“If my parents didn’t beat them to it,” Gabriel whispered beside me. He was looking deeply annoyed and was rubbing my arm. Frankie and Owen had also joined us now, both looking upset and obviously not knowing what to say.
“The next time that I have the bright idea of coming to Donegal for a break, can you please shoot me or at least talk me out of it until the notion has passed?” I whispered to Frankie.
“Turn around and go straight back to where you came from!” Luke shouted. “You are not wanted or needed here. We’ve had to learn to survive without parents. You know, I have actually been known to tell people that my parents are dead, because it’s easier to say that than have to admit to both other people and myself that I’m not wanted, was never wanted and was always treated like some nuisance whose only purpose in later life was to become a walking piggy-bank when you messed up and got yourselves in trouble yet again!”
“You ungrateful shit!” Beverley declared before turning to her husband who was wobbling on the spot like a spinning top. “We should have known that this would happen. That boy always was too sensitive for his own good.”
“A big sissy,” his father agreed.
I had heard all I was prepared to listen to. “How dare you come here full of drunken self-righteous shite and declare yourselves to be somehow hard done by?” I shouted. “He has done nothing but love you all down the years even though it pains him to even hear mention of your names. Have you no conscience? Do you not realise the damage that you’ve done? Thank God Luke is the man he is. He’s kind and loving and hardworking and must have been switched at birth as he’s certainly not like either of you which is a bloody miracle that we should all be grateful for.”
“Oh well, aren’t you just a match made in heaven?” Beverley said nastily. “You’re welcome to each other. I don’t have to listen to this.”
“You’re right. You don’t,” Luke said in a calmer tone. “Please do everybody a favour and feck off, and don’t worry, your invitation won’t be getting lost in the post, you’ll simply not be getting one. My family will be with me and they’re all I need.” Luke waved his arms to indicate Mandy, Frankie, Owen, Gabriel and me and gave his parents a menacing stare.
“That’s very nice, Luke,” his mother said in an annoying nasal voice, “but here’s the thing. We wanted to surprise you. We told Mandy that we had a special wedding gift for you and we came here to give it to you tonight.”
“I do not want or need a single thing from either of you,” Luke said, turning to look at me. “I have everything I need right here.”
“Well, that’s a shame because we came to tell you that we’re home for good. We thought you’d be pleased and that it would be a nice surprise for you both. We decided that Spain just wasn’t for us and that we’d like to come home and spend some time with our family.”
“What do you mean you’re ‘home for good’?” Luke asked in a high-pitched squeak.
“We wanted to spend some time with our children.”
“Bullshit!” Luke shouted. “What’s the real reason you’ve come home and if you don’t answer me I’ll ring the Spanish authorities and find out myself.”
They both looked panic-stricken.
“Let’s hear it.”
“Your father got into a bit of trouble recently. He owes a bit of money to a loan shark who wasn’t keen on giving him any more time to pay up so we had no choice. We had to go.”
“So you just thought that you’d come here and pass your problems on to us.”
“We mistakenly thought that we could rely on our own children for help but obviously you’d rather that we went back and got murdered in the night.”
“Chance would be a fine thing,” I muttered.
“So let me get this straight,” Luke said again with a look of pure disbelief on his face. “You’re home for good.”
“Yes. We’ve sold everything, packed all our worldly goods into a suitcase and now we’re back to stay. How many bedrooms did you say you had?”
Chapter 48
My feet seemed to have welded themselves to the ground and Luke appeared to be in a trance as none of his facial muscles had moved in the last five minutes. Everyone else seemed just as shocked. Beverley and Fred were still standing in the same position and still looked as if they thought the whole world owed them a favour.
“We only have a small house. There’s barely enough room for Luke and me, never mind anyone else,” I stammered.
“That’s funny,” Beverley said. “I swear I can remember Luke talking to me about it in one of our phone calls and I’m sure he described it as having three bedrooms and an attic conversion. Sounds to me like you’ve more room than you need.”
“Let me put it to you both in as kind and gentle a way as possible,” I snapped. “If we lived in Buckingham Palace with forty-four bedrooms at our disposal and four separate wings which would stop us from ever bumping into each other, the answer would still be ‘no’. Take the hint. We don’t like freeloaders. Perhaps you should have thought about treating your son and daughter a little better in the past if you were so keen to have it reciprocated in the future.”
“That’s fine. We’ll go to a hotel then,” Beverley said. “Unfortunately as our financial affairs aren’t in order yet we may have to borrow some money from you, Luke, as I’m sure you wouldn’t like to see your parents stranded on the street.”
“Anybody got a cardboard box handy?” I enquired loudly before Luke shouldered me into a corner and took a deep breath.
“Maybe we could put them up just for a few nights, Ruby. Just until they get themselves sorted.”
“Out of the feckin question. Absolutely not. No way,” I responded, putting my hand over his mouth before he could say another word.
“You’re doing what you always do. You give off stink about them, refuse to talk about them and recoil every time they phone wanting something but you still help them. They’ve hurt you so much. You just told them in no uncertain terms how badly you feel so why help them now? If your parents got in through our front door they’d take root there and never leave, and believe me that would not be grounds for a good start to married life. Can you imagine us all sitting around the breakfast table in the morning? Your daddy with his quarter bottle of vodka and your mother in her see-through negligee? I think not.” (Even the thought of it conjured up images that would need to be talked about in a therapy session. Not that I needed one, you understand.)
“Ruby, your mother was forced to give you up at six weeks old because of her behaviour yet you’re desperate to meet her. I’ve known my parents all my life and I know that they are awful people but they’re still my parents.”
“Don’t you compare my situation to yours,” I said in a warning tone. “They’re totally different.”
“Are they?” he said wearily. “Are they really?” He sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair before jingling his car keys and patting his pocket in search of his wallet. “I spied a B&B down the road when we arrived. I’ll go and see if they have any vacancies.”
“Why are you doing this?” I demanded.
“Because I want to get rid of them right now. I’ll arrange for them to stay in a B&B for a few days and after that they’re on their own.”
I watched Luke as he pointed to the car and coldly asked his parents to get their stuff, before slamming the doors once they were in and sending gravel flying as he screeched away.
“Okay, people, show’s over,” I said as a crowd continued to hang around gawping at us.
“Why don’t you come back with us,” I said to Mandy who was staring at the ground with a faraway expression on her face. “You can stay at Mammy’s with us tonight. Come on in and I’ll get you a drink. You look like you need one.”
“I’ll follow you in,” she said. “I’d just like to be on my own for five minutes if that’s okay.”
Gabriel and Frankie hung back to make sure I was all right.
“Are you okay?” Fr
ankie enquired.
“Yes, I’m fine. Luke’s not though.”
“I thought only I had problems,” Gabriel volunteered helpfully. “Perhaps I’ve been looking at it all wrong. Maybe it’s better, if you break contact, that it stays broken. I might just be the lucky one after all.”
“How could they do this to them both and why now?” I asked. “Ever since I’ve known Luke he’s been hurt by the fact that his parents have never been around and now that they’re here we have more problems than ever.”
“My point exactly,” Gabriel said chirpily.
“Gabriel, do me a favour and go and feck yourself, will you?”
“Sorry. I don’t mean to offend but that experience has just put things into perspective for me. I lost my mum and dad when I chose to leave and, if I was to land at their door tonight, I have no doubt that I probably would end up on my back in the driveway whilst the old cronies down the road gathered a pitchfork-wielding mob. But you know something, it doesn’t bother me because at least this way I get to be me and I’m happy. Why go looking for something that might only bring you trouble in the long run. Just be happy with what you have, that’s going to be my motto from now on.”
Gabriel waved at Darryl who was waiting for him at the door and left us with a nod.
“He has a point you know, Ruby,” said Frankie. “People should be content with what they have and not invite trouble upon themselves, when for all they know it could lead to all sorts of heartache. In this day and age you’re lucky if you have a loving family around you at all and, if you have, then be happy and count yourself privileged.”
“I know exactly what you’re saying, Frankie, but look at it from another angle. Sure, you’re happy and everything’s going well, but what if there was something else out there that could prove to be life-changing for you in a positive way? And possibly not only you but somebody else as well? But you continue just languidly trudging on, happy to be content, and too scared to find out more.”
Frankie put her arm around me and placed her head on my shoulder. “You do whatever you feel is right, Rubes.”
“I will, but for now I don’t think we should be talking about me. I think I should be concentrating on trying to make Luke feel better because at this point in time he’s guaranteed to be feeling like a villain even though he’s anything but. Did I mention how much pleasure it would give me to kill his parents?”
On walking back into the gallery I immediately sought out Caitlin who was looking rather tense, to say the least.
“Caitlin, I’m so sorry about the disturbance. Luke will be back shortly. I’ve had a wonderful evening and so has everyone else. I hope that you won’t allow that fiasco to take away from the occasion.”
“I’m trying not to but it’s quite difficult as you can imagine,” she said in a clipped tone. “I wanted this evening to be remembered for the fact that so many people came out to support me and appreciate my art. I didn’t want it associated with a squalling match outside which is exactly what that was.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said, hugely embarrassed. “Luke will explain.” There wasn’t much more I could say so I left her and went to join the others.
“I’m going to do Caitlin’s photographs for free as an apology,” Luke explained breathlessly as he rejoined our group some time later. “I think that under the circumstances it’s the least I can do.”
“You weren’t long,” I said. “I take it there was a room.”
“Yep,” Luke said sullenly. “I dumped their bags out in front of the house, paid for the rooms and left.”
I knew that he was trying to be strong about it but that inside he was bound to be a trembling mess.
“Are you going to see them again?”
“I don’t know and right now I don’t care,” he said as he left my side to go and be with his sister who had just appeared from outside with red-rimmed eyes and a worried frown on her face.
“I don’t suppose you know where my mother is?” I called after him.
“The last time I saw her she was sitting down in the foyer talking to a man in a suit,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.
“Oh right,” I said, thinking nothing of it until I rounded the corner and saw Mammy deep in conversation with none other than Judith McQueen and her suit-attired friend who were grinning from ear to ear and looking very pleased with themselves indeed.
Chapter 49
“Well, isn’t this cosy?” I commented, making Mammy jump and her two companions lose their grins. “So what are we talking about then?”
“Oh nothing at all,” Mammy answered, looking at her hands and picking her nails. (And subconsciously giving out “I’m doing something I shouldn’t be doing” vibes.)
Judith was looking smarmy which wasn’t unusual and her friend looked like a cat that had just been dunked in a bowl of cream.
“I see. Shall we be making tracks then, Mammy?”
“Of course we will. I just have to say goodnight to Judith and Mr Humphries here.”
I stood and looked from one to the other but nobody moved. Instead they all looked expectantly at me.
“Well, goodnight then,” I said. “A pleasure as always to be in your company.” (If I had Pinocchio’s nose it would have extended dramatically.) I yawned and looked at my watch.
“I’ll be with you in a minute, darling,” said Mammy. “Why don’t you wait in the car?”
“Nah,” I said, linking arms with her and peering closely at Judith whose smarm was starting to wilt. “I’d rather wait here until you’re ready to leave.”
“Ruby, please. Just for one second and then I’ll be straight out.”
Mammy squeezed my arm and looked appealingly at me. Reluctantly I let go of her and started to walk backwards out the door, keeping my eye firmly on Judith and hoping that she could read body language as right now my every pore was shrieking ‘Feck off and leave my poor wee Mammy alone!’
I decided that as I had a bit of time to kill I would go and view Sarah Larkin’s paintings one last time. Her work was mesmerising and she had me well and truly hooked. I absorbed every line and curve and examined the definition and contrast in every stroke and again felt that I could have stayed there forever, quite happily imagining myself in any one of the depicted scenes.
“I told you that this is where she would be,” Luke said as he and Frankie noisily bustled into the room and broke the spell.
“Have you been in here?” I asked Frankie, noting that she was staring at everything as if for the first time.
“Yeah, I wandered in earlier but didn’t really get a proper look. These are quite good, aren’t they?”
“Quite good? Quite good?” I repeated incredulously. “They are totally amazing. If I had as much talent as this girl I wouldn’t still be stuck here. I’d be away to Paris or America or somewhere in Italy where I’d be making the European artists shake in their Continental boots.”
Frankie nodded in agreement and then smirked at me the way she always did.
“Is my mother still talking to our lovely friend?” I asked Luke.
“Judith? Yes, she is.”
“I don’t like it. She’s up to something,” I announced. “And Mammy’s in cahoots with her. I didn’t want to leave her alone with them but Mammy insisted so they were obviously discussing something they knew I wouldn’t like.”
“Your mother isn’t stupid, Ruby,” Luke sighed. “She’ll do what’s best for everybody. She’s a big girl and quite capable of making her own decisions, you know.”
The last bit of the sentence was said with much head-shaking and eye-rolling which served only to annoy me and make me even more nervous. I didn’t want Mammy having to make any decisions about anything. The cottage was her home, she was happy there and she had the right to be left in peace without a gobby psychopath like Judith McQueen sticking her oar in at every opportunity.
“How are you feeling now?” I asked Luke as we made our way back out to the main foyer area.
>
“Top of the world and then some.”
“Luke, I’m really sorry about everything that has happened. I wouldn’t have wished it for you. What are we going to do about your parents? It’s one thing ignoring them and pretending that they don’t exist when they’re in Spain, but now that they’re right under our noses we’ll have to decide what to do.”
“Do you believe this story about them owing money to a loan shark or do you think there could be other reasons why they’ve come back?”
They were his parents – I didn’t know why he was asking me. But I tried to be helpful. “Drug-smuggling, jay-walking, numerous convictions for being drunk and disorderly, having the Spanish mafia after you?” I suggested.
As we approached the door I could see Mammy standing outside with a look of determination on her face. Judith McQueen and her cohort were directly in front of her and they had all just shaken hands.
Chapter 50
“I will not calm down,” I said, shaking with uncontrollable rage. “How the hell could you do this, Mammy? Aunt Kate will be doing wheelies in her grave.”
“She would only have wanted me to do what made me happy, Ruby.”
I snorted, banged the cup I was holding on the draining-board, and sat down heavily on a chair at the kitchen table. For once I was totally stuck for words.
“Ruby, stop being difficult. I’ve made my mind up and that’s that. I’m signing the agreement tomorrow and then I’ll have up to three months to look for somewhere else to live. Judith said I could take as much time as I needed.”
“Oh, how very thoughtful of her, I’m sure,” I drawled. “Aunt Kate must have worked damn hard for her boss to turn around and make such a grand gesture as to give her this cottage. It’s totally unique, one of a kind, not another one like it anywhere in the country, and you’ve just given it away like it’s of no importance at all.”
Anyone for Me? Page 27