The Woman at 72 Derry Lane

by Carmel Harrington

  I held my arm across my small breasts. They glanced at me and recognition flashed across their faces. For a split second, their eyes looked me up and down and I felt embarrassment wash over me. They turned away quickly and looked at Alice, who was moaning softly. ‘Maria and I have been trying to drag her up to safety, in this sun lounger. We need to get up the hill, away from … you know. But we’re not strong enough. Can you help us?’

  ‘Please, I beg of you, help us,’ Maria added.

  They shrugged then nodded, not saying one word. Was that a yes? Then they walked over to Alice.

  ‘Hallo. I’m Sven.’

  ‘And I’m Dil. His better-looking brother.’

  ‘I’m Alice,’ she replied, ‘and you’re both very handsome.’

  ‘You speak funny,’ Daisy said.

  ‘So do you, little one. We are from Norway,’ Sven replied. Then they picked up either end of the sun lounger, as if it weighed no more than a rubber lilo. ‘Let’s go.’

  ‘And that’s the way you do it,’ Maria said, grabbing Daisy by the hand.

  ‘I can’t thank you enough,’ Alice said as she bobbed along on her makeshift stretcher. ‘I’m terribly embarrassed to cause such a fuss.’

  ‘There are hotels up high in the hills.’ Dil said. ‘That is where we go.’

  But then, fate had another plan for us, because people were running by us, screaming that there were more waves coming.

  ‘Follow us,’ Sven shouted and we all charged upwards.

  Chapter 32

  STELLA

  Derry Lane, Dublin, 2014

  Matt was reading The Sunday Business Post when the doorbell rang. He sighed at the intrusion and went to see who it was.

  ‘Do you want your grass cut, mister?’ a boy’s voice asked. ‘I’m doing the gardens of lots of the houses on Derry Lane. I live across the road, in number 63.’

  ‘We have a gardener,’ Matt replied snootily.

  ‘Oh I bet he charges a fortune. I’d do the same for half the price. I can do odd jobs too. I come highly recommended. Ask your wife.’

  Stella had been half listening, enjoying the young lad’s get up and go, until she heard that statement. She stood up and peeked down the hall to see who Matt was talking to. Damn, it was Louis. What was he saying now?

  The door slammed shut and Stella ran back to her spot on the couch, picking up her copy of Image once again.

  ‘That was an interesting conversation,’ Matt said.

  ‘Oh,’ Stella said, not looking up from the magazine. Her heart began to beat so fast that she couldn’t catch her breath. She felt sweat begin to form under her arms, and her head buzzed. Relax. Take a deep breath. He doesn’t know anything. Over and over she reminded herself of this.

  ‘According to that young fella, you could vouch for next door, because you’ve been over there.’

  Stella willed herself not to baulk. She looked up at him and said, ‘Oh yes, I remember. I did see him once.’

  ‘Why were you over there?’ Matt smiled, his white teeth glinting eerily in the morning sunshine.

  Stella remembered something her dad used to say. The most believable lies are the ones based on truths. So she smiled back at him and said, ‘I brought her over some lemon biscotti.’

  He sucked in his breath between his teeth. ‘When?’

  She turned her attention back to her magazine, saying, ‘I decided some damage limitation was needed after the last time the Gardaí were called. Remember, the other week … when you hit me.’

  She raised her eyes slowly and both of them let the smile drop from their faces. Nobody spoke as they eyed each other up.

  ‘Why would you do that?’ he eventually said. ‘We’ve spoken about this. We like to keep ourselves to ourselves.’

  ‘It was just the once,’ Stella replied. ‘I didn’t stop long. I just reassured her that she’d only heard a silly argument and that I was fine. Not a mark on me. She was reassured, I think, to see me looking so well.’

  ‘She’s a nosy fucking nut-job,’ he shouted, making Stella flinch.

  ‘I liked her, as it happens. I think she was genuinely worried. It’s funny how sound travels sometimes.’

  ‘I hope you told her to mind her own business,’ Matt said. ‘I’ve a good mind to go over there now and give her a piece of my mind.’

  ‘Not sure her visitor would appreciate that.’

  ‘What visitor?’ Matt asked.

  ‘I bumped into her son yesterday. He’s home from Australia. Big man. He seems a nice guy. But somehow or other, I don’t think he’d appreciate anyone shouting at his mother.’

  Matt paused. Stella continued, ‘But listen, as long as we remember that the walls have ears, as do our neighbours, and as long as you or I don’t give them something to worry about, I’m sure we can all keep ourselves to ourselves. As you said yourself so many times, it was just a one-off.’

  Suddenly I needed to get out of this house, away from Matt’s oppressive energy. And before I could talk myself out of it, I said, ‘Right, I think I’ll go for a walk.’

  ‘Where?’ Matt asked. ‘With who?’

  ‘On my own. And where, I’m not sure yet. I’ll see where my feet take me,’ Stella said.

  ‘I’ll come with you,’ Matt jumped up.

  ‘No need.’ Stella moved towards the door. But he grabbed her arm, tightly, till the blood drained from around his knuckles, the skin taut, white.

  ‘The world is full of unforeseen dangers, Stella. You know that better than anyone.’ He released her arm and then gently caressed the red finger marks that appeared. She shivered, then cursed herself for doing so. The smirk he always wore when he sensed her fear was back. Well fuck him.

  ‘Matt, I’m almost twenty-eight years old. It’s broad daylight. I’m just going for a walk down Derry Lane. I think even I can manage that.’ Then she walked away, making sure she did so slowly. She held her breath, knowing that in any second he could grab her. Would her act of bravery, small as it was, be rewarded with violence or ignored?

  Ignored.

  Only when she was halfway down Derry Lane did she exhale. She kept on walking towards the promenade. She continued until she passed by Thunders Bakery, then paused, backtracked and walked in, buying a jam-andcream doughnut. She bought a takeaway coffee in the Spar and then walked to the seafront, sitting on a bench looking out to sea. Silver and shadow bounced off the still water. Stella closed her eyes and listened to the call of the seagulls as they spoke to each other. The soft lap of the waves as they hit the shore stirred something deep inside of her. A part of her that had been hidden and secret for so long.

  ‘Hey,’ a voice said.

  She looked up. Luca.

  ‘Hello.’

  ‘You were miles away,’ he said. ‘Want some company?’

  She smiled and gestured to the spot beside her. ‘You can share my cake if you like.’

  ‘There’s an offer I can’t refuse.’ He smiled. ‘I miss this.’ Luca pointed to the view.

  ‘It’s beautiful. But I thought you lived near the beach in Australia?’

  ‘I do. But this spot here has a lot of memories for me. Walks and talks with my folks. Building sandcastles with Elise. And this bench here is where I had my first kiss.’

  Stella smiled, ‘And was it a good kiss?’

  ‘The best. I’d been waiting a long time for it. She was older than me, by two years and way out of my league.’

  ‘But she let you kiss her?’ Stella asked.

  ‘She did. It was only one kiss and it never happened again, but it was pretty darn good. Her hair smelled like the sea, salty, and the breeze from the ocean caressed my face as I kissed her.’

  ‘A nice memory to have. Do you ever see her now?’

  ‘Nah. She had broken up with her boyfriend a few days before our kiss. I was the rebound guy. I came back to this spot the next day, at the same time, thinking that she might be here too. Waiting for me.’

  ‘And she wasn’t?’ Stella
asked.

  ‘She was here alright. Unfortunately for me, she was kissing her old boyfriend.’

  ‘Ouch.’ Stella sympathised.

  ‘Yep. That was the first of many broken hearts caused by women.’

  ‘Did you cry?’ Stella teased.

  ‘Boys don’t cry. You know that,’ he replied, smiling, then his face grew more serious. ‘I went home and I just wanted to lock myself away in my room, not talk to anyone. Elise saw my face and followed me up. She wouldn’t leave me alone till I told her what happened. She was only eleven at the time, but she listened to me and didn’t interrupt or say anything silly. She just listened, then gave me the biggest hug. Then, she disappeared for a few minutes, coming back with a present.’

  ‘What did she get you?’ Stella asked.

  ‘It was her last Easter Egg. I always ate all my eggs in one gluttonous sitting. She was the opposite. She’d hoard them, make them last months. And this egg was her very last one. But she gave it to me.’

  He turned away from Stella and looked out to the ocean.

  ‘Sounds like you were close,’ Stella remarked.

  He paused for a moment, then continued. ‘Yes. Very. There was just the two of us growing up. I can’t remember much about my childhood that didn’t have her in it. She was always following me around, used to drive me mad sometimes. Do you ever wish you could turn back time?’

  Stella nodded and they sat in silence watching two seagulls dance over the waves.

  Then Luca turned back to Stella and asked, ‘What about you? What’s your first kiss story?’

  ‘I can’t remember,’ Stella lied.

  ‘Yes you can! I bared my soul, you can’t hold out on me now,’ Luca joked, pushing his dark hair off from his face.

  ‘My story isn’t nearly as dramatic as yours. But okay, I’ll share. My first kiss was with a guy on a beach too, as it happens. It only lasted a moment. But I remember it clearly. Soft and tender. Gentle.’

  ‘That’s the thing about first kisses. They don’t just last a moment, they last a lifetime. Unforgettable. And this guy, have you ever seen him since?’

  ‘No. We lost track of each other a long time ago. But he was a good guy. I’m glad my first kiss was with him.’

  Stella opened up the brown paper bag and pulled the jam-and-cream doughnut in half, handing one side to Luca. ‘I’ll even let you share my latte.’

  ‘That guy doesn’t know what he let go! A woman who shares her cake and coffee? Unheard of!’

  ‘I think I might have been premature offering it. Wow, these are good!’ Stella licked her fingertips.

  ‘Back off, it’s mine now!’ Luca joked.

  They sat in silence as they ate their cake and went back to watching the ocean again.

  ‘I love the beach. It’s one of the only places where doing nothing is doing everything,’ Luca said.

  Stella looked at him in surprise. He was a deep one, this Luca. She nodded, then pointed to the horizon in front of them. ‘It’s how vast it is that always gets me.’

  ‘If I get homesick – which I seem to do a lot these days, I head to the ocean in Freemantle Harbour. The way I see it is that all the water in the world is connected, all the oceans, all the rivers. They all run into one. Makes me feel closer to home, somehow.’

  ‘That’s a nice thought. I’ll remember that.’

  ‘Fancy going for a swim some day?’ Luca asked. ‘Are you brave enough to jump in the Irish Sea?’

  ‘I’m not so keen on swimming. So I might pass on that,’ she replied hurriedly. ‘Actually, I better get home.’

  ‘I’ll walk with you,’ Luca said, jumping up.

  ‘Oh, I’m not sure … maybe … erm …’ She couldn’t find the right words to say to this kind man. That her husband would lose his mind if he saw her return home with him.

  ‘Your husband might not like it?’ Luca guessed.

  ‘Has Rea said something to you?’ Stella looked at him with suspicion.

  ‘No, she hasn’t said a word. But it was more what she didn’t say, really. I just sensed the fact that he might be difficult. Listen, how about this for a compromise? Why don’t we walk till we get to the end of Derry Lane, then I’ll hold back for a few minutes? Seems silly us both walking back on our own.’

  ‘Okay. That sounds good.’

  ‘I’m glad I bumped into you, though,’ Luca said. ‘I wanted to thank you. And Charlie.’

  ‘For what?’

  ‘For being so kind to Mam. I can’t believe the difference in her since you all became friends. She’s up, dressed each day, and yesterday she even sat in a chair at the back door for over an hour. It was a small step, but a step all the same.’

  ‘That’s huge for Rea. I know how much she misses being in the garden.’

  ‘I know. That’s why I want to get it right for her. Give her something beautiful to look at, even if she can’t get out of the house.’

  ‘Make her horizon a little bigger, ‘Stella said.

  ‘Yeah, exactly. You know what? You’ve just given me an idea!’ he said.

  ‘What?’

  ‘You’ll have to wait and see. But I’m thinking that maybe there’s a way I can make her horizon bigger again. By the way, I’ve got this thought in my head I want to run by you. It’s her birthday next week. How about you and Charlie, and maybe that young fella Louis, who she pretends to hate, but really loves, come to number 72. I’ll make something for us to eat. Make a fuss of her.’

  Stella exclaimed, ‘How absolutely lovely!’ Then her face fell. It was unlikely she could go. ‘I’ll try my best to be there. But in depends on …’

  ‘On your husband?’

  She nodded and was grateful that Luca didn’t make any comment about this. She found it difficult to talk about her life, to put into words how bad things were. But then something caught her eye as they passed the community centre. A sign on their noticeboard that made her pause in her tracks. Women’s Self Defence Clinic. Training that might save your life.

  She could feel Luca’s eyes boring into her as she read it. ‘Interested?’

  ‘Maybe.’ She committed the details to her memory. ‘I’m working on taking better care of myself both mentally and physically.’

  Luca didn’t reply at first, just fell into step with her.

  Stella liked that he didn’t push or ask questions she didn’t have answers to.

  ‘I do karate, you know,’ he said finally. ‘Well, at least I used to do it, as a kid. Got to brown-belt level. I loved it. I’d walk out of the class like a boss.’

  Stella smiled at this. ‘I think everyone should learn how to protect themselves. Should they ever need to.’

  Luca looked at her and then said quickly, ‘Do you need to protect yourself from anyone in particular? Sorry. Am I overstepping the mark here …?’

  Stella shrugged. ‘No. You’re okay. It’s hard for me to talk about some things. But I’m working on that too. Let’s just say that I’ve had some experience of feeling … unprotected.’

  ‘About a year ago,’ Luca began, ‘I was attacked one night coming home from the pub. One minute I was walking along, minding my own business, the next, two guys jumped me. But I’m telling you, no doubt about it, karate saved my skin. It teaches you how to fight. Develops your reflexes so that once the shock wears off you can respond. It’s all about moving quickly and smartly. Knowing when to throw a punch, when to move away, when to run.’

  Stella stopped walking and touched his arm. ‘Would you teach me?’

  ‘Me?’ Luca asked surprised.

  ‘Yes. Even a few moves, enough to help me if I get into a tricky situation.’

  Luca looked at her and nodded once. ‘I think I could do that.’

  ‘Thank you.’ They continued walking until they reached the end of Derry Lane. ‘It would have to be while my husband is at work during the day. Would any morning suit you?’

  ‘No time like the present, how about tomorrow at 10.00?’ Luca asked.

&n
bsp; ‘I’ll pay you,’ Stella said.

  ‘No you won’t. I’m happy to help out someone who has helped my mam so much. And just in case you are worried, I’d never tell him about the lessons if I were to bump into him.’

  ‘It’s best he doesn’t know about my friendship with your mam, Charlie, or you,’ Stella admitted.

  ‘He won’t hear it from me. You have my word. But secrets have a way of being found out. Be careful, okay?’

  Chapter 33

  STELLA

  ‘So, you’re telling me that you managed to knock luscious Luca to the ground? You, against his, what, six-foot frame?’ Charlie asked.

  ‘Yes.’ Stella was proud of herself. She’d been learning some basic self-defence moves from Luca all week. An hour each morning in Rea’s back garden. Rea would sit at the door and throw in the odd instruction or laugh when Stella found herself in a heap on the grass.

  ‘Well colour me impressed,’ he said.

  ‘No matter your size or strength, it’s possible to defeat a bigger partner,’ Stella said, repeating the line Luca had given her.

  ‘It’s certainly putting a glow in your cheeks,’ Charlie said with a wink, as he smoothed some serum onto her hair. ‘You look beautiful.’

  ‘Thanks, Charlie. It’s fun. You know I go to the gym a couple of times a week, but the minutes there feel like hours, especially on the treadmill. Learning some basic karate moves with Luca passes by in a flash. I already feel more empowered.’

  ‘That’s great, kid,’ Charlie replied. ‘Anything that helps keep you safe in a real-world violent scenario gets my vote. How are things at home?’

  ‘Still the same. He’s playing the good-husband card, on the surface, anyhow. But I don’t know, I can sense his mood changing. He’s itching for a fight. Took all of my will power not to take him up on it yesterday.’

  ‘What happened?’

  ‘He threw out every single thing in the fridge, saying that there was a smell in there. He looked at me as he emptied cartons of food in the bin, as if to say, “come on, I dare ya”.’