Are You Ready? (9 page)

I must be mad, thought Ali, trying to control her fear as she looked down at the deep dark water. How had she let Robin persuade her to join him on a shark-dive?

‘Just trust me, Ali, you can do this. I know you can,' Robin whispered to her, as she zipped up her wetsuit.

After the winelands they had travelled across the mountains to stay in a seaside town called Hermanus, and it was from there that they were now going shark-diving … great white shark-diving! Robin had been dying to do it for years, ever since he had seen a documentary about people doing it on the Discovery Channel. It seemed like madness to Ali, to willingly lower yourself into shark-infested water, all for the pleasure of saying you had done it. Robin had been trying to persuade her for days that it was safe and a great achievement. No wonder he proposed before this, she thought. He was just trying to butter me up! But as the day approached Ali swung between not wishing to go near the sharks, and wanting to be able
to say she was not afraid and was able to do it. She just couldn't decide what to do. So here she was now, in her wetsuit, with Robin and two American guys trying to persuade her to get in a cage. Each cage took four people, and was lowered down from the side of the boat into the bloodied water below.

‘You will be fine, darling. I've been married and divorced four times, and nothing could be scarier than a divorced woman,' laughed the large Texan man.

Oh, that's it, I'll have to do it now, just to prove I'm not as ridiculous as this man, Ali thought, as she tied back her short blonde hair and began to lower herself into the water.

‘Just don't drop the ring,' shouted Robin as she felt the water hit her toes.

Oh no, too late, she thought, why didn't I take it off?

At first there was nothing to see, just the blood and dead fish that had been thrown into the water to encourage the great whites; but then out of nowhere they came, three of them all circling in front of her. Ali was actually in the water with sharks. They came close to the cage, and suddenly one of them head-butted the cage right in front of her. I'm going to die, just like in
Jaws
, except I was stupid enough to pay two hundred euros for it, Ali screamed in her head, but then the shark disappeared as quickly as it had come. After that the sharks kept trying to head-butt their way into the cage, and ran their fins up against the bars, but Ali was braver and kept her nerve. She was with Robin and that was what mattered, nothing could
harm her. She had been rattled in a cage by a shark, and survived! And as she was pulled out of the water by the boat-owner she grabbed Robin, and high from the adrenaline rush gushed that their shark encounter would be a good story to tell their future kids.

Ben was on the 46a bus on the way to work. My God, he thought as he sat down, why did the bus always smell of a brewery every Friday morning? It was from all the people going for drinks on Thursday night, he knew, but one day someone would light a match and some poor bus would explode. Ben chuckled to himself. He was on good form, work was going well, and things with Laura were progressing slowly but nicely. He had been in a serious relationship before, and didn't want to just slip right back into one that wasn't going to work again.

He had a few match reports to be written up, and an interview with a young Limerick Gaelic football player to do that day in work, and then he was hoping he could finish a bit early, to try and meet Laura for a bite to eat, before heading off to see
Rocky Balboa
in the cinema with the lads. They were all dying to see how their eighties hero now looked in the boxing ring.

Jeremy was in Ben's office when he walked in.
His friend's stag do felt ages ago, but Ben knew the wedding was soon, he had the invite somewhere.

‘How are you getting on, buddy? Still avoiding accounts and balance sheets by hiding out here?' Jeremy joked.

‘I love the work here. I really do, and I have some good stuff to hand in today. Thanks for all your support.'

‘No problem, just make sure you keep up with the work and all. I still have to answer to the sports editor, who isn't quite sure why we hired someone with no journalism qualifications! Anyway, I also wanted to ask, should we be setting an extra place for this Laura girl at our wedding in four weeks' time?'

Ben dropped his file. ‘No way, not yet. That might look too serious. Thanks, Jeremy, but definitely not yet.'

‘You'll never change,' laughed Jeremy as he walked across the newsroom.

Laura looked lovely as she walked into Pasta Fresca in jeans, a tight fitted polo-neck and knee-high black suede boots. After a meal and bottle of red wine Ben had to dash to meet the lads. Laura seemed miffed that their Friday-night date was over by eight thirty, but Ben had already booked the cinema tickets. As they kissed goodbye Laura worried if he was too immature for her. He might be tall, dark and handsome, but she was too old to be messing about.

* * *

Over a full Irish breakfast the next morning, Ben told his parents about the film, and filled them in on all the gossip from his friends. He was so sweet sometimes, Maura thought, so gentle and calm. As he fed the parrot and dog, Maura could still picture him as a two-year-old playing in the sandpit in their back garden. When he offered to drop his dad off at golf Maura thought his new love-interest Laura might be having a good influence on him. But then, when she asked him to unpack the dishwasher later on that day and he cried off saying he was late for a rugby match, she felt annoyed. She had always wondered if being an only child had made him a little bit more selfish and immature, and if he valued his friends more than anyone else because they were the closest he got to siblings. Would he still be refusing to pack dishwashers and living at home if he had a sister or brother?

Sarah had just received a text from Ali saying they would be home next week and to keep the following Saturday free for their engagement party. It was exciting, but Sarah couldn't help feeling a little jealous too. Ali was so lucky, while Sarah seemed to go from disaster to disaster – Ross being the latest. Even though they had only been on a few dates, she had been so hurt by his behaviour, and though Ross tried to ring her a few times she just ignored him until the calls stopped. Of course, he was entitled to have whatever kind of dating lifestyle he wanted, but even so, she couldn't help feeling used and embarrassed – and now she was back to square one. She hadn't been out since that night, and had been happy to stay home with her mum. She was taking this afternoon off work to go and visit her sister Mel. Mel was overdue and ready to pop, so Sarah thought an afternoon of chick flicks and chocolate might help her relax. But before that she had the delivery from the gallery's picture-framer to open. In it were all the pieces that had been sent to
be framed, or reframed as people's tastes changed. It still amazed Sarah how a frame could totally change a picture, making it seem bigger, smaller, brighter or more expensive. She unwrapped the three pieces that Hugh Hyland had ordered. He had good taste and not only an excellent eye for art, but for the right frame, too. He seemed to buy an awful lot of art, but he had explained once that not only was he an avid collector, but the firm he worked for also liked to have plenty of expensive-looking art around their offices, so he took it upon himself to pick out the pieces because, as he often joked: ‘The rest of them wouldn't know Monet from Mozart!'

She rang his mobile to remind him his new purchases were ready. He said he was coming down to Monkstown for lunch, so would pop in before she left. Clodagh, who worked part-time, was covering for her this afternoon, and would handle any other orders.

Sarah was surfing the internet for the other galleries that had exhibitions on at the moment, to see what artists they were handling, when Hugh Hyland came in. It was hard to know what age he was but Sarah guessed late thirties. He was well-dressed, and very polite, and, as usual, asked if any new pieces had come in that he hadn't seen yet. So Sarah showed him some, and checked that his three new frames were OK. Clodagh arrived as they were finishing up.

‘You work so hard here, Sarah, how do you make enough time to go out with that boyfriend of yours?' Hugh enquired.

‘Boyfriend?'

‘The man I met in here a few weeks ago.'

‘Oh him! He isn't my boyfriend,' she politely replied.

‘I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm sure there are plenty of guys queuing up for a date with you. I mean I would—' But before Hugh could finish Sarah's mum ran into the gallery. She was in her slippers and hair-curlers. Oh my God, Sarah thought, is she drunk? What was going on? And how could she explain it to Mr Hyland?

‘Sarah! Mel has gone into labour. John has brought her to Holles Street, but I'm too nervous to get behind the wheel. You'll have to drive me in right now. I mean, my first grandchild is on the way! Come on.'

Sarah was too stunned to say anything, but Clodagh grabbed her and pushed her out of the door, telling her not to worry, she would look after everything, It wasn't until Sarah was walking in the doors of Holles Street hospital that she realized she hadn't even said goodbye to Hugh Hyland.

After four hours in the waiting room, Sarah and her mum had drunk the soft-drinks machine in the hospital dry of Lucozade. In times of crisis, stress, sickness and excitement all their family drank. They had rung Tom to bring more in. As he walked in the door with a crate of the ‘sweet nectar' as Sarah called it, Tom tried to ask: ‘Am I an uncle yet?' It was not until the Lucozade was cracked open that
Sarah explained that Mel and John were still in the delivery room.

‘My nerves are shot,' her mum almost cried. As this was to be her first grandchild, she was up to ninety, and she was excited and nervous at the same time. But it was another two long hours before John calmly walked out to say that he was a dad.

Mel had given birth to a little girl.

As they rushed in to see Mel, Sarah noticed her mum was weeping.

‘I just wish your father was here to see this.'

Sarah was thinking the same thing, family had been so important to her father. He would have done anything to have been there.

‘Mum, I'm sure he
is
here, looking after Mel and us all. He wouldn't miss it for the world.'

And as they caught a first glimpse of new, beautiful little ‘Fiona', Sarah could see her father in the baby's eyes and knew he was still with them all. Everyone stared at this stunning little new creature. It was such a happy occasion, it made Sarah crave for a husband and baby herself, and she was only distracted from this fantasy by Mel shouting: ‘If I don't get some Lucozade quick …'

Ali gasped as she felt the tough skin of an elephant trunk in one hand, while trying to take a photo with the other. Robin and herself were in an elephant sanctuary near Plettenberg Bay. It was their second-last day in South Africa, and before they flew back to Cape Town they had come to this well-recommended sanctuary. The only other time she had ever seen one of these animals up so close before was in Dublin Zoo, where there was a big old elephant. But being surrounded by elephants in the wild was a totally different experience. Ali had spent the last few hours helping wash and walk these beautiful creatures. They were so calm and relaxed. Most of them had been saved and were now living in the sanctuary, which had acres and acres of land and muddy puddles for them to play in. Now as she and Robin walked trunk-in-hand with the elephants back to the camp Ali almost had a tear in her eye thinking that these amazing experiences were nearly over. In two days' time she would be home in Dublin. The last three weeks seemed to have flown
by. With wine-tasting, shark-diving, tours of game reserves and washing elephants, it had all been like a dream. Robin had almost crashed their rental car the other day, when an actual real-life monkey had run across the road in front of them. Ali hadn't been quick enough with her camera, but she was ready when, a few miles later, they saw springboks feeding metres from their car. The food had been great, too, and Ali had never had so much fish. And the massive steaks, all chargrilled, were turning her into a real carnivore!

Later that night, in the famous beach-side shack restaurant, Robin discussed what he thought they should do on their last day, but Ali knew exactly what she wanted, she needed a new dress for their engagement party, and wouldn't it be great to buy something that no one else in Dublin would have: a dress from Cape Town!

So after a short internal flight the next day Ali and Robin were back down in the V&A Waterfront. Within minutes of shopping Ali had seen it, the perfect I-have-just-got-engaged dress! A strapless pink to-the-knee dress, with a large black ribbon and bow, it was perfect for her petite frame and fair hair. As she paid she thought how great it would be to get her bridesmaids' dresses here, but then changed her mind as her two younger sisters back in Kilkenny would kill her if she didn't let them decide what they wanted to wear. They were picky enough and it wasn't worth crossing their paths.

* * *

After a last dinner of outrageously huge steaks Robin led Ali to a moonlight cruise he had booked for them. It was the perfect end to the perfect holiday. She would miss South Africa and all the memories it had created for them, but the closer she got to home the more excited she was about showing people the ring and making wedding plans. On the long flight home they started to discuss churches, the best man and the honeymoon.

‘It is not all about the big day; marriage is a lifetime commitment, not just one day of fuss,' Robin joked. Ali knew that, and felt the same, but it was exciting to plan the wedding venues and what kind of music they needed.

‘Mum and Dad are so happy,' Robin said. ‘They're so excited to be finally having a daughter. They can't wait for you to be having Christmases with us in Dublin!'

What? Ali thought. Christmas away from Kilkenny? Oh my God, she had never imagined anything beyond the honeymoon. Married life wasn't just about changing your surname, it was going to be all about change. Changing things for ever. I just hope I'm ready, Ali thought to herself, as the flight left sunny Africa and headed home.