‘Oh no! Remember, that subject is off-limits!’ Edd shook his head.
‘Well it might be off-limits for you, but I would like to hear your friend’s opinion on a son that can’t travel back to his mother’s home for the holidays.’ She turned to Meg and narrowed her eyes. Meg felt this was a challenge. She stared at Edd, not quite sure where to show allegiance in this mini domestic. She thought of Lucas, knowing she would want him to come home, always.
‘I came home for Thanksgiving! And I’ve told you, Mom, I am working either side of Christmas. I’ve got so many projects on that I need to use those few days off to catch up. I shall eat takeout and work in front of the television. And it’s not as if you’ll be alone. You have half of Blarney coming to sit around your table, fighting over the turkey leg!’
‘True,’ Brenda conceded. ‘I think there’s no place like home.’ This she addressed to Meg. ‘Edward’s daddy and I didn’t travel, not really.’
Meg accepted the natty little cup and saucer that was placed in front of her, smiling at the waitress, who then poured her tea and set two slices of lemon on a tiny tray and a small silver jug of milk by the side.
‘We lost him, you know. Thirteen years ago.’ Brenda sucked in her cheeks, as if the news was still shocking, raw even after all this time.
‘Edd told me.’ Meg paused. ‘I am so sorry.’ She knew from experience that condolences from strangers often sounded hollow and yet the words fell from her almost automatically.
‘He was a wonderful man, wonderful man. Edward looks just like him, which is comforting yet difficult at the same time.’ She took a deep breath.
Meg nodded, thinking again of Lucas. This she understood.
‘We were always very happy. Never had much, but we were happy. We got married on the eleventh of October 1974. I was a wee slip of a thing.’
You still are, Meg thought.
‘And he died eleventh of September 2001. We nearly made twenty-seven years.’ She sighed and twisted the gold band that was a little loose on her finger as she stared into the distance. ‘He was missing for a long while and then they confirmed there were no more survivors, which I expected, but was still shocked. There was no body, of course, all they found was his battered signet ring, which made it harder and means that there is still a little bit of doubt as to what happened to him.’
Megan considered this, knowing that seeing Bill’s dead body had been horrific, but had nonetheless given her finality, closure. She could only begin to imagine what it must have been like for Brenda, harder to grieve, harder to say goodbye.
‘I still expect him to walk into the house of an evening. I buy his favourite food and I cook enough for two, when I do bother. It’s the little things that get me. He knew how to make me feel safe like no one else ever could.’ Brenda inhaled strongly and dug deep to find a smile. Patting the linen tablecloth, she tried to change the tone. ‘He’d be so proud of Edward, of course. He’s the first on both sides to go to college and get a degree, but he always was very clever. You could give him a box of random blocks and he’d build something nice – and now he’s an architect!’
‘Yes.’ Meg sipped her tea. ‘That’s how we met.’
‘Oh.’ Brenda smiled. ‘I must admit I was wondering what the connection was. Are you an architect too?’
‘No, I was never that clever. I work for Plum Patisserie, in London. I’m here to help get the new store opened and Edd is running the project.’
‘A baker then?’ Brenda’s words dripped with disapproval. She clearly did not see a baker being a good match for her architect son. ‘How long have you known each other?’
Meg looked at her watch. ‘Nearly forty-eight hours.’ She smiled at Edd, who nodded his confirmation.
‘Well I never. And you called me just this morning!’ Brenda couldn’t hide her astonishment as she arched one perfectly shaped eyebrow at her son, who blushed. She turned to Meg, trying to figure out the significance of this pretty young woman. ‘And you live in New York now?’
‘No, London.’
‘So you are moving to New York?’ Brenda was struggling.
‘No. I’m only here until tomorrow.’ Meg drew a sharp breath at this. ‘I have to get back to my son, my little boy, Lucas. He’s four.’
‘You have a son? Forgive me, I didn’t know you were married.’ Her loaded statement was directed at them both. Her gaze went from Meg to Edward and back again as her lips formed a thin line.
‘I’m not.’ Meg placed her hand on her chest. Ssssshhh…
Brenda drew back in her chair and Meg watched as the shadow of disapproval crept across the woman’s face. Her eyes were bright like chips of amber and her tongue seemed to be chafing at her teeth, desperate to launch the words that gathered in her mouth.
‘Lucas’s dad died while I was pregnant with him.’ It was Meg’s turn to look into the middle distance.
‘I see.’ Brenda’s tone softened slightly as she leant forward. ‘That must be tough. You’re so young.’
‘It is in some ways, but I have a lot of support. And, well… your normal is your normal, isn’t it? You don’t know any different, do you?’
‘I guess not.’ Brenda gave a brief smile. ‘We were lucky to get Edward; he was our little miracle. We tried for years, but the fallopian tubes were blocked.’ She pointed downwards with her forefinger, under the table to where her fallopian tubes lurked beneath the linen cloth.
Meg nodded awkwardly at the sudden detail revealed in this most fashionable of surroundings. She found it funny that the mention of money had warranted a whisper, yet Brenda was apparently happy to shout to the world about her medical condition.
‘After nearly ten years we went to one of these fertility experts, which cost us a fortune. Edward’s father said, “You’ve got one shot, if this doesn’t work we’ll be getting a puppy and saying no more about it!” Well, we got the puppy, but my treatment did work and we got Edward too.’
‘And that right there is the story of my mother’s fallopian tubes!’ Edd laughed into his palm, shaking his head.
‘Oh, it’s only girl talk, isn’t that right, Meg?’ Brenda let a smile briefly flit across her lips, forming an alliance of sorts. ‘Aww, he was a lovely little thing. Had a lazy eye and would widdle on the front-room rug, but he was so affectionate.’
‘Just to be clear, she’s talking about the dog, Meg, not me.’ Edd winked at her.
‘You were a special baby.’ Brenda smiled at her son. ‘And he’s a special man. Just like his daddy.’ This she directed at Meg. The tilt of her head made Meg feel she was being warned.
The next hour passed in a flash. Brenda wiped her mouth on a napkin, the only one of the trio to have indulged in a scone with jam and cream – which apparently wasn’t a patch on the ones she made at home and for a fraction of the cost. When it was time to go, she held her handbag in both hands and leant backwards, meaning there was no possibility of a hug, handshake or, God forbid, a kiss. ‘It was lovely to meet another of Edward’s friends.’ She nodded.
Meg stood and smiled, unsure if she was being told there were other friends just like her, so she was nothing special, or whether it was an acknowledgement that she and Edd were closer than colleagues. It was impossible to call.
She nodded. ‘I’ve really enjoyed meeting you. I wish I was here for longer, we could do it all again!’ she burbled.
‘Hmmm.’ Brenda lifted her coat from the back of the chair. ‘Edward, you need to be getting straight home. You have a busy day tomorrow, I’m sure,’ she said with a straight face as she stared at her son.
Edd waved his mother off into the cab that would take her to Grand Central Station. He turned to Meg and laughed. She followed suit. Both were embarrassed and euphoric, but for very different reasons.
‘Let’s walk for a bit!’ Meg linked her arm with Edd’s as he buttoned up his navy pea coat. ‘Your mum’s great. I really hope she didn’t hear what I said to you – that was so embarrassing.’ She hid her eyes b
ehind her fingers.
‘Don’t worry about it, she likes you.’ He pulled her hand from her face and kept it inside his.
‘I don’t feel like she liked me.’
‘Aww, that’s just Mom, right? A little over-protective.’ He shrugged.
Meg made a mental note to always make Lucas’s girlfriends feel welcome and accepted.
‘Her bark is worse than her bite. She is very protective, but rest assured, she is going to like anyone that likes me.’ Edd beamed. ‘And you do like me, don’t you?’ he said as he nudged her with his elbow. It was part question, part statement.
Meg nodded, still feeling awkward, confused by the intensity of her feelings for this relative stranger. ‘She obviously misses your dad.’
Edd slowed. ‘She does. They were good together, great friends. He brought out the best in her, that’s for sure. They did everything as a couple. I think she feels cheated; he worked long hours and they always talked about what life would be like when he stopped work. They made plans to move to a condo, go fishing. It’s a shame they never got that. My dad always said he knew the first time he spoke to her that she was the girl he was going to marry. I was always kind of sceptical, I figured she was more like “the one at that moment in time” and then they just got lucky!’
‘And what do you think now?’ Meg asked.
Edd placed his arm along her shoulder and drew her against him on the busy pavement. ‘Now? I think I know exactly what he meant.’
‘You’re a charmer, Edward Odhran!’ She slipped her arm around his waist.
‘I wondered how long it would take to get to that.’ He sighed.
‘It’s the first time I’ve mentioned it!’ She laughed.
‘But not the last, am I right?’
‘Probably not.’ Meg threw her head back and chuckled as they walked into the oncoming crowds. A bubble of happiness formed in her stomach and spread to her throat.
The two stepped confidently along the streets, Meg guided by her native New Yorker. They stood on the opposite side of the road to the Apple building, admiring the vast glass box and the way part of it was visible beneath the pavement as well. The clean white logo shone brightly in the snowy darkness.
‘Taxi!’ Edd shot his arm out into the oncoming traffic.
‘Another taxi?’ she asked.
‘All part of your magical mystery tour.’ He smiled, shielding her from any snow spray as the yellow Lincoln Town Car pulled in towards them.
It was a full half hour later that their cab came to a stop on Broadway in Lower Manhattan, in front of St Paul’s Chapel, Trinity Church. Edd opened the car door and helped her out on to the whitening pavement, where the snow flurries were now beginning to settle.
They stood and looked up at the impressive building. Meg ran her hands over the gilt-tipped, arrow-shaped railings that surrounded the beautiful portico and its four reddish stone columns. Light from a large arched window shone out into the darkness and spilled over a tall monument.
Edd stepped up close behind her. ‘This is a very special church.’ His voice was quiet.
Meg cast her eyes over the two ornate lamps that sat high on the wall above the doorways.
‘George Washington prayed here.’ Edd began. ‘It’s very close to Ground Zero and when the towers fell on 9/11 nearly everything around it was destroyed or damaged. But not St Paul’s. It is incredible that it survived and not only survived but stayed completely intact, didn’t even have a broken pane of glass, nothing. What do you make of that?’
‘A miracle?’
‘Maybe.’ Edd ran his hand over her hair. ‘Many of the rescue workers used it as a place to sleep and rest in while they were searching the wreckage. Volunteers came by without anyone putting a call out, pretty much 24/7. For months the rescue workers were fed and allowed to sleep on the pews. In fact the pews got scuffed and marked from the heavy boots they wore and the gear that they carried.’
Meg turned to see Edd swipe his eyes with the back of his hand. ‘Like Mom said, they never found my dad, but this place… it’s where his colleagues came to think and pray. In fact they still come. Like I said, special.’
Hand in hand they went in. Meg relished the silence, a welcome refuge from the bustling city beyond the door. Once inside, they paused. Meg walked towards the fireman’s uniform that sat on one of the preserved pews, which was scratched and marked just as Edd had described. The heavy cloth of the coat was thick with grey dust and grime, the once-bright high-visibility stripes now dull from smoke, soot and ash. She paused, wondering how Edd’s dad might have spent his last moments.
‘Do you come here a lot?’ she whispered. It was odd being so close to it, the tragedy that changed the world. She had seen the footage on TV, of course, but to be here within feet of where so many had perished was intensely moving. She felt a wave of emotion ripple through her body.
Edd shook his head. ‘Not often enough. But when I do, it means something. I feel like a part of my dad is here.’
He walked ahead. Meg followed him into the main body of the church. She looked up, awestruck by the majestic white columns supporting the arched blue ceiling from which hung chandeliers that looked like they were suspended in heaven itself.
‘Shall we light a candle for Mr Redlitch?’ Edd asked.
Meg nodded. At a small table they lit their small tribute. She looked at Edd and smiled, thinking of Nancy in her loud, floral blouse. ‘For Gabriel, Mr Redlitch.’
They stood in silence, bewitched by the flickering stumps that danced in the cool air of the chapel, sending wispy black messages up into the roof space, hoping that the silent prayers they offered went beyond. Meg could feel the ghosts of the thousands that had stood before her in that exact same spot offering similar words of condolence and hope. Closing her eyes, she prayed for Bill, something she hadn’t done for a very long time. Then she watched as Edd opened his, the message to his father repeated, she suspected, with far more regularity. He took her hand and led her out into the cold New York evening.
*
An hour later, Salvatore squared his shoulders and eyed the man who stood by Meg’s side with thinly veiled suspicion.
‘Thank you.’ Meg smiled sweetly as she retrieved her key from his miserable grip.
‘Well, hey, Meg! Is that you?’ Elene swooped down the stairs and into the reception area.
Meg gave a long, slow blink. She had been hoping to avoid scrutiny, but no such luck.
‘Oh, you’re not alone!’ Elene, mistress of stating the obvious, looked Edd up and down, desperate to know the details. ‘I didn’t realise it was a room for two you wanted.’
‘This is Mr Kelly, the architect for the new store.’ Megan blushed.
‘Well fancy! Did you two meet here?’ She patted her leopard-print turban, checking it was still in place. It hid her thin hair and provided just the right amount of theatricality for her simple black outfit.
‘Yes we did! Sorry to arrive so late,’ Edd gushed. ‘We hate to be apart, but sadly our schedules clashed this week. Anyway, I am here now and that’s all that matters? Right, darling?’ He grabbed Meg and kissed her on the mouth.
‘Yup.’ She nodded, pulling away from him and willing the scarlet stain that was creeping up her neck to stop spreading.
‘Well, that’s lovely.’ Elene clapped. ‘And how’s that new store coming along? Got a date for the big opening yet?’
‘Oh, not too much longer now. We’ll be open before Christmas!’ Meg spoke over her shoulder as she made her way to the staircase, eager to be gone.
‘Don’t forget the invite for me and Stella, we are looking forward to it!’ Elene called after them as she wagged her finger.
The two fell inside the room, laughing as Meg twisted the key in the lock behind them.
‘Jheesh, they are something else!’
Meg roared. ‘Oh, don’t be mean! They’re really sweet – if a little eccentric,’ she conceded.
‘A little? How did you find this p
lace?’ Edd flopped down on top of the bed, ruffling the counterpane and throwing his coat on to the floor.
‘I found it by chance online when I was looking for places near Plum’s. It’s homey and I like it.’
Edd took in the chintzy drapes, dated furnishings and rather eclectic artwork that cluttered the walls. ‘I can see why!’
‘Plus it’s a great spot, close to everything. And just think, if I hadn’t stayed here, I would never have gone out for a sandwich on my first night and we would have started off very differently.’
‘Listen, if this is the place that brought you to me a whole eighteen hours sooner than fate intended then I love it too.’ He winked.
‘Those two are hilarious, aren’t they?’ Meg jerked her head towards the hallway as she pulled off her boots and wriggled her toes before clambering up next to him on the bed. She felt suddenly shy, the bravado of earlier had long gone. ‘Today has been amazing.’ She spoke to the ceiling as she lay back and placed her hands behind her head.
‘I knew you’d like the seahorses.’ Edd lay back alongside her and mirrored her pose.
‘I did. I liked all of it, especially meeting your mum, even if she was a little scary. And St Paul’s Chapel.’ She meant it.
‘Well, that’s a few things we can tick off the list: church, obviously, and you’ve met my family…’
Meg rolled on to her stomach and propped her head on her hands. ‘I can’t believe I’m going home tomorrow.’
‘What time’s your flight?’ He ran his thumb over the pale inside of her forearm.
‘I need to check in at two o’clock, mid afternoon.’ She felt guilty as she pictured Lucas, knowing that she would give anything for one more day with Edd.
‘Good, that means we get three quarters of the day together.’ Edd reached out and pulled her towards him, until she was squashed up against him, their legs entwined.
‘And then what?’ Meg whispered, almost fearful of his response.
‘And then our adventure really begins.’ He smiled as he raised his head, seeking out her mouth with his and pulling her even closer.
Christmas for One: No Greater Love Page 12
