by Val Collins
‘It’s okay, Aoife. I phoned Mum twice today. She said she didn’t feel like talking but she wanted you to know that she’s sorry she threw you out of the house and she knows none of this is your fault.’
‘I’m glad, but that was hours ago. Why don’t you pop over there now and stay the night.’
‘God, no, I’m exhausted. I’ll have a cup of tea and then I’ll phone her again.’
‘We can’t leave her alone all night, Jason. You didn’t see how upset she was.’
‘Okay, okay! God, Aoife, will you stop nagging me? Can’t I have five minutes’ peace?’
‘I—you—’ Aoife’s mouth opened several times before she managed to form a coherent sentence. ‘Showing concern for your mother is nagging? And I’d like to know why you’re so exhausted. I’m the one who spent the day cleaning the house, keeping your daughter entertained and worrying about your mother.’
Jason threw his eyes up to heaven. ‘You’re in a mood again, I see. Women! Right, I’ll phone her.’ He picked up his mobile and left the room. Less than five minutes later, he returned. ‘Mum is fine, but she wants an early night and she doesn’t want any visitors. Now, if you don’t mind, Aoife, I’d like to get something to eat. It’s been a long day.’
Aoife went upstairs before she could say something she would later regret.
TWENTY-EIGHT
The following morning Aoife checked her phone every ten minutes, but there was no update from Moaney. She wasted so much time checking, she was late for work. She rushed into her office to find a grinning Orla sitting on her desk.
‘Surprise! I’m going to be working here for a few months.’
‘What?’
‘Well, I’ll only be here occasionally until after my exams, but I’m going to spend the summer redecorating the house. I’m helping Cian organise a dinner for all his art critic friends. He’ll be thirty in August, so we’re going to call it a birthday celebration.’
‘He never mentioned anything to me.’
Orla laughed. ‘I only talked him into it last night. It will be great for his career. This is a fabulous house—well, apart from the outside. Honestly, you’d think a pauper lived here. But he won’t let me touch the front of it and I can see his point.’ She giggled. ‘Everyone gets such a shock when they see the extension. And Cian has the most amazing paintings. Who wouldn’t be impressed?’
Aoife’s heart sank. Orla was her best friend, but she didn’t fancy her as a colleague or, worse still, a boss.
*
Four days later and still no news from Moaney. Aoife couldn’t relax. Jason was acting like everything was fine, but she couldn’t forget the way he’d spoken to her. She was struggling not to hold a grudge. Jason was under a lot of pressure. He was as upset as anyone about the allegations made against his father. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about Maura. He wasn’t emotionally strong enough to cope with the situation, so he was pretending it didn’t exist. Aoife sighed. Nobody cared whether she was capable of coping with everything. Why was it her responsibility to plug all the gaps? Wouldn’t it be lovely if somebody would step in and take care of everything? Okay, stop right there, she told herself. That’s how you got yourself into this situation in the first place. The last thing you need is somebody controlling your life. Get a grip.
Aoife looked around her once immaculate office. Now that Orla’s dinner preparations were in full swing, there were constant deliveries. It was a daily struggle just to find her desk. Orla bustled in and out with an ever-growing list of demands. Aoife heard heels on the stairs and ran into the kitchen to avoid her. She was boiling the kettle when Cian wandered in.
‘This is a disaster,’ he said. ‘I should never have listened to Orla. Everyone will hate the house. I’ll be a laughingstock.’
‘Why would anybody hate it?’ Aoife checked her phone for the five-hundredth time that morning. Still nothing from Moaney. ‘Your house is beautiful. Even I can tell that the artwork is spectacular.’
‘It’s all fake. Everything is fake.’ Cian looked at Aoife with wide, terrified eyes. ‘Don’t you see? I’m a fake. I can’t paint, so I do second-rate copies of famous works or I buy them from other people. My kitchen and dining room are straight out of a magazine and my office is like an advertisement for tack. Nobody will take me seriously after this. I’ll ruin my career before it’s even properly started.’
‘I think the paintings you did yourself are pretty good. I bet your colleagues would admire them.’
‘Aoife, please—’
‘I’m not saying they’ll think your art compares to the masters. I’m saying they’ll admire you for your skill as an amateur. I bet they’d all love to be able to paint as well as you.’
‘Of course they would,’ Cian scoffed. ‘I’m moving all of my own paintings into my bedroom and that’s where they will stay until everybody who knows anything about art is safely out of this house.’
The doorbell rang. Cian went out to answer it, leaving the kitchen door open.
‘Hi, I’m Tadhg.’
‘Sorry?’
‘I’m your new employee. Orla said you needed someone to do the heavy lifting to get the house ready for some party.’
Aoife came to the rescue. It was over a month since she’d seen Tadhg. Back then he’d worn oversized jumpers or jackets. Now he was wearing jeans and a tight sleeveless T-shirt. He’d outgrown the awkward teenage stage, Aoife noticed. That was the body of a man.
‘Hi, Tadhg. Orla isn’t here yet.’
‘Orla hired you?’ Cian looked at him suspiciously. ‘Why would she do that without telling me?’
Tadhg shrugged.
‘We could certainly use some extra help around here, Cian. He could move those boxes out of my office to start with.’
‘I don’t like strangers in my house. Not unless I am the one who invites them.’
‘Well, Tadhg’s here now and there’s lots of things he could do for us. You don’t want to send him away, do you?’
Cian frowned at Tadhg. ‘Are you studying law with Orla?’
‘No.’
‘How do you know her?’
‘We met at a funeral.’
‘What?’
‘Tadhg is a student at Trinity. He helped out at Danny’s funeral service. Orla obviously thought of him when she realised we needed help.’
Cian pursed his lips. ‘I see. Well, Aoife’s office is at the end of the hall. Put all the boxes in the garage. We’ll decide what to do with them later.’ Aoife went to follow him, but Cian put a hand on her arm to delay her. When Tadhg was out of sight he said, ‘I don’t like the look of him.’
Aoife smiled. ‘He’s barely eighteen, Cian. You don’t have anything to worry about. Orla isn’t interested in young boys.’
‘What? I have no idea what you’re talking about. I meant I have a lot of expensive paintings in this house and I don’t want people like him hanging around here.’
‘I’ll vouch for Tadhg. Maura knows him well. He won’t steal from you, I promise.’
*
A few hours later Aoife was eating her lunch when Tadhg came into the kitchen. ‘How’s it going?’ she asked.
Tadhg checked behind to make sure they were alone. ‘He’s a bit odd, that boss of yours, isn’t he?’
‘In what way?’
‘I don’t know. Jumpy. Not at all the kind of guy I’d expect Orla to fall for.’
‘He’s not her usual type, that’s for sure. But, you know, they’re close in age and Orla has always liked older guys.’
Tadhg grinned. ‘You don’t need to worry about me, Aoife. I know Orla would never go for someone like me. Not yet anyway. In a few years, who knows?’ He frowned. ‘For the life of me I can’t figure out what she sees in that guy.’
‘Cian’s just worried about having so many important people to dinner. Orla talked him into it. He’s not really the socialising type.’
‘I don’t think that’s it. I spent a good part of my life in and out of fos
ter homes. I learned to judge people very quickly, and I’m telling you, Aoife, something isn’t quite right with that guy.’
*
Summer made its second early appearance this year. Ireland was celebrating its fifth consecutive day of sunshine and blue skies. The sun seemed to be reflected in everyone’s smiles. Even people who normally ignored strangers now stopped on the street to discuss the fabulous weather. Barbecues made a rare appearance and the shops were running out of ice cream.
Orla had a week off college. In celebration of the glorious weather, she set up her office in Cian’s garden. She was having difficulty deciding where she wanted to sit. First she tried the patio, then she moved to sit near the fountain, later she decided she’d prefer the lawn and finally she settled in the rose garden. Each time Tadhg was summoned to move Orla’s table and chair while Orla carried her laptop, textbooks and a bundle of interior design magazines. As they strolled through the garden, Tadhg’s muscles were displayed to their full effect and he and Orla always seemed deep in conversation. On one occasion Aoife spotted Cian watching them from the kitchen window. She wondered if he was comparing his own rather unimpressive physique with Tadhg’s. She wondered if Orla was comparing them also. When Orla had finally settled in the rose garden, Aoife went out to join her.
‘You do know Tadhg’s in love with you, right?’
Orla shrugged. ‘He knows there can never be anything between us.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘When we started hanging out—’
‘You’ve been hanging out?’
‘Of course, why not? I like Tadhg. He’s very bright and he has a great sense of humour. Don’t look at me like that, Aoife. I made sure Tadhg understands that I would never go out with someone younger than me. He knows we can never be a couple.’
‘I’d be prepared to bet that doesn’t stop him from loving you.’
‘It doesn’t stop me from loving him either. But nothing can happen between us and that’s all there is to it.’
TWENTY-NINE
The following evening, Jason was watching TV while Aoife sat alone on the couch, flicking through a library book on modern art.
‘Aoife, what do you want to do about Amy’s college fund?’
‘How do you mean?’
‘Well, now I’m living here again, should we consider restarting it?’
Aoife put down her book. ‘You’re not living here, Jason. You said you wanted to stay here until you felt able to cope with your mother. I assumed you’d be going back to her house soon. Especially now she’s so upset about the Buckley development.’
‘Oh, she’s over that already. I convinced her nothing’s going to come of it.’
‘I’m glad Maura’s feeling better, but if the police had dropped that line of enquiry they would have told us. Maura’s going to need your support. I think it’s time you moved back in with her.’
‘I could, I suppose, but is that really fair?’
‘Why not?’
‘I’m an adult, Aoife. I don’t want to live with my mother.’ He took a seat on the couch beside her. ‘We’re husband and wife. I know your parents’ life insurance paid for this house, but legally we are joint owners.’
‘What are you suggesting? Amy and I move out?’
‘No, but why can’t we all live here together? There’s plenty of room.’
‘It would be too awkward, Jason.’
‘Why? Am I getting on your nerves?’
Aoife ignored the question. ‘We can’t live as if we’re a couple when we’re not. What message does it give to Amy?’
‘Short of us being a couple, what could be better for her? She gets to live with both of her parents and see us each day. Maybe it’s not ideal for the two of us, but in the present economy, we don’t have a choice. We can’t afford two houses.’
‘You want to live here forever?’
‘Wasn’t that the idea when we got married? We might have a few problems to work through, but won’t that be easier when we’re both in the same house?’
‘Maura says Evan is moving into a house near Belfield. Apparently the rent is pretty reasonable. Couldn’t you stay with him for a while?’
‘The rent is reasonable because there are six of them in the one house. They don’t have space for me, and even if they did, I’m not a student any longer. I can’t live a student lifestyle. They’d be up half the night. I have to get to work.’
‘There must be some other solution.’
‘Not with our debts. You’ve seen how much of my salary goes to paying off the credit card. Where would I get money for any type of rent, no matter how low it is?’
‘When will we have the debts paid off?’
‘I figure another two years should do it.’
‘Two years!’
‘Well, you know what it’s like with credit cards. The interest rates are so high, it’s almost impossible to pay anything off the capital. But I’ve been managing to clear a little each month. Another two years or so and we should have it all repaid. Can you put up with me until then?’
‘Jason, I’m not sure this is—’
‘And now you’re earning good money, we could restart Amy’s college fund.’
Aoife was about to say they should spend any spare cash on counselling sessions, but she stopped herself. She couldn’t face counselling right now. ‘I need to get Amy some new clothes. She grows out of everything so quickly.’
‘That’s a good idea. When that’s done, how would you feel about putting the surplus into the education fund?’
‘Okay, but I have to keep enough to pay for food and bills.’
‘There’s no need. I’ll cover those.’
‘No, Jason. While we’re living separately, I want us to have separate accounts. You continue to pay me the amount we agreed when we separated plus extra to cover your keep. I know exactly what’s going on bills, so it will be easy to work out how much extra we spend while you’re living here.’
‘You want me to pay for my keep? Like I’m a lodger?’
‘Why not? We’re not a couple, Jason. Our agreement was you would give me enough to cover the utility bills and to feed and clothe Amy. Now that you’re living here, the utility bills have increased. All I’m asking is that you pay the balance.’
‘But—’
‘I think I’m being very generous. I clean, cook, take care of your child and do your laundry. I’m not charging you for any of that.’
‘But that means it’s costing me more to live with you. Mum wasn’t charging me for my keep.’
‘Maybe you should live with her, then?’
Jason frowned. ‘That job is changing you, Aoife. You’re becoming hard and bitter.’
‘What changed me, Jason, was trying to live on practically nothing last year. I could only afford one meal a day.’
‘That wasn’t my fault. If you had asked me for money, I would have given it to you. You never told me you’d lost your job. How was I supposed to know you had no money?’
‘Well, maybe it wasn’t your fault, but I’m not going through that again. I’ll put a hundred a month into the college fund but no more.’
Jason smiled. ‘It’s a start, Aoife. That’s all I’m asking. I just want to make sure Amy has a chance at a good college education. That’s what a responsible father does, isn’t it?’
THIRTY
Aoife arrived at work to total chaos. Whatever Cian might say about his dining room, Aoife doubted there was anybody who wouldn’t be impressed by the long mahogany table and the gold chandelier. But that was all that was in the room. Cian hadn’t built the extension until after his parents’ death, and as he had no use for a formal dining room, it had eventually gone the way of most spare rooms—everything that wasn’t in constant use ended up there. Orla enthusiastically embraced the challenge of preparing it for its debut performance. The first step was to get the room painted. Workmen dressed in overalls passed through the hall and odd items of furniture were stored
in the hallway.
‘Hey!’ a muffled voice greeted her as she entered. Orla’s curls could be seen peeking over the top of a large painting. ‘What do you think of this?’
Aoife examined what appeared to be a black canvas. ‘Am I supposed to see something?’
‘Cian painted it. It was hanging in the dining room, but it’s better suited to the hall. Cian says if you look at it closely there are actually several different shades of black.’
‘Hmm. I suppose there are, but it’s still a black canvas.’
Orla giggled. ‘We’re hopeless, aren’t we? Poor Cian. I think Tadhg’s the only one who appreciates his work.’
‘Tadhg likes my paintings?’ Neither of them had heard Cian enter.
‘We all like your paintings, darling. We just don’t appreciate them the way a real art lover can.’
‘I didn’t realise Tadhg was into art.’
‘Oh yeah, that’s part of the reason I asked him to help out with the party. I knew he’d love your house. He sketches a bit himself, but he adores all forms of art.’
‘Really?’ Cian sounded sceptical. ‘Not that one, Orla. I don’t want anything I painted myself on display. These people are professionals. They’d despise my amateurish attempts.’
‘I don’t think it’s amateurish.’ Tadhg joined them. He put down the box he was carrying, took the painting from Orla and held it to the light. ‘It’s quite amazing, actually. I didn’t realise you were so talented.’
‘I’m not at all talented, and this painting is staying in my bedroom until the party’s over.’ Cian took the painting from Tadhg and headed for the stairs. ‘Orla, we need to leave in fifteen minutes if we’re going to make our flight.’
‘Oh hell, is that the time! I’m not even dressed!’ She jumped down from the stepladder and could be heard taking the stairs two at a time.
Tadhg watched her leave, a thoughtful expression on his face. ‘Off on another holiday? Where are they going this time?’
‘Vienna. It’s only for the weekend. Tadhg, do you think it’s a good idea to spend so much time around Orla? Wouldn’t it be better if—’
‘I’m okay, Aoife. Orla deserves a good life. Cian can give it to her now, but someday—’ He smiled. ‘Someday I’ll be a qualified doctor and I’ll be able to give Orla everything she ever wanted.’
