by Lesley Crewe
Two women, one with a hair full of curlers, nodded enthusiastically. “He was bee-uu-tiful,” one of them said. “Ain’t that right, Theresa?”
“My gawd, he looked right good. Good enough to eat.” Theresa grabbed the mike. “He almost ate the face off her, so he did.”
The reporter asked, “Off who?”
“That there Ava Harris, eh. They was smoochin’ up a storm. I never saw the like of it. It was somethin’ awful.”
“There you have it,” the reporter said. “A live witness account of…” Seamus clicked off the TV angrily and stared at the black screen.
Eventually, he got up and took his last two beers out on the deck. He finished them in about three swallows before he took the cans and hurled them as far as he could into the night, grunting with the effort of it.
Then he fell back into a deck chair and stayed there until the sun came up.
Ava got up at the crack of dawn. She put on a pair of old jeans and a hoodie belonging to her niece Vicky, piling her hair up loosely with a clip and pulling the hood over it. She grabbed the car keys and tiptoed out of the bedroom after leaving a note for Lola saying she’d be back in a couple of hours.
Careful to close the door quietly behind her, she hopped in the car and drove out to Catalone. She had a general idea of where he lived and knew that one of the locals would be able to point her to the exact house. But she was nervous to approach anyone in case they recognized her. She had to risk it.
In the end, she went to the Albert Bridge gas station and asked the young fellow who worked there if he knew where Seamus O’Reilly lived. He wasn’t sure, so he went into the store and asked someone, coming back to tell her it was a house on the edge of the beach and that she couldn’t miss it. It had a big deck in front and it was grey with blue shutters.
Ava thanked him and went on her way. She found it quickly and it was just as they said. It brought a smile to her face because Seamus always told her that if he ever shingled a house, he’d never stain it because he liked a weather-beaten look. The house looked like a large fisherman’s shack. She liked it very much.
It was difficult to be there, because it was above the beach. Their beach. But she had to see him and explain. She couldn’t leave it one more second.
Pulling up behind the car already in the driveway, she got out of the rental and walked towards the house. Her sandals crunched on the gravel beneath her feet. She wasn’t sure which door to go in, finally choosing to walk up on the deck. There, Seamus was sound asleep in a deck chair, curled up, with his hands tucked under his arms. He looked frozen. Ava didn’t know what to do at first. She didn’t want to scare him, but his lips looked blue. The morning was cold.
She approached him, taking a moment to gaze at his sweet face. How she loved that face. He looked like a little kid. She touched his arm gently and whispered, “Seamus.”
He never moved. She shook his sleeve a little. “Seamus, wake up.”
God. Maybe he’d frozen to death in the night, she thought. She started to panic and raised her voice. “Seamus, please. Wake up.”
He bolted out of the chair, seemingly unaware of his surroundings. “Wha? What is it?”
“It’s me.”
He looked at her with his eyes half closed. “Who?”
“Libby.” She pulled the hood off her head.
His face registered shock and then he started to shiver uncontrollably.
“Please, Seamus. We have to get you in the house. You’re freezing.” She took his arm and steered him towards the door. He looked at her as if he still didn’t understand exactly who she was or why she was there. “Is this a dream?”
“No. I’m quite real. Let’s get a blanket around you.” She pulled him through the door and made him sit in an armchair. She grabbed an afghan off the couch and put it around him. “I’m going to get you something hot to drink.”
He stared at her.
She soon had a kettle boiling and after a search through the cupboards, found some tea. Then she went into his bathroom and looked under the sink for a hot water bottle. She found one and filled it with hot water from the tub. Next, it was on to his bedroom where she opened bureau drawers looking for socks. She grabbed a pair and finally pulled the comforter off the bed and dragged it into the living room behind her.
Back in the kitchen, she filled a mug with the hot tea and added a little milk. She took everything back into the living room. Without saying a word, she handed him the hot water bottle and then tucked the comforter around him. Off went his shoes and on went another pair of thick socks. Then she passed him the tea.
“Put your hands around it and you’ll get warm. Be careful, it’s hot.”
He took a drink and then two. After a few minutes, his lips lost their blue tint and his cheeks turned from white to red. She sat on the ottoman in front of him.
“Seamus, I couldn’t come to you yesterday. I’m sorry. I wanted to. I wanted to very much.”
He looked at her and took another drink.
“Why were you out on the deck? Please tell me that wasn’t because of me.”
He cleared his throat. “No, of course not. You’re not that important.” She winced.
“I had too much to drink and fell asleep that’s all.”
“Oh.”
“You didn’t have to come here.”
She looked away. “No, I guess I didn’t.” She took a deep breath and stood up. “Anyway, I’m glad I did, because maybe I saved you from pneumonia, if nothing else.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Sure. I should get back home. Can’t leave Lola alone with three patients for too long. She’ll have my hide.”
Ava walked to the door. “Take care of yourself, Seamus.”
She had her hand on the knob when he said, “Heard about your boyfriend on TV last night.”
She didn’t turn around but she heard him get out of the chair. “Yeah, it was all over the news, how Hayden Judd came into town to neck up a storm with his girlfriend, a certain famous actress. Imagine kissing in front of a whole crowd of people like that. Did you get off on it?”
She turned to face him. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Wasn’t it?”
“No. If you’d let me explain…”
“There’s nothing to explain. You said you’d meet me and you didn’t. Instead you made out with your boyfriend in front of the whole town. A real public way of saying, get lost Seamus. I just wish you’d had the decency to say it to my face.”
Her breathing became shallow. “I wanted to get to you. You have to believe me.”
“I don’t believe you, Libby, because actions speak louder than words.”
“Think what you want, then.” She turned to go and tried to open the door but struggled with the lock. In those few moments, he came up behind her, grabbed her shoulders and turned her around.
“You were supposed to be kissing me last night.”
“Leave me alone.”
“Just tell me why. Why do you leave me?”
“I don’t want to leave you. I’ve never wanted to leave you.”
“But you do. You do, Libby, and I don’t know how much more I can take.”
She couldn’t stand it anymore. She reached up and put her hands on his face, looked at his mouth and brought her lips to meet his. It wasn’t soft and slow. It was angry, hard and searching. She bit his tongue and licked the small drop of blood that formed. He sucked her top lip, then her bottom. He lifted his head and with his hands moved her face first one way and then another, giving her kisses that were fast and deep and intense. They both moaned, aching for each other. Just a moment more…
The phone rang.
They parted, both of them panting. Neither of them spoke. The phone rang again.
“Wait,” he said.
“I have to go.”
Another ring. “Please, two seconds.”
He raced to the phone, “Yes?” He listened but never took his eyes off her. She rubbed h
er bruised lips against the soft fleece of her cuff. Her heart rate slowed and the pulse in her ears quieted.
“An ear infection? Are you sure she’s all right? Okay, I’ll phone the doctor. Thanks. See you in ten.”
He hung up the phone.
“Sarah?”
“Yes. Colleen was up with her all night. I’m taking her in.”
“Can I do anything to help?”
He shook his head.
She backed up to the door. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too. We’ll talk.”
“Okay.”
With the door finally open, she ran to the car, started it up and roared out of the driveway. She sped away from the house as fast as she could, but stopped at the look-off in Port Morien to sit for a minute and try to understand what had happened back there. She was ashamed and excited all at the same time. It was almost as if they were dueling, trying to hurt each other with their bodies, expressing their anger the only way they could. But she was exhausted. She knew she’d reached the end of her emotional rope. Life was slower here but so far the trip had been a roller coaster and she wasn’t sure how much more she could take. And that was frightening because she knew it meant hurting him again.
When she got back to the house, everyone except Lola was still asleep. She was on the bed reading a magazine.
“Bloody hell. Were you in a fight?”
“Sort of.”
Lola put the magazine down. “You are driving me around the bend. What is going on?”
Ava plunked down on the bed and covered her face in her hands. “I think I need to get out of here. I’m ruining everyone’s life.”
“Rubbish. Everyone’s glad you’re here. You’re a regular Suzy Homemaker, and you’ve made life a whole lot easier for everyone since you’ve arrived.”
She looked up and smiled. “I don’t think I’d have stayed if you weren’t here. I have no right to ask you to stay on.”
“I told you before, I love it here.”
Ava took off her sandals and sat back against the headboard. “Why? Why do you love it here?”
Lola’s face lit up. “Because the people are real. When they say something they mean it. You don’t have to wonder if someone’s telling you the truth. They take pleasure in their friends and they can party like no one else. Hey, they can make music with two spoons. How great is that?”
Ava smiled, though it hurt her swollen lips.
“And I’ve never laughed so much in all my life. You have a wonderful family, Ava. You don’t need to run away from them.”
“I didn’t run away from them.”
“What happened to you?”
“Seamus and I kind of beat each other up.”
“I don’t mean today, I mean when you left the first time.”
When she didn’t say anything, Lola sighed. “Okay, what happened to you today? He didn’t hit you, I hope.”
“He kissed me.”
“Wow. He should patent those kisses. Women everywhere pay good money to get bee-stung lips. He’d make a fortune.”
“Don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”
“Stop bragging. I better go get the porridge on. Uncle Angus will be banging his bowl before too long.” She got up and left the room.
Ava sat for a long time, absentmindedly tracing her lips with her forefinger. She could still feel him pressing against them. He left a permanent mark. She’d always have it and was grateful for it. Did he feel the same way?
What would’ve happened if the phone hadn’t rung? She almost blushed thinking about it. So she thought about it some more. She snuggled into the blankets and made love to him in her mind. It was something she was good at—she’d been doing it for years.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
As if by some secret pact, they stayed away from each other after that. Ava was grateful for the chance to get back a sense of normalcy. And besides, the end of June was rapidly approaching and she had a date with her nieces. The day after she mentioned her idea, she placed a call to Maurice and asked him if he’d help her out.
“Anything for you, dumpling. What is it? Oh, just a minute.” She heard him shout at Harold. “Tell that walking-stick of a client that I can’t poof her hair up. She’ll look like a Q-tip.” He came back on the line. “You were saying, darling?”
“You wouldn’t like to take a little side trip, would you?”
“You sweet thing. Where are we going now? Morocco? Paris, please God.”
“Cape Breton, Nova Scotia?”
“Cape where?”
“You know. Where I live.”
“You live in Malibu.”
“Maurice…”
“Oh. You mean Canada, where the Inuit and the Mounties do play?” “That’s right.”
“Pardon my French, darling, but isn’t it fucking freezing there?”
“Of course not, it’s June. Granted, it’s not California hot.”
“I’ll wear my pink long johns. So what am I doing for you? What fabulous event is so important that I have to fly to the other side of the earth?”
“Um, I’d like you to do my nieces’ hair and makeup for the prom.” “Say what?”
“You know, the prom. A magic night in any young girl’s life. It’s important and they were so excited when I mentioned it.”
“They?”
“There are three of them.”
Maurice hollered, “Harold! Get my smelling salts.”
“Please? Please? With sugar on top?”
“Replace the sugar with Hugh Jackman and you’ve got a deal.”
“Thank you so much. I love you!”
“That’s what they all say.” He hung up on her and she kissed the phone.
The day arrived when Ava, her sisters and nieces traipsed into Sydney to look for prom dresses. Lola tagged along as well, after Sandy’s wife told them she’d be glad to babysit the old folk for the afternoon. At first Ava offered to fly them to Halifax for the day, to look at some of the formal-wear shops there, but everyone seemed happier with the thought of staying close to home, mostly in case Mamie took a turn for the worst.
When their entourage arrived at Jacobson’s, they trooped up the stairs to the bridal salon. The sales ladies did a double take when they realized Ava Harris was in their shop.
The girls went wild and so did their mothers. Ava and Lola fairly hopped with glee. Sam, Vicky and Emily each headed for a different dressing room and came out again and again to model their choices and get feedback. Ava beamed watching them. Their fresh faces instantly transformed into young beauties as they twirled around in a sea of sparkling silk, taffeta and organza. But what was even more wonderful for Ava was the joy in her sisters’ faces as they gazed upon their baby girls.
The girls were delighted with their choices and each of them ran to their Aunt Libby to give her big hugs.
Ava summoned one of the salesladies, who looked overwhelmed herself with all the excitement. “Get the girls to pick out the most expensive shoes and whatever else they need.”
“Can I have a tiara?” Vicky whispered.
“Of course you can. And gloves and wraps and little satin bags… whatever your heart desires.”
“Even jewelry?” Emily squeaked.
Her mother said, “That’s enough, honey. She’s spending way too much as it is.”
“Nonsense. Choose whatever you like and we’ll have them wrap it up.”
The girls flitted off to try on satin and rhinestone high heels, and then hurried to the jewelry counter to ohh and ahh over necklaces and earrings.
“Oh god,” Bev tsked, “this is way too much Libby. You’ve already spent eight hundred dollars each for their dresses.”
Ava grabbed her hands. “Please let me. I don’t have children of my own. Who else do I have to spend my money on?”
Lola raised her hand. “I’m at your service.”
They wrapped up their incredible afternoon with a lovely lunch at Goodies and then scooted home to show everyone their purchases
. But as incredible as that day was, it was nothing compared to the excitement generated by the arrival of Maurice and his entourage.
Aunt Vi could hardly contain her excitement. “I’m real glad this is hair central. Wait till them fellas get here. Geranium will have a stroke.”
Uncle Angus rocked in the rocking chair. “I’ll leave once them fairy fellas show up. But I have to see one up close.”
Ava put her hands on her hips. “How do you know they’re fairy fellas?”
He snorted. “What sort of man plays with makeup? I’m not stupid, ya know.”
Aunt Vi concurred. “Everyone knows them Hollywood hairdressers sit to pee.”
Lola laughed out loud. “Oh Aunt Vi. I love you.”
Ava knew the jet was landing at eleven o’clock. She arranged for a car to pick them up, so estimated they’d arrive around eleven thirty, which would give them a chance to catch their breath and also have a bite before the girls showed up. Under Aunt Vi’s tutelage, she and Lola prepared a nice lunch of lobster rolls, tea biscuits, potato salad, and pasta salad. There was fresh strawberry shortcake with whipped cream for dessert.
The car pulled up bang on time. Maurice, Harold, and their assistants, Lars and Philippe, disembarked with the dazed look of people who’d been dropped on another planet. Maurice wore a multi-coloured scarf around his neck with what looked like a purple Stetson on his head. His suit was impeccable.
Harold, in his oversized mirrored sunglasses, clapped his hands at the driver in an obvious attempt to get the man moving with the bags. Ava and Lola rushed out to meet them.
Ava ran into Maurice’s arms. “Oh, I’ve missed you! Thank you for this.”
He hugged her and lifted her off her feet. “Good God, you’re enormous. You fat pig.”
“I know,” she smiled. “It’s my Aunt Vi’s cooking.”
“Where is the beastly woman? She mustn’t go unpunished.”
He delivered a quick peck to Lola. “You’re looking as vile as ever.” “Ditto,” she retorted.
Maurice looked around and sniffed the air. “What is that foul odor?”