The Perfect Gift

by Emma Hannigan

  ‘But if you were?’ He stared hopefully at her. It would be easier to tell him he’d be first in line, but she couldn’t do that to him. There wasn’t a hope in hell she’d date him, even if the rest of the male population had been wiped out in a chemical spill.

  ‘Colm, I don’t think we’re compatible. Having heard the stories of wild nights, drinking and trips to the Vatican, I don’t see how I’d ever fit in.’

  ‘Ah you would. I’d convince Mammy, eventually …’

  ‘No, Colm. I think we should leave it at just friends, OK?’

  ‘Ah now!’ he said slapping his leg. ‘I see what you’re at, Róisín, you little minx. You’re playing hard to get, aren’t you? I know your sort. Mammy warned me. Well, have it your way. I’ll get you again. Friends for now?’ he asked winking. ‘See you again!’

  ‘Not if I see you first,’ she muttered, wanting to box him.

  ‘All good over here?’ Keeley asked casually.

  ‘Not if hell freezes over or if pigs do indeed grow wings will I ever date Colm. So do me a favour and stop trying to push us together.’

  ‘What’s eating you?’ Keeley asked.

  ‘He’s a total dweeb, Mum. If that’s all I have to look forward to on my birthday, it’s a sorry state of affairs!’

  Liv joined her and they watched Colm lumbering away.

  ‘Bless him, he’s like a cross between Adrian Mole and an overly sympathetic social worker,’ Liv said.

  ‘He’s found his mammy now,’ Róisín said. They both tried to stifle a giggle as he stood gazing at Mrs Burke with his hands clasped and his head tilted so far to the right it was in danger of rolling across the garden like a boule.

  ‘You did well with your Martin,’ Róisín said as she linked Liv’s arm. ‘He’s such a dote and adores you and the kids.’

  ‘Do you think?’ Liv said sadly.

  ‘Hey,’ Róisín stopped and looked at her sister. ‘What’s going on?’

  ‘Ah, I’m probably imagining it, but he seems less and less bothered by the weeks he’s having to spend away.’

  ‘He’s probably trying to make the best of it,’ Róisín reasoned.

  ‘Yeah, probably,’ Liv said. As they looked around for Martin, they expected to see him swinging out of a tree with Billy or chasing Jess, but he was perched on a rock, chatting to Doug’s mate Jimmy.

  ‘Things will look up for you guys,’ Róisín said firmly. ‘Once you get your finances sorted, you’ll be back on track. You’ll see.’

  The last of the guests were saying their goodbyes and while Liv went over to talk to Jill, Róisín started on the tidying up. She knew Keeley wouldn’t be able to relax until it was done. She filled a black sack with paper waste and went through the kitchen to bring it to the garage. On her way back, Róisín spotted an A5 brown envelope propped up at the end of the kitchen counter. It was addressed to her, and the stamp was from Galway, the nearest large city. Róisín smiled to herself. It looked like it came from the convent, so it must be this year’s card.

  Every year since she was born, Róisín had received a birthday card from her birth mother. Keeley and Doug had made it very clear from the beginning that Róisín was adopted.

  ‘You are the most precious gift we could’ve received. Our hearts were crying out for a baby to love and we were blessed to get you.’

  Two years after Róisín arrived, Keeley was astonished to discover she was pregnant with Liv. Their family was complete.

  All Róisín knew about herself was that she’d come from Galway and her mother had died soon after she was born. The birthday cards arrived every year, and her parents told her the convent where they had adopted her had been instructed by her mother to send them on. It was such a thoughtful and loving gesture, it made Róisín feel very special. She would have loved to find out more, maybe even go to the convent, but even the cards brought a look of fear and hurt into Keeley’s eyes, so she had made the choice long ago to accept that her birth mother was dead and that Keeley and Doug were all the mother and father she’d ever need. There was no point hurting everyone by trying to dig up the past.

  Róisín took the brown envelope and slipped into the sitting room again.

  She could never have guessed what was inside. It wasn’t a card this time. It was a proper letter. It was dated May 1986 and began with the words: My darling, my beautiful, my daughter …

  By the time she’d finished reading, Róisín was struggling for breath. She’d no idea she was crying so loudly and she jumped when Liv came into the room and rushed to her side.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked, looking pale with worry.

  ‘I …’ Róisín handed her the letter, unable to speak through her tears. Liv read it, silently. When she came to the end, she read the last lines aloud:

  I will watch over you always and I know we will meet again some day. There is nothing more I can say except that I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you, my darling girl, my perfect gift.

  Liv looked up at her with tears welling in her eyes. ‘Oh Ro,’ she said. ‘What an incredible letter to receive. But why did this come now, instead of the usual card? I don’t understand.’

  Róisín took a shaky deep breath. ‘The writing is different. It looks as if it were written with a shaky hand. I wonder if I should ask Mum about it.’

  As she said it, the girls heard their mother calling down the hall. ‘Come when you’re finished chatting, my darlings. We’re about to open the champagne. Everyone else is gone now.’

  The sense of excitement and joy in Keeley’s voice gave Róisín her answer.

  ‘Let’s say nothing for the moment,’ Róisín said and Liv nodded.

  ‘Can you give me a minute?’ Róisín asked. ‘Do I look as if I’ve been crying?’

  ‘You look like you’ve been boxed,’ Liv said honestly. ‘Why don’t you have a shower and put on something comfy and I’ll fob the others off for a few minutes.’

  ‘Thanks Liv, you’re the best.’

  As she climbed out of the shower, Róisín’s mobile phone rang. It was Brigid, full of apologies because she needed Róisín to come and lock up.

  ‘I was so intent on getting your cake to work this morning, I left without my keys.’

  ‘No hassle. I’m on my way.’

  Róisín couldn’t face a long-winded explanation so she popped her head in the kitchen door, where Keeley had gathered the children, Liv and Martin, Doug and Jill, and told them she’d be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail, emergency at Nourriture. Then she raced out of the house and into the sanctuary of her car.

  Chapter 5

  Keeley was livid with her girls. Róisín was always in a hurry and never seemed to have time to sit and chat like most normal people. Liv could be downright rude and, although she hated to admit it, slightly selfish too.

  Take the party this afternoon, for instance. Everyone was busy in this day and age, but they’d all taken the time to come along. Róisín had made it quite obvious that she wasn’t exactly thrilled with the whole thing. Keeley had a million other things to do herself, it wasn’t easy running a B&B and being there for her two daughters as well, but she managed to do it without making people feel they were boxes she had to tick. That was important to her. Her girls were her world and she wanted to be there for them.

  It bothered her that Róisín was too busy to make time for herself, and for meeting someone new. She wasn’t going to make a fuss about her daughter’s single status, but she wasn’t getting any younger. If she wanted to have children and make a life outside of that business, she’d need to get cracking. Jill was a great girl and always had been, but she had mad ideas about what life should be, and Keeley didn’t feel the singleton path would lead Róisín to happiness. Since she was little, Róisín had loved company, was interested in people and was just so full of love.

  Keeley felt her anger melting as she thought back over her daughter’s childhood. It had been a magical time. They had tried so hard for a baby, but i
t just wasn’t happening for them. When Doug suggested adoption, she had said no at first, but as each month came and went and the pregnancy test in the drawer went unused, she decided it was worth thinking about. Once she’d set eyes on Róisín that day in 1986, that had been it: love at first sight. Of course, in the way of life, once she had relaxed and given up on all thought of children of her own, within two years of Róisín’s arrival, she found out she was pregnant. When Liv was born, they’d felt like a proper family. Keeley wanted Róisín to feel all these things one day, too.

  There was no shortage of admirers either. Colm was a wonderful guy, for example. Just because she’d been hurt by that arrogant French man, Róisín seemed to have written off the entire male sex. Keeley liked Colm. He was dependable, friendly and had a good job in an office in Galway. If he looked after his future wife the way he cared for his aging mother, he’d be nothing short of a saint.

  During the party, she had been having a great chat with Colm when Liv had burst rudely into the kitchen and asked to talk to her in private. The poor man was in such a panic to excuse himself, he’d clobbered his head on an open cupboard door.

  ‘Oh dear,’ Keeley said, ‘are you alright, Colm? Do you need an ice-pack?’

  ‘Not at all. You’re very kind, but I’m totally fine. I’ll leave you ladies to your privacy.’

  ‘Ah bless you, Colm,’ Keeley said waving to him.

  ‘Cripes, he’s some dork,’ Liv said shaking her head. ‘The fact he thinks he stands a chance with our Róisín is a joke. No wonder she ran a mile from him earlier on.’

  ‘Now, Liv, stop that horrible talk,’ Keeley said. ‘Colm is a lovely fellow and Róisín could do a lot worse.’

  ‘Yeah right,’ Liv said, chuckling. ‘So, I need to run something by you.’

  ‘Oh? What is it, love?’ she asked with a sigh. At twenty-seven, Liv was the picture of health. She could see herself in her daughter more and more as the years passed. They had the same pale chestnut curls and deep brown eyes.

  ‘I’ve been waiting a couple of weeks for a call, and it’s Murphy’s Law that they ring as soon as I’m at a party,’ she said.

  ‘Who?’ Keeley asked.

  ‘The foreign student agency,’ she said. ‘Martin’s advertising job is certainly bringing in a lot more cash than in recent years. But with him away most of the time and me left behind to face the music with the kids and running the house, it’s no picnic in the park. We’ve been chatting and I’ve let him know I’m sick of struggling constantly and doing the weekly grocery shop with a calculator.’

  ‘Believe me, I’ve been in the same boat myself,’ Keeley said. ‘When you girls were little, before I opened the B&B, your dad and I were finding it really hard to make ends meet.’

  ‘And you were practical to the last, Mum. Which is what I’m attempting to be too. It seems I would be eligible to have four students.’

  ‘Four? Where on earth would you put them?’

  ‘I’ve the box room spare at the moment. I could put Billy and Jess in there in a bunk bed. They’re both small enough to not mind. Their rooms would fit two single beds each …’

  ‘Well, four would bring in a good few euros,’ Keeley said. ‘And I suppose if you’re doing all the work anyway, like cooking and cleaning and washing clothes, you may as well take in as many as you can.’

  ‘I agree, and it’ll mean the foreign children mightn’t be as lonely. I’m not allowed to put two from the same country sharing a room. But I think that’s fine.’

  ‘Why don’t you ask Dad to build you a bunk bed for the little ones? He’d be thrilled and it’d give him something purposeful to do while he’s out in that shed.’

  ‘Do you think he’d mind?’ Liv asked.

  ‘Mind what?’ Doug asked as he arrived in the back door.

  ‘Hi Dad,’ Liv said. ‘Mum and I were talking about my idea of taking on a few foreign students. It would mean moving Billy and Jess into the box room. I’ll need to get bunk beds,’ she said.

  ‘I was offering your services,’ Keeley said. ‘You could build a bunk bed, couldn’t you, love?’ she asked.

  ‘For my two darlings?’ he said. ‘I’ll make the most fabulous bunk bed in the universe.’ As if on cue, Billy and Jess ran in looking for them. Doug stooped to talk to them. ‘Would you like me to build you two a bunk bed?’ The children reacted the way they always did and rushed to hug their granddad, cheering happily.

  ‘Can mine be the top bunk?’ Billy asked. ‘And can it be red like Spider-Man?’

  ‘And me!’ Jessie said. They all laughed.

  ‘That’s all she ever says,’ Liv said with a grin. ‘Just in case she’s missing out on anything.’

  Liv and the children went outside to tell Martin about the new beds.

  ‘I think it’s a good idea for Liv to take this on, don’t you?’ Keeley said.

  ‘Absolutely,’ Doug agreed. ‘If she wants to stay at home with the kiddies while they’re little, it’s a good way of earning some funds.’

  ‘If we can make the box room seem like a positive move, then at least Billy and Jess won’t give you a hard time,’ Keeley said. ‘Now why don’t you make yourself useful and bring the teapot around? I’m sure some of the neighbours are looking for a fresh drop.’

  ‘Oh, I was going to make a list of what materials I’ll need for the bunk-bed,’ Doug said looking pained.

  ‘What? Right this second? We have a garden full of visitors, in case you haven’t noticed.’

  It was typical of Doug to get distracted at just the wrong moment. Keeley wasn’t one for complaining, but between Róisín showing signs of boredom, Liv never lifting a finger to help and Doug hiding out in his shed, they really did leave the work to her. Once everyone had left, the garden had needed tidying. Martin had been quite productive for a few minutes, gathering a few cups and plates and putting them in the kitchen sink, but then Doug had called him away to look at something. Jill and Liv were giggling together like schoolgirls at a table, oblivious to her efforts.

  ‘Liv, maybe let them watch the television for a few minutes while we get this place back in order?’

  ‘I’m not feeling the Mae West actually,’ Jill said. ‘I think I’ll go and keep the kids company on the sofa.’

  ‘I’ll come with you,’ Liv said and off they went, not a care in the world. In the meantime, Róisín had disappeared too.

  By the time Keeley had cleared the garden, on her own, it was raining softly. She hauled a black sack into the kitchen and surveyed the scene. The children were sitting on the sofa in the adjoining living area, contentedly sucking their thumbs, while Jill and Liv were both asleep, leaning against each other. Too much wine, no doubt.

  The two men wandered in and began discussing fishing as they drank from bottles of beer.

  ‘What’s the story with dinner?’ Doug asked as Keeley made a start on the mess in the kitchen.

  ‘I was going to do pasta bolognaise with garlic bread,’ she said. ‘I have the sauce made. I’m waiting for Róisín to come back. She had to rush over to Nourriture for something.’

  ‘So can we eat soon?’ Doug asked. ‘And can we ask Róisín to bring some parmesan cheese from Nourriture? It makes boring bolognaise a lot tastier.’

  Keeley wanted to clobber him with the sweeping brush she was now using to collect the strands of paper streamers that had crept in from the garden.

  ‘If you want parmesan cheese, you’d better call Róisín before she leaves the shop.’

  ‘Right, can you do it, love? Martin and I are in the middle of this.’

  Keeley strode from the kitchen to the hall and called Róisín, who answered immediately sounding as if she was on the defensive.

  ‘Mum, I won’t be too much longer, OK?’

  ‘I wasn’t calling to rush you,’ Keeley explained. ‘Your father is looking for parmesan, that’s all. I’ll put the pasta water on to boil.’

  ‘Granny I’m hungry,’ Billy said as he padded into the hallw
ay.

  ‘OK pet, come with me and we’ll put the pasta on to cook. Auntie Róisín will be back soon and we can have a birthday dinner!’

  Keeley halted as she walked back into the room.

  ‘Jess!’ she said in exasperation. ‘What have you done, love?’

  ‘I’m making snow like in Frozen,’ Jess said. Keeley dropped Billy’s hand and crouched down to scoop up the large bowl of popcorn her granddaughter was scrunching into the carpet.

  ‘What about the pasta?’ Billy whined.

  ‘Liv?’ Keeley said loudly. ‘Can you help clear up?’

  ‘Ah leave her to have a little chat with Jill,’ Doug said from the kitchen. ‘She’s run ragged with the kiddies most of the time.’

  ‘Well, will you come and pick this up while I make dinner then?’ Keeley asked.

  ‘I’ll do it in a jiffy,’ Doug said. ‘Sure she’s happy there.’ He grinned across at Jess, who continued to roll on the popcorn.

  ‘I love coming over here,’ Jill said, stretching herself awake. ‘It’s so much nicer than our cottage and it’s like being on holiday, even if it’s only for a night.’

  Keeley exhaled and rolled up her sleeves to fill the large pot with water for pasta. Then she cleared the rest of the kitchen and put the garlic bread in the oven.

  The landline rang and thankfully Doug went to answer it. He came back a few moments later, scribbling into her large red accommodation book.

  ‘There’s a German couple coming in about an hour. Two nights and they only want a continental breakfast in the morning but they need it at six. They’re going off on a tour tomorrow,’ he said leaving the book in a wet patch on the counter near the sink.

  ‘What?’ Keeley said in horror. ‘Doug, I wasn’t taking any bookings for tonight! We have everybody staying over and I wanted it to be a family gathering.’

  ‘Oh.’ He looked at her blankly. ‘The little ones can go in with Liv and Martin, can’t they?’

  ‘But we want to stay in the blue room!’ Billy moaned.

  ‘I’ll go in with Róisín if that helps?’ Jill said.