She saw Gary eye her warily. ‘Come on, Gary, eat up,’ she chivvied. ‘Wow, Jessie, look, there’s a fine thing coming in.’
‘Oohh yeah, he’s a bit of all right,’ agreed Jessie as they ogled a denim-clad trucker who had just entered the restaurant. Tall, tanned and rangy, he looked like a young Clint Eastwood.
‘Do you mind! If we did that to a woman, you pair would be up in arms,’ Mike objected.
‘Not at all,’ Carol declared. ‘We’re all for equality, aren’t we, Jessie?’
‘Sure,’ grinned her friend, and Carol could see the relief on her face that she hadn’t caused a scene. Bitterness surged. It was all right for Jessie sitting there smug and contented, she was sure of her place in Mike’s affections. She had the joy of planning a wedding to someone that loved her.
Still standing, she drained her glass of fresh orange juice. ‘Are we going?’ she demanded, trying not to sound truculent. It was vital to behave normally and not let on that she was wounded to the core.
‘Yeah, let’s go,’ Jessie agreed, mopping up the last bit of egg yolk with a piece of bread.
‘There’s no rest on you women.’ Gary took a last draught of his coffee as Mike went up to pay. He didn’t see the look of vitriol that Carol flashed his way before she turned away and started for the door.
* * *
Jessica watched Gary, waiting for him to offer to pay half the bill. Gary and Carol were mean with money unless they were buying something for themselves. Mike and she often ended up paying for the other couple unless they were specifically asked for their share. It infuriated Jessica. Mike only had a part-time job and was putting himself through college; Gary was working full-time.
‘I’m off to the jacks, see you at the car,’ he said casually, and sloped away from the table without a bother.
She could feel her previous good humour evaporating. Although Carol had behaved as if Gary’s postponement of the wedding made not the slightest difference, and done it very well, Jessica thought admiringly, she had seen the tell-tale weepy red in her friend’s eyes and known she was in turmoil. And when Carol was in turmoil she never kept it to herself. Some time over the next few days Jessica knew she was in for a session, and in the small confines of a boat there was no escape.
She should have put her foot down and said she and Mike were having a weekend for themselves. And Mike should have objected too, she thought crossly, as she saw her beloved paying the cashier.
‘You make sure that they pay half,’ she insisted when Mike rejoined her at the table.
‘Ah, forget it,’ he said easily.
‘I will not forget it, Mike, we’re not a bloody charity,’ she hissed. ‘They’re always sponging and I’m sick of it. We’re saving to get married. There’s going to be a kitty on that boat and you’re getting what you’re owed for the breakfast.’
Mike threw his eyes up to heaven. ‘OK, OK, suit yourself,’ he sighed and then she felt mean for getting at him. This was supposed to be his break after the exams.
‘Mike, it’s not that I’m mean,’ she explained earnestly as she linked his arm, ‘but they do take stuff like that for granted and it’s not fair.’
‘I know you’re not mean, I know what you’re saying. I hate asking for the money.’
‘We shouldn’t have to be asking. They’re too bloody casual.’
‘OK, we’ll organize a kitty like you say. Now don’t get grumpy on me,’ Mike coaxed. ‘Come on, let’s go and try and cheer poor old Carol up, even though she’s putting a brave front on it. But there’s no point in them getting married if his heart isn’t in it.’
‘I know,’ sighed Jessica. ‘I’ve told her that until I’m blue in the face but it doesn’t make any difference.’
‘He’s a queer hawk, sometimes,’ Mike mused. ‘I just don’t think he wants to tie himself up.’
‘Do you?’ Jessica looked up at him, wondering did he ever have any doubts about them as a couple.
‘Do I want to tie myself up?’ He smiled down at her, the smile reaching his eyes and crinkling them up the way she loved. ‘In knots, Jessie, in knots, as long as it’s with you.’
She felt a lump come into her throat and swallowed hard. How could she not love Mike? She was so lucky. Her dad must really be looking after her, she thought gratefully as they reached the car.
‘You OK, Carol?’ she asked kindly as she opened the door for her friend.
‘What do you think?’ the other girl said disconsolately.
Jessie gave her a quick hug, conscious that Gary would be out any minute. ‘Everything will work out for the best,’ she whispered.
‘Oh don’t talk nonsense. That’s easy for you to say,’ muttered her friend. ‘Come on, let’s get going.’
‘Sure, as soon as Gary gets in,’ Jessica said coolly, stung by her friend’s ungraciousness. There was no need for Carol to take it out on her; she’d only been trying to help.
* * *
Gary washed his hands and ran a comb through his curly black hair, whistling as he did so. The pressure was off, he wasn’t getting married this year, life was good, and he was going to get well and truly bombed tonight, he decided. And, surprisingly, Carol hadn’t got into a mega huff and made a scene. She’d seemed quite cool about the whole thing. They’d have their own wedding in a few years’ time. They were young; they should enjoy life without tying themselves up in debt. The beer festival would be a blast – he intended getting drunk and getting laid as often as he could while he was in Germany.
Now that this whole wedding issue was settled, he was going to have a ball for the weekend. He could even get lucky. Carol might give in and sleep with him and that would be the icing on the cake.
As happy as a lark, Gary headed towards the car all prepared for an untroubled, boozy weekend on the river.
* * *
Mike sat in the back of the car, arms folded across his chest. The tension between Jessica and Carol was palpable. He’d heard how sharply Carol had cut Jessie off and it annoyed him. Jessie had been trying to help. It wasn’t her fault that Carol was having difficulties. Carol was such a strange girl. She was so jealous of Jessica and never lost an opportunity to put her down. No matter how hard Jessie tried, it was never enough for Carol. He’d have given up on her long ago if they’d been friends. Women were funny creatures, he mused. He couldn’t make head nor tail of them. Still, one good thing about it all, Jessie was going to have the wedding she wanted and he was glad of that. She deserved it. Although he hadn’t minded when Carol had first mooted the idea, looking at the hassle it was causing between the girls it wasn’t such a good idea, he conceded. A double wedding would have been full of stresses and tensions. They were better off on their own.
He watched Gary strolling over to the car, looking laid back and carefree. He had no idea how strongly Carol felt about him. He couldn’t see it at all. He was a bit of an eejit really, Mike reflected, although cute enough when it came to money. You wouldn’t get too many pints out of Gary, he thought wryly. Jessie was right. They weren’t a charity; the pair of them could pay their way this weekend and, what’s more, the petrol money was coming out of the kitty as well. Mike stretched his legs out as much as the cramped space would allow, wishing he were on his own with Jessie.
* * *
‘Which one is ours?’ Carol asked, perking up somewhat an hour later as Jessica drove into the Silver Line Marina.
‘One of those.’ She pointed out a shapely six-berth cruiser, white with red trim, bobbing up and down against a jetty.
‘It’s nice.’ Carol sounded impressed, and Jessica relaxed a little. There hadn’t been much talk for the latter part of the journey but now that they were here humours were rapidly improving. Gary and Mike were craning their necks trying to get a good look, eager to be up on deck and on the move.
‘We’d better check in at reception and then go and do a shop for the basics.’ Jessica eased into a parking space, relieved that they had finally arrived.
&
nbsp; ‘OK, you go and check in and Gary and I will bring the gear down to the jetty.’ Mike uncoiled himself out of the back seat.
‘Aye, aye, Captain,’ Jessie grinned. ‘Come on, bo’sun.’ She linked her arm in Carol’s, deciding to ignore her friend’s earlier petulance. She wanted them all to enjoy their weekend, and she could feel her anticipation rising as she watched the cruisers floating in the sun-dappled water.
Three-quarters of an hour later the four of them were sitting at the small table in the compact lounge waiting for the kettle to boil. They’d been given their maps, binoculars, and the fuel and water tanks had been filled. The boat swayed gently at its moorings, the water lapping against the sides. They were looking forward to setting sail.
‘Right, as soon as we have our cuppa, we’ll get our supplies and get going,’ Carol declared. The excitement of being on the boat had kicked in and they were all starting to relax and have fun.
Mike cleared his throat. ‘We need to organize our kitty. Bills divided by four, all agreed?’
‘Sure,’ Gary assented. Carol nodded.
Mike stepped down into the tiny galley and took a bowl out of the press. ‘Kitty bowl, and so far we’ve to divide out the petrol money and the brekkie bill.’
‘Don’t forget I didn’t have a full breakfast like you gluttons,’ Carol remarked tartly. ‘And don’t include me in the alcohol bill either.’ Jessica gave Mike a discreet nudge and he returned the pressure with his elbow. Tight as Carol was with money, this was a new low. Not paying for drink was fair enough, but quibbling about the breakfast bill was a bit over the top. Jessica couldn’t help but feel if Carol was being so parsimonious about a breakfast bill, what would she be like about an entire wedding bill.
‘You girls should go and do the shopping. Mike and I will do the manly things like checking the engines and the oil—’
‘Get lost.’
‘You must be joking, you male chauvinist pig.’
The two women turned on Gary, who guffawed at their outrage.
‘It was worth a try,’ he grinned.
‘Good try, mate,’ laughed Mike. ‘Pity it didn’t work. We’d better go and get it over and done with and carry the bags or our lives won’t be worth living.’
‘Too right.’ Jessica gave him an affectionate poke.
They trooped up to the supermarket joshing and laughing, arguing over the contents of their various shopping baskets. Fortunately the off-licence was open, so they stocked up on beer and wine and headed back to their cruiser eager to be off. Mike and Jessica had gone cruising before and knew their route; they were heading for Clonmacnoise, an ancient monastic settlement with a round tower, bathed in history.
When Mike started the engines and Jessica slipped their mooring ropes, they yelled and cheered as they chugged out into the grey meandering river, the sun glinting and glittering on the water, the breeze invigorating against their faces. Mike steered confidently between the red and black perches that marked their route along the river and Jessica came and stood with her arm around his waist, happy for him that his exams were over and he was finished studying.
‘Right, I’m going to sunbathe,’ Carol announced.
‘Do you want to have a go steering?’ Mike offered. ‘Just let me know if you do.’
‘Ta, but I want to lie on deck and feel the sun warming me up. You get a great tan on the river.’
‘You’re absolutely right.’ Jessica raised her face to the sun. ‘I think I’ll join you.’
‘Oi, you pair! This isn’t a luxury cruise. You’re crew!’ Mike remonstrated.
‘Aye, aye, skipper, you’re doing such a good job we couldn’t interfere,’ Jessica teased, as she followed Carol below deck to change into their bikinis. Carol and Gary were sharing the forward cabin with the two bunks, on Carol’s insistence. Jessica and Mike had the cabin with the double bed in the stern. When they had been booking the cruiser, Carol had asked Jessica if she would share the two-berth cabin with her and let Mike and Gary have their choice of the double beds in the lounge and stern, but Jessica had been adamant. She was sleeping with Mike, and Carol could make her own arrangements with Gary.
‘Aw come on, Jessie, pleezzee. If I have to share a bed with him I’ll—’
‘No, Carol. Just don’t start, OK. Mike and I are sleeping together; put Gary up on deck in a hammock if you want to,’ Jessica had retorted firmly.
Her friend had not been best pleased, but seeing that Jessica was unyielding, didn’t argue any further. Nor, to Jessica’s surprise, had she made any comment when Jessica and Mike had dumped their bags into the double cabin. But then the goalposts had moved and the double wedding was off. Was Carol and Gary’s relationship off? At this stage nothing would surprise her.
‘Sorry I was a cow earlier, I didn’t mean to be churlish,’ Carol murmured as her friend reached the bottom of the ladder that led from the upper deck. ‘I couldn’t believe when Gary decided to postpone our wedding. I was so looking forward to the double wedding.’
‘That’s OK,’ Jessica said warily. A penitent Carol was always something to be cautious of. Carol in penitent mode had a way of extracting favours, as Jessica knew to her cost.
‘What’s his problem, do you think?’ Carol fretted, ready for an in-depth analysis of her boyfriend’s troublesome psyche.
‘Look, let’s not waste a second of that sun in case the weather isn’t so good tomorrow,’ Jessica urged. ‘We’ll talk up on deck.’
‘Oh! Oh, OK.’ The other girl clearly wanted to have a big moaning session, but this time, Jessica was determined. The sun beckoned and she wanted to be out in the fresh air enjoying it, not standing below decks listening to Carol going on and on like a broken record.
They went to their respective cabins and changed rapidly into their bikinis. Jessica gazed in admiration at her friend’s long-limbed, toned figure that hadn’t an ounce of fat. Perhaps she was right not indulging in cholesterol-laden fry-ups. Her athletic, healthy body was the result of a disciplined lifestyle that Jessica envied, especially when it was time to bare all at bikini time. She held her tummy in as she clambered up the ladder after her, wishing that she wasn’t quite so curvaceous and at least two inches taller. She emerged up behind her on to the deck and laughed as the two men whistled in admiration. Carol grinned and sashayed along the side of the boat, aware that Gary was scrutinizing every inch of her.
‘Hey, gorgeous!’ he called. She blew him a kiss. Look and dream and wish, she thought viciously, knowing that she was looking her very best. By the time this mini cruise was finished Gary Davis’s tongue would be hanging out.
Conscious that her fiancé was staring at her, she gracefully spread her towel on the deck and began to smooth sun cream on to her legs. Slowly, sensuously, she massaged the cream into her body, stretching this way and that, arching her neck and thrusting out her firm breasts. Beside her, Jessica slathered on her oil any old way, completely unaware of the sexual pantomime Carol was indulging in.
Not looking in Gary’s direction but conscious of his gaze upon her, Carol slowly unhooked her bikini top and stretched, lissom as a ballerina, along her towel, massaging the milky sun cream on to her breasts.
‘Hey, you’re not going topless, are you?’ Gary demanded. ‘People will see – look, there’s a boat coming.’
‘So. Let it come, who cares?’ Carol drawled lazily.
‘I care,’ Gary said heatedly. ‘I don’t want men looking at you – you’re my fiancée.’
‘Tough. I’m not having strap marks just because you’re being prissy.’ Carol closed her eyes and sighed with satisfaction. Gary could be quite the jealous type when other men looked at her, and she played on it. ‘This is the life,’ she declared.
Beside her, Jessica had no problems agreeing. A swan and five little cygnets glided serenely along the far bank. The trees swayed gently in the breeze, the reeds along the riverbank rippling lightly in unison. The sun caressed their limbs and the soothing, rocking motion of the boat was
so relaxing Jessica felt herself drift into lethargy. It had been an early start and a long drive and she was tired. The steady thrum of the engine and the slap of water against the side of the boat was rhythmically soothing and her eyelids closed as the heat of the sun infused her body. Drowsiness overcame her and she drifted into contented sleep.
12
Liz Kennedy strolled along Arklow’s main street, enjoying the feel of the sun on her face. She had just finished her shift in the small bakery where she worked part-time. Friday, being one of their busiest days, was the day she liked most. Before she left work she had agreed with Nell, her boss, that the bakery would give her a generous discount on Jessie’s wedding cake.
She wasn’t sure whether each of the couples were planning on having their own wedding cake, or sharing one between them. She hadn’t thought to ask her daughter. It was something she’d need to clarify, but she wouldn’t be able to do it this weekend, as Mike and Jessica were cruising on the Shannon.
She was walking past the card shop when she noticed Nancy Logan, Carol’s mother, coming out of the post office across the street. Maybe Nancy might know what Carol’s plans were for her wedding cake. She supposed she really should go and speak to the woman. After all, she too would be involved in this wedding. It was only good manners, Liz thought reluctantly, wondering what sort of humour the other woman was in. You never knew what way you were going to find Nancy. If she was drinking, she’d be aggressive and surly. If she wasn’t she’d be feeling sorry for herself and would spend ages listing her complaints. Or else indulging in a tirade against her hapless husband, who had walked out on her ten years previously and made a new life for himself in Dublin with a new woman and a new family.
Liz wondered would Bill Logan be walking up the aisle with his daughter? Nancy would hardly stand for that. It was all going to be very fraught, to say the least. There were so many things to be organized and co-ordinated with Nancy and Carol and also Gary’s family. It was all very well arranging to have a double wedding but it certainly meant twice the hassle, Liz thought crossly, as she dithered as to whether to speak with Nancy or not.
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