by Maria Duffy
‘Here we go,’ he said, pointing to a bench just inside the main entrance. ‘This will do nicely.’
Donna could feel every sense in her body tingle as they sat down, their bodies touching ever so slightly. She had a million things to say to him and yet she couldn’t think of one single thing at that moment. Luckily, Will wasn’t so tongue-tied.
‘I never thought I’d see you again, Donna. Isn’t it crazy that you ended up going out with my cousin?’
‘Yes, crazy.’ She didn’t want to talk about Bob.
‘But I’m glad.’
She looked at him then. ‘You’re glad I’m going out with your cousin?’
‘Well, I actually meant I’m glad it’s helped us to connect again.’ He looked at her with those melting eyes. ‘It’s really good to see you, Donna.’
‘And you too.’ She began to relax. ‘And will I tell you something even more crazy?’
‘Go on. I hope it’s good crazy.’
‘It is! Do you remember when you were in Perth and staying with friends?’
His forehead creased and he looked puzzled. ‘Did I tell you about that? I didn’t think we spoke about Perth.’
‘We didn’t.’
‘Now I’m really confused.’
She smiled as he creased his brow, trying to remember. ‘Do you remember when your friends were going to set you up with a girl who was coming over from Ireland?’
‘Yes, but how did you … NO WAY! Donna. Her name was Donna. Not you?’
Donna nodded smugly. ‘Yep. That’s me. Lexie is my friend. She’d been telling me about this hunk of a guy she was going to set me up with but then when I got there, you’d left.’
‘That is absolutely crazy! What are the chances of that? So we were destined to meet long before Christchurch?’
‘It seems so,’ said Donna, feeling more confident. ‘I only found out because Lexie was showing me photographs of when she was in Perth. You were in one of them and I recognised you.’
‘Hang on. Slow down a minute. You said when she was in Perth. Is she not there any more? What about Brendan?’
‘That’s over, Will. I know he was your friend, but Brendan turned out to be not such a nice character after all. He had a string of other women on the go.’
Will shook his head. ‘Bastard. He said something to me about that when we last spoke. That’s why I wasn’t bothered to keep in touch. I grew very fond of Lexie while I was over there and I hated that he was being unfaithful to her.’
‘Well, you’ll be glad to know she’s actually living with me and Bob now. She’s dying to meet up with you again.’
‘Ah, that’s brilliant,’ said Will, his eyes lighting up. ‘It’ll be great to catch up with her. God, isn’t life funny sometimes?’
‘Yes, but sometimes very cruel too.’ She stared at his hand then and her face turned serious. ‘It was an awful day, Will, wasn’t it? I’ll never forget it.’
He nodded. ‘Me neither. And I did wonder about you, you know. For a very long time. Actually, I don’t think I ever stopped wondering – imagining what had happened to you, where you were, what you were doing.’
‘Same here.’ A sob caught in Donna’s throat, taking her by surprise. ‘I checked the death toll every day. I became obsessed with finding out details of the dead – hoping, praying that I wouldn’t hear about a young Irish man called William.’
Those words hung in the air and they both sat in silence, lost in thought. Donna so badly wanted to tell him how she felt. She wanted to talk about the connection they’d had that day. Had he felt it too? She was sure he had. But the most important question was how he felt now. Did he feel anything for her at all or was it all in the past? Had Silvia changed all that?
‘Do you ever wonder what would have happened if there hadn’t been an earthquake that day?’ asked Will, interrupting her thoughts. ‘I mean, with us.’
‘All the time.’ She at least had to be honest.
‘Do you believe in destiny?’
The question surprised her. ‘Yes, definitely.’
‘Me too. My grandmother always used to say: “What’s for you won’t pass you.” I’ve always liked that saying and I think there’s a lot of truth in it.’
Donna’s heart lifted. This was it. He’d realised that they were destined to be together. What’s for you won’t pass you. She was for him and he was going to make sure she didn’t get away this time. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at him.
‘That’s what I think happened in Christchurch,’ he continued.
‘I think so too, Will. It’s destiny.’
‘Yes, because if the earthquake hadn’t happened, I probably never would have got together with Silvia. She was very concerned after I was hurt and we spent a lot of time chatting on the phone. I went to live in London after my treatment was finished and she decided to come and join me.’ His eyes lit up when he spoke about her. ‘So how did you get together with Bob?’
She didn’t want to discuss it. Her world had just been shattered again. Silvia was his destiny – not her. She suddenly needed to get out of there. She’d been fooling herself. Will was in love with another woman and there wasn’t a damn thing Donna could do about it.
‘Donna?’ She realised Will was still waiting for an answer.
‘Sorry, I just realised I have to be somewhere.’ She stood up and smoothed her dress down.
‘Ah, that’s a pity. Maybe we can meet up again soon.’
Why did he want to meet her? Did he want to torture her? She didn’t want to discuss how happy he was with Silvia and how she was his destiny.
‘Unless you don’t want to,’ he continued.
She sighed. ‘I … I don’t know, Will. It’s complicated.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Bob?’
‘Well, yes …’ She wanted to scream that Bob wasn’t the problem, Silvia was. She wanted him to know that she loved him but she couldn’t say it.
He nodded. ‘Okay. Well, you have my number so text me if you want to meet up.’
‘Okay.’
‘And one more thing,’ he said, as they exited the park together, ‘I know it’s silly, but I didn’t tell Silvia we were meeting up. She’s a bit possessive. I just thought it was best not to mention it.’
Donna felt a glimmer of hope. Why would he hide it if it meant nothing? ‘Don’t worry. I didn’t tell Bob either.’
They reached the top of Grafton Street and Will turned to face her. ‘Right, I’m heading this way. Back to work, I’m afraid.’
Donna’s heart began to beat out of her chest. ‘It was great to see you, Will.’
‘You too, Donna.’ He reached over to kiss her on the cheek and she shifted slightly. On purpose. She couldn’t help it. He caught her on the lips. Not quite full on but their lips touched, nonetheless. He tasted of coffee and heaven. She never wanted to be away from those lips again.
He pulled away but not before he’d allowed his lips to linger briefly. ‘Bye, then. Chat soon.’
She watched as his back disappeared around the corner. Such a brief kiss and yet it filled her with hope. He hadn’t offered the kiss, but he hadn’t tried to avoid it either. And he was the one who’d suggested meeting up again. But as she turned to walk down Grafton Street, her mood dipped again. The fact remained he was getting married. He’d said Silvia was his destiny. Donna was only fooling herself if she thought she could compete with a woman like that.
But one thing had become painfully clear to her. She couldn’t put things off any longer. She needed to talk to Bob. She loved him dearly but not in a romantic way. It was going to be painful but, regardless of the fact that Will wasn’t going to be in her life, she had to split up with Bob.
* * *
Will walked quietly back into his office so his mother wouldn’t hear. He wanted to sit and think. His head was swimming with thoughts of Donna and yet he knew it was wrong. Silvia was going to be his wife. And yet he was inexplicably drawn to Donna. Maybe it was just the c
onnection of the earthquake. Perhaps he should be more honest with Silvia and tell her that. He felt bad that he was keeping secrets from her – secrets that didn’t even need to be kept. Because, after all, there was nothing romantic going on between him and Donna.
When he’d seen her coming towards him in that yellow dress, he’d been transported back to the tourist office in Christchurch, when she’d fallen into his arms. He’d remembered how he’d felt back then. It had taken all his strength to see past that and talk to her normally. They’d sat very close on the bench and he’d felt the heat coming from her body. But he’d shaken off any inappropriate feelings and reminded himself that she was his cousin’s girlfriend. His new-found cousin, whom he liked a lot.
The ringtone from his phone startled him and he grabbed it out of his pocket. It was Silvia. It was as though she was reminding him. Her timing was perfect.
‘Hi, Sil. What’s up?’
‘Will, I have some brilliant news. You’ll never guess what.’
‘Go on then, tell me.’ He tried to sound enthusiastic but he wasn’t in the mood.
‘I’ve just had a job offer. It’s a senior position in a bank. And wait for it – the salary is twice what I’m getting now. Isn’t that amazing?’
His mood lightened. She was a hard worker and deserved it. ‘That’s brilliant, Silvia. I’m really delighted for you.’
‘But there’s just one thing.’
He suddenly felt nervous.
She continued. ‘I think it’s a good thing really. It’ll be good for us.’
‘What is it, Silvia?’
There was a pause and he held his breath.
‘The job is in Perth. Starting next month. I guess you and I will be moving back to Australia. Isn’t that wonderful?’
His head began to spin and he could hear Jack’s voice clearly in his head: ‘Spread your wings, mate. Don’t stay working for your mum forever. There’s a whole big world out there and it’s waiting for you. Be happy.’
Was Jack right on this occasion or would he be making the biggest mistake of his life?
Chapter 41
‘I need you and Silvia home for tea,’ said Vivienne, bursting into Will’s office, an excited look on her face.
‘We’ll be home tonight, if that’s what you mean.’
‘Yes, tonight. I’m leaving here shortly to get organised. I’ve asked George’s sister, Jan, and her husband over and they’re going to bring their son and his girlfriend too. It’s about time we all got to know each other better.’
‘T— tonight? They’re coming tonight?’
‘Yes, William. That’s what I said. Is there a problem?’
‘None at all. We’ll be there.’
‘Good. Now you’ll have to lock up because I’m heading off. I have so much to do.’ She breezed out the door and Will could hear her listing off a string of orders to her assistant.
He sat back in his chair and stretched his hands behind his head. He was trying to process the overload of information that had been thrown at him today. First there’d been his meeting with Donna. It had unsettled him. Then the call from Silvia about moving to Perth. That had been a big one and he still wasn’t sure how he felt about it. And now they’d be entertaining their new-found relatives at home later. And that included Donna. He wasn’t sure he was ready to see her again just yet. And even more importantly, he wasn’t sure Silvia was ready either.
That was it! He’d tell Silvia about the tea and maybe she’d have an excuse for them not to be at home. He really didn’t want to let his mother down but it would be such an awkward situation. He grabbed his phone and tapped into his numbers. She answered in two rings.
‘Hi, Will. I bet you’ve been thinking about Perth all afternoon. I know I have.’
‘Yes, of course. But that’s not why I’m ringing you. It’s about tonight.’
‘What about it?’
‘Well, Mum has organised for Jan to come over and has included Bob and Donna in the invitation.’ He waited for her to process that.
‘Okay.’
‘But I’m sure you don’t want to be bothered with all that. Especially after … after … you know …’ Jesus, why did he have to mention that?
‘After what, Will?’ Her voice was cold.
‘You know what I mean. I just thought you’d prefer if we weren’t there. Maybe I can tell Mum you’ve organised something else for us for tonight?’
There was silence for a moment. ‘But why would I not want to be there? You told me I was hearing things that night. You told me you didn’t say Donna’s name.’
‘I didn’t. Look, I just thought you might feel uncomfortable or something. That’s all.’
‘I have no reason to feel uncomfortable, Will. Sure aren’t we getting married? And Donna and Bob are together so where’s the problem?’
‘There’s no problem at all.’ He could see he was losing this battle. ‘So are you saying you’re happy about being there when they come over?’
‘Of course I am. You know how I like family gatherings and I miss that about home. So it will be good to sit around the table with family tonight.’
‘Great. I’ll see you at home later.’
Will ended the call and reached into his desk drawer. He took out a box of paracetamol and downed two with a sip of water. His head was thumping. There was too much to think about. He was going to have to sit at a table tonight and pretend everything was normal when in fact he’d been out having a secret meeting with another woman.
Donna. What was it about her that set his heart racing? When their lips had touched earlier, he’d had to resist the urge to run his fingers through her hair, touch her face, pull her close to him. Everything in his head had screamed danger but his heart had whispered ‘do it’. He’d listened to his head but had it been the right thing to do? Could he still be happy with Silvia, knowing how he felt about Donna?
All of a sudden a blanket of uncertainty came over him. He felt odd. Off-kilter. The last time he’d felt like that was when Jack died. It was as though his life was a merry-go-round, spinning around in front of him, but he was having trouble getting on. He was suddenly questioning everything but he didn’t have any answers. He closed his eyes and, with his elbows on the table, he leaned his head into his hands.
‘What would you do, Jack, if you were me?’ he whispered.
But Jack wasn’t there. God, he missed him. All Will could do now was pray for his friend to give him strength to make the right decisions and hope that he’d have no regrets.
* * *
Donna sat at the kitchen table in the flat. She’d asked Lexie to make herself scarce for a few hours so that she could talk to Bob. Seeing Will earlier had given her the push she needed. It was the right thing to do.
She flicked through the pages of a magazine she’d bought on her way home from town. It had caught her eye when she’d gone into a shop to buy a packet of mints. The cover had pictures of high-profile celebrities who’d just split up from their partners and her curiosity had seen her hand over the exorbitant price of three euros and fifty cents.
But she wasn’t reading it. Her mind was elsewhere. She felt desperately sad that her relationship with Bob was coming to an end and she dearly hoped that they could remain friends. She also hoped that her bond with Jan was strong enough and that they could maintain their relationship. She’d briefly toyed with the idea of telling Bob about Will. About how she felt. But then she realised that there’d be no need because nothing was going to happen between them and she’d cause too much hurt if she said anything.
She touched the corner of her lips where Will had kissed her earlier and closed her eyes to relive it. It had been perfect. Brief but perfect. The only thing was that it was possibly more than two years too late. How would things have turned out if that kiss had happened outside the coffee shop in Christchurch? Would they have taken it further? If they had, maybe then they’d have been together the next day when the earthquake happened. Maybe, may
be, maybe!
The sound of keys in the door startled her. Bob was home. It was time. She closed the magazine and braced herself for the conversation that she didn’t want to have but knew she had to.
‘Donna, come on, quickly. We’ve had an invitation and we have to be out of here in the next half hour.’ Bob came over and kissed her on the top of the head.
‘Invitation? Where to? I’m not really in form for going out, Bob.’
‘I was trying to ring you,’ he said. ‘I only got the call in the last hour but I’ve already told them we’d be there.’
Donna was getting frustrated now. ‘Tell who? And where are we supposed to be going?’
Bob peeled off his tweed jacket and placed it on the back of one of the kitchen chairs. ‘We’ve been invited for tea in my aunt’s house. Aunty Vivienne. Will’s mam.’
‘Hold on. Slow down.’ She could feel herself tensing up.
‘Listen, I can fill you in on the way but you better get ready. I told Mam we’d pick them up so she’ll be waiting.’
‘Is … is it going to be just your aunt there? I mean, just her and us?’
‘No. Will and Silvia will be there too so it’s going to be a real family affair. I can’t wait.’
Donna’s heart began to beat quickly and her mouth went dry. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t sit and watch Will and Silvia fawning over each other when her lips were still tingling from the kiss. It would be torture. And how could she allow Bob to introduce her as his girlfriend to his new-found family when she was waiting to tell him it was over?
‘Come on, what are you waiting for?’ Bob was staring at her.
‘Bob, I’m not sure … I just don’t think—’
‘Please, Donna. You have to come. I’ve already said we’d be there. It’ll be great.’
She looked at him and saw how eager he was. She couldn’t let him down. It might be the last time she’d go anywhere with him. And after their chat, it would probably be the last time he’d want her to.