Authors: Marita Conlon-McKenna
‘People on the dole don’t have much money for buying T-shirts.’
‘You’ve had two new ones the last few days I’ve seen you.’
‘I suppose they … they’re a kind of statement.’
‘Exactly, Finn … that’s what I mean.’
‘You’re some girl,’ he said, pulling her towards him and kissing her.
‘I’m serious,’ she said, looping her arms around his neck and pulling him even closer.
‘Same here,’ said Finn, taking her hand and leading her into his room and closing the door behind them.
Lucy and Finn and Duggy had got up early and driven into town in Duggy’s ancient green Peugeot. They had three boxes of printed ‘Busy’ T-shirts, and Lucy was determined they were going to get a good place to set up their stall in the bustling Temple Bar market. Early birds get the worm, and she’d had to cajole the boys with a hot cooked breakfast of pancakes and bacon served at 6 a.m. to get up and get moving.
‘We don’t want to be at the back end of the market,’ she warned.
‘We’ll probably be first, cos we’re so early,’ yawned Duggy, pulling a fleece hoody on over his ‘Busy Bonking’ T-shirt … trust him.
The market was already buzzing when they got there, with Duggy dropping them off with their boxes, fold-up table, stools and the display board for their posters – and then going off to find a car park.
OK, so they didn’t get a premium location, as they were already taken by experienced marketeers, but they set up their T-shirt stall beside a guy selling great-looking leather
boots and someone selling doggy-print cushions, and there was a Mexican hot food stall just across from them.
‘Mexican food stalls are always busy.’ Lucy grinned, satisfied with their location.
Finn and herself laid out a load of the T-shirts, and pinned up a display of the four designs they had got printed. They had also done sample graphics for a few more, and people could order these if they wanted.
‘Looking good!’ yelled Duggy, appearing back with three hot cups of coffee for them.
They each took a turn to wander quickly round the market and see how much competition there was for their product.
‘Saw a girl with pretty fairy T-shirts near the entrance,’ sighed Finn, ‘and did you see the two guys at the back selling Guns N’ Roses and Metallica ones?’
‘Different market to us,’ Lucy said confidently.
Duggy slipped off and came back.
‘That stall with the jeans has a few T-shirts for sale, too. There’s a cool kind of Japanese print one and a Kung Fu one and one with James Dean on it.’
Lucy went off and checked them all out, and prayed another T-shirt stall wouldn’t set up today.
The first hour was quiet, and they all tried to stay upbeat, and talk as if they were having great fun and a lack of customers didn’t really matter. Suddenly people began to arrive at the Mexican stall to get a breakfast wrap, looking around while they waited for them to cook.
‘Take off your jacket,’ she bossed Finn as she pulled off her own grey sweatshirt and Duggy dumped his, too.
Within a few minutes they had sold four black ‘Busy
Stargazing’ T-shirts and one ‘Busy in Bed’ one. Two guys with guitars came and bought ‘Busy Busking’ ones, and they couldn’t believe it when they sold a dozen ‘Busy Queuing’ ones in only a few minutes. All morning it continued, with quite a crowd collecting around the stall and reading what they’d written about how being on the dole had inspired the T-shirts. Some people suggested more ideas, which Finn diligently wrote down.
Duggy had to split around lunchtime, as he was doing a bit of editing in Filmbase for a friend of his.
‘Give me a shout when you need me to pick up your stuff,’ he offered.
By three o’clock the market had started to wind down, and Finn and Lucy realized that they had sold over fifty ‘Busy Stargazing’ T-shirts and had eight orders for them. Twenty people had bought ‘Busy Queuing’ and there were only three left, and they’d cleared out all of their ‘Busy in Bed’ ones. ‘Busy Busking’ had sold well, too.
Lucy couldn’t believe it, but they had sold over a hundred T-shirts! Finn was incredulous – and glad that Lucy had insisted on keeping the prices low.
‘Everyone’s broke at the moment, and so twelve euros for a T-shirt that is original and different is a fair price. If we can keep getting them made up and printed for five euros it’s a good mark-up for us once we’ve paid for our stall and our overheads.’
‘I just can’t believe it.’ Finn laughed. ‘A hundred people walking around Dublin in something I designed … it’s kind of cool.’
‘You’re kind of cool.’ Lucy grinned, and kissed him.
That night they ordered in a celebration takeaway from the Balti House and drank some beers. It had been some day, and they were pretty knackered.
‘We’ve booked the stall for next week,’ announced Finn.
‘Great!’ approved Duggy, helping himself to some naan bread. ‘You know, I was thinking maybe we should put the T-shirts up on the internet and sell some that way … well, try it out, anyway. Set up a “Busy …” website.’
‘That would cost a fortune,’ worried Lucy. ‘But we could definitely do Facebook and Twitter!’
‘Yeah, great, but my friends and I are always setting up web stuff and sites like that for the film projects we work on, but this would be different as you would be selling, and people would have to pay online, and you’d send them T-shirts … I’m not sure how that works.’
‘I’ll ask my dad,’ Lucy offered. ‘He works in a bank, he’d probably know about that kind of thing.’
‘Well, here’s to Busy,’ toasted Finn, wrapping Lucy in his arms.
‘Here’s to a business that might actually get us all off the dole!’ Duggy and Lucy laughed in unison.
Alice was busy down the garden clearing out the old leaves and rotting debris of last summer’s bedding. The crocuses were up, and the first of the daffodils were beginning to appear under the sycamore and lilac trees. It was damp and chilly, but with her fleece, woolly hat, gardening gloves and sturdy boots she was well-equipped for the occasion. She’d been out since mid-morning and had only taken a short break for a bowl of soup, and with the temperature beginning to drop was about to call it a day when she heard the doorbell go. No point going through the house; she’d go down the side passageway and see who it was.
‘Alice!’
‘Rob! How are you? Is everything OK?’ she asked, surprised to see Rob Flanagan standing on the footpath in his coat and a business suit.
‘I was on my way home from work, and decided to call in for a minute as there was something I wanted to ask you about.’
‘Oh, fine, come round this way, please.’ She smiled, took off her gloves, and led him around to the back garden and the
back door. There she kicked off her muddy boots, took off her hat, and led him into the kitchen.
‘Is everything OK about cooking on Tuesday?’ she asked, concerned and hoping that Rob didn’t feel too overwhelmed by the class.
‘Alice, the class is fine. To my great surprise I am really enjoying it, and it’s exactly what I need.’
‘Well, that’s good,’ she said, relieved. ‘I was about to have a cup of coffee, would you like one?’ she asked.
‘That would be lovely,’ he said, settling his large frame on to one of the tall stools at the kitchen island.
‘I’ve some homemade peanut cookies. Sean is addicted to them, would you like one?’ she said, opening the biscuit tin.
‘Thanks.’
‘Everything going OK with cooking at home?’ she asked.
‘Yes, couldn’t be better. I had an old neighbour, a widower like myself, over for dinner on Sunday and I did the fillet of beef. It turned out perfectly, and as for those potatoes done in the stock, we ate far too many of them.’
‘Well, I’m glad that you are putting it all into practice.’ She laughed. ‘That’s what I like to hear.’
She watched him over her coffee. He was a good-looking man, with an expensive suit and shirt, well-turned-out. He looked after himself.
‘The biscuits are great,’ he said, taking another one from the tin.
‘I must put them on my class recipe list,’ she teased.
‘Alice.’
‘Yes.’
‘The reason I called over was nothing to do with the class,
and I didn’t want to ask you with everyone else around. I was wondering if you would be interested in coming to the opera with me next Friday. They are staging
La Traviata
in the Gaiety as part of the opera season. Kate and I used to go regularly, and I suppose I am still on some priority booking list or other. I have two tickets.’
‘The opera!’ This certainly was a bit of a surprise, but if he had two tickets it would be such a shame to waste them, and it was years since she had gone to the opera. It would be fun, and Rob, from what she knew of him, was good company.
‘That sounds very nice, Rob. I’d love to come along, thank you for thinking of me.’
‘There is a pre-opera supper in two or three of the restaurants close by. Kate and I always used to grab a bite before the show started. They all make sure to have you out in plenty of time before the curtain goes up.’
‘That sounds great!’ She laughed.
‘I’ll book Peploes, then, for about 6.00 p.m,’ Rob said, sounding very pleased with himself.
Walking him to the front door in her socks, Alice suddenly realized that she had agreed to go on a sort of a date, her first date with a man since Liam had left her.
Was she gone mad?
‘Calm down! Calm down!’ Joy advised her when she phoned her that night. ‘It’s just opera and a bit of supper … he’s not taking you off on a sexy dirty weekend!’
‘Ugh,’ said Alice, ‘don’t be so disgusting. It’s nothing like that. He’s a very nice man who also happens to be one of my cookery students. It’s just two friends having a night out
together. Do you think I am breaking some code of ethics by dating one of my students?’
‘For God’s sake, Alice, you are both over the age of consent. Anyway, I thought you said this was just a night out with a friend,’ Joy teased.
‘I suppose he’s very lonely.’
‘Lovely,’ said Joy. ‘You should suit each other!’
‘You know I haven’t been out with anyone but Liam since I was twenty-three,’ Alice worried. ‘It’s just so weird going out with someone.’
‘You go out with me all the time,’ teased her friend. ‘So just relax and enjoy your date with that very eligible man, and don’t think too much about it. I believe the opera is totally sold out, so you’re lucky he got tickets.’
Alice decided to take a taxi into town to meet Rob Flanagan at Peploes, the busy city centre restaurant on St Stephen’s Green. He greeted her warmly when she arrived.
As she sat down the waitress hurried along to take their order. They both opted for the smoked duck starter and for her main Alice went for the hake on a bed of chive mash.
Rob ordered some wine for the two of them.
‘If we don’t finish this bottle before we leave for the theatre we can come back for the rest after the performance,’ he explained.
As she sipped her wine and ate, Rob entertained her with stories of previous operas he’d seen.
‘I’m not much of an opera buff,’ Alice admitted, ‘but I did get to see
Aida
performed in the open in Verona. It was such a magical night, and Liam and I brought the kids along. I remember about halfway through the performance we heard a sound like thunder, and thought it was special sound effects at first, until we saw the flashes of lightning in the sky. Then it began to rain, and we all had to make a run for it and go to
the little bars and cafés around the amphitheatre for shelter.’
‘What happened then?’ he asked, laughing.
‘We waited and waited, and had a few drinks, and the kids had some ice cream, and then the rain cleared and the orchestra started up again and we all made our way back up into our seats. It was well after midnight before the performance ended. I don’t think any of us will ever forget it.’
‘Verona is beautiful. Kate and I went there a few times.’
‘That was our only family holiday in Italy, and I haven’t gone back,’ Alice said.
They had just finished their main course when they noticed a huge exodus as their fellow diners began to head for the theatre.
‘Come on, we’d better get going, too,’ urged Rob.
Looking around the foyer of the theatre Alice was glad she had put a bit of effort into dressing and worn her oyster-coloured silk shift dress, as some of their fellow opera-goers were in full evening dress, and it was quite a swanky affair. They had wonderful seats only a few rows from the stage, and Rob was so attentive and kind to her that she could feel herself relax and be taken up by the music and story.
Rob knew the opera well, and patiently explained some of its intricacies to her during the second and third acts.
‘Rob, thank you so much,’ she sighed as they watched the last act, with Violetta dying in the arms of her lover. ‘Why are opera stories all so tragic?’
‘That’s what opera’s about, and what brings people to it: life’s tragedies!’ he said quietly, as they went back outside. ‘Will we polish off the Merlot, or would you prefer to go for a nightcap somewhere else?’ he asked.
‘Another glass of the wine would be lovely before we head home,’ she agreed, as they walked back up on to the Green.
The restaurant was quieter now, and some of the tables were empty. They sat in the corner and talked about their families. Rob was very proud of his two sons and their careers, but Alice felt it must be hard for him having them live away.
‘You must miss them both so much,’ she said.
‘I go and visit them, and they try to get home once a year,’ he said, putting a brave face on it. ‘You raise sons to be bright and intelligent and strong and then you can’t really complain when they want to go and live somewhere else and take on new challenges.’
‘I’m so lucky,’ reflected Alice. ‘My gang are still around so far, and they’ve been brilliant since Liam and I split. I don’t know how I would manage without them all.’
They shared the taxi home, and when the driver pulled up outside her house Rob got out and gave her a big hug.