’ Chloe asked. ‘I want to make a crisp sandwich.’

  ‘Brill idea,’ enthused Olivia.

  ‘Very tasty, girls.’ Noel sat like Neptune on his throne on a small deckchair.

  This is the life. Shauna raised her face to the sun, utterly relaxed. The past ten days had slipped away so easily and all traces of tension had left her as she and Chloe had settled into days of ease and relaxation. She and Carrie had settled into their old familiar companionship, helping each other out, gossiping, taking the odd jaunt to Dundalk to stroll around the shops. Chloe was having the time of her life.

  ‘Aren’t you bored after all your socializing? Don’t you miss it?’ Carrie had asked her one day when Carrie had an hour to spare as they sat in Hughes & Hughes sipping coffee, having restocked their book supplies. But she wasn’t at all bored and, to her surprise, she didn’t miss it.

  ‘Amazingly, not in the slightest. It must be the onset of middle age!’ She grinned. If someone had told her ten years ago that she’d spend a summer in a mobile home in Whiteshells Bay enjoying herself immensely, she would have told them they were mad.

  It was such liberation not having to worry about her clothes and what she was going to wear to a function. Not having to be made up to the nines, not having to worry about entertaining or being entertained. Solitude was a gift that she was savouring. She was changing, becoming calmer, quieter. It felt very good. She bit into a banana sandwich and felt the grit of sand between her teeth and took a drink of hot strong tea and wouldn’t have swapped it for the poshest restaurant in any of the capitals of the world.

  An hour later she was drowsing on the rug, with the sound of the children playing in the distance. Carrie was snoring, delicate little cucking snores that rippled in the breeze. A great sense of well-being enveloped her and she lay in a drowsy stupor listening to the sea. Noel had gone home to go bowling with Mrs O’Neill. He was off the crutches and making good progress.

  ‘Oh no!’ she heard Olivia exclaim crossly.

  ‘What’s wrong, Olivia?’ she asked drowsily, without opening her eyes, thinking that her niece had knocked down the sand village she was laboriously building with Chloe and Davey’s help.

  ‘It’s those people again. I don’t like them. That boy is very bold,’ she said in disgust.

  ‘What people, darling?’ Shauna yawned. Carrie snored on serenely, oblivious.

  ‘Chloe’s cousins. Look, they’re waving at us! I’m glad we finished our picnic before they came.’

  Shauna jerked up into a sitting position and squinted in the direction her niece was pointing. Rage suffused her as she saw Della, Ashley and Kathryn advancing along the beach. ‘I don’t believe it,’ she muttered.

  ‘Hi, you lucky beggars. You’re so blessed having a beach on your doorstep. We decided to come and spend the day with you,’ Della trilled.

  ‘We brought buns for tea,’ Kathryn boasted.

  Carrie woke up and gazed up at the other woman in dismay.

  ‘You lazy thing, snoring on the beach. Some people have all the luck. You pair have the life of Riley. Is that a flask? Any chance of a cuppa?’

  ‘There’s none left,’ Shauna said shortly.

  ‘Ah sure we’ll pop up to the mobile in a while and have some there. Any chance we could stay the night? I told Eddie to drive down later. He had to go to a funeral,’ Della informed her casually.

  ‘Actually, Shauna and I were going out for a meal tonight,’ Carrie interjected.

  ‘Great. I’ll come with you. We can have a girls’ night out. I’d enjoy that. I haven’t had one for ages,’ Della suggested. ‘I’ll get Eddie to mind the kids.’ She turned to Shauna. ‘I was talking to Greg and he was saying it would be OK for us to use the mobile when you’re not here in the autumn. We’ll look after it for you and keep an eye on it over the winter.’ She smiled a saccharine smile at her sister-in-law.

  ‘Excuse me?’ Shauna couldn’t believe her ears.

  ‘Greg said we could use the mobile home when you’re not using it,’ Della explained sweetly.

  ‘I don’t think so,’ Shauna said icily, her eyes flashing dangerously.

  ‘Right, you guys, come on. We’re going to go for a walk as far as the rocks. Shauna and Della need some privacy for a few moments,’ Carrie said calmly, standing up.

  ‘There’s no need for that, Carrie,’ Della blustered.

  ‘Oh I think there is, Della. I think Shauna would like to talk to you on your own and not in front of the children,’ Carrie said coldly.

  ‘Thanks, Carrie. It won’t take long.’ Shauna tried to keep the tremor of anger out of her voice. This was it. The long-promised showdown had come at last. Her stomach clenched in knots. She felt sick. She wasn’t great at confrontation. Altercations reminded her of bad times with her father and she tried to avoid them.

  ‘Quick march, first to the rocks gets a euro,’ Carrie said gaily. The children took to their heels in an avalanche of flying sand, Hannah’s skinny little legs carrying her like a baby ballerina across the beach.

  ‘There’s no need to be dramatic,’ Della exclaimed defensively. ‘Do you have a problem with me using the mobile or something?’

  ‘Yes I do, D
ella. How dare you go behind my back to Greg? How dare you! And not only do I have a problem with you using my mobile, I have a problem with you, Della. I’m sick to the back teeth of you arriving whenever you feel like it, unannounced. I’m sick of you eating and drinking us out of house and home. I’m sick of you coming out to stay with us in Abu Dhabi with one arm longer than the other and treating Filomena like a servant. You’re mean and manipulative and you take advantage like no-one else I’ve ever met. You know what we call you?’ She stared at the other woman, who was rigid with shock at this unexpected onslaught. ‘We call you the Freeloaders, because that’s exactly what you are.’

  It was pouring out of her, years of pent-up resentment and dislike erupting like a lava flow. She took a breath and continued, feeling strangely exhilarated. She couldn’t believe that she was letting rip. She wasn’t going to hold back one little thing. She was on a roll and Della was stunned into silence, her sullen face as red as a beet. For the first time ever in their relationship Shauna felt in control, and she continued her tirade with vigour.

  ‘How dare you think that you can come onto Carrie’s caravan park without a by your leave—’

  ‘Now hold on a minute. You can’t talk to me like that,’ Della retorted angrily, thrusting her face aggressively close to Shauna’s. ‘Just who exactly do you think you are, you little jumped-up, snooty, snobby show-off? If it weren’t for my brother you wouldn’t have the life you’ve got and all the luxuries that go with it. You knew what you were doing when you married into our family. If you hadn’t married Greg you’d be stuck in your dull little village with your stuck-up sister and your poncy nancy boy brother and your pain-in-the-ass auld fella going on about his precious church. And as for that spoilt little brat of yours—’

  That was as far as she got. Shauna, white with fury, raised her hand and slapped her sister-in-law across the cheek.

  ‘Oh!’ Della was stunned. ‘You vicious bitch!’ She held her hand to her cheek, utterly shocked.

  ‘You get the hell out of here! I don’t want to see you or that big, lazy slob of a husband of yours ever again,’ Shauna spat. ‘If you want to keep in touch with Greg, fine. You can even visit him out in the Gulf in the summer when I’m here. I don’t care, but I don’t want to see you ever again, Della Keegan. Do you hear me?’

  ‘That was an assault!’ Della screeched.

  ‘Fine, sue me,’ Shauna challenged. ‘Now you go and get Ashley and Kathryn and get out of my sight. I’ve put up with you and Eddie’s freeloading for too long and I’ve had enough of it. It ends here. Now. No more, Della. No more.’

  ‘I’m telling Greg about this,’ Della threatened, nursing her reddened cheek.

  ‘You do that. I couldn’t care less.’ Shauna was trembling. She felt sick. She couldn’t believe that she’d slapped Della. She couldn’t believe that she’d finally had it out with her sister-in-law. She took a deep breath. ‘This is a public beach. Stay here if you want but I don’t want to see you up in the park or in Malahide again. Do you hear me?’

  ‘Fuck off,’ Della muttered.

  ‘With pleasure,’ Shauna retorted coldly and turned on her heel and strode down the beach towards Carrie, who had been keeping a weather eye on proceedings and now drew away from the children, who were scrambling over the rocks, and walked towards Shauna.

  ‘Well?’ she asked grimly.

  ‘I gave her a smack in the chops.’ Shauna bit her lip and looked at Carrie warily.

  ‘Did you?’ Carrie gave a horrified giggle. ‘Good for you,’ she added stoutly.

  ‘She really pushed me too far. She called Chloe a spoilt little brat. And you’re stuck-up and I’m a snobby, snooty show-off and Bobby’s a poncy nancy boy. And Dad’s a pain in the ass.’

  ‘Jeepers. Let me at her. I’ll whack her one myself. The cheek of her.’ Carrie glowered in Della’s direction.

  ‘Well I’ve told her not to set foot in the park, or in my house, again. I told her that she could visit Greg in the Gulf in the summer if she wants to keep in touch.’

  ‘Well done, Shauna. She’s had that coming for years. That’s why I left you to it. If you didn’t do it today you were going to be stuck with her every summer. She’s no loss. You did the right thing. What do you want to do now?’

  ‘I could do with a drink,’ Shauna said shakily.

  ‘Right! Let’s get our stuff and get out of here. We’ll bring the kids for afternoon tea in the hotel in Bettystown and you can have a G and T.’

  ‘Sounds good to me.’ Shauna managed a weak grin.

  ‘You did great. She’s a sponger and a manipulative cow. Don’t feel bad. You needed to stand up for yourself and you did,’ Carrie said firmly.

  ‘Greg will probably go ballistic,’ her sister responded glumly.

  ‘Let him. You’re his wife; he should stand up for you,’ Carrie answered as she beckoned to the kids to come to her.

  ‘Say goodbye to Kathryn and Ashley. We’re going out for a spin in the car,’ she instructed.

  ‘Where are we going, Mam?’

  ‘You’ll see,’ Carrie said brightly. ‘Now collect up the stuff and let’s go.’

  ‘We want to come too,’ Kathryn demanded.

  ‘Not today, Kathryn,’ Carrie said firmly over her shoulder as she walked back with Shauna to where they’d been sitting.

  Della glared at them when they reached their belongings but moved away from the rug and the windbreak.

  ‘They’re going somewhere, Mommy, and they won’t bring us,’ Kathryn raged.

  Ashley kicked Hannah’s sandcastle apart.

  ‘Mammy, did you see—’

  ‘Don’t worry about it, Olivia, just get your sandals and towel and head up to the mobile,’ Carrie said briskly, ignoring her daughter’s outrage. ‘Davey, take the buckets and spades, please.’

  ‘Why can’t we go with you? Mom said we’re staying the night in your caravan,’ Kathryn protested.

  ‘Mom made a mistake, Kathryn. We had arrangements made and it doesn’t suit,’ Shauna said evenly.

  ‘It’s not fair! You have all the good things and we have nothing.’ Kathryn stomped off along the beach.

  ‘Hope you’re happy now,’ Della said nastily. ‘Come on, Ashley, we won’t stay where we’re not wanted.’ She stalked off, indignation emanating from every pore.

  ‘Oh, crikey,’ muttered Shauna. ‘Now she’s going to start the emotional blackmail.’

  ‘Ignore it,’ Carrie instructed. ‘She’s manipulated you enough over the years. Don’t buy into that stuff. It’s her own fault, Shauna. Let’s take the short cut so that we don’t have to pass her on the way out.’

  ‘Yeah, let’s. I never want to see her again,’ Shauna whispered.

  ‘Short cut over the dunes, kids,’ Carrie called to the children, who had started to walk after Della.

  ‘Oh, Mam, I can’t carry all this stuff up the dunes,’ Olivia complained.

  ‘Give it to me,’ Carrie ordered. ‘And call me Dee Dee the Mule while you’re at it.’

  ‘Stop, Mam.’ Olivia giggled.

  ‘Come on, make the effort,’ her mother urged, taking a run at the dunes and getting halfway up. They struggled up against the sliding sand, groaning and laughing. Shauna got to the top first and held her hand out to haul Chloe and Olivia up. Carrie panted up beside her. ‘Best foot forward and no looking back,’ she murmured.

  Shauna smiled at her. A reckless exhilaration enveloped her. She felt free. She’d finally sorted Della out. Once and for all. If Greg didn’t like it, he could lump it. Let him entertain his family. She hoped never to see them again.

  ‘I’m buying a bottle of champagne for tonight. We’ve a lot to celebrate.’ She tucked her arm into Carrie’s.

  ‘You bet we have,’ Carrie agreed. ‘Pity Bobby’s not here to enjoy our freedom.’

  ‘We’ll just have to drink enough for him.’ Shauna smiled. ‘Hell, after what we’ve been through with the Freeloaders, we deserve a bottle each.’

&n
bsp; ‘A bottle! Don’t you mean a magnum?’ Carrie retorted.

  Shauna laughed. This summer was getting better and better!

  Della felt tears prick her eyelids. She was trembling. Fury, hate and humiliation juggled for dominance. That reckoning had been a long time coming and she’d told that little tart what she thought of her, but somehow she felt she’d come off second best. And had her face slapped into the bargain. Vicious cow!

  There was no going back after this. It was a final reckoning, she admitted. The bombs had been dropped. All that remained was the wreckage. It didn’t bother her that she wouldn’t ever see Shauna again. That was no hardship. But it was the added extras that went with the relationship that she’d really miss.

  How dare Shauna call her a freeloader? She and Greg were wealthy. How mean of them to expect her and Eddie to arrive laden down with gifts. God Almighty, if they couldn’t share their good fortune with their immediate family, who could they share it with?

  ‘Why aren’t we going with them?’ Kathryn whinged.

  ‘Because we’re not and I don’t want to hear any more about it,’ she snapped.

  Kathryn burst into tears. Della felt like bursting into tears herself. Those bitches had got the better of her and she was going to pay them back one way or another.

  ‘Hold on a minute, Della. What are you saying?’ Greg’s fingers paused over the calculator where he’d been adding figures to see what his rental income would be from the new apartment he’d bought in Dubai.

  ‘I said your wife not only insulted me but she slapped me in the face and I could sue her for assault if I was that way inclined.’ His sister’s agitated tones came across the airwaves.

  ‘Shauna slapped you in the face! For what?’ Greg demanded irritably. What the hell was going on with the pair of them?

  ‘She was very rude. She told me she doesn’t ever want to see my family or me again and that if I want to keep in touch with you I can come and visit you in the summer when she’s in Ireland. She’s an almighty bitch, Greg.’ Della burst into tears.