‘Well, please yourself; I’ll keep this pair busy.’
‘Thanks, Dot.’
Dot pulled on her gardening gloves and went outside. As soon as he spotted her, Andrew abandoned his bike and came running.
‘What are you doing, Granny?’
‘I’m going to weed the garden, luvvie.’
‘Can I help?’
‘That would be grand.’ Dot knew he’d probably dig up more flowers than weeds but if it kept him happy, sure, what was the harm? She looked over at where Kate sat on a swing, reading a book. ‘How about you love, want to give us a hand?’
‘No.’
‘Oh, go on, my back’s playing up terrible today; I could really do with some help.’ As she expected, Kate immediately set down her book. ‘Good girl, get your mother’s gloves.’
As his sister went down to the shed at the bottom of the garden, Andrew’s face clouded. ‘I want gloves too, Granny.’
‘You do not!’ Dot pretended to look horrified. ‘But sure aren’t you a man? You’re not worried about keeping your nails nice now, are you? Your da never ever wore gloves.’
‘Daddy never worked in the garden,’ Andrew protested, as he looked doubtfully down at his fingers.
‘Well, that’s only because he didn’t have time. But he helped me when he was a boy like you; Granda used to give him fifty pence for cutting the grass.’
‘I could do that,’ Andrew said immediately, his eyes lighting up.
‘Ah, no, love, sorry; I couldn’t let you loose with the electric mower, your mother would kill me. Tell you what, why don’t you get your spade; these flower beds need digging. Do you think you’re strong enough to do that?’
‘’Course I am!’ He charged off, passing his sister on the way.
‘Where will I start, Granny?’ she asked.
‘Right here beside me, love, we’ll have it done in no time.’
Andrew returned and started digging wildly. Dot winced as he bisected a hydrangea in the process.
‘No, Andrew!’ Kate screeched.
‘It’s okay, love, it doesn’t matter. We’ll be leaving here soon anyway and I doubt the man that’s renting it will be that bothered about the garden.’
‘Will you miss it?’ Kate asked, looking around at the large, pretty garden that Dot had nurtured since she’d moved in.
‘A bit, but ’tis only a garden; it will be nice to get back to my own little one. I have some great plants and trees that have been there years. What about you, love? Will you be sad to leave?’ Dot kept her voice light and her head bent over her task so the child wouldn’t feel she was being questioned.
‘I’m not bothered.’
‘Really? You surprise me. I mean, you’ve lived here for so long. I missed the strangest things when I first came here.’
‘Like what?’ Kate asked, looking over at her.
‘Being able to walk to the supermarket and everyone knowing me when I got there. Bumping into my friends, having a gossip across the back fence with my neighbours . . .’ Dot smiled; it was lovely to be going home.
‘Why did you move in with us, Granny?’ Kate asked.
‘Your daddy asked me and I was delighted to be closer to you all, luvvie.’
Kate frowned. ‘But your house isn’t that far away. We could have visited you.’
Dot sighed. Children could run rings round you, they really could. ‘Well, because your daddy had to work such long hours, your poor mummy was lonely when you were at school and then at night when you went to bed.’
Kate seemed to accept this and went back to her weeding.
‘So you won’t miss this place at all?’
Kate shook her head. ‘No.’
‘Not a thing?’ Dot asked. ‘You know that you will have to share a room with your mummy and it’s not even half the size of your bedroom.’
‘I don’t mind.’
‘And there’s no room in my little garden for your trampoline or swings,’ Dot warned, and then wondered why she was trying to put the child off.
‘I don’t care,’ Kate said.
‘And you won’t miss any of your school friends?’
‘I don’t really have any.’
‘Ah, now, get away; sure, what about all the parties you’ve had and this house full of screaming girls?’
‘None of them are real friends,’ Kate said, with little sign of emotion.
‘What about Julie and Sarah,’ Dot racked her brain for the other girl that dropped in from time to time, ‘and Ellie?’
‘They don’t really like me.’
‘Now that’s just silly. If they didn’t like you, they wouldn’t hang around with you now, would they?’
Kate said nothing but continued pulling up weeds, shaking off the earth like Dot had shown her and throwing them onto the scrap heap. Dot looked across the garden at her grandson and was glad to see that, happy and knee-deep in muck, he was oblivious to them.
‘Were they the ones that were being nasty to you, luvvie?’ Marianne had asked her not to mention the bullying, that she would handle it, but how could Dot not say something when faced with an opportunity like this?
‘Not really . . .’ Kate mumbled.
‘Not really?! That’s a yes then.’ Dot sat back on her heels, her heart going out to the child.
‘No, honest, it was another girl who was being nasty but they just laughed when she did.’
Dot heard the wobble in Kate’s voice; if she could get her hands on the kid who’d done this. She took a breath and smiled. ‘Don’t be too hard on your friends, Kate. It’s very hard to stand up to someone like that; half the time people don’t even know someone’s a bully. I bet you this girl is very popular, the centre of a gang even.’
Kate turned surprised eyes on her and gave a small nod.
‘What does she say or do to you?’
‘She says I’m a nerd and that I have froggy eyes and sometimes she pinches me and takes my markers and stuff.’
‘The little bitch!’ Dot clasped a hand to her mouth. Kate’s eyes widened and then her lips started to twitch. ‘One of these days your mother will kill me, won’t she?’ Dot grinned.
Kate giggled. ‘No, she only pretends to be cross with you.’
Dot raised her eyebrows. ‘Do you think so? Well, thank God for that. So, tell me, did you talk to the other girls about this little . . .’ she pretended to bite her lip, ‘girl?’
This time Kate’s smile was broad. ‘No.’
‘And will you tell me something? How can your pals help you if you don’t ask them?’
The smile disappeared. ‘But they know what she’s doing, Granny!’
‘But do they know how she’s making you feel?’ Kate looked at her in confusion.
‘Have you told them?’ Dot said gently.
Kate frowned and thought for a moment. ‘No.’
‘And when the girl says these things what do you say?’
‘Nothing.’
‘And what do you do?’
‘I try to laugh too or I just ignore her.’
‘So, let me get this straight in my head. Your friends see you either laughing or turning away; did it occur to you at all that maybe they never realized you were upset? Did you think of that?’ Kate stared and Dot smiled at her. ‘Things aren’t always as they seem, are they, pet?’
Kate shook her head silently but Dot could see that her mind was working overtime.
‘Put it all out of your mind now, luvvie. In a few weeks she’ll be history. You’ll make lots of new friends in your new school and some of them will be living near us, no doubt.’
‘I did meet a couple of nice girls at the street party.’
‘Well, there you go, and imagine you’ll be able to see them whenever you like; none of this mammies phoning each other to arrange play-dates business. But promise me something, darling.’
‘What, Granny?’
‘If anyone upsets you, don’t ever hide it; no one can help you if you do that. And remembe
r, your granny is always here if ever you need her.’
‘I promise, Granny.’
Kate actually smiled at her and Dot felt her own eyes fill. ‘Okay, enough nattering; time to get some work done and then we’ll go and buy some nice fresh fish for dinner.’
Marianne sat staring at the phone for ages before she worked up the courage to pick it up and call him. She and Rob used to enjoy wonderful, long, loving phone conversations, particularly in the mornings when Kate was at school, Andrew was having his nap and Dominic was at work. She would curl up on the sofa and wait for his call, her heart always leaping when the phone rang. Sometimes they talked about family, about what was going on in the world, about the last time they’d met and how wonderful it had been. They’d chat like excited teenagers as they planned their next rendezvous. Their last phone call, she remembered sadly, was the day she’d arranged to meet him to say goodbye. She could still remember how happy he’d sounded to hear her voice and how she’d had to cut the call short for fear he would guess there was something wrong.
With trembling fingers and butterflies in her stomach, she picked up the phone and dialled the number on the business card.
‘Rob Lee.’
She gasped at the sound of his voice; it was as if the years just fell away.
‘Hello?’
‘Rob?’ Her voice sounded hoarse and she cleared her throat. ‘It’s Marianne.’
‘Marianne, hello! How are you?’
There was no doubting the warmth in his voice and she closed her eyes and let its rich familiarity envelope her. ‘Fine, thanks. Just calling to arrange a time for you to come over and measure up.’
‘I’m getting a carpenter to do it. I’ll give him your number and tell him to call you. But don’t worry, he won’t be fitting anything to the walls; I’ll be able to take it all with me when I leave.’
Marianne’s heart sank. He wasn’t coming over himself. And when he moved in she would have no real need to see him. She was overcome with sadness at the thought that this was just a temporary arrangement. She tried very hard to sound as cool and professional as he did. ‘Sounds like a good idea; I’m sure it will look better than it does at the moment.’
He said nothing. She clung to the phone, her ear pressed tight against it.
‘How are you, Marianne? Are the children okay?’
His voice was soft and steady and comforting, and she smiled; he hadn’t changed. He wasn’t the cool professional, he was just Rob. She had always loved his voice. When she was at her most stressed, simply listening to him talk, regardless of the words, had always had a calming, soothing effect.
‘I’m fine and Andrew’s okay, but I’m not so sure about Kate. She’s been behaving a bit oddly.’
‘I suppose that’s to be expected, especially given her age. My god-daughter, Clodagh, is incredibly bright and quick-witted; they seem to be so much more grown-up at that age than we were.’
‘I just wish she’d talk to me but she seems happier talking to strangers than to her mother.’
‘Sometimes it’s easier to talk to a stranger. You’re talking to me, aren’t you?’ he joked.
Marianne thought for a moment before answering and then decided to take a risk. ‘You could never be a stranger, Rob.’
He hesitated too but when he answered, his voice was quiet and solemn. ‘I’m glad you feel that way.’
She didn’t give herself time to think; she just said it before her courage deserted her. ‘I’m sorry you’re not coming over, Rob. There was something I wanted your advice about.’
‘Then let’s meet,’ he said immediately.
‘Okay.’ She smiled, feeling warmed by his reaction.
‘When suits?’
She thought about it for a second. She didn’t really want him to come to her house, she wasn’t ready to introduce him to Dot or the children. Also, it would be best to leave it until after her meeting with Dominic’s girlfriend; she was going to find it hard to concentrate on anything before then. ‘I have a meeting in Ballsbridge on Friday morning; could we meet up for a sandwich somewhere afterwards?’
‘Fine, how about The Den?’
‘Perfect.’ The pub was in the Lansdowne hotel, only five minutes’ drive from the Herbert Park Hotel. ‘I’m not sure of a time yet but probably about twelve thirty?’
‘Sounds good. Send me a text if there’s a problem.’
‘Okay, then—’
‘This advice,’ he interrupted her as she was about to say goodbye. ‘Want to give me a hint?’
She smiled, glad he’d prolonged the call. It was good to talk to him again even if it was just about normal, everyday matters. ‘I need to get a job and I figured that I should probably update my IT skills. Johnny tells me that you’ve branched into training.’
‘That’s right, but trust me, it won’t take much to bring you up to speed. You’re a natural.’
‘Well, thanks for the vote of confidence but I’m not sure where to start.’
‘Okay, leave it with me; I’ll have a think about it.’
‘Thanks, Rob.’
‘I’ll look forward to Friday, Marianne.’
She waited for a moment and when he didn’t hang up she said, ‘Me too,’ before ending the call, smiling.
Chapter Nineteen
Helen had always been able to tell when Johnny was lying to her. If not immediately, then in hindsight; when she replayed a scene in her head she would see all the signs. A man who always looked you straight in the eye was lying when he started shifting through papers, or became engrossed in something on TV or fiddled unnecessarily with his belt or tie. This morning, when she was asking him what jobs he had on for the week he’d been evasive and started re-reading his post. As Helen sipped her tea she wondered what it could be that he was trying to hide. Given that he was in the property game, money was always a worry, but as she did their accounts, she was sure they were in relatively healthy shape despite Johnny’s habit of doling out cash to tradesmen so that they wouldn’t have to pay tax, a practice she disapproved of.
She’d been taught the importance of honesty in St Anne’s and continued to live by the rules of her Catholic upbringing but, Johnny pointed out, wasn’t he simply looking after his neighbour the way God intended? Helen found it hard to argue. She didn’t really understand the complexities of tax or economics, but she knew she didn’t agree with the way poor people always seemed to come off the worst when the going got tough. Still, she felt in her gut that whatever was troubling Johnny, whatever it was he was hiding from her, it didn’t have anything to do with the business. More likely he was probably protecting her from something he thought would upset her . . .
‘Is there something wrong with Colm?’ she blurted out.
He looked up at her, surprise on his face. ‘Not that I know of. What makes you ask that?’
‘You seem preoccupied.’ She watched him put his glasses back on his nose and return to his reading.
‘I’m always preoccupied. Why would you think it’s anything to do with Colm?’
‘I don’t know.’ She shrugged. ‘Just a feeling.’
‘Well, your feeling is wrong. You’re never happy unless you’ve something to worry about, are you?’
‘Is there anything bothering you, Johnny?’ she asked, ignoring his teasing.
‘Plenty!’ He gathered up his post, leaned over to kiss her on the mouth and got up from the table. ‘But nothing I can’t deal with. See you later, darling.’
‘Let me know how you and Marianne get on,’ she called after him.
‘Will do.’
Helen continued to sip her tea, still unconvinced by her husband’s cheery reassurances. Something was up with him and she would get to the bottom of it. The phone rang and she reached for it, frowning when she saw that it was the woman who’d catered for Saturday’s party. She’d been paid and collected all the dishes and glasses, what could she want?
‘Hello?’
‘Helen? Brenda Flynn here. I
hope I haven’t got you at a bad time?’
‘Not at all, Brenda.’
‘Oh, good. I wondered if you could help me.’
‘I’ll try.’
‘Well, I have been having problems with my florist; not only is it an expensive outfit, but they’re unreliable, too.’
‘That’s not on, especially with business as it is at the moment,’ Helen commiserated.
‘It can be disastrous,’ Brenda assured her. ‘I couldn’t help but notice the arrangement on the head table that one of your guests brought; I thought it was very fresh and original.’
Helen lowered her cup, delighted. ‘Yes, I thought so too.’
‘I don’t suppose you could find out who supplied it, could you? I did look for a card but it must have fallen off.’
‘Are you interested in using them instead of your current florist?’ Helen pressed.
‘To be honest, I think I’ll use a couple of florists from now on but, yes, if the price is right, I am definitely interested.’
‘Okay, leave it with me, Brenda, and I’ll do some detective work.’
‘I don’t know what to say.’ Dot sat staring at Helen.
‘Say yes!’ Helen exclaimed.
Doubt crossed Dot’s face. ‘But I’ve only ever done a few classes organized by the ladies’ association.’
‘Does it matter? You’re a natural; that’s what counts.’
‘There’s not much talent involved in sticking a few flowers in an oasis; Andrew could do that.’
‘Anyone could do it but not everyone could do it well,’ Helen corrected. ‘My caterer, Brenda, has been in the business a long time and she was really impressed with your arrangement. Even if you only ever worked for her, you’d make a nice few bob.’
‘That’s a gas,’ Dot chuckled. ‘Imagine getting paid for arranging some flowers?’
‘It would be a lot more than that,’ Helen warned. ‘Brenda runs a very successful business, one of the few that’s weathered the storm in the catering industry; you’d probably need to hire help.’
Dot looked alarmed. ‘Hire someone? Oh, I don’t know, Helen—’
‘No, you’re right, I’m exaggerating,’ Helen said quickly, realizing she was going way too fast. But she felt excited by the idea of this venture; her gut told her it couldn’t fail and her gut rarely let her down. ‘You can always say that you only ever take on small, select jobs and only the best flowers go into each arrangement.’
Every Time We Say Goodbye Page 17