by Val Collins
‘I don’t want to go out with those two again.’
‘You’re right. I didn’t realise things were so tense between them.’
‘Tense?’
‘Don’t you think they seemed very on edge?’
‘I noticed Laura kept watching you while you were talking to her husband.’
‘She did?’
‘What did you expect? Did you think we wouldn’t notice you chatting him up?’
Aoife groaned inwardly. ‘We were talking about Laura and how Gavin wants her to work full-time. You can’t seriously think I’d be interested in someone his age.’
‘So why did Laura never take her eyes off you?’
‘Never? That’s not what I saw. She seemed completely engrossed in your conversation. I bet she enjoyed talking to a young, good-looking guy for a change. Maybe I’m the one who should be jealous.’
‘You expect me to believe that all the time you were at the bar, the only thing you talked about was Laura?’
‘Laura and money. Gavin’s worried they aren’t saving for the kids’ college fees. Do you think we should start saving for Amy’s education?’
‘She hasn’t even started school yet.’
‘I know, but the longer we save the more we’ll have. What if she’s really bright and wants to go to Oxford or Harvard or somewhere like that?’
Jason joined her on the bed. ‘If she’s expecting us to pay for Harvard, she’ll have to put off college until she’s forty. We might just about manage to save enough by then.’
‘She might want to study medicine. That takes about five years. What if we have another child and they both want to stay in college that long? Let’s start saving now. Just to be on the safe side.’
Jason leaned over and kissed her. ‘You’re crazy,’ he murmured between kisses.
Aoife tried to sit up. ‘I’m serious, Jason.’
Jason chuckled. ‘Right now we have much more immediate problems.’ He pushed her gently down on the bed. ‘Like how are we going to get the best value out of our first night in ages when we can’t be interrupted by a screaming baby?’
Maybe it wasn’t the best time to discuss saving.
*
Aoife was leaving the train station on Monday morning when she spotted Laura’s canary-yellow rain jacket by the Butlers Chocolate kiosk. Laura was holding two cups of coffee. ‘Here,’ she said, handing one to Aoife. ‘I waited for you. Let’s walk. I can’t face a packed bus this morning.’
They were passing Guinness when Laura said, ‘I’m so embarrassed, Aoife. I don’t know what you must think of us.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Gavin moaning and me shouting at him. I think it was the drink. Neither of us has been out in so long it went straight to our heads.’
‘Don’t worry about it. It was nothing.’
‘We’re going through a rough patch. We have been since the triplets were born, really. Remember I told you we had the kids by IVF?’
Aoife nodded.
‘We were both so thrilled when Cora was born, but I thought we should try immediately for another child. It took me nine years to get pregnant with Cora and I wasn’t getting any younger. I never expected to get pregnant so soon or that we’d have triplets.’ She moved to one side to let a group of teenagers pass. ‘Gavin’s never forgiven me. Financially we would have been okay with one or two, you see, and I’d still be working full-time.’
‘Didn’t Gavin have to agree? You could hardly have gone ahead without his consent.’
‘He agreed, but only after I pushed him into it. He didn’t really want a second child.’
‘Multiple births were always a risk, though. It isn’t fair to blame you when you both made the decision.’
‘That’s not the way he sees it. He thinks I pressurised him into something I knew he didn’t want. For about a year, his sole topic of conversation was how I had ruined his life. “It’s your fault we don’t have any money. It’s your fault I have to work all the time. It’s your fault I have no life.” I swear I nearly went off my head.’
‘Things are better now?’
‘I think so. Yeah, definitely. He stopped complaining a while back, but I know he still blames me for everything. He envies me being at home with the kids. He sees so little of them, he’s convinced being with them full-time is great fun. But we—’
A bus roared past, and Aoife missed the end of the sentence.
‘Sorry?’
‘I said we talked everything out when we got back from the pub.’ Laura grinned. ‘Actually, we fought all night, but over the weekend we talked about it. We agreed that “if I’m refusing to work full-time”’—she threw her eyes up to heaven—‘our only hope is that I bring in more money. So we’re going to go on as we are for a year, and then, when I have more management experience, I’m going to look for a better-paid job.’
‘I’m glad everything’s sorted.’
Laura continued talking, but Aoife wasn’t listening. Her attention was focused on a man behind them. When she had moved aside to let a pedestrian pass, she had glimpsed a man in a black hoodie. As they turned off the quays into Parliament Street, the man followed. Aoife risked another glance behind. The man was too tall to be Robert. He was gaining on them. She listened as his footsteps came closer. He wouldn’t attack her while she was with Laura. Would he? Aoife’s heart pounded and she could feel a lump in her chest. Why was this happening to her? A few feet from the office, she decided that was it. She’d had enough.
*
Aoife swung around. Face beetroot with anger she shouted, ‘Why are you following me?’
The young man frowned. ‘Are you talking to me?’
‘I asked you why are you following me?’
‘I’m not.’
‘Don’t lie. You have been following me for the last twenty minutes.’
‘I’m going to work. I come this way every morning.’
‘I know you were following me and I’m not putting up with it any longer. If you come near me again, I’m calling the police.’
The young man raised an eyebrow. ‘You shouldn’t leave the house without taking your medication.’
He strode off.
Laura was staring at her. ‘What was that about?’
‘That guy’s been following me for weeks. You saw him. If he comes near me again, I’m going to the police and I want you to be my witness.’
‘Aoife, he works in the Spar. Haven’t you seen him around? He comes this way most mornings. I don’t think he was following you.’
‘He wasn’t?’
‘Why did you think he was?’
Aoife explained about her stalker.
‘You should have told me. I’ll talk to Gavin. He’ll know what to do.’
ELEVEN
Aoife stared at her computer screen.
Joe was out sick, Laura was in her office and she and Rachel were alone. The atmosphere had been tense since Laura had let it slip she and Aoife had been to the pub together. Rachel had already complained twice that Aoife received preferential treatment, but “that wasn’t surprising under the circumstances”. Laura found it amusing, but it really bothered Aoife. She hated tension. All her attempts at conversation were greeted with “yes”, “no” or shrugs. After lunch Aoife tried again.
‘I hope Joe’s better soon.’
‘Mmm.’
‘Do you have any holiday plans?’
‘No.’
‘Are you going abroad?’
Rachel shrugged.
‘I haven’t been abroad since before Amy was born. I don’t imagine I’ll get another chance until she’s at least ten. You’re lucky to be able to head off any time you like.’
There was a moment’s silence, then Rachel burst out, ‘Any time I have money, you mean. I don’t know how Joe does it. He earns the same as me, but he was in Venice a few weeks ago, and in October he went to this fabulous hotel in Sorrento. Anne showed me the photos. It looked like a converted palace, right
on the edge of a cliff. It must have cost a fortune.’
‘Anne must be making a packet.’
‘Not likely. It’s her first job and she works for a call centre. They hardly pay much.’
‘I’ll have to ask Joe for lessons in money management. I have to scrimp for weeks just to afford a haircut.’
‘Well, I’m not quite as bad as that, but I work full-time and I don’t have kids.’
‘I envy you your freedom. I wouldn’t swap Jason and Amy for anything, but Laura and I are old married ladies, and Joe has a mortgage and a partner to worry about. You’re the only one of us who can do what you like.’
Rachel smiled. ‘Yes, well, Chris and I have a great time, but I can’t see us living together. I don’t think he’s the settling down type.’
‘Does that bother you?’
‘Not really. He’s planning to give up his job next year and travel the world. If I go with him, we might last, but I’m not sure I want to.’
Laura stumbled into the office, her eyes barely visible over the pile of paperwork she carried. She plonked it down on Aoife’s desk. ‘I don’t think Delia ever filed anything. Every drawer in her office was jammed with paperwork. I thought we’d found everything, but I just came across this lot at the back of a cupboard. See what you can do with it. I’ll be back in an hour.’ She laughed at Aoife’s expression. ‘Don’t look like that. The rest of us cleared out the office before you joined. It’s your turn now.’
‘I don’t mind.’ Aoife hated filing, and two hours later it was obvious this was going to be a major undertaking. When Laura returned, Aoife followed her into her office.
‘What do I do with this?’ she asked, holding up a small tape.
‘That’s the Dictaphone typing test we use for Dan’s PA. I wondered where it had gone. Dan insists his secretary must have perfect Dictaphone skills, then he writes everything out in longhand. Hold on to it. I’ve heard Monica’s doing interviews. We may need it soon.’
‘I also found this. Is it Delia’s handwriting?’ She handed Laura a note which said, “Performance? Dishonesty? Theft? A1? Act Now?”
‘Yes. A1 must be A1 Software. Act Now are a new charity.’
‘Are they dishonest?’
‘Both of them? Mind you, nothing would surprise me about A1. They had to tender for our computer services and there was huge competition.’ Laura lowered her voice. ‘I’m pretty sure they paid for Delia’s trip to Florida. They delivered an envelope here the day before she left, and later I saw plane tickets sticking out of what looked like the same envelope. I doubt they won the tender on merit.’
‘If Delia accepted the holiday, she’d have to ignore their dishonesty. Couldn’t she be fired if anyone found out what she did?’
‘In theory. Dan would be annoyed if she took freebies without telling him, but as long as he got his share he wouldn’t do anything about it.’
‘Should I shred this?’
‘I’ll hang on to it. It’s probably nothing. Don’t mention it to anyone. We don’t need rumours circulating that we don’t trust our clients.’
*
Every week, Dan insisted on an update on the progress of the new IT system and screamed at Laura if he felt it wasn’t progressing fast enough. Aoife was only responsible for the HR section but she was determined to complete it to the agreed timelines. This occasionally necessitated working around A1 Software’s schedule. She was going home at lunchtime when she discovered she had come out without her wallet. The Irish Rail staff in Kildare usually opened the barriers for their regulars, so Aoife hadn’t realised she didn’t have a train ticket. It wasn’t too difficult getting through the barriers in Heuston without being seen. She often did it when she was too lazy to take her ticket out, but it was one thing to do that when she could produce a ticket if challenged. Without one she could end up in court. Jason worked in Kildare Street, so Aoife popped into his office and asked the receptionist if she could speak to her husband.
Ten minutes later, a tall blond man entered the lobby.
‘Aoife? I’m Niall. I work with Jason. We’re scouring the building but we haven’t found him yet. I volunteered to keep you company while you wait.’ He sat opposite her and grinned, displaying a set of teeth that would have done justice to any toothpaste commercial. ‘Finally, I can put a name to the face. Jason talks about you all the time. I told him he should bring you in to meet us, but he said you’re run off your feet.’
‘The baby keeps me pretty busy. It’s nice to see where my husband spends most of his time, though. Do you all work as hard?’
‘This place is a madhouse. You wouldn’t believe my workload, and it’s worse for Jason with all the time he had to take off when you were pregnant.’
‘He came to four of my antenatal classes, but they were only half days.’
‘I meant all the time he had to take off just before the birth. The mornings you were so sick he had to come in la—’
Jason rushed into the lobby. ‘Aoife? What’s wrong?’
‘I’m sorry. I came out without my wallet, and I don’t have my train ticket or any money. I’m going to have to buy a one-way ticket home.’
‘Oh, right. I thought something was wrong with Amy. My wallet’s upstairs. I’ll be back in a minute.’ He headed for the lift, then looked back at Niall.
‘Niall? Aren’t you coming?’
‘I’ll keep Aoife company until you get back.’ He winked at Aoife. ‘Any excuse to skive off.’
Jason hesitated. ‘Actually, you’d better come with me, Aoife. I don’t have time to come all the way down again.’
Niall pulled such a sad face Aoife laughed out loud, stopping abruptly when Jason glared at her.
‘No rest for the wicked,’ Niall said, following them into the lift.
*
Aoife wasn’t worried by Niall’s revelations. Jason loved her, she was certain of that, but she was puzzled.
‘Jason,’ she said that evening as they were lounging in the armchair watching TV, ‘why did you take time off work before I had Amy?’
She felt Jason tense and twisted in the chair to look at him.
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Niall mentioned how busy you both were. He said you had an even greater workload because of the time you took off just before I had Amy.’
‘He must have meant the antenatal classes.’
‘That’s what I thought at first, but he said no, he meant the time you had to take off before I gave birth. Where were you?’
Jason didn’t answer. He turned his face away.
‘What’s wrong? Why can’t you tell me where you were?’
‘You’ll hate me.’
‘Don’t be silly. I could never hate you. You can tell me anything.’
‘I was following you.’
*
Aoife put her hand on Jason’s arm to leverage herself out of the chair. She stood, staring down at him. ‘You were the guy in the black hoodie? You scared me half to death. I reported you to the police.’
‘Oh my God!’
‘Yeah, well, they didn’t pay any attention. Thanks to you they think I’m a complete lunatic. And what am I going to say to Laura? And Gavin? We were going to meet tomorrow so he could take down all the details. Why the hell would you follow me?’
‘I’m so sorry, Aoife I know it was a terrible thing to do, but you wouldn’t listen to me. I said over and over that it was too dangerous to go out in your condition, but you kept leaving the house. I was petrified you’d go into labour in a laneway or something, so whenever I could get the time off, I followed you.’
‘Jason!’
‘I know. I was stupid. It was the stress of being a father for the first time. All of a sudden I was responsible for two people and it completely freaked me out. I think I lost it for a little bit.’
‘You didn’t follow me after Amy was born? You weren’t the guy in Stephen’s Green or by the canal?’
‘What guy?’
&
nbsp; ‘Nothing. The police must have been right. You scared me so much I thought half the men in Ireland were following me.’ Aoife pulled up a footstool and sat facing Jason. ‘Sweetheart, I know what it’s like to be scared. I used to be terrified all the time. Every morning you left the house, I thought of my parents and I wondered if today was the day I’d lose you.’
Jason held out his arms, ‘Aoife—’
‘Please, Jason, listen. We’re both nervous wrecks, me because of my parents and you because of your father, but we have to start acting like normal people.’ She took both of his hands in hers. ‘I want Amy to grow up confident and happy, and that’s not going to happen if her parents are acting like disaster’s about to strike any minute.’
‘You’re right.’
‘So in future, we only phone each other once a day unless we have something specific to say, agreed?’
Jason nodded.
‘And you’ll never follow me again?’
‘Word of honour.’
Aoife got up to sit on the couch, but Jason grabbed her wrists and pulled her towards him. As she fell into his lap, he kicked the footstool away and wrapped his arms so tightly around her waist she gasped.
‘I promise you,’ he whispered in her ear. ‘I’ll be the perfect, sane husband from now on.’
TWELVE
Now that Jason was in an apologetic mood, Aoife seized the opportunity to raise the subject of Amy’s education. Under normal circumstances, Jason could be quite touchy and interpreted any questions about finance as an attack on his ability to provide for his family.
‘Jason, about Amy’s schooling—’
‘I’ve been thinking about that. You’re right. It’s time we started saving for her college fees. I called to the bank this morning, and we could set up a separate account that couldn’t be touched for any other reason. That way we wouldn’t be tempted to borrow from it when times get tough.’
‘How much should we save?’
‘The bank manager said as you only work two days a week, we should put your entire salary into the account.’
‘Everything? What would I live on?’
‘I’ll get you a bank card for my account.’
‘Can we really afford to save that much? I was thinking of a hundred euros a month to start with, and we can increase it as she gets older.’