Two Days in Biarritz

by Michelle Jackson

  Sam came bounding in on hearing his father’s voice. He had been waiting all day and was wearing his new Chelsea kit. “Hi, Dad, fancy a game of football outside?”

  Colin frowned as he looked at his son’s shirt. It wasn’t what he considered suitable clothing.

  “Have you got those new golf clubs I left you? We could do a bit of putting if you like?”

  Sam nodded. He didn’t want to play golf. He never liked it. “Thanks Dad, they’re great.”

  “You’re welcome,” Colin smiled smugly. He wasn’t used to quality time with his son but since he had left home things had improved in their relationship. Sam had wanted to live with him but that was out of the question. He didn’t have time in his busy schedule to look after a young boy.

  Annabel was surprised when Colin said that he would baby-sit. It was Meave who had suggested it. She walked dubiously into the kitchen where Sam and Colin were swinging their clubs.

  “Hi, Colin. Thanks for babysitting.”

  “I’m spending time with my children. You don’t baby-sit your own children,” he said squarely.

  “Of course,” she replied. He still managed to throw comments that had the same effect as a whip cracking. “I’ll be back about twelve.”

  Sam and Colin returned their attention to the ground where their gazes were fixed on a Ping golf ball.

  She went into the TV room and kissed the girls on the top of their heads before grabbing her bag and dashing out the front door with a mixture of concern and relief.

  * * *

  Kate picked up the phone and started to dial Annabel’s number. She didn’t want to think too much about what she was doing. The phone at the other end of the line rang out for six rings. She was about to put it down when a voice answered.

  “Yes,” Colin said.

  Kate hated the way he answered the phone so abruptly. But what was he doing there if they had split up? Maybe Fabian had made the whole tale up.

  “Is there someone there?” the voice said sharply.

  Kate didn’t want to speak to Colin so she hung up. She was disappointed that her attempt to make peace had been such a failure. At least Annabel didn’t realise it was her on the phone. Maybe she should think about what she was going to say more thoroughly.

  She picked up the phone and rang Ireland again, but a different number this time.

  * * *

  Annabel parked at the entrance to St Anne’s Park. It was halfway between her house and Gary’s flat which she had yet to see. Butterflies started flitting around her stomach at the prospect of seeing the tall handsome man. He was patient with her and tolerant of her need for discretion and secrecy. The last people she wanted to hurt were her children and, even thought they were adjusting a bit better to the new living arrangements in the house, she knew that they didn’t need to deal with a new man in their mother’s life.

  For Annabel, Gary was her secret saviour. He gave her the strength not to falter when her mother chastised her for asking Colin to leave, and gave her a reason to take time out for herself. At first she had hoped they would get to see each other often but things weren’t panning out as she had expected. Still, she was happy for now with the few short hours that they managed to steal together whenever they could.

  A tall broad-shouldered silhouette grew larger as it neared Annabel’s Jeep, then Gary tapped on the window. With haste she released the lock on the door and let him in. Gary slid onto the passenger seat and leaned over towards her, planting a delicious kiss on her lips. The wait had been worth it already.

  “Hiya, gorgeous!”

  “Ditto,” she sighed, licking her lips.

  “Ah, Ghost! Not one of my favourite movies,” he grinned cheekily.

  “I wasn’t quoting a movie, silly.” Annabel said, poking him playfully in the ribs.

  “You’re too cute!” he said.

  Nobody had called her cute since before she left primary school. She loved it.

  “Fancy coming back to my place?” Gary suggested casually.

  Annabel was delighted. She had been starting to wonder what Gary was hiding in his flat – or even worse, who!

  “Great,” Annabel started the engine and took the car out onto the Clontarf Road. She drove up the tree-lined Griffith Avenue with an air of anticipation.

  Gary sat back snugly on the seat, giving directions until they came to a beautiful red-bricked Victorian villa.

  “This place is lovely,” said Annabel.

  “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” Gary warned as the car stopped.

  Once they got inside she knew what he meant. The leafy gardens and austere exterior hid a labyrinth of interior walls that made up eight flats. It had been some time since the landlord had invested in any sort of maintenance on the building. Some of the wallpaper they passed as they trod the stairs to the top floor looked like it had been there since the seventies.

  Gary opened the thin plywood door to the attic room. The frayed carpet covered in large yellow swirls continued from the landing into Gary’s living room. As Annabel looked around she discovered that this was also the kitchen and the hallway.

  “I like open-plan living,” Gary said lightly, in an effort to cover over his embarrassment at the pokey surroundings.

  “It’s very cosy,” Annabel walked over to the floral printed settee and brushed her hand along the back of the cushions.

  “That’s a nice way of putting it!” Gary replied. “It’s also very small. Sit down and make yourself at home!”

  Annabel obeyed and tried not to grimace as the spring on the settee went ping on taking her weight. She had a clear view of Gary as he frantically searched through the cupboards one by one.

  “Tea, coffee or a drink?”

  “I’d better have tea – I’m in the Jeep.”

  Gary’s head appeared above the counter that he was rooting behind.

  “You could always stay the night,” he suggested sheepishly.

  Annabel tried to smile. This was a man who had no concept of commitments.

  “I have to be there for the kids in the morning.”

  Gary nodded his head. “I’m sorry Annabel – that was insensitive of me.”

  For an instant Annabel wanted to flout her responsibilities and say she’d stay. But then she remembered it was Colin who was baby-sitting, not her mother or even the girl next door. At least Gary understood that her children were her priority, especially at this sensitive time. It only made her want him even more. By the time Gary joined her on the settee with two mugs of tea and a packet of chocolate digestives under his arm Annabel was aching for him. The kiss he placed on her lips in the car wasn’t enough. The fact that she was sitting in his apartment and so close to the room where he slept each night filled her with anticipation for what might happen next. After all they’d been together nearly a month.

  Gary put his mug down on the floor and sat back with his arm loosely resting on the back of the settee behind Annabel.

  “I’m sorry that I’m bringing you back to this dump. I only realise how crumby it is when I bring someone to see it for the first time.”

  “I meant it, when I said it was cosy. You’ve a lovely view over the tops of the trees from here.”

  “I’ll be frank with you Annabel – it’s cheap and Jamie’s never here.”

  “Jamie?”

  “My mate. He has a girlfriend with an apartment a few blocks away and he only uses this place to keep his stuff and hide when they have a row.”

  Annabel nodded and took a sip from her cup. Gary had a way of making her forget herself. His arm was close but not close enough.

  “Will I put some music on?” he asked.

  “Okay,” she said, putting the mug of tea down at her side.

  He jumped up and hit the switch on the mini hi-fi that sat on a shelf in the corner of the room. She recognised the guitar chords instantly. It had been a long time since she’d heard Samba Pa Ti by Santana. Damien used to play it on a cassette when he drove Kate and
her home from discos when they were kids. Which reminded her – she hadn’t been in touch with Damien since their dinner together.

  Gary returned to her side on the couch, oblivious of the effect the music was having on Annabel’s frame of mind. This time when he put his arm behind her he gently combed some of her curls with his fingers. Annabel closed her eyes and let his touch transport her. When Gary put his lips tenderly on hers she wasn’t sure if she was thinking of Damien or Gary. Eventually she opened them and she knew that she was with the right man. Gary stood up slowly and reached out his hand for her. Full of excitement and anticipation she rose and took his hand, then walked with him into the bedroom. The evening was turning out perfectly.

  * * *

  “Hello.”

  “Hi Dad,” she smiled down the phone.

  “I was just about to call you. I’m coming over the day after tomorrow. I managed to change my ticket.”

  “Great. I’ll get Fabian to collect you.”

  “I can get a taxi.”

  Kate took a lock of her hair and started twiddling with it. “It will cost you a fortune.”

  “The plane rides are so cheap nowadays it won’t make much difference. How are you feeling?”

  “I’ve had a good day actually. It’s difficult being an invalid. I can’t believe I’ll be like this for the next four months.”

  “Just take it easy,” Damien said in an assuring voice. “I’m going to sort you out with some fulltime help when I get over there.”

  The thought of having her father there to look after her came as a huge comfort. Fabian was fantastic but family was different and Kate was getting frequent flashes, reminding her that she was never going to see her mother again.

  “I’m fine Dad, there’s no need to fuss. By the way, have you heard from Annabel?”

  Damien hadn’t and was beginning to worry about their business venture ever getting off the ground.

  “Not in the last couple of weeks, no.”

  “Apparently she rang here while I was in hospital and told Fabian that her marriage is over.”

  “That’s right.”

  Kate scowled at the phone. The mere thought of her father and Annabel sharing information that she was excluded from made her feel deeply hurt.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because you said that you didn’t want to talk about her ever again.”

  “You should have told me that, Dad.”

  Damien sighed again. Now was not the time to try and reason with his pregnant daughter. “I’m sorry, Kate. I don’t know what I’m supposed to say or not to say to you. Your mother always did that for me!”

  It was Kate’s turn to feel terrible. “I’m sorry Dad.” Her father was obviously missing Betty more than he thought he would.

  Damien took a deep breath. He figured, as his daughter wanted to be told everything, now was as good a time as any to tell her of his other intentions. “By the way, I’m selling Greenfield Close.”

  “But why? You can’t do that. That’s my home.” Kate was stunned.

  “It hasn’t been your home for nearly twenty years, Kate.”

  Her father was right. She hated the thought of not being able to stay there though.

  “Where are you going to live?”

  “Howth. I’m finishing off a block of apartments on the beach and I’m moving into a two-bedroom. I don’t need much space.”

  “You’ll get cabin fever in an apartment, Dad.”

  “I can’t stay in this house. The place will go to rack and ruin if I’m here much longer.”

  Kate felt a sudden desire to be in Greenfield Close. She could picture her boys and new baby in a house like that. How would Philip feel if she took the house over? He was settled in Oxford now and Gloria said that she didn’t want to live in Ireland again.

  “Dad, if I came home for good would you let me look after Greenfield Close?”

  “Kate, you’re not thinking rationally. There is nothing I would like more than to have you home but it has to be because you want to live in Ireland. Not because of a house. I am moving out regardless.”

  Kate’s mind was working overtime. She’d have to talk to the boys.

  “Kate, are you still there?”

  “Yes, Dad. Look I’ll see you soon and we can talk then.”

  “That sounds like a good idea. You are very fragile at the moment. We will sort everything out over the next few days.”

  “Thanks Dad.”

  “Did you say that you rang Annabel?”

  “I did but Colin answered the phone and I didn’t feel like speaking to him.”

  It was Damien’s turn to be speechless. Could Annabel have taken him back? That would certainly put a stop to their business enterprise.

  “Dad?”

  “Yes, love.”

  “What time are you arriving at?”

  “I land at three thirty.”

  “Great, so you should be here at about six.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “So am I, and the boys are too. Bye, Dad.” She hung up feeling confused. Did she really want to go back to Ireland and live in Greenfield Close?

  * * *

  Annabel gave her hair a quick brush before getting out of the car. She checked that she didn’t leave any clues on her face or clothing that would tell what she had been doing for the previous two hours. She opened the hall door like a thief, painfully aware that she had to face Colin.

  He was in the kitchen, his head dug deep in the Financial Times and a mug of coffee resting on the kitchen table. He didn’t look up as she entered.

  “Thanks for that,” she said quietly, hoping that he would at least acknowledge her return.

  “I did it for the kids, not you,” he said, without looking up from his newspaper.

  “Thanks anyway.”

  “When are you going to stop this charade?” Colin said, looking up at his wife this time. “I think you’ve made your point. I shouldn’t have slept with the au pair. Is that what you want me to admit?”

  Rage enveloped Annabel. Was this Colin’s attempt at an apology? She managed to remain calm by silently counting to ten and then she addressed him with an inner strength that she didn’t know she had.

  “Colin, I have been unhappy with you and your bullying ways for some time. I have no intention of going back to the way things were – not now or ever. Is that clear?”

  Colin stood up suddenly and folded his paper. “Perfectly,” he replied then stuffed the paper under his arm.

  Annabel was still shaking as she heard him close the front door. Gary was the reason she was able to speak to Colin that way. Gary had made her feel good only a few short hours ago and in a couple of minutes Colin had made her feel terrible. She felt as if she was responsible for breaking up the family. She wished there was a way that she could make it up to her children, to make everything all right. But for them to be okay she needed to be okay herself and right now she was far from being that.

  * * *

  Damien’s taxi stopped outside his daughter’s pretty French house. It was bedecked with the last flowers of summer and set against an azure-blue sky. It suited Kate. But it made him wonder if she would ever leave. He hoped she was serious about moving back to Greenfield Close but it had to be for the right reasons.

  Ciaran and David heard their grandfather’s taxi drive away and ran out to greet him before he got a chance to ring on the door bell.

  “Boys, look at how you’ve grown in a couple of weeks,” Damien said as the two ran forward affectionately and embraced him.

  “Mum is better. She was painting this morning.”

  Alarm bells rang in Damien’s ears. His daughter was always careless when it came to looking after herself and she couldn’t afford to be at the moment.

  “Mum, granddad’s here,” David called up the stairs.

  Kate ran down the stairs with a spring her step. “Dad, you made good time.”

  “Kate,” he said ho
lding his arms out to his daughter. “I thought you were meant to be taking it easy!”

  “I am Dad,” she said, rushing over and holding him tightly.

  “What’s this I hear about you painting?”

  Kate turned and scowled at her sons. “I was only doing a little.”

  “You must be in good form!” he said with a smile.

  “Let’s go into the kitchen, Dad.”

  It was the heart of the home. Damien walked over to the rustic back door and opened it out to the garden. The thick walls of the gîtes kept the house cool in the warmth of summer. He looked out at her pretty and colourful garden set against the mountains in the distance.

  “I can see why you love it so much here,” he mused.

  Kate stood behind him, leaning against the wall. “I’ll miss it.”

  “Kate, this is very sudden. Before you left Ireland, you were adamant that you wanted to stay in France.”

  “If I don’t go now I never will. It’s good timing for the boys. They are starting secondary school in a couple of weeks. I want to be at home with my baby. I need a fresh start.”

  “What about Shane?”

  Kate lowered her head and folded her arms. “I haven’t heard from him. He’s married Dad. I have to think of my family and my children.”

  Damien nodded. He understood and was proud of his daughter’s responsible attitude.

  “So when are you thinking of making this big move?”

  “I have to be quick because of the boys and school. I might even ring St Pauls later today and see if they have places for them.”

  “Are you sure that’s the best place to send them?”

  “Philip enjoyed his time there. If they aren’t happy I can always move them. At least they will be close to me.”

  Damien smiled. He liked the prospect of being able to see his grandsons frequently.

  “What about this house?”

  “I might keep it, if you don’t charge me too much for Greenfield close, that is.”

  “You know the house is yours.”

  “What about Philip?”

  “I can settle him up with a couple of apartments in lieu.”