Love & The Goddess

by Coen, Mary Elizabeth

  “Oh fabulous, sis! You are so good.” There was nothing like a bit of bubbly to thaw her out. She stood sipping the champagne. “Your makeup is amazing, Kate. You look more like an enchantress than a witch.”

  I’d backcombed the wig, then spread out the strands before settling them into flowing tresses, tamed with the help of hairspray. Pencil and shadows around my eyes gave them a winged effect, while a large black mole sat to the left of my mouth, which was painted green. Wearing a long black duster coat Ella had lent me in lieu of a bin liner, I suddenly felt strong, stronger than I’d felt for a long time, and strangely hopeful that the coming years would teach me the wisdom of the crone Goddess Hekate – she whom I had feared so intensely.

  “Right Liz, your turn now. Sit down and I’ll make you look as if you’ve just bitten someone’s neck.”

  “As long as it’s subtle, please not overly dramatic. Oh dear, maybe I should have gone for your option …”

  “Too late now!” Wielding the face paints and a fine brush, I set to work darkening her brows.

  By eight thirty the house was abuzz with activity as Liz and I arrived downstairs. Aromas of wild game with garlic and herbs wafted by as Billy offered us a glass of spicy mulled wine. “Happy birthday, Kate.” He pecked my cheek. “I’m withholding your present until tomorrow morning.”

  “But this party is your gift to me, Billy. It’s fabulous to be here among my best friends.”

  James circled his arm into my elbow and steered me into the drawing room, saying, “C’mon, Liz, it’s time for Kate’s presents.”

  “I left mine in the car. Back in two secs.” Liz sashayed awkwardly towards the front door.

  “Liz looks like she’s a little behind the eight ball?” Billy mused, quizzically.

  It had been worth plying her as I definitely preferred her this way, all dreamy and floaty and not giving two hoots what she looked like. “Why wouldn’t she be after drinking half a magnum of champagne? I brought another one as your gift, Billy.”

  “Gosh Kate, that’s some trick to get Liz langers. If she’s not careful she could end up enjoying herself,” he said chuckling.

  “Here’s the birthday girl,” announced James, guiding me into the living room. Everyone started singing Happy Birthday, culminating in mad clapping as a magnificent pumpkin-shaped cake was wheeled in on a trolley with one huge candle sitting in the centre.

  “Don’t forget to make a wish when you blow out the candle,” shouted Ella, who was dressed as Lady Gaga replete with blonde wig. As soon as the words tripped off her tongue I thought of Geoff. Now why on earth did he have to enter my head at a time like this?

  “Glass of champagne for the party girl,” Billy cried, interrupting my thoughts as he handed me a glass of pink bubbly. I’d just sat down on the sofa between James and Ella when Liz came stumbling in like an overeager teenager, thrusting her gift into my arms.

  “Think you’ll like it ’cos the shop assistant said the print is all the rage this season and I know you don’t like the classic type I wear.” I opened the silver wrapping paper to reveal a gossamer-light python print scarf, wide and long when unfolded. “I adore it. It’s beautiful.” I kissed her fondly.

  “Our gifts all go together.” cried James, throwing his arms around my sister and Ella. “You’re in tune with our vibrations, Liz!” Liz looked startled and perplexed, as if she found my friends a little overbearing – she’d never quite got used to the way we gelled and laughed between us.

  “Sounds intriguing – I like it,” I said, as three small gifts were piled on my lap. Eagerly I tore the paper off the first to reveal a padded white box with the name “Thomas Sabo” written on it. Inside sat a slim black rope chain with a crown pendant. I’d once admired something similar on Ella. “Oh Ella, it’s beautiful!”

  “See the loop at the bottom of the crown? You can attach your other pressies on to that. Quick open them.” James was nearly dancing with impatience. Dutifully I tore open the other packages – two similar white boxes, smaller in size. In the first was a red apple charm and in the second a glittering silver and marcasite snake charm. Each charm had a hook which James secured on to the crown, as proudly as though he’d personally designed them. “We know you love myths and you see the deeper symbolic meaning in stories, so we felt it was appropriate to give you the apple as the symbol of love and the snake for universal knowlege or kundalini shakti.”

  “I love it. It’s stunning.” I jumped up to kiss each of my friends in turn. “You’re right that I don’t accept the orthodox meaning of Eve having precipitated the downfall of man. I believe in … What’s she called, James?”

  “Mito …? Mitochondrial Eve,” James remembered.

  “Yes, the mother that unites the human race, the woman we all descended from somewhere in east Africa, regardless of colour or race.” Then, lifting my glass, I cried, “Eve rocks!” and everyone clapped. Maybe the champagne was getting to me already.

  “I didn’t know your birthday was themed when I bought you the scarf!” Liz was still bewildered. “But I’m glad I got it right, even if I’m not into all this pagan stuff.” She was biting her upper lip, but thankfully the champagne had mellowed her enough to stop her scuttling away in the usual panic.

  “Yes, great coincidence that Liz, and I love it. And it’s not pagan to question the validity of what you were told as a child or to investigate other beliefs which may hold some truth. But forget that now – it’s party time.”

  “C’mon!” Billy clapped his hands. “Help yourselves to food in the kitchen! There’s more people coming later and next door’s cleared for a disco. Have you all got your dancing shoes on?” He led the way downstairs to a huge old-fashioned kitchen similar to that on Victorian period dramas. Billy’s housekeeper, a broad-shouldered countrywoman with a ruddy complexion, had prepared a choice of venison stew and glazed salmon along with a variety of salads and rice dishes, all laid out on a huge central oak table. I chose a small piece of salmon to nibble, and stacked the rest of my plate with brown rice, salads and vegetables. I needed to keep an eye on Liz, ensuring she ate enough food to soak up the alcohol or she’d end up sloshed in no time as the champers flowed and we were offered Kir Royals and Bellinis. Come to think of it, I realised I’d better keep count of my own alcohol intake since my tolerance wasn’t much higher than Liz’s.

  Billy’s friends began arriving, among them his sister Louise and her husband, two other couples and three single men varying in ages from forty to fifty. I didn’t think any of the men attractive, which was just as well because I would have had to compete with Ella who was charming the pants off them. “Is Ella a bit … racy?” Liz whispered, watching the three men roaring with laughter for the umpteenth time at another of Ella’s jokes.

  “Not in the slightest, but she has PhD in flirting. Something you and I were never very adept at,” I replied.

  Billy approached with two Bellinis in hand. “We need to get a bit of atmosphere going, girls. Upstairs to the dance room!”

  “Have you had a chance to chat to James, yet?” I asked Liz, in the hallway.

  “Not really … He’s very camp, isn’t he?” She was obviously worried by his Hamlet costume replete with tights and pointy shoes.

  “Only when he’s out enjoying himself. You’d never think he was gay if you met him in college.” As he came up the stairs, I called him over to join us. “James, Liz is afraid her son is going to become very camp now that he’s come out of the closet.”

  James laughed. “Not necessarily. There are all types of gay men just like there are all types of straight guys. They’re not all camp. In fact, they’re often very ‘manly’. And most don’t go in for cross-dressing.” My sister had lived a very cosseted life, unaware of what goes on in the wider world, but as James chatted openly to her about gay men, she began to visibly relax.

  The hall was filling as everyone drifted up from downstairs. Billy arrived at my side, collapsing on one knee, his two arms outspread in a dra
matic gesture: “Kate, my dearest witch, will you join me in leading everyone on to the dance floor, please?”

  “Of course, my dear warlock,” I said, giving him my hand. As we entered the dining room, converted to look like a club with black and silver balloons, Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” started playing. Ella went into high performance mode, pretending to be the singer. Her youngest hanger-on looked on admiringly as she threw theatrical shapes on the dance floor. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Liz had unwittingly attracted the attention of the older one and James was chatting with the third guy who was by far the best looking.

  Within minutes, the dance floor was full as everyone joined us for a good old fashioned boogey. Liz bumped hips with me, like we used to do as teenagers in Wesley when up-and-coming bands played the odd gig. I remembered seeing four very young men bursting with confidence and with strange names like The Edge and Bono. They weren’t bad, I’d thought, as I sat out one song beside a stocky youth who turned to me saying: “U2 are gonna be big.” I thought his grammar was appalling as he repeated the sentence three times, until he explained the band’s name was U2. “A mate of mine is in the band,” he enthused. “They’re gonna be big.”

  Billy said something as we danced but I couldn’t hear him over the music. I moved closer for him to whisper in my ear, “You were always a great mover, Kate, but I never saw Liz let it all hang out before.”

  And why not? I thought, throwing myself more fully into the moment and dancing with wild abandon. So much, that I didn’t notice Billy had swapped over to dance with Ella, until the man opposite me took my hand and swung me around to a Beyoncé track. He was a brilliant dancer and much to my surprise, I found myself moving easily as he twirled me around, drawing me in and out. He tried chatting in between but as always it was difficult to compete with the noise. I had no interest in hanging around with him after the dancing in case he misunderstood my intentions, so I was glad when James joined me during a break in the music. I sneaked a look around the room to check Liz wasn’t yet falling down but I couldn’t see any sign of her. Ella and Billy seemed to be getting on like a house on fire as I overheard Ella mention coffee imports.

  “Oh yes,” James informed me. “Billy has promised to use Ella as one of his suppliers for this shop of his.”

  “Looking at the body language between the two of them, I think there could be a bit of chemistry there,” I said, observing their legs crossed towards each other and Billy’s hand on Ella’s knee as they sat side by side.

  “Nobody here that interests you?” James asked, throwing a glance at the man I’d been dancing with.

  “No, he’s a nice guy but I feel all the men I meet seem to meld into one another. They’re all so eager to tell me how eligible they are. I find it boring at this stage.” Suddenly my attention was drawn to a figure standing on a makeshift podium beside the DJ. I hadn’t previously noticed the little stage but there was no missing it now that a spotlight had been trained on it. The DJ was handing Liz a microphone.

  “Oh no! I have to stop her from making a fool of herself!” Sober, my sister would never sing karaoke – she would be furious with me in the morning for letting this happen.

  “Leave her alone. You need to stop worrying about other people, Kate. It’s not good for you.” James pulled me back as Liz started singing Blondie’s seventies hit “One way or another”. All eyes were on her as she shimmied and gyrated, all the while retaining her elegance. I used to envy her when she sang this so well as a teenager. I’d never been a songstress. Catching my eye, she suddenly beckoned me to join her. When I shook my head, she persisted until the DJ held up a second microphone. Everyone stamped their feet and clapped incessantly, shouting “Kate! Kate! Kate!” until I relented and joined her on the podium. At first I croaked out the words in a hoarse whisper. This was my worst nightmare, ever since a nun had told me as a five year old never to sing in public because I was a crow. But buoyed on by the crowd’s enthusiasm, I eventually started singing along and enjoying myself. Afterwards the DJ ran straight into “Sisters are doing it for themselves” and much to my surprise we remembered all of Annie Lennox’s dramatic hand gestures and dance moves. Towards the end, we looked at each other and began laughing convulsively in between words. That was it. We couldn’t attempt another song, which was just as well since there was a queue waiting to take their turn.

  We had a blast, with the action carrying on until five in the morning, when we finally crawled upstairs barefoot, with pinched toes and aching pelvises, exhausted but happy. It was the first time I had really managed to let my hair down since Trevor dumped me. It was easier to remain balanced and enjoy myself when I didn’t have to worry about a partner. If I was with a man I would have spent most of the evening worried about him being happy. Alone, I felt carefree.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Floorboards creaked and pipes rattled in the ancient plumbing system as the house came to life the next morning. Billy was right about one thing – period houses are like old aunties. I might add that they are like old aunties with digestive problems. The banging and clattering of the central heating sounded like a steam locomotive gathering speed as the old pipes expanded and contracted. After waking Liz around noon, I headed down to the kitchen. Soon Billy and James descended for brunch. Ella arrived in some time later with Liz on her heels.

  “I have a splitting headache,” Liz whispered as she sat beside me. “What happened last night?”

  “You had the time of your life.” I said, laughing. “Never knew you were such a party girl.”

  “I’m not, Kate, and you know it. I hope I didn’t make a fool of myself?” She anxiously searched our faces.

  “No, you were very sensible,” James assured her. “Apart from the strip tease to entertain the men …”

  “Kate, please tell me I didn’t?”

  “Don’t worry, it was very tasteful and you have a great body,” Billy chimed in.

  I knew by her face that she was about to burst out crying and make a run for the door so I had no choice but to tell her we were just messing. She sighed with relief. “I could kill the lot of you for making me sweat that one.”

  As everyone finished laughing, Billy placed a large flat box on the table in front of me. “Happy birthday, Kate.” He put his arm around my shoulder and kissed my cheek.

  “And I could kill you for embarrassing me by buying me a present after throwing me such a wonderful party,” I said, pulling open the purple ribbon. It was a beautiful decorative box that could be reused for storing clothing on an open shelf. Lifting the flap-over lid, I peeked inside to see copious layers of white tissue paper. I tore open the sticky paper seal on the tissue to reveal an envelope. I shook it and something rattled inside.

  “What’s this?” I pulled out a large heavy key. “I thought keys were for twenty-first birthday parties?” Was I missing out on some joke that everyone else was in on?

  “It’s the key to your new work place,” Billy whooped.

  I was still not getting the joke; I felt myself blushing.

  “Kate. The job is yours. You’re my new cookery school teacher. The French woman couldn’t take it after all.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Absolutely. And I hope that’s a yes this time.”

  “Yes … Oh definitely, yes!” I was hugging him and jumping up and down for joy as everyone cheered. I felt a weight lift off my shoulders and my heart sung at the prospect of coming to work in this beautiful place. It was a wish come true for me. A sign from the universe that my life was finally coming together.

  It had seemed a waste, Ella, James and I driving in tandem, rather than travelling in one car. Yet we had discussed it and felt it afforded each of us a better choice of when to depart and which route to chose. As it turned out, I stayed an extra couple of hours at Billy’s in order to see the cookery school and discuss plans. James headed straight back to Galway and Ella was planning a circuitous route around Wicklow in the hope of finding
fresh outlets to sell her coffee.

  As I was passing through the picturesque village of Enniskerry on my way home, I spotted her coming out of a supermarket. A few seconds later my phone beeped. She wanted me to meet her for coffee in a nearby café. As I parked my car, a heavy shower started up. I sprinted across the village square to Poppies café. Inside, Ella was installed at a table earnestly studying her small red diary, pen in hand. “I’ve just been out to Avoca in Powersourt, Kate,” she said excitedly as I joined her. “And they’re willing to stock my coffee. It’s a really important deal – they may also be willing to sell some of the costume jewellery I’ve sourced!”

  “Congratulations, Ella. That’s brilliant news. I’m delighted for you.”

  “Great news for you too, Kate. You must be thrilled.”

  “What would you like, ladies?” asked a foreign girl with blonde hair, holding up a notepad and pencil.

  Ella ordered an Americano and I ordered a soya decaf latte. “Have you gone vegetarian?” Ella asked, scrunching up her nose.

  “Not really. Just a phase.” As I spoke I ran my fingers through my hair and shook my head to distribute the wetness more evenly through my curls. Just as I was about to turn back to focus on Ella, a poster on the opposite wall caught my eye. “I don’t believe it.”