Tara Road (55 page)

She was a bit stiff in the beginning but I think she's getting used to our ways all right. A mother should not criticise her daughter's friends, and I don't intend to but you know I don't like Lady Ryan and never will, and I regard Gertie as a weak slob who deserves what she gets by putting up with it. Marilyn is different, she's very interesting to talk to about everything, and very knowledgeable about the cinema. She drives your car like a maniac and has burned two saucepans which she has replaced. She's going to be forty on August 1st. I'm twenty-seven years older than her but I get on with her just fine. I think she's sleeping with Colm Barry but I'm not certain. The Adulterer Barney McCarthy is still prancing around the place. The children get back from the ludicrous boat holiday tomorrow. I'm going to take Annie out for a pizza and hear all the gory details. Annie's anxious to bring her friend Kitty as well, so we may include her in the party and then let them go home together.

Lots of love from your Mam Ria looked at the postmark wildly. Five days since her mother had written all this. Five whole days. And she hadn't known anything that had been going on. What kind of friends' support system was there that nobody had told her all of this vital information? It was eight o'clock in the morning. She reached for the phone and realised that since it was lunch-time in Ireland her mother would be out on one of her insane perambulations. Why did people write letters like this that took five days and five nights to get there instead of using e-mail? She realised that it was a little unfair of her to blame her mother for not being on the Net since she herself had hardly heard of it a couple of weeks ago. But honestly.

She rang Marilyn. The answering machine was on but she had changed the message. 'This is Ria Lynch's house but she is not here at present. Messages will be taken and relayed to her. Marilyn Vine speaking. I will return your call.' How dare she do that? Ria felt a huge surge of rage. She could hardly contain her hatred of Marilyn.

This woman had gone into her house, driven her car into the ground, chopped down the garden, burned Ria's saucepans, slept with Colm Barry. What else was there to discover about her?

Ria rang Rosemary. She was at a meeting, her secretary said. She rang Gertie in the launderette.

'You're so good to entertain Sheila and the children, she loved her visit to you. She phoned and told me all about it. Loved it she did.' Gertie's voice was happy. What she was really thanking Ria for was keeping up the fiction that Gertie and Jack lived a normal life.

More lies, fantasy, pretence. Ria was so impatient she could hardly keep it out of her tone. 'What's Marilyn up to, Gertie?'

'She's great, isn't she?'

'I don't know, I never met her.'

'Is she sleeping with Colm?'

'Is she what? Gertie's laugh from the busy lunch-time launderette was like an explosion.

'My mother says she is.'

'Ria, your mother! You never listened to a word your mother said before.'

'I know, did she burn my saucepans?'

'Yes, and replaced them with much better ones. You'll be delighted. She got herself a couple of cheap ones in case she burned them again.'

'What is sheGCa accident prone?'

'No, just not any good as a cook. But you should see what she's done with the garden!'

'Is there any of it left?'

'Ria, it's fantastic.'

'Like are there any trees or bushes? Anything I'd recognise? Brian told me she'd cut it all down.'

'You listened to Brian?' Gertie asked.

'She's not working in my thrift shop with Frances Sullivan as well, is she? I mean, in between doing tunnel excavations in my garden.'

'What is all this, Ria? She's a lovely person, she's your friend.'

'No, she's not. I never laid eyes on her.'

'Are you upset about something?'

'She's taken over my house.'

'Ria, you gave her your house, you took hers,'

'She changed the message on the phone.'

'You told her to when she was ready.'

'She's ready all right.'

'Annie helped her decide what to say.'

'Annie?'

'Yes, she comes round to the house a lot.'

'To Tara Road?' Ria asked through gritted teeth.

'Well I think she misses you, Ria, that's why she comes round.' Gertie sounded desperate to reassure her.

'Yeah, I'm sure she does,' Ria said.

'She does, Ria, she said that the holiday on the Shannon was bizarre, that was the word she used. She said that Brian said every day "Mam would like this" and she agreed.'

'Did she?' Ria brightened a little.

'Honestly she did. I was talking to her this morning when I went up to the house. She's actually gone out with Marilyn today. The two of them have gone shopping.'

'What?'

'Yes. Apparently Annie has some voucher or something for clothes which your mother gave her. She wanted to use it so they went off to Grafton Street.'

'I suppose she's there now, ploughing up and down the pedestrian precinct in my car.'

'No, she went on the bus. I honestly don't know why you've turned against her, Ria, I really don't.'

'Neither do I,' said Ria.

And she hung up and burst into tears.

There had been three false attempts to meet Mrs Connor. Each time the line of cars had been too long. The anxious-looking boys who protected the vehicles said that it wouldn't be worth their while to wait. Fourth time lucky.

Marilyn looked into the haunted face of the thin woman.

'You're welcome to our country,' she said.

'Thank you.'

'You came to find something here.'

'Yes, I suppose we all do.'

'It's not here, it's where you came from.'

'Can you talk to my son for me?'

'Is he dead?'

'Yes.'

'It wasn't your fault, madam.'

'It was my fault, I should never have let him go.'

'I can't talk to the dead, madam.' The woman's eyes were very bright in her thin face. 'They're at peace. They are sleeping and that's how we must leave them.'

'I want to tell him I'm sorry.'

'No, madam, it's not possible. And it's not what the people who are sleeping would want.'

'It is possible.'

'Not for me. Would you like me to look at your hand?'

'Why can't you talk to my son, tell him I'm so very sorry? That I let him go that day, that I agreed they should pull out the plug? I took him off the life-support machine. After only a few months. They might have found a way to get him back. I sat there and watched him take his last breath.' Mrs Connor looked at her with great sympathy. 'I held his hand in mine at the end and in case he could hear, I said, "Dale, your father and I are turning this off to release your spirit. That's what it will do." But it didn't release his spirit, I know that. It's trapped somewhere and I'll have no peace unless I can talk to him just once to tell him. Can't you find him for me?'

'No.'

'I beg you.'

'You have to find your own peace.'

'Well, why am I here?'

'Like everyone else who comes in here. People come because they are unhappy.'

'And they're hoping for a little magic, I suppose?'

'I suppose so, madam.'

'Well, thank you for your time and your honesty, Mrs Connor.' Marilyn stood up to go.

'Take your money, madam, I gave you nothing.'

'No, I insist.'

'No, madam, I insist too. One day you will find your peace. That day, go out and give this money to someone who needs it.'

In the car going home Hilary asked almost nervously, 'Was she any help to you, Marilyn?'

'She's very wise.'

'But she didn't get to talk to the dead for you?' Marilyn felt a rush of affection for Ria's lonely, ungracious sister.

'No, she said he was asleep. Well, we agreed why wake him if he's peacefully asleep.'

'And was that worth it? I mean you didn't think you paid her too much?'

'No, not at all, it was good to know he was asleep.'

'And do you feel better now?' Hilary was hopeful.

'Much better,' lied Marilyn Vine. 'And now tell me, what did she tell you?'

'She told me that it was up to me to find the trees, that we had enough put by to choose where we lived.'

'And would you like to live somewhere with trees?' Marilyn asked.

'Not particularly, I've nothing against them, mind, but I never yearned for them either. Still if it's what's meant to be out there for me I think I should look for them.'

The line of cars waiting for Mrs Connor had been still long as they left. People all looking for a little magic to help them through. That woman had said that everyone who came to her caravan was unhappy. What a sad procession. But somehow there was a curious strength about it. Everyone sitting in those cars had a sorrow. Marilyn Vine wasn't the only woman in the world racked with guilt and loss. Others had survived it too. Like people needing medicine, they had to go to a caravan or something similar occasionally just in case there was any magic floating by that would help.

She smiled to herself. Hilary saw the smile and was pleased.

Ria changed the message. 'This is the home of Greg Vine who is in Hawaii, and Marilyn Vine who is in Ireland. Ria Lynch is living here at the moment and will be happy to forward your messages to the Vines or return your calls.'

She played it back several times and nodded. Two could play at that game. That would sort Ms Marilyn out.

She called Heidi. I'm having a little supper party here, won't you and Henry come? Carlotta's coming and that nice couple we met at the Internet class, and those two men who run the gourmet shop you told me about. I've got friendly with them but I have to show off to them seriously with my home-cooked food. I'm hoping they may give me a job.'

'Mam?'

'Hi, Annie.'

'Mam, aren't you funny, you say Hi instead, of Hallo.'

'I know, I'm a scream.'

'You didn't call us so we called you.'

'I did call you. And I also left a message for your father. To which he hasn't replied yet, you might tell him.'

'He's out, Mam, he's out all the time.'

'Well, when next he comes in tell him that I'm waiting.'

'But it's only a message about business, Mam.'

'I know, but I'd still like to hear his answer.'

'Will it be a fight?'

'Not if he returns my call, no.'

'And how are you, Mam?'

I'm fine. How was your outing to the pizza place with Granny?' Ria had a bit of steel in her voice that Annie recognised.

'It was fine. Gran gave me a marvellous waistcoat. You'll see it, I'll take it over with me.'

'And did Kitty join you there?'

'No, she didn't as it happens.'

'How did that happen?'

'Because Bernadette rang Granny and said Dad had a rooted objection to Kitty.'

'How disappointing.'

'Well I was disappointed, Mam, but there you go. You and Dad don't like Kitty so what can I do?'

I'm glad your father's looking after that side of things anyway.'

'He didn't do it, he wouldn't know what day it was these times. I tell you, it was Bernadette.'

'And tell me about your shopping expedition with Marilyn.'

'Have you a fleet of detectives on me or something, Mam?'

'No, just friends and family who tell me about things I'm interested in, that's all.'

'You're not interested in clothes, Mam, you hate clothes.'

'What did you buy?' Ria hissed at her daughter.

'Pink jeans and a navy-and-pink shirt.'

'Sounds great,' Ria said.

'Mam, are you in a bad mood at me over something?'

'Should I be?'

'I don't think so, I'm having a shitty summer to be honest, everyone's upset the whole time. I'm not allowed to see my friend Kitty. Granny's going to live in an old people's home. Mr McCarthy's gone off somewhere without letting Dad know where. Rosemary Ryan is like something wired to the moon looking for Dad to give him urgent messages. Brian has Dekko and Myles back in tow again roaring and bawling and driving everyone mad. Dad had some kind of row with Finola and she's not around any more. Bernadette's asleep most of the time. Aunt Hilary's lost her marbles and keeps looking up into trees. Clement was coughing up fur balls and he had to go to the vet. Colm took him. It's not seriousGCa but it was very frightening at the time. And then I ring you and you're in a snot with me about something that I don't know about. And honestly if it weren't for Marilyn I'd go mad.'

'She's helpful, is she?'

'Well, at least she's normal. And she recommends me books to read. She gave me To Kill a Mockingbird. Did you ever read it Mam?'