Every Time We Say Goodbye

by Colette Caddle

  ‘Can we go camping?’ Andrew bounced up and down in his seat. ‘I’d love to go camping.’

  Marianne exchanged an amused glance with Dot. ‘I suppose we could afford a tent.’

  ‘You can go without me.’ Dot shuddered. ‘I don’t fancy that at all, I’d lie awake all night worrying about what was crawling over me.’

  ‘Just like the hairy spiders in the outside toilet,’ Andrew giggled.

  ‘We could stay in a caravan,’ Dot suggested. ‘We had some great caravan holidays when your daddy was little, although there were a few dodgy ones too.’

  Marianne frowned as she tried to recall a story that Dominic had told her. ‘Didn’t you get flooded once?’

  Dot threw back her head and laughed. ‘That’s a slight exaggeration but we did have a close call right enough; Lord, I’d forgotten all about that!’

  ‘What happened, Granny?’ Kate asked.

  ‘Well, we had a caravan when your daddy was little. Oh, it wasn’t the fancy mobile homes they have now, it was very small and basic but it meant we could go anywhere at the drop of a hat and it cost next to nothing. It was in June and the weather forecast for the weekend was fantastic, so Granda took a half-day off work on the Friday and we headed down to Clare to a lovely spot we’d heard about on the Shannon River. Your daddy was only four and he hated being stuck in the car for long because he got so bored – there were no computer games in those days – so we would stop along the way for snacks or to let him have a run around. But the closer that we got to Clare, the darker the clouds got and by the time we arrived, it was raining hard, your daddy was tired and irritable and we were dying to get him to bed. But do you think we could find the feckin’ caravan park? Not at all. We drove round for nearly an hour before we finally found it and by this time it was dark. It was such a relief and your granda found a grand pitch looking out over the water, nice and close to the bathrooms.’

  ‘Bathrooms?’ Kate frowned. ‘Why did you need bathrooms?’

  ‘There was none in the caravan,’ Dot explained. ‘I told you it was basic.’

  Even Marianne was surprised at this. ‘But you had a loo, right?’

  ‘Ah, yes, we did. Anyway, by the time we were settled, it was lashing rain but we were warm and cosy inside and that’s all that mattered. We were all tucked up fast asleep and then I heard a thump and a cry and hadn’t your daddy fallen out of bed!’

  Andrew giggled. ‘I do that sometimes.’

  Dot turned to smile at him. ‘You do and so did your daddy, only this time it wasn’t his fault; wasn’t the caravan leaning over to one side. Well, luckily he wasn’t really awake and I popped him back into bed and tucked in the bedclothes tight so he wouldn’t fall out again, and then I went to get Granda. Well, he was disgusted at me waking him up in the middle of the night, said I was imagining things until he stood up and went flying across the room.’

  ‘Oh my God,’ Kate gasped.

  Marianne smiled as she turned off the main road and into the lovely little street where Helen and Johnny lived. The children were completely diverted by Dot’s story, her bombshell forgotten, although she knew that she would be inundated with questions tomorrow.

  Dot continued with her story. ‘Granda had parked in a dodgy site that had flooded and we were sinking into the mud on one side and the water was lapping up the steps. There was a warning sign but, sure, we never saw it in the dark.’

  ‘So what did you do?’ Marianne asked.

  ‘Granda got dressed and went off to find the owner of the site. They had a guesthouse too, and so were able to give us a room for the night. Just as well, by morning the caravan was nearly on its side. But the next day was fine and with the help of a few other men on the site, Granda soon managed to rescue it. We were very lucky, it wasn’t damaged at all.’

  ‘I don’t think I want to go on holiday in a caravan,’ Andrew said, looking fearful.

  ‘Ah, sure they’re all very fancy nowadays, love, with all mod cons.’

  ‘What’s a mod con?’ he asked.

  ‘Modern convenience,’ Marianne explained. ‘It means all the things that make life easier like showers, microwaves, TVs, washing machines, that sort of thing.’

  ‘But it could still sink,’ he said, a stubborn look on his face.

  ‘If we went on a holiday like that, we would stay in a place where they provided the caravan and it would be on blocks or cement so it could never sink,’ Marianne assured him as she pulled into the driveway and parked next to Helen’s Audi as Johnny had instructed. ‘Now, let’s go and party!’

  Chapter Fifteen

  A smiling Johnny opened the door as they approached, looking suave in a beautiful grey suit and highly polished black shoes. ‘Welcome, Thomsons. Come in! You look sensational, Marianne,’ he said, bending to kiss her cheek before enveloping Dot in a tight hug.

  ‘Don’t be doing that,’ she laughed. ‘If your wife catches you, she’ll have your guts for garters.’

  ‘She knows that I can resist anything but a beautiful woman, Dot.’

  ‘Get away with you,’ she said giving him a playful push. ‘I’m old enough to be your mother.’

  ‘Ah, but you’re like a fine wine; you get better with age.’ He turned to smile at Kate. ‘And yet another beautiful lady! Hello, Kate, what a pretty dress.’

  ‘Thanks, Uncle Johnny,’ she said shyly.

  ‘And how’s the man of the house?’ Johnny picked Andrew up and tossed him in the air before catching him in his arms and throwing him over his shoulder.

  ‘Stop,’ the little boy squealed, giggling, kicking his feet and pummelling Johnny’s back with his tiny fists.

  Johnny set him back down. ‘Well, aren’t you a tough little man? Let me see those muscles.’

  ‘Where’s Helen?’ Marianne asked as her son started to push up his sleeves.

  ‘In the kitchen, go on through. Dot, come, let me get you a drink and kids, wait until you see what’s in my garden.’

  As he led the family through the living room towards the French windows that opened on to their large back garden, Marianne carefully carried the flowers down the hall and nudged the door open with her hip. Helen, elegant in a grey silk dress that complimented her dark hair and buxom figure, was sitting at the island frowning over a list. Marianne smiled. Helen had lists for everything and any event she organized always went off like clockwork.

  ‘You look lovely, Helen.’

  Her friend hopped up, smiling, and came to hug her friend. ‘Thanks, Marianne, what beautiful flowers, but you shouldn’t have, they must have cost a fortune.’

  ‘Not a penny,’ Marianne laughed. ‘All Dot’s handiwork.’

  ‘No!’ Helen marvelled. ‘She has really excelled herself this time. They will look perfect in the centre of the buffet table; the one the caterers brought isn’t a patch on this. That’s a gorgeous dress, Marianne.’

  ‘I hadn’t intended to wear it; I feel a bit self-conscious to be honest. It’s not really what a new widow should be wearing, is it?’

  ‘Don’t be silly, no one expects you to wear black all of the time.’

  Marianne perched on a stool. ‘So, what did you get for your anniversary? More diamonds?’ Johnny was a generous man and also a thoughtful one; Helen’s presents were always carefully chosen. It was something Marianne had always envied. Dominic had been useless at choosing gifts and most of the time had just pressed a few notes into her hand and told her to buy herself something nice. Had he had a mistress, she wondered and, if so, did she get the same treatment or had he showered her with gifts?

  ‘He only just told me, Marianne; he’s booked a cruise for us.’ Helen’s eyes shone with excitement. ‘Fourteen days touring the Caribbean, isn’t it wonderful?’

  ‘Fantastic,’ Marianne smiled thinking of the conversation in the car about caravans.

  ‘I never thought when we were in St Anne’s that one day I would end up living a life of luxury.’

  ‘You and Johnny have worked dam
n hard to get where you are today; you deserve it.’

  ‘Aw, bless you.’ Helen beamed. ‘Come on, we’d better show our faces; the other guests will be arriving soon.’

  ‘You are lucky with the weather, it’s a lovely day.’ Marianne followed her outside and stared at the sight that greeted her. A large, white-and-lemon striped marquee took up a third of the garden and a bouncy castle had been set up at the far end where her son was already playing, Dot encouraging him to go higher while Kate looked on. She wished her daughter was up there with him, laughing uproariously. Marianne did wonder about this bullying business; perhaps that was the real reason Kate was so withdrawn.

  ‘Here you are, Marianne.’

  She looked around to find Johnny at her side, a glass of champagne in his hand. ‘Oh, no, thank you, Johnny. I’m driving.’

  ‘You won’t be leaving for hours yet and one glass won’t hurt.’

  She smiled and took the glass. ‘Okay, thank you. Happy anniversary.’

  ‘Cheers. Shouldn’t I get a medal for putting up with her for this long?’ He nodded towards where Helen was going around the marquee, questioning staff and rearranging cutlery.

  ‘Oh, how you’ve suffered,’ Marianne teased him.

  ‘Ah, don’t I know it?’ he said, eyes twinkling. ‘You are looking particularly sexy today, sweetheart.’

  ‘You behave yourself,’ she warned him, but couldn’t help smiling. Johnny had always been an outrageous flirt.

  ‘You’re no fun,’ he laughed.

  ‘This all looks wonderful, Johnny.’

  ‘Ah, sure no one can throw a party quite like Helen,’ he said, pride in his voice. ‘Tell me, have you got together with Rob yet?’

  Marianne looked at him, startled, caught off guard. It was so strange to hear Rob’s name and to think that her ex-lover would now become an acceptable part of her life.

  ‘He said he wanted to drop by and measure up the office so he could buy some extra fittings,’ Johnny explained.

  ‘Oh, that. Yes, he did call but he hasn’t had a chance to do it yet; I think he’s out of the country at the moment.’

  In truth, she had been startled to get the phone call, immediately thinking Rob wanted to meet up. Instead he had been cool and businesslike and asked permission to replace her simple office fittings with his own.

  ‘I realize that probably doesn’t suit you and that you wanted to lease the house fully furnished, but I need to maximize the space—’

  ‘That’s absolutely fine,’ Marianne had assured him.

  There had been a moment’s silence and then Rob had simply said that he would be in touch on his return and hung up.

  ‘Did you hear anything more from Matthews and Baldwin?’

  Marianne shook her head. ‘Nothing.’

  Johnny shook his head in frustration. ‘They should be keeping you informed.’

  ‘Maybe there’s nothing to tell. Anyway, why should they, Johnny? Dominic ripped them off; his widow is hardly their concern.’

  ‘You’re too reasonable and understanding for your own good,’ he smiled. ‘Tell me, did you find the deeds to the house?’

  ‘No. The bank doesn’t have them and I have looked everywhere I can think of.’

  ‘Did you contact the lawyer who handled the purchase? He’ll have a copy.’

  ‘He’s retired and nobody seems to be able to find any of our details; every time I phone they give me the run around.’

  ‘That’s bloody ridiculous! What’s the name? I’ll get on to them—’

  ‘It’s okay, I can handle it.’

  ‘But you’ve enough to worry about with the children and the move and looking for work.’

  ‘Oh, please, don’t remind me.’ She tried to smile.

  ‘If you want to give yourself a head start, you should think about upskilling. Talk to your lodger about it.’

  Marianne stared at him. ‘Rob? I didn’t realize he was in the training business; I thought he installed computer systems for small businesses.’

  ‘Rob’s a clever guy; he’s got a finger in a few pies. He made a killing when he sold a property website he’d developed and now he’s branched into training; I’m sure he’d give you a good deal.’

  ‘That’s good to know,’ Marianne laughed. The idea of Rob teaching her was a tantalizing one. ‘But before I can think about training I need to pack away all our belongings. There’s so much stuff that we won’t be taking with us; I’ll just have to put it all up in the attic.’

  ‘If there are any bits and pieces that you want to sell I know a great dealer who would give you a fair price.’

  She looked at him thoughtfully. She’d sold her good clothes but it hadn’t occurred to her to try selling anything else. ‘What sort of bits and pieces?’

  ‘You name it,’ he shrugged. ‘Furniture, art, jewellery. Frank Power will find a home for it and you couldn’t meet a fairer man.’

  Marianne ran through an inventory in her head. She had little expensive jewellery but there were a few items of furniture that had cost a fortune, notably Dominic’s desk and the dining-room suite that sat twelve.

  ‘Worth every penny,’ Dominic had said at the time when she’d gasped at the price. ‘You wouldn’t believe the amount of business done around a dinner table and we’ll be entertaining a lot more now than we used to.’

  They had for a couple of years and then it had tapered off; why had she never realized that before? The only other items worth real money were the crystal, the dinner service and the cutlery and . . . ‘Oh my God!’

  ‘What?’ Johnny frowned.

  ‘The paintings!’ Marianne exclaimed. ‘You must have heard Dominic talk about them, Johnny. He bought art for years as an investment.’

  ‘Now you come to mention it, I do remember him showing me a modern piece that he paid a couple of hundred for; it looked more like a child had been let loose with a paint set, just blobs of colour.’

  Marianne laughed. ‘I know the one you mean, I didn’t think much of it either. There’re a lot more like it in the attic.’

  ‘They could be worth a few bob. You should at least have them valued, what harm can it do?’

  ‘None at all.’

  He clinked his glass against hers and smiled. ‘Great. I’ll talk to Frank.’

  Jo had shrunk into a corner of the marquee with her plate of tasty canapés and glass of wine, feeling self-conscious and surplus to requirements. Di and Rachel were off with the other kids, and Greg was in the centre of the marquee in conversation with a couple of other men. Even at this distance she guessed from his expression that they were discussing the economy; did he ever talk about anything else? She was more than happy that he had left her to her own devices; he’d irritated her the minute they’d got here.

  ‘Some people aren’t affected by the recession, are they?’ he’d muttered as they stood taking in the splendour of the marquee, the extravagant buffet and the small band playing muted blues music in the corner.

  Jo hated the way he said it; he sounded so bitter. Yes, it was a bit ostentatious and Johnny and Helen obviously weren’t short of money, but they’d earned every penny; weren’t they entitled to spend it however they wanted? And despite the fact that they had gone up in the world, they hadn’t changed or forgotten their old friends. Jo might not be the best when it came to socializing but she knew most of the people here even if it was only to nod to. Indeed, Helen and Johnny were the perfect example of a couple who hadn’t let success go to their heads and Colm was a grand lad, not in the least spoiled.

  ‘Jo, what are you doing here all alone?’

  She looked up to see Helen standing over her and smiled. ‘Enjoying the lovely food and people watching; it’s a wonderful party, Helen.’

  ‘Thanks, love. Come and meet my new neighbour, Eleanor. I just know that you two will hit it off; she’s originally from Cabra too.’

  Jo could imagine nothing she’d hate more than to talk to someone who may have lived near her family ho
me. ‘I’d prefer not to, Helen. I have a bit of a headache. You don’t mind, do you?’

  ‘No, of course not. Let me get you some painkillers or would you like to lie down for an hour?’

  ‘No, really, don’t worry, I’ll be fine.’

  Helen eyed her worriedly. ‘You are a little pale, though I must say, I think you look wonderful tonight; that colour really suits you.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Jo smiled. She was quite pleased with how she looked. The make-up and softer hairstyle made the most of her plain features and even Greg had said that the navy dress was very flattering.

  ‘Why don’t you go and sit in the garden?’ Helen suggested. ‘It’s stuffy in here and the fresh air will help your head.’

  ‘I will when I’ve finished eating,’ Jo promised.

  ‘Can I get you anything else?’

  ‘I’m fine, go and look after your guests!’

  ‘You’re my guest,’ Helen protested.

  ‘No, I’m your friend, you don’t have to worry or impress me.’

  ‘Bless you!’ Helen blew her a kiss and hurried off to check on a group of women sitting nearby.

  Moments later Marianne joined her, carrying a plate of food and a glass of water. ‘Oh, good, a seat; my feet are killing me.’ She sank into the chair beside Jo and eased off her shoes. ‘You look great, Jo, that dress is fabulous and your hair really suits you that way.’

  ‘Thanks; you look stunning too,’ Jo said and meant it. The vivid colour accentuated Marianne’s dark hair and golden skin and was a pleasant change from the drab clothes she’d been wearing these last few weeks.

  ‘I feel like the merry widow but I’d nothing else to wear, so what could I do?’

  ‘You have nothing to wear?’ Jo rolled her eyes. ‘Oh, please, you have tons of fabulous outfits.’

  Marianne grimaced. ‘Not any more, Jo. I had to sell most of them.’

  ‘What? Why?’

  ‘Oh, sorry, that sounds melodramatic; I just sold the dressy stuff that I hardly ever wore.’

  ‘Is money really that tight?’ Jo asked. She’d thought Marianne’s financial problems were only temporary and would be sorted after the inquest.