Darren threw his arms out. ‘Ah, well, then, it was worth it. Using my very expensive glasses to spit on and start a fire at nine on a Sunday morning was worth it. That’s just brilliant, Ollie, feckin’ brilliant. And tell me now, how am I supposed to work when I can’t see? How am I supposed to wire people’s houses when everything’s a blur?’
‘Maybe I could fix them. I’ll look it up on YouTube.’
‘I’ll tell you what you can do. You can stay the hell away from YouTube, Bear Grylls and anything to do with survival or fire or eating bugs or climbing mountains or any of it. Get up to your room and out of my sight.’
Ollie stomped off. ‘Fine, I will,’ he shouted, over his shoulder. ‘But you’re a dream-stealer, Dad, a big fat dream-stealer.’
‘I’d rather be a dream-stealer than taking you to hospital with third-degree burns.’ Darren turned to his wife and sighed. ‘What are we going to do with him?’
Sarah had no idea. Ollie had come into the world ten years ago kicking and screaming. When she’d got pregnant, they’d been overjoyed. She’d had two miscarriages after Shannon. But there had been a lot of complications during the pregnancy and Sarah had had to spend a lot of it on bedrest. Darren had barely let her move. And then Ollie had arrived eight weeks early. They’d nearly lost him, but he was a fighter. Sarah could still remember the first time she’d held his tiny body in her arms, her precious baby.
Ollie had spent eight weeks in the neo-natal ward being monitored. Darren had been incredible. He’d spent hours holding Ollie’s hand through the hole in the incubator, willing him to grow and get stronger. Darren had more love to give than anyone else Sarah had ever met. She knew how lucky she was to have married him. Always there for her, her rock.
At first Ollie had seemed a quiet, content little baby, but when he’d figured out how to crawl, all hell had broken loose. He was so different from Shannon, who had sat and coloured or calmly watched cartoons. Ollie never, ever sat still. Not for a single second. He was like a Duracell bunny. He went and went. ‘Lively’, ‘high-spirited’ and ‘energetic’ were some of the words the neighbours used to describe him, often through gritted teeth.
They’d signed him up for football when he was five, but he wasn’t interested. The coach said he’d spent the whole time climbing up the goalpost and hanging upside-down from it.
They’d put him in the Scouts, but he’d been kicked out: the boys had gone on a camping trip and Ollie had disappeared for four hours. When they’d found him, he was up a tree and refused to come down. He’d wanted to see if he could survive there for the night, eating mushrooms and drinking his own pee. The Scout leader had had to climb up and get him down, but Ollie had struggled with him and the leader had fallen and broken his arm. That had been the end of Scouts.
‘Do you think he’s normal?’ Darren had asked one night, after they’d found Ollie microwaving a snail.
Sarah knew that Ollie was normal. He was just different-normal. He liked more extreme stuff than most kids his age. When Santa had brought him a skateboard last Christmas, in the hope that he’d go outside with the other kids to skate up and down the road, Ollie had had other ideas. He had put a ladder against the back wall of the house and tried to skateboard down it from his bedroom window. Thankfully, he’d only broken his wrist, not his neck.
The thing was, Sarah loved his adventurous spirit. That was who Ollie was. But it terrified her too. She’d wanted a big family, but Shannon and Ollie were all she’d ever have. They were her world. She wanted to protect Ollie but not stifle him.
Darren just wanted him to play football, tip-the-can and skateboard on horizontal surfaces. He wanted him to be a normal kid. He didn’t understand Ollie’s obsession with survival and danger. Sarah knew Darren was scared of something happening to Ollie. He adored his son, he just didn’t share his idea of hobbies.
Darren sat in the kitchen looking at the charred mess that had once been his glasses.
‘Cup of tea?’ Sarah asked.
‘I need a drink after that,’ he said.
‘It’s half nine so tea will have to do.’
Shannon came in wearing her pink fluffy onesie. ‘I presume Ollie’s done something mad again.’
‘Ah, nothing much, just started a fire in the garden with my glasses,’ Darren said.
‘He should be locked up. He’s seriously mental in the head.’ Shannon poured herself some tea.
‘Don’t say that, he’s just curious,’ Sarah said.
Shannon rolled her eyes. ‘He’s a lunatic, Mum, and you never say boo to him. If I started a fire in the garden, you’d kill me. He gets away with murder.’
‘Do you think we could get Dylan to talk to him, maybe persuade him to give soccer another go?’ Darren asked.
‘Leave poor Dylan alone. He’s enough going on in his posh new school,’ Shannon said.
Darren blew on his tea and took a sip. ‘How’s he getting on anyway?’
‘Dylan’s flying, but Kelly hates it,’ Shannon said. ‘She says the girls in her class are bitches. I said they’re just jealous because Kelly is so gorgeous and smart. It’s a pain for me having a deranged lunatic for a brother, but I actually think it’s worse for Kelly because Dylan is her twin and he’s a star. I mean, she was basically forced to move to that stupid school because of him. I think it’s a crime. Lucy didn’t even ask Kelly, just told her she was going.’
‘She’ll settle soon. It’s hard adjusting, that’s all,’ Sarah said.
‘No, it isn’t, Mum. She’ll never like it there. You can’t just go to a school in fifth year and find friends. The only kids without friends at our age are the geeks and freaks.’
‘I’m sure when the other girls get to know her they’ll hang out with her. These things take time, and it is a good opportunity.’
‘For who?’ Shannon demanded. ‘For Dylan it is, because he has a great new coach, but for Kelly what’s so great?’
‘Well, the school has fantastic facilities,’ Sarah said.
Shannon banged her mug down on the table. ‘She hates sport and she doesn’t play any instruments so she doesn’t need a fancy gym or a stupid music school. And FYI, if Ollie has to go to a special school for mental cases, don’t even think of moving me too because I amn’t going and no one will make me. No one. I think Lucy is a mean cow for making Kelly move.’ Shannon stormed out of the room, the fluffy backside of her onesie wriggling.
‘She’s a strong mind on her that one!’ Darren said, shaking his head.
Ollie came into the kitchen wearing his army camouflage trousers and T-shirt. ‘I’m sorry about your glasses, Dad. Here.’ He thrust ten euros into Darren’s hand. ‘I don’t have any more, but I’ll do jobs for you. I’ll cut the grass now if you want.’
‘No need, son. You scorched it this morning. Besides, you might remember that the lawnmower is broken because you tried to ride it to school.’
‘Oh, yeah, sorry about that. Well, I could …’ Ollie looked around the kitchen for inspiration.
‘Why don’t you come down to visit Grandpa Brian with me?’
Ollie frowned. ‘He keeps calling me the wrong name and the place stinks of wee.’
‘Well, that shouldn’t bother you. Doesn’t your pal Bear Grylls drink his own wee all the time?’
‘Not all the time, only when he’s out of water.’
‘Are you coming or not?’
‘Can I get a can of Coke on the way back?’
‘You don’t want to drink your own urine then?’
‘Shut up, Dad.’
‘Come on, you messer.’ Darren pulled Ollie to him in a hug.
Sarah watched them go and smiled, her two boys. She silently prayed that Ollie would not cause any trouble or break anything in the old folks’ home.
18
Sarah handed Lucy a glass of wine.
‘Thanks, I need this.’
‘It’s me who should be thanking you for doing my wages every month. You’re a lifesaver. Can you belie
ve the salon’s been open fifteen and a half years?’
‘It seems almost impossible,’ Lucy said. ‘I remember when you started – the twins were so small. That was a great party you had to celebrate fifteen years.’
‘Yeah, it was, and you’re very much part of the salon’s success. Come to think of it, you’ve been doing my maths for me since school. Remember? You used to let me copy your homework every day so I wouldn’t get into trouble.’
Lucy grinned. ‘I do remember, and you helped me get my nose out of books and have a social life. If it wasn’t for you, I’d probably never have kissed a boy.’
Sarah laughed. ‘Oh, with those beautiful brown eyes you’d have melted a few hearts on your own. Speaking of school, how’s Kelly? Shannon mentioned she was finding it a bit tough settling in.’ Sarah went for a soft approach: she knew how prickly Lucy could be about St Jude’s.
‘She’s fine. She’s just being Kelly. She hates change. Remember when I moved her to Woodside? She went mad and hated it in the beginning, then loved it.’
That was true. Kelly had been furious when she was sent to Woodside Senior School and Dylan had gone to St Brendan’s. But that was because she had been parted from Dylan for the first time in her life. At thirteen years of age she’d found that really difficult, but in St Jude’s they were back together, so in theory it should be an easier transition.
‘It’s not easy moving school at this late stage, though,’ Sarah said. ‘Dylan has his football team as a ready-made group of friends, but it’s probably harder for Kelly to fit in.’
Lucy sighed. ‘If Kelly smiled once in a blue moon it might help her make friends. She seems determined not to like St Jude’s just to spite me. I know she’ll settle soon, though. She needs to knuckle down, show them how smart she is and prove to them how lucky they are to have a girl like her in the school too.’
‘I suppose so, but maybe go easy on her for the first few months and help her settle.’
Lucy put her glass down with a bang. ‘I’d have given my right arm to get a scholarship to the best school in Ireland. She’s lucky, Sarah. Yes, there are some stupid snobby kids there, but there are some nice ones too.’
Sarah picked up the bottle to refill their glasses as the kitchen door opened.
‘Look who I found.’ Darren came in, followed by Jenny. ‘She was looking for the two of you and I had a feeling you’d be here having your post-wage-day drinks.’
‘Wine! Great.’ Jenny shrugged off her coat and sat down.
‘How was your wedding?’ Lucy asked her sister.
‘Fine, the usual. Nervous bride, psycho mother, drunk bridesmaid, grumpy father, who cursed under his breath when I told him how much he owed me, and sleazy uncle who tried to pinch my bum until I told him I’d twist his dick into a knot if he came any closer.’
‘Ah, Jenny, you’ve such a lovely way with men.’ Darren grinned at her.
Jenny waved an empty glass in his face. ‘Shut up and pour.’
‘I’ve a wedding coming up, too,’ Lucy said. ‘A lesbian couple. They’re lovely, and great together, but the mother of one bride is not happy with her daughter being gay and is causing ructions. She got hold of my number and asked me not to perform the ceremony. I tried talking to her and suggested it would be nice for her daughter if she got involved in it, but she kept saying awful things like “It’s not normal” and “Women should be with men” and “It’s not God’s way.” Honestly, I’m worried she’ll turn up and cause a huge scene. I feel so sorry for Debbie. She’s devastated that her mother won’t accept her for who she is.’
‘It’s a lesson to us all to accept our kids as they are and not try to change them,’ Sarah said, one eye on Lucy to see her reaction.
‘She should just tell her mother to fuck off.’
‘It’s not that easy, Jenny,’ Lucy said. ‘The mother isn’t a bad person – she loves her daughter very much. She’s just old-fashioned and has different beliefs. Debbie and her partner can’t dismiss her. They have to try to make her see that what matters is her daughter’s happiness.’
‘Yes, but if she keeps refusing to accept who her daughter is, she’ll lose her,’ Sarah said.
‘That’s what I said to her,’ Lucy said.
Sarah wondered if Lucy could see the irony. She wasn’t accepting who Kelly really was – a girl who didn’t want to change school, a girl who wanted to be a designer, a girl who didn’t want to study law. All she saw were the mistakes she’d made that could potentially ruin Kelly’s life.
‘She’ll come around. If she loves her, she’ll figure out a way to accept her,’ Sarah said.
Darren refilled all their glasses. ‘Dare I ask, how is your love life these days, Jenny?’
‘Fine, thanks. I’m still seeing Frank, and I know none of you approves. Yes, he is still married and, yes, I know I should feel guilty, but I don’t. We meet, we shag, the sex is good, he pays for nice hotels, champagne, chocolates, strawberries and all that stuff and we have a lot of fun. It’s easy. No strings, no hassle, just fun.’
Sarah glanced at Lucy. They said nothing.
‘I’ve got to say it sounds good,’ Darren said.
Jenny smiled. ‘It is.’
Darren seemed downcast. ‘I’m afraid I’ve lost Sarah. We used to be close, we used to have regular sex, but then he came into our lives and ruined it.’
‘What?’ Jenny and Lucy said, shocked.
‘Netflix,’ Darren announced dramatically. ‘Sarah prefers Netflix to me.’
Sarah laughed. ‘It’s true.’
‘I tried to throw the leg over the other night when she was in the middle of watching Poldark for the tenth time and got punched. She actually punched me away and said, “What the hell are you doing? He’s about to take his shirt off.” ’
They all burst out laughing.
‘To be fair, he has a body to die for,’ Sarah said, with a giggle.
Darren threw his hands into the air. ‘You see what I’m against? Men all over the world are cursing Netflix because it’s ruined our sex lives.’
‘Netflix is my sex life,’ Lucy muttered.
‘Well, that’s because you never go out. If you don’t go out, how do you expect to meet someone?’ Jenny reminded her.
‘What about Damien?’ Sarah asked. ‘You’re still seeing him, aren’t you?’
‘I see him the odd time, but he’s been swamped working on the Lippet case and I haven’t had a booty call in ages.’
Jenny crinkled her nose. ‘Do you really want to be sleeping with him? He’s not good enough for you. He’s got no sex appeal and he’s so serious and intense.’
‘First of all, I don’t think you’re in any position to judge me. Besides, he’s available, he likes me, he makes me feel good about myself and the sex is good.’
‘Is it really?’ Jenny asked.
‘Well, it’s fine,’ Lucy said.
‘I’m doing up a bachelor fella’s house at the minute,’ Darren said. ‘Nice, decent-looking, about fifty. I could introduce you.’
‘Define “decent-looking”,’ Jenny said. ‘Are we talking Ryan Gosling or Will Ferrell?’
Darren paused. ‘Well, he’s kind of a bit like Wayne Rooney, but older.’
Jenny jumped up and pulled Lucy to her feet. ‘Quick, grab your bag! It’s your lucky day! Darren’s going to set you up with Wayne Rooney’s dad.’
‘I don’t know how to thank you, Darren,’ Lucy said. ‘I’ve always wanted to have sex with Wayne Rooney’s dad. Thank you so much.’
Darren laughed. ‘All right, maybe he’s not a good match.’
‘For the love of Jesus, Darren, she’s not interested in sleeping with some ugly footballer’s lookalike dad. Find her an Aidan Turner clone,’ Sarah said.
Darren turned to her. ‘If I did that, she’d have to fight you off him first.’
Sarah threw her head back and laughed. ‘Very true.’
Darren topped up their glasses.
‘Did you ever l
ook up your exes on Facebook?’ Jenny asked.
Lucy, Sarah and Darren shook their heads.
‘I’ve been with Darren since I was fifteen,’ Sarah said. ‘I don’t really have any exes.’
‘I’m basically a nun,’ Lucy said.
‘God, you’re hopeless,’ Jenny said, taking out her iPad. ‘Okay, what about people we were in school with?’
They spent the next hour looking up everyone they remembered and laughing or ogling at their lives. Some looked the same, some looked awful and some looked amazing.
‘Wow! Fiona Keane must have had work done.’ Sarah peered at the screen over Jenny’s shoulder.
‘Definitely a lip job, a nose job and Botox,’ Jenny agreed.
‘How can you tell?’ Lucy asked.
‘I work with people’s faces every day. I can always tell when they’ve had work done.’
‘Well, she looks good,’ Sarah said.
‘She looks weird,’ Darren said. ‘Her lips are too big.’
‘Really? I think she looks great. Maybe I should get a lip job.’ Sarah put her hand up to her small, thin lips.
‘Don’t even think about it. Guys like natural, not fake,’ Darren said. ‘I like you the way you are.’
He leaned over and kissed her as Jenny made vomit noises.
Lucy thought it was lovely that Sarah and Darren were still so in love – he was mad about her. She missed that sometimes. Mostly she was too busy to think about men, with the twins, her dad and the shop, doing Sarah’s wages and her accounts, but sometimes she’d feel a huge wave of loneliness wash over her. She’d never known love. Not since Tom. She doubted she ever would now. Her kids filled her heart with love, and she was grateful for that, but if she was honest, she sometimes craved male love and companionship. To have someone look at her the way Darren looked at Sarah, it was … well, it was beautiful.
‘Actually, Darren, I think some guys like fake,’ Jenny said. ‘I doubt Pamela Anderson sleeps alone.’
‘Well, she had a lot of very good natural ingredients to work with,’ Darren said, with a grin.
Our Secrets and Lies Page 11
