by Melissa Hill
She turned to look at Ben. “No matter what you might think, that of course you’d protect the child and make sure that nothing ever happened, you’d always feel as though you’re sitting on a time-bomb. Someone said that to me once and I thought it was the most appropriate description I’d ever heard. It changes your routine, your relationships – your whole life.”
“Robin, I’m not being funny, but surely parents of so-called ‘normal’ children could say the same thing? Children will change your life, no matter what. There’s always the chance that they could run out in front of a speeding car, or pull a boiling saucepan down on top of themselves or …” He trailed off, exasperated. “I think you’re imagining the worst-case scenario here, and after what you’ve been through yourself as a child, I can completely understand that. Still, I don’t think you should deny yourself or me the chance to become parents simply because you think it will be hard work. It’s hard work anyway. And look, there’s always that chance that a child of yours might not inherit the condition, isn’t there?” Ben caught her hand, and looked her in the eye. “Isn’t there?”
Robin sighed deeply before looking right back at him. “For me,” she said, “that small percentage is way too much of a chance to take.”
15
A few days later, Leah was sitting in her workshop going through a supplier catalogue when the phone rang.
“Hey,” Andrew’s cheerful tones came on the other end, “how’s the head?”
“Oh, you’re a bad influence on me, Andrew Clarke!”she exclaimed, recalling their recent heavy night’s drinking. “Josh is barely talking to me – still!”
“I’m surprised he’s still with you, considering. Anyway, I was in the same boat – Amanda was livid that I stayed out so late.”
“What time was it?”
“It must have been four or five by the time I got in. I can’t believe they stayed serving that long.”
“Well, why wouldn’t they, when you put your gold card behind the bar and kept buying rounds for everyone?”
“Ah feck it, don’t tell me I was in flash-git mode that night, was I? That was your fault for making me out to be some hotshot businessman.”
“But you are,” Leah teased him, knowing Andrew did tend to lay it on thick but only when he was drunk. Anyway, why not? He was a successful businessman so why shouldn’t he show off a little?
“Give it up. Look, I can’t talk long but I’m meeting with the accountant soon about what we talked about that night. Can you give me some sort of idea of how much you need?”
“What?” Leah’s heart stopped. “Andrew, I was only joking – please don’t think that I was begging or anything …” She trailed off, mortified.
“What are you on about, you eejit? Wasn’t it my idea in the first place? Anyway, I made some enquiries about a premises this morning and –”
“What?” Leah squealed. “A premises – what for?”
“For the shop, of course. Leah, I know we had a few that night, but don’t tell me you’ve forgotten the entire conversation!”
“But I thought it was just a joke, I didn’t seriously expect you to –”
“Look, you have the basis of a very good business there, but in order to go further you need to expand. You said yourself that your stuff would fly out the door if you had a retail premises. Well, that’s what we’re going to do.”
“Andrew, I just couldn’t take –”
“You’re not taking anything from me – I expect a good return on my investment. I know a good business when I see it, Leah, and I trust you to make a go of it. Despite the fact that you lot think I’m just a jammy sod who got lucky a few years ago, I do know what I’m talking about. Anyway, you’re a good friend and I’d rather put my faith in you than some fresh-faced business graduate that doesn’t have a clue about the real world. You’ve been working in this kind of business for a while, you know what it takes. And if you’re willing to take me on as a business partner, a silent partner, mind – I don’t want to stand on your toes – then I think we can make a real go of this.”
Leah was speechless.
“Well, are you going to get me some figures or what?” Andrew went on.
“I’m just … I’m just amazed at all of this. What’ll Amanda think?”
“Leah, I’ve invested in a couple of ventures over the years – you’re not the first one.”
“Oh, I know that – I didn’t mean …” It was weird – all of a sudden Leah felt as though she was taking to her boss, not her mad old college friend Andrew, Andrew who could drink her under the table and who used to let her cry on his shoulder whenever her latest squeeze dumped her.
“No,” as if sensing her thoughts, Andrew spoke softly, “what I mean is, that I make the business decisions. Nine times out of ten Amanda doesn’t know what I do with my money and, to be honest, she doesn’t want to know. As long as there’s enough in the joint account or on the credit card to keep her stocked with clothes and shoes, that’s all she cares about.”
“Andrew – are you absolutely sure?” Leah was feeling a curious mixture of fear and adrenaline. With Andrew on board there was no telling what she could do. She could take on staff, and spend more time on her chocolate recipes without having to worry about accounts and suppliers. And an outlet – an actual store – wow, imagine how things could go then? Anything could happen!
“Of course I’m sure. Look, I know it was a drunken conversation, so I can understand that you find it a little weird but, Leah, I promise you, once I put up the money, there’ll be no interference from me. It’s still your baby and I trust you completely. If you’ve any doubts in that regard, don’t, ‘cos I don’t want anything to do with it – unless you’d prefer that I did, in which case I’d have to withdraw the offer as I just don’t have the time – ”
“No, no – that would be perfect! I mean, that’s exactly how I’d prefer it too. I’m just finding it so hard to get my head around it but, wow, I haven’t even said thank you. Andrew, thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“You’re welcome. Now, do you think you could stop thanking me for a second and get your ass down to Blackrock and have a look at this premises I have in mind?”
“Blackrock? You don’t mean Blackrock, Dublin, do you?” Leah knew that in that trendy upmarket village, her produce would literally run out the door.
“No, I mean Blackrock, feckin’ Cavan, where else? Anyway, I’m meeting with the estate agent about another place at two, and then I was hoping we could pop out there for a look – what do you think?”
“What do I think?” Leah repeated, exhilarated. “I’ll be there!”
16
“Seems a bit sudden, doesn’t it?” was Josh’s response when later on that evening Leah told him the good news. “I mean, you haven’t seen this guy since his wedding, and then all of a sudden he wants to make a huge investment in your business?”
“But he’s an old friend,” Leah said, her spirits dampened slightly at his less than enthusiastic reaction. “We’ve both been very busy with our own lives, you know how it is, but we’ve always been close and if Andrew Clarke has enough faith in my talent to invest his money there, well, I think I have a right to be pleased about it.” She knew she was sounding petulant but she didn’t care. Sometimes, Josh got a little bit funny about Leah’s work, probably because he had always worked for his father, who ran a popular chain of DIY stores. Josh hated working there and was always looking for any excuse to get out of it, yet the pay was good and the hours were flexible and, having done nothing more than an Arts degree in college, he wasn’t qualified to do much else.
“So what’s he planning?”
“He isn’t planning anything, Josh, it’s entirely up to me. But we went out this afternoon to have a look at the premises he had in mind for the shop and oh, it’s just perfect! Blackrock, can you believe it?”
Kate certainly couldn’t when earlier over the phone Leah had told her about Andrew’s offer. “Blackrock is
just perfect, Leah, such a busy little area, and upmarket too, just perfect for Elysium! And,” she added, with a laugh, “it passed the cappuccino test a long time ago!” Kate was a huge fan of property tv shows, which often advocated that a good indicator a particular area was on the up-and-up was the prevalence of coffee and cappuccino bars springing up here and there.
Leah knew well that Blackrock wasn’t on the up-and-up, but indeed was one of the most desirable places to live on Dublin’s Southside. The affluent and discerning inhabitants of the village and surrounding areas would be the ideal clientele for her. It would be a terrific start and she couldn’t contain her excitement at the prospect.
“So what happens now?” Josh asked her. “Are you going to go for this place or what?”
“Well, Andrew is hammering things out with the estate agent about the lease, but based on the figures we went through this afternoon, we should be well able to manage things. I’ll need to take another look at my range, see how I’m going to manage fridge displays and all that, so I’m going to take a pop into town tomorrow to check out some of what will soon be my competitors!” She hugged Josh delightedly. “Can you imagine me, with my very own store? Honestly, Josh, I knew I was doing OK with supplying trade, but retail will just take the business to a completely different level!”
“I know it will love, congratulations,” Josh returned her hug, but decidedly half-heartedly.
Leah hugged him even harder, trying to get her enthusiasm to rub off him a little. She knew it was hard for him knowing that she would be working a lot more than usual to get the shop set up, but the way Andrew was driving forward, it shouldn’t take much longer than a few weeks before they were open for business. Yes, she would have to work like a demon between now and then to satisfy existing suppliers and come up with new stock for the outlet, but at least things were moving forward. If Leah had her way, the business would get to the stage where maybe Josh wouldn’t need to work with his dad any more, and she would be able to support both of them – well, not she – she knew Josh wouldn’t like the sound of that – but the business certainly would. Her margins were terrific as it was, and once she started selling direct to the public there would be no stopping her. Yes, she would have to sacrifice a lot of her home and social life to get there, but wasn’t that what all business people had to do to be successful? Then when everything had settled down and the business was more or less running itself, she and Josh could slow down and take things easy, maybe go on a nice holiday to the Caribbean or go and visit Robin in New York or something. Josh would get used to it – it might be weird at first but he would get used to it. He’d have to, wouldn’t he?
“September,” Leah decided then, her eyes shining at the thoughts of it. “I’m determined to have the very first Elysium chocolate boutique up and running by my thirtieth birthday.”
17
It was the night of Amanda’s famous Mums-to-Be Party and Leah was just about ready to climb the walls. The fact that Andrew was now investing in Elysium meant that she had to speedily rethink her decision not to attend, as it would be appear very rude not to. Thankfully Olivia had come along to give her some moral support. Which at that moment in time Leah badly needed. She wondered again what someone like her was doing in a place like this.
Amanda seemed to have invited all her new-mummy friends, and if Leah didn’t know better she could have sworn that the girl had also raided the nearest maternity ward, there were so many heavily pregnant women in attendance. She was trying her level best to ignore the sight of them sitting on the sofa, gazing at and lovingly rubbing their expanding bellies. The room had been decorated with baby balloons, and Mother & Baby and Your Pregnancy magazines were strewn all over the coffee table. Although there wasn’t a child in sight, Leah could almost smell the baby powder.
As usual, Amanda had gone way over the top, but judging by her apparent glee at falling pregnant in the first place, this wasn’t surprising. Leah recalled the strange phone call she’d received from the girl a few weeks earlier. She and Amanda weren’t close so to say it was a surprise to hear from her was a complete understatement.
“Leah – hi, I’m so glad I got you at home!” she shrieked.
“Why, what’s wrong?” Leah hadn’t been able to tell by her high-pitched tone whether the girl was excited or upset. And, with Amanda, it was always hard to tell.
“Well, I have some amazing news!”
“Oh?” Leah waited for the impending announcement that Brown Thomas had had a last-minute ‘day only’ sale and that Amanda had secured an impossibly gorgeous Jill Sander dress for some one of her fancy dinner parties, or something similar.
But she was wrong
“I’m pregnant!” Amanda announced breathlessly. “Now, I know what you’re thinking – and it is a bit of a surprise, seeing as me and Andrew have only been trying for a few months or so – but still, it’s happened!”
Leah gulped, images of Amanda and Andrew ‘trying’ coming unbidden into her mind. Ugh, what a horrible expression – why couldn’t people say something less graphic like ‘hoping to have a baby’ or something? “Oh,” she said, then quickly added, “it’s fantastic news – congratulations.” Inwardly, though, she couldn’t help feeling slightly deflated.
Not another one.
“Thanks, Leah! Imagine me – pregnant! It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? I can hardly get used to it myself, especially when I’ve just found out. We’re supposed to keep it a secret and not tell anyone until the twelve weeks are up, but I just can’t wait – I’m five weeks pregnant and want to tell the world!”
“Five weeks,” Leah repeated, taken aback. That was a little early to be shouting about it.
“So, how are you feeling? Have you been sick, or anything?” she asked.
“Oh, Leah, you wouldn’t believe it.” As if to demonstrate, Amanda’s tone all of a sudden sounded like that of a frail old lady. “It’s been just awful – I’m so tired all the time and weak as a kitten. And then, each morning I’m like Mount Etna, throwing up on everything, over and over again. It’s simply dreadful.”
“You poor thing.” At this, the slight envy Leah had been feeling ended quickly. She could only imagine what morning sickness must be like.
“But, you know me – easygoing as anything. I’ll just take it all in my stride.”
Leah couldn’t help but smile. Amanda was probably one of the least easygoing people you could meet. Always quick to take offence, she would start an argument with anyone who looked at her sideways. She and Kate had always been at loggerheads throughout college, no-nonsense Kate having little time for what she described as Amanda’s pathetic childishness and Amanda more than once calling Kate “a humourless cow”.
Leah idly wondered what a heavily pregnant Kate would make of Amanda’s news.
“Well, look, Leah, I’ve tons of people to phone, but obviously I wanted to tell you personally – before word gets out.” She put it so dramatically that, despite herself, Leah had visions of shrieking newspaper headlines proclaiming Amanda’s pregnancy to the world. “So, I’d better go – I still have a whole list of people to get through!”
“No problem. Pass on my congratulations to Andrew. I take it you two will be breaking out the champagne?”
“Oh, no celebrating for me,” Amanda said, piously. “From now on, I’ll have to be very careful – no alcohol.”
“You can have a glass, surely?” Leah said surprised. At only five weeks, was a total ban on alcohol absolutely necessary?
“Oh, no,” Amanda was adamant. “Anyway, Andrew wouldn’t allow it – he’s treating me like a china doll as it is! Honestly, Leah you should see the way he looks at me, as though I’m the most fragile and precious thing in the world!”
And don’t you just love that, Leah thought, rather uncharitably. Amanda adored being the centre of attention, and of course, being pregnant meant that Andrew was undoubtedly waiting on her hand and foot. No doubt she’d milk the role of delicate mother-t
o-be to for all it was worth. Lucky old her.
“Well, tell him congrats from me, won’t you?” Leah said.
“I will. Oh, be sure to tell Josh the news, won’t you?” Amanda added.
“Of course – he’ll be delighted,” Leah said, ringing off and thinking privately that pregnancies and children were so far down her boyfriend’s agenda, it wouldn’t register with him even if Amanda was having a litter of kittens.
Now, someone with a very similar agenda to Amanda, one of her party guests in fact, was droning in Leah’s ear, the woman’s nasal tone piercing her brain. “Becoming a mother changes your life in ways you couldn’t possibly imagine.”
“Oh, it changes you completely, Grainne.” Another guest joined them, and Leah was sandwiched in between the two.
Having nothing to contribute, she silently beseeched Olivia, who was standing at the other end of the room for assistance, but in vain. Her friend was deep in conversation with someone else.
The woman who was called Grainne had strolled in earlier dressed to the nines in designer gear, accompanied by a put-upon nanny, and Leah immediately decided that, even if this woman had ever seen a nappy in her lifetime, she would almost certainly not know what to do with it.
“Don’t you find that you look at life completely differently these days?” Grainne went on.
“Absolutely,” Amanda, her blonde hair styled to perfection, drifted towards the group to join the conversation. Stuck in the middle of all this, Leah felt decidedly uncomfortable. “Sometimes I feel as though I didn’t know what life was really all about until I discovered this new one growing inside of me.” Dressed in over-the-top designer maternity wear, Amanda pushed out her non-existent tummy and bestowed a beatific smile at Leah, who smiled politely back.