Authors: Kate Kray
Rosie pulled out all her dresses and eventually settled on a mid-length black velvet dress, which seemed to tick all the boxes, although Rosie hoped that it wasn’t too low cut.
Oh well
, she thought,
It will have to do
. For her feet, she opted for a pair of – slightly inappropriate? – Jimmy Choo stilettos that Stevie had given her for her birthday a few years earlier. After getting changed, she took a look at herself in the mirror. She so wanted to get it right and to make the right impression for Andrew. After all, she was going to La Bohème…
whatever that was!
Then, for some reason Rosie couldn’t fathom, her thoughts drifted back to Johnny.
You wouldn’t catch
him
at the opera
. Johnny preferred the Tin Pan, a proper East End club, which had no frills or fancies, or wine-bar pretensions. There wasn’t even a carpet or decent curtains, she remembered… just curling cigar smoke and an atmosphere you could cut with a knife. Still, the Tin Pan was always busy, buzzing with noise and packed wall-to-wall with blokes, all past their prime – pot-bellied and flat-nosed, most of them. They would huddle in groups, leaning on the bar or against walls, and let their mouths run away with themselves. They would drink cheap beer, and, every now and again, one of them would start reenacting their glory days in the ring, or the last fight they had caught on TV. They would start bobbing and weaving, ducking and diving, and saying ‘If only… ya shoulda seen it – he came at me with a right ’ook. He went down for eight, it oughta been…’
These blokes didn’t have blood in their veins, they had pure testosterone. The memories made Rosie shiver. She hated the Tin Pan. She hated all of the men who went there, too old and fat for anything but verbal sparring, not that that stopped them from trying to outdo each other. They were just living in the past, with their ‘could-have-beens’ and ‘might-have-dones’.
But, back then, Rosie didn’t have much choice where she went. The Tin Pan was a regular haunt for Johnny, Eddie and Hate-’em-all, probably because they were seen as the top dogs whenever they walked in. It was always the same every week – as soon as they entered, a buzz would go around the club:
The Mullins are in
. Within minutes there was a seemingly endless stream of broad-shouldered blokes with noses as wide as double wardrobes, all coming to shake their hands and say hello. It was a place where Johnny and Eddie felt good, among their own kind. Thank God, Rosie said to herself, that she never had to go back to the Tin Pan.
Arriving at the magnificent Royal Opera House, tucked away in a corner of Covent Garden, Rosie was bowled over by the stunning architecture. Andrew was there to meet her and, taking his arm, they made their way inside. They were shown to their seats in the stunning, horseshoe-shaped auditorium, and Rosie looked around to see what women
actually
wore to the opera. She need not have worried, as there was a wide range of fashions on show – everyone was dressed to the nines, peacocking around as if they were royalty.
Silence fell as the lights dimmed and the opera began. From the first bar, Rosie was enchanted. The sound was so powerful, yet gentle. She might not have had a clue what the characters were singing about, but the feelings it stirred in her were intense.
After the lights came up and the applause had died away, she turned to Andrew, with a tear in her eye.
‘I know exactly how you feel. That’s how I felt when I went to my first opera,’ he said with a smile.
‘That was incredible. I’m… lost for words.’
‘Come on, Eliza Dolittle,’ he grinned. ‘Pull yourself together, and I’ll take you for supper.’
R
osie was looking forward to a lie-in the next morning, thanks to a break in the filming schedule. But the extra hours in bed were not to be – Ruby was up early, eager to hear every last detail about her date.
‘Come
on
, Mum! What happened?’ Ruby cried, jumping on Rosie’s bed. ‘So he’s not here?’
‘What time is it?’
‘Nearly eight-thirty. I’ve been going off my
head
waiting to find out how it went. Come on, cough. Every last detail.’
‘I swear,’ said Rosie, trying to sit up, ‘you are the world’s most precocious child.’
‘Have you got your nightie on, Mummy?’ Ruby asked, pulling back the duvet.
‘Yes!’ Rosie said, exasperated, grabbing the duvet back. ‘And will you get off me please, you’re heavy.’
‘Didn’t he stay the night?’ Ruby teased.
‘What do you think I am? A lush?’
‘Well, did you snog him then Mum? Come
on
.’
‘Okay, I give up,’ said Rosie with a sigh. ‘It was a fabulous evening. I can’t remember when I felt so relaxed with a man and… yes, all right, we kissed. But only outside in the car.’
‘Oh my God!’ squealed Ruby. ‘Oh my
God
! Why didn’t you invite him in?’
‘Oh, for heaven’s sake,’ Rosie exclaimed. ‘Well, I didn’t want to seem too eager, did I? But you will be thrilled to hear that he is coming round later to take us all out to lunch. Yes, that includes Aunt Madge, too. I can’t wait for you to meet him.’
As she watched her daughter laughing, a shiver of happiness ran straight through her. ‘I know I’ve only seen him a couple of times but I already have such a good feeling about it. It’s like… something that was out of kilter has just clicked back into place.’
‘That means,’ said Ruby, ‘you have to divorce Dad and marry him.’
‘You don’t think you’re getting a little bit ahead of yourself, do you?’
By the time Andrew came to pick them up, having already stopped to collect Madge, who was sitting comfortably in the back seat of his Range Rover, Rosie just couldn’t stop smiling. After answering the door, without saying a word, Rosie looked deep into Andrew’s dark eyes, and kissed him briefly on the lips… which prompted an audible cough from Ruby, who was standing in the doorway.
‘Ah,’ said Rosie, turning round, ‘here she is. My mischievous daughter, Ruby.’
Ruby’s blue eyes were shining as she eagerly looked up at Andrew. With her hair loose, like her mother’s, and her lips shimmering with the same pink gloss, she looked almost as radiant.
‘Pleased to meet you, madam,’ Andrew told her, winking and affectionately shaking her hand.
Beaming with delight, Ruby looked for a moment as though she might throw her arms around him. But, in the end, she said just one word: ‘Cool!’
‘I think you are extremely brave, taking us all out,’ said Rosie with a smile, ‘particularly when you realise how raucous Aunt Madge can get after a couple of glasses of her favourite tipple.’
‘I heard that!’ Aunt Madge shouted, from inside the car. ‘It’s true! Just you wait until I’ve had a tot of whisky,’ she said. ‘I’m anybody’s!’
‘
Please
tell me she didn’t just say that,’ Rosie mumbled, as everybody started to laugh. She turned to her daughter, adding, ‘And before you say one word, Ruby-two-shoes – whatever is on the tip of your tongue, swallow it!’
Ruby looked over at Andrew, who was clearly enjoying himself immensely.
‘Is Dibble okay with you in the back, Aunt Madge?’ Andrew asked, as they climbed into the car.
‘She’s fine and dandy, thank you.’
‘Great,’ he said, starting the engine. ‘I’ve booked a table at The Swan. It’s a quiet pub just opposite Hyde Park. That way we can have our lunch, and then walk Dibble. How does that sound?’
‘That,’ Aunt Madge replied, ‘will suit me and Dibble lovely.’
Half-an-hour later they pulled up outside The Swan. Once Rosie, Aunt Madge and Dibble were out of the car, Ruby quickly hopped into the front seat and said, ‘Can I come with you while you park?’
‘Oh, leave him in peace, Rube,’ said Rosie.
‘It’s okay,’ said Andrew, clearly delighted. ‘Right, seat belt on. Do you know this area at all?’
‘Not really’ said Ruby, giving her mother a cheeky wave as they pulled away.
‘Well,’ said Andrew, peering out of the windscreen and up a the sky, ‘at least it’s clear. We’ll be able to go for a nice walk through Hyde Park with Dibble after lunch. I’ve heard all about her.’
‘Hmm… you wait and see! She’ll soon let you know if she likes you or not,’ said Ruby.
After the car was parked they started back towards the pub, walking side by side in a slightly awkward, but pleasurable silence. As they prepared to cross the busy road, Ruby shyly took Andrew’s arm.
‘Mum told me that you don’t see your stepchildren any more,’ she said, letting go of him as they reached the other side. ‘That’s a shame. I expect you miss them, don’t you?’
‘Yes, I do,’ he admitted.
‘Do you think your wife may end up changing her mind?’
He inhaled deeply before answering. ‘I would like to think so, but she isn’t showing much sign of it yet, I’m afraid.’
‘You’ll keep trying though?’
‘Of course.’ He looked down at her, and smiled fondly. ‘I hear you don’t see much of your father. That’s a great shame, too.’
Ruby shrugged. ‘He was into drugs and stuff before he went away, so it’s best I don’t see him, really.’
‘Don’t you miss him?’
‘No. Well, I suppose I do
a bit
. But he was always out of it and shouting at Mum, then passing out like he was in a coma. He wasn’t very nice. So, actually, I was quite glad when he went away.’ Ruby took a deep breath and lifted her shoulders up as high as she could, then let them drop – something she’d picked up from her mother. ‘It’s kind of funny, don’t you think? That you don’t see your children, and I don’t see my dad. It’s like, perhaps we can fill the empty spaces for each other, you know if you and Mum do get together. Think you will?’
Unable to stifle a laugh, Andrew said, ‘It’s certainly my hope.’
‘What’s so funny?’
‘I was just thinking what your mum would say, if she could hear us.’
‘I suppose I shouldn’t have said that, should I?’ said Ruby, looking up at him. ‘Please don’t tell her. She’ll get all embarrassed and cross with me.’
‘Don’t worry it’ll be our little secret.’
Ruby gave Andrew an affectionate punch on the arm. ‘You’re really cool,’ she said.
‘You’re really cool, too,’ he replied.
By the time they had finished lunch, the sun had broken through the clouds making the walk in Hyde Park a must. A gentle, fresh breeze rustled through the trees and, as ever, the park was packed with families, sweethearts and more than a few tourists.
Rosie, happily flushed with the warmth of a new romance, walked alongside Aunt Madge. Being outside, enjoying such a wholesome pleasure, made her remember that being a mother is all about savouring the simple things in life. And what could be better than taking a leisurely stroll in the autumn sunshine with your new boyfriend and your daughter? Andrew walked ahead with Ruby, who was holding onto Dibble’s lead extremely tightly, just as Aunt Madge had told her.
‘He’s wonderful with her, isn’t he?’ Rosie said, wrapping her arms around Aunt Madge from behind as they walked.
Patting her hands, Madge said, ‘Well, you kissed a lot of frogs before you found Prince Charming. It’s about time your luck changed, my girl.’
‘Can you ever imagine Johnny talking the dog for a walk in Hyde Park?’ Rosie asked.
‘No, not really. I always told you his eyes were too close together,’ said Madge, looking over at the swans gliding across the Round Pond. ‘Anyway, if Johnny did come, he’d bring along that big, ugly brother of his… and that Hate’em-all-Harry. “Hate-’em-all” – I could never understand why he was called that.’
‘Well, just look at him,’ Rosie said. ‘I think he does exactly what it says on the tin.’
‘Anyway,’ said Madge, ‘I’ve never known Johnny to walk around Hyde Park playing happy families… this may be turning out to be precisely that.’
Rosie arched her eyebrows. ‘Shut up! This is only our
second
date. Give us a chance, will you?
And
, in case you’ve forgotten, we are both still officially married.’
‘At least dear little Ruby has taken to him… that’s good,’ Madge continued. ‘We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.’
As they continued to stroll down the curving paths, heading towards the Serpentine, they could hear the distant sound of a police siren.
‘Listen, Rosie,’ said Aunt Madge, ‘they’re playing Johnny’s favourite tune.’
R
osie stared at her mobile phone for a full minute before returning Eddie’s call. He’d left a brief, stern voicemail message telling her –
no, ordering her
– to ring him back as soon as she could.
‘Rosie?’ he said, as soon as he’d picked up the phone. ‘I need to see you tomorrow morning.’
‘I can’t, Eddie,’ Rosie interjected, already regretting that she had phoned. ‘I’m going to Bristol for a meeting.’
‘No you’re not,’ said Eddie, as stubborn as ever. ‘Be at the Chase Hotel at eleven-thirty. Don’t be late.’
‘Eddie, you don’t –’
The phone went dead. Rosie knew that there was no point in calling back. She didn’t have a choice. She could tell from the tone of Eddie’s voice that he meant business and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Her train from Paddington London left at four-thirty, and was due to arrive at Bristol almost two hours later. So if it all went according to plan, she could still meet Eddie and not upset her schedule.