Hannie Rising Page 14

  He laughed and for a brief enlightening instant, Johannah knew what it was Kate saw in him.

  "Do you mind if I sit down?" he asked, pulling up a chair and seating himself before either woman could object, not that they would with the manners drilled into them from birth. "I didn't know you were jazz fans."

  "We aren't particular," Maura explained. "We'll come out for whoever's good."

  "Thank you." His eyes rested on Johannah, cool and speculating. "How is Kate?"

  Johannah's eyebrows rose. She wouldn't have brought up the subject of her daughter, but now that he had... "Don't you know?"

  "We don't run in the same circles."

  "Really? Not even yesterday?"

  He stood and smiled. "Good night, Mrs. Enright. Enjoy the evening."

  "Well," Maura said, tipping her glass for the last of the wine. "I don't think he'll be back."

  "I'll live."

  Maura sighed. "Couldn't you have tried to be the tiniest bit polite? He was only trying to be nice."

  "He knows I don't like him. I've never liked him, and in case you've forgotten, he's the one who brought up Kate's name in the first place. I wasn't going to say a word. Imagine lying so blatantly when I almost ran into them."

  "He didn't exactly lie, Hannie. Besides, are you sure it was him?"

  "Positive."

  Maura nodded. "I suppose you'd know better than anyone. He's the image of his father."

  "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

  A woman passing by their table stopped. "Mrs. Enright? It is Mrs. Enright, isn't it?"

  Johannah forced herself to smile. "Sheila. How are you?"

  "I've been better. That sorry son of yours broke it off with me."

  Johannah stiffened. "I'm sure he realized you wouldn't suit."

  "I'm over it."

  "Smart girl. Possibly it's for the best."

  "I really cared for him."

  "But you don't anymore, not after the way he's treated you." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

  "I was wondering if you could do me a favor?"

  "Of course," Johannah lied.

  "Tell him I've moved."

  "Have you?"

  "Yes. I'm living in Currow with my sister." Sheila reached into the pocket of her impossibly snug denims and pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to Johannah. "This is my new number. Would you ask Liam to ring me?"

  Maura leaned over to look at the numbers. "You had it already written down. How did you know we would be here?"

  Sheila shrugged. "It pays to be prepared. Lovely seeing you."

  Johannah watched her go.

  "She's gorgeous," said Maura.

  "Yes."

  "A bit old for Liam, don't you think?"

  "Yes."

  Maura shook her head and looked at Johannah. "You can't possibly want your son to attach himself to the likes of her?"

  "No."

  She laughed, grabbed the slip of paper from Johannah's fingers, tore it up and fed it piece by piece into the candle flame. "Well then, that's that," she said when the last of it was nothing more than charred carbon.

  Johannah's expression didn't change. "If only it were so simple."

  "What are you talking about? It's very simple. The problem is solved."

  "In the end, people do what they want, Maura, no matter how hard we try to convince them otherwise. Sheila and Liam will meet on the street or in a pub and if he wants to, he'll continue seeing her, just like Kate and Ritchie have continued it."

  Maura frowned. "Johannah..." She hesitated.

  "Go on."

  "Have you considered seeing someone professionally?"

  "What on earth for?"

  "You're obviously depressed. I've never heard you like this, so fatalistic and negative, not even after Mickey died."

  Johannah stared at her.

  "An objective listener might be all you need. You have a lot to be grateful for," Maura continued, "a good job, healthy children, a beautiful grandchild, even a possible love interest."

  "Who might that be?"

  "Patrick."

  Johannah laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. I told you there's nothing there. However, you're right about the rest of it. I do have a great deal to be grateful for and I know you disapprove, but I have to tell Liam about Sheila. The time is long past when I can make decisions about his personal life." She picked up her bag and slid out from the booth, leaned over and kissed Maura's cheek. "I've had enough music for the night. I'm going to think about what you said while I'm in Dublin."

  Chapter 22

  Kate

  Kate waited until she heard the front door close behind her mother before she ran downstairs to the kitchen. Evan needed his breakfast and she was due at her job at the Council Office, but she didn't want to risk being interrogated about Ritchie. It had taken enormous effort to maintain a neutral expression when her mother mentioned she and Maura were going to watch him play last night. Pulling the Wheatabix box from the cupboard, she broke one into a bowl and had reached for a banana when the door opened and Johannah walked back in.

  "Good morning," her mother said cordially. "I bought sausage. Maybe Evan would like some."

  "Cereal is fine. I'd rather he not eat so much saturated fat."

  Johannah nodded. "I suppose you're right." She changed the subject. "I forgot to call your Aunt Kathleen. Is Nan awake?"

  "I haven't seen her."

  Johannah sighed and reached for the phone. "She's sleeping longer and longer every day."

  "Depression?" suggested Kate.

  "Possibly, although what she has to be depressed about, I have no idea."

  Kate continued to chop the banana. "No one knows why someone else would be depressed. Nan is away from the home she's lived in all her life. Everything is new to her. When life doesn't turn out as we expect, people get depressed."

  "If that were the case, everyone would be depressed."

  "I suppose to a small degree, everyone is." Rinsing her hands, she pulled a dishtowel from the drawer. "Have you fed the dog?"

  Johannah nodded and turned her attention to the phone. "Hello, Kathleen? No. It's me, Johannah. I'm grand, thank you. I have a favor to ask. I'm on my way to Dublin for my job. I need someone to stay with Mom. Liam can drive her up."

  Kate poured herself a cup of tea and left the kitchen to wake Evan. When she returned her mother was seated at the table, staring at the phone. She sat down beside her. "Is everything all right?" she asked.

  Johannah shook her head. "Not really."

  "What's the matter?"

  "I can't go to Dublin. Kathleen won't take Nan."

  "Why not?"

  "She has no room for her."

  "That's impossible. Her house is huge."

  Johannah spoke carefully. "She doesn't want to. It would disrupt her routine, curtail her freedom." She replaced the phone.

  "It isn't the end of the world, Mom. I'll take care of her."

  "What about the Council job? You can't stand them up after they've given you more hours."

  "Liam and I will work it out. Just go and don't worry."

  "Are you sure, Kate?"

  "Absolutely," she lied. "Don't even think about it."

  "What about Liam? He might have other plans."

  "He'll have to change them. It's little enough we do for you, Mom. In fact it's a bit of a relief to be able to pay you back for all you've done for us. Liam won't mind at all." She was determined to threaten her brother to within an inch of his life if he showed even the slightest bit of reluctance.

  Johannah breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you very much, Katie. It would solve everything. I'll just say goodbye to Evan, check on Nan and be on my way."

  "Are you driving?"

  "I am."

  Dolly appeared in the kitchen in a bathrobe and slippers on the wrong feet. "Did I hear my name?"

  "We were just saying you should be down about now," Kate said. "What can I give you for breakfast?"

  "Th
e usual. A cup of tea and toast."

  Johannah sighed with exasperation. "Have something more than that, Mom. You're too thin."

  Saying nothing, Kate pulled a carton of eggs from the refrigerator. Deliberately keeping her back to her mother, she cracked one into the bowl and then, separating the whites from yolks, added the whites to the whole egg, beating them slightly before pouring them into the heated skillet. Then she toasted two slices of bread and quartered a tomato, slid the egg mixture onto a plate and presented it to her grandmother with a flourish. "There you go, Nan, just the way you like it."

  Dolly smiled and tucked into her meal. "Thank you, love."

  Johannah threw up her hands. Who was it that said personality traits skipped a generation? Evan's footsteps pounded on the stairs seconds before he appeared in the kitchen. "I'm hungry," he shouted. "I want sausage and bacon."

  "It's cereal and bananas," his mother replied cheerfully. "Say goodbye to your Nan and then sit down and keep Gran company. Here's your breakfast."

  "Where are you going, Nan?"

  "To Dublin." Johannah pointed to her cheek. "Kiss me goodbye and I'll bring you home something."

  Evan offered his lips. "When will you be back?"

  "I'll be home before you know it."

  "How will we do things?"

  "You'll have your mom and Liam and Gran."

  He looked doubtful.

  Kate laughed and shook her head. "Isn't it amazing how quickly he's forgotten how we managed in our own home for most of his life?" She watched her mother hug Evan fiercely, wave goodbye to Dolly and rush out the door to her life, a life as far away from children and breakfast dishes and marital squabbles and personal doubts as her own was full of them.

  Kate placed a cup of tea in front of her grandmother. "I must drop Evan at school, Nan," said Kate. "Will you wait here or dress and ride with us?"

  "I'll wait here and have another cup of tea with Seamus." She looked around. "Where is he?"

  "In the yard." Kate refilled the milk pitcher. "If you're finished, Evan, brush your teeth. It's time for school."

  Evan beamed. "I like school. Mrs. Mahoney lets me erase the board and pass the crayons."

  Dolly nodded. "Good boy," she called after him as he climbed the stairs. "An education is never wasted. That's what I always told the children. No one can take it from you. I never had any but the basics myself. We didn't in my time, but your nan had a good education and so did your mother."

  Kate's expression was bitter. "It isn't doing me much good right now, is it, Gran?"

  "I suppose that's your fault, Katie. We make our own decisions, don't we? I recall no one could tell you much of anything although your mother certainly tried."

  Kate turned her back and gave another swipe to the already immaculate worktop. It would be too much to expect sympathy from her taciturn grandmother. If there was one thing she could say about Dolly, it was her penchant for zeroing in on the truth. How odd that she could remember details from years past when she couldn't remember her own address or how to sew on a button.

  "She was always a good girl, Johannah was," Dolly continued, "not as good as Philomena or Kathleen, but a good girl all the same."

  Suddenly Kate was angry for her mother. "You might remember that it's my mom who's taken you in, Nan. Neither Phil nor Kathleen has offered one penny on your behalf."

  "Why should they?" returned Dolly. "I didn't ask to come here."

  Kate gave up. "I'll be back as soon as I drop Evan at school. Think about what you'd like to do this morning."

  "What about your job?"

  "I've decided to skip work today."

  Dolly opened the newspaper. "Take your time. I'm in no rush."

  Evan didn't want to hold Kate's hand. "I'm big now," he reminded her when she tried to guide him across the street.

  "I know that, love, but sometimes mommies need to hold on to something, too. It makes me happy. So, how about it?"

  With a sigh of resignation, Evan slipped his hand inside his mother's. "What did you put in my lunch box?"

  "Ham sandwich, an apple and crisps."

  He nodded, happy with her selection. "You didn't cut the crust off, did you?"

  "Not a one."

  "Good, because only girls have the crusts cut off."

  "I'll keep that in mind." She waited while he aimed his toe at a stone and then kicked it. "Your dad will come for you at the end of the day."

  "Is it his turn?"

  "Yes."

  "Are you mad at Daddy?"

  "Of course not, Evan. Daddy never does anything for me to be mad at."

  "Then why are we living with Nan?"

  Kate hesitated. How did one explain to a child the web of complexity that renders a successful marriage? Should she even try? "I need to find work that makes me happy, Evan. It's not possible to do that and live with Daddy."

  "Why not?"

  "There isn't time. I'm very busy there." She had no hope of his understanding but she had to try.

  Unbelievably, Evan had no more questions. Kate kissed him goodbye at the entrance to his school. "I love you," she whispered.

  "I know," he said, and walked across the yard. Turning one more time he waved goodbye at the door and disappeared from view.

  With a sigh of relief, Kate turned toward home. She would take Dolly for a walk in the park and stop for a coffee at the museum café. The walk would do her grandmother good as well as tire her out, enough for a nap. With luck, Liam would be home and Kate would have the rest of the day to look at employment opportunities on the Internet. Ritchie's words hit home. She should be looking in Dublin and Cork, even America.

  The house was unusually quiet when she unlocked the door. The dishes had been dried and put away, The Irish Times neatly folded. "Nan," she called out. "I'm home. Are you ready to go?"

  No answer. Climbing the stairs, Kate peeked into the bathroom. Empty. Walking quickly to her grandmother's room, she opened the door. Empty as well. Just to be sure, she checked the closet and then opened the window, scanning the yard. No Nan and no Seamus. "Nan, if you're home, please answer me."

  At this point she had no hope of an answer. Where should she look for Dolly? She was completely nonplussed. Liam. She would call Liam. Hopefully his mobile would be turned on.

  He answered immediately. Never had she been so grateful to hear his voice. "Liam, it's Kate. Nan's missing."

  "What?"

  "She's gone. I was supposed to be minding her but she didn't want to go with me to drop Evan at school. I came back and she's gone."

  "Is the dog gone, too?"

  "Yes."

  "I'm on the way home. Give me fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, call the garda."

  "You're not serious? They won't do anything."

  "For God's sake, she's an old lady who doesn't always remember things, hardly a criminal case. It shouldn't tax them."

  "All right. I'll try. Please hurry."

  "I'll be there shortly. She can't have gone far."

  "Thanks, Liam. I take back every awful thing I've ever said about you."

  He laughed and hung up.

  Chapter 23

  Dolly

  Dolly had waited until Kate and Evan rounded the bend at the bottom of the road. Then she'd folded the paper neatly, washed up in the bathroom, dressed carefully in her blue print dress with the matching wool jacket, found an umbrella, called Seamus and marched out the door. She had no money in her bag but her credit was good anywhere in Tralee, not in the take-away shops, of course, but she'd never purchased food in one of those dreadful little holes anyway. She would go to the Grand or to the Munster Bar. They had lovely sandwiches and a proper tea. Maybe she would have soup as well. Then she would walk back to Kevin Barry's and drop in at the Fitzgeralds or the Hennesseys. Later, she would stop at St. John's, light a candle for those members of her family who had passed on and then make her way over to the cemetery.

  Filled with purpose, she quickened her pace. The day was cold and clou
dy, but her spirits were light. She had a mission. She was in control. What day of the week was it anyway? She had no idea. For a moment she was bothered by the lapse but then she discarded it. People forgot things all the time, especially when they got older. It meant nothing at all.

  "Hello there, Dolly." Frank Malloy tipped his hat and stopped in the footpath, preventing her from continuing.

  "Good morning, Frank. How are you?" Seamus settled at her feet.

  "Fine weather we're having for this time of year."

  "A bit cold for me."

  "Lovely day for a walk."

  "It is."

  "We haven't seen you in Kevin Barry's for awhile. Where are you off to?"

  "I've been visiting Johannah for a while, but I'll be home soon. I've a few errands in town first."

  "How is Johannah?"

  "She's well, thank you."

  "A terrible thing it was, her losing Mickey that way. How long has it been now?"

  "Sorry?"

  "How long has it been since Mickey passed?"

  "I have no idea what you're talking about, Frank Malloy. The idea of Mickey passing. Why I saw him only a few days ago."

  He stared at her. "I wouldn't mistake a matter like that that, Dolly. Mickey was a friend of mine. He was a friend to all of us. Nearly everyone in town attended the funeral Mass."

  Dolly drew herself up. "Go away now, Frank. I have errands to run. Don't you be spreading gossip about Mickey Enright passing on. I can't imagine why you would say such a thing." She brushed passed him, disregarding his presence and his words as if they'd never happened. "Come along, Seamus."

  The Grand was crowded but she didn't mind waiting and soon her favorite table in front of the window opened up. Sighing with relief, she leaned back into her chair, tucking her umbrella and bag into the corner. "I'll have a pot of tea and a toasted sandwich special," she said to the waitress, obviously a blow-in from one of those Eastern European countries she'd never learned to pronounce. Dolly could tell from her accent and that golden skin tone that was definitely not Irish. It didn't matter, as long as the girl didn't confuse her order. Some of these people were quite competent even though it wasn't like the old days when the children were in school and she would meet Bridie or Carmel at the Munster Warehouse. Bridie was gone now and Carmel had moved to the States long ago. She didn't begrudge Carmel her good fortune. The way Dolly looked at it was she'd landed squarely in the middle of her two friends, neither the worst nor the best of the lot. Settling back into her chair, she relaxed her fists and looked out the window. On a day like this she could almost forget the fear that never seemed to leave her as well as the circumstances that led to her living in her daughter's home.