And he had the worry of his grandmother too - or did he? She wondered then whether the story about the grandmother was true. Certainly she seemed to have made a miraculous recovery.
She decided to try his work number. Just in case he was there. Steeling herself to hear his voice, she dialled the number for Wheeler Design.
In his office Joseph noticed a light flashing on the telephone console.
Would he pick it up? No, who’d be ringing the office on a weekend? Either a crank caller or a journalist, and he didn’t want to talk to either of them.
He let it go through to the answering machine.
Eva shut her eyes as the Wheeler Design answering message started to play. Should she leave a message on this machine? No, she decided, just as the beep sounded. Not at his work. She replaced the receiver.
She had to do something. Could she leave a message on his home answering machine? Tell him the whole story about herself? At least get the truth ball rolling? She wished she wasn’t feeling so jetlagged. She wasn’t sure if she was actually thinking sensibly. Then she remembered what else she’d done when she hadn’t been thinking sensibly.
She’d taken a spur-of-the-moment train trip.
Taken a temporary job at a Melbourne cafe. None of those things had been particularly sensible. But she wouldn’t have changed a thing.
She decided to do it. She’d say everything into his answering machine at home. He could listen to it as many times as he needed to. And then he could decide what he wanted to do next.
She sat down and dialled his home number again and the machine clicked into action. His message played, the tone sounded. She was on.
‘Joe. It’s me. Niamh again. I’m sorry, but I think I’m about to use up all your tape. I’ve got a fair bit to say. And I need to say it to you before you come to Ireland. Before we see each other again.’
She crossed her fingers. ‘Joe, I’ve just seen the Wheeler Design website. I know who you are. I know all about your company. Everything. You’re the boss, aren’t you? And that’s why you had to come back so quickly? I don’t know why you didn’t want to tell the truth about it. I know you must have had your reasons. And I can hardly complain, Joe, because you haven’t heard the truth about me, either. But I think it’s time you did.
‘My name’s not Niamh Kennedy, it’s Eva Kennedy. I don’t live in Galway, I live in Dublin. You already know that I didn’t sing with Enya or do a sculpture for U2.’ did go to art school but I failed. I work in a delicatessen, Joe. I’m a shop assistant. I can’t really tell you how the whole Niamh-the-sculptor business
started. Just as a bit of a joke really between Lainey and me. And then I let it get out of control, and I didn’t know how to stop it. ‘I’m sorry to be so cowardly. To just leave the real story on your machine like this. I’ve been trying to tell you the truth since we met but I was worried it would change things between us. And I didn’t want that to happen.’ She paused. She felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff. Then she jumped. ‘Joe, I’ve fallen in love with you. That time I spent with you in Australia was the best time I’ve ever had in my life. That’s really blurting it out, isn’t it? And I don’t know where this leaves us now. What you will think. But I hope it’s nothing terrible.’ She paused again. ‘I do have phone numbers. In Dublin. It’s up to you if you want to ring me, after all I’ve just told you.’ She slowly gave her numbers, at home and at the shop. ‘Joe? I won’t call you again but I hope you’ll ring me. Because -‘ The tape ran out then. Eva hung up. She felt sick and relieved all at once. Well done, the voice said.
Kate Wheeler drove around the block again. How on earth did Joseph put up with this? She couldn’t find a parking space anywhere near his flat. Ten minutes later she finally found one, a block away. It took her three attempts to get into it, then
five minutes to lock up her car safely. She was a bit nervous in other parts of London, felt much safer on her own patch. She took the containers of food from the boot of the car. There were enough meals to last Joseph a couple of weeks at least. His flat was surprisingly tidy, she thought as she let herself in. Mind you, there didn’t seem to be a lot to get messy. For someone so successful, Joseph didn’t go for the trappings very much. He took after Lewis in that respect. Lewis had never been one for status symbols either. She noticed that the answering machine was flashing. Joseph, ringing to let her know how he was going, as he’d promised. She pressed the play button. A female Irish voice filled the room. ‘Joe, this is Niamh. I must have just missed you. I’ll call back again later.’ Then moments later, a second message. ‘Joe. It’s me. Niamh again. I’m sorry, but I think I’m about to use up all your tape. I’ve got a fair bit to say. And I need to say it to you before you come to Ireland Kate listened. Oh God, it was the Irish woman. The one he had met in Australia. And this sounded private. Very private. She shouldn’t be hearing this, it was definitely for no-one’s ears but Joseph. She picked up the answering machine, quickly turning it around, trying to find the stop button. She touched it. The voice stopped. Good. Then she noticed
the tape was still going round. She’d obviously just hit the volume control. She touched the button again and the voice echoed around the room. ‘ … you. That time I spent with you in Australia was the best time I’ve ever had in my life. That’s really blurting it out, isn’t it? And I don’t know where this leaves us now. What you will think. But I hope it’s nothing terrible. I do have phone numbers. In Dublin. It’s up to you if you want to ring me, after all I’ve just told you.’ The Irishwoman slowly called out two sets of numbers. ‘Joe? I won’t call you again but I hope you’ll ring me. Because ‘ The voice stopped. Kate watched through the window on the machine as the tape clicked, stopped, then started rewinding again. What was it going to do now? She’d just picked it up again when the phone started to ring, startling her. She dropped the machine with a clatter and watched, horrified, as it kicked into action. The tape started rolling again. The caller’s voice filled the room. It was a London accent, a young woman speaking clearly and slowly. ‘Good afternoon, Mr Wheeler. This is Susie from Shoreditch Health and Fitness ringing on Sunday afternoon. I was actually hoping to catch you at home. This is just a courtesy call, hoping that everything’s fine with you. Our records show that you joined nearly two months ago but you haven’t actually been to the gym yet. Now, there’s no need to be embarrassed about it.
It happens a lot more than you might think, for all sorts of reasons, but the thing to remember is that we are here to help. Perhaps you’d like to discuss your membership with one of our trained fitness instructors? We could help you work out the best way to achieve your fitness goals. Please don’t hesitate to call me and we will do our utmost to help you. Because, as our slogan says, a fitter person is a happier person. Hope to hear from you soon. Bye now.’ Kate thought the woman was never going to stop talking. She wanted to shut her up but she didn’t know how to stop the tape running. As she stood there watching, the cassette clicked and started to rewind. It finally stopped. Unconsciously holding her breath, she pressed the play button again, fingers crossed that the Irishwoman’s voice would come back on. It didn’t. The only sound was the chirpy London accent of the gym receptionist. ‘Good afternoon, Mr Wheeler. This is Susie from Shoreditch Health and Fitness …’ Oh no, Kate thought. The new message had obviously wiped out the other one. The important private message with the phone numbers. Which she couldn’t remember if her life depended on it. She knew that Joseph would hate the idea she had heard even a bit of that message. He’d always been so private. He hadn’t even told her he’d split up with Tessa until three months afterwards. What did she do now?
She could just say nothing and hope the Irishwoman rang back again soon. But there had been enough hidden secrets between her and Joseph over the years. They had a clean slate now, she wasn’t going to start filling it again. She picked up the phone and rang Joseph’s mobile number.
The ANSWERING machine was flashing when Eva arrived home after work the next day. Her heart lifted. Joe. At last.
She’d been a bag of nerves since she’d left the message the day before, waiting for her home phone to ring. She hadn’t even gone around the corner to the shop. She’d just sat within easy reach of the phone, pretending she was doing something other than waiting for it to ring.
But it hadn’t. He must be thinking about it still, she’d decided. Or perhaps he’d been caught up at work or somewhere, and had decided it was too late to call her when he got in. In which case he was bound to call early in the morning. Before she went to work.
But he hadn’t. Of course he wouldn’t have, she’d reasoned. He couldn’t be sure what time she’d leave for work, so he would have decided it was best not to ring in case he got her just as she was going out of
I
the door, in a hurry. That wouldn’t be the right time for the sort of conversation they would need to have.
So he was probably going to ring her at work. That wouldn’t be ideal but it would be fine, she’d decided. She would be able to take the call in the storeroom, the most private place in the shop. She’d just have to hope the builders weren’t using their drills or electric saws when he rang. Or their hammers. The noise was a little overpowering.
But the phone hadn’t rung for her at work. The only calls had been from suppliers, wanting to find out from Ambrose when the shop would be re-opening and whether it was true they were starting a cafe at the back.
But here it was at last, she thought now. The message from him. She pressed the replay button. It wasn’t Joe. It was Jillian, the band manager. ‘Eva, it was fantastic to hear from you. I was thinking of you just the other day when I was walking past your uncle’s shop. What are you up to in there? It looks very exciting. I’d love to talk to you about you doing some singing. I’m actually managing a couple of bands these days, playing for the tourists in a few pubs around town. And there’s always a spot for someone with a voice like yours. Try me again, will you? We’ve got a few gigs coming up in the next few weeks. Maybe it could start sooner than you think?’
It was good news. Exciting news. But Eva still felt terrible, because Joe still hadn’t rung.
Lainey was just coming out of her apartment. It was barely six a.m. and she was hardly awake.
She was about to shut the door when she noticed the lace on one of her running shoes was undone. As she crouched down to tie it, Rex slipped out through the open door and made a dash for the stairs.
‘Rex! No, Rex! You’re not allowed down there.’ She stood up quickly and ran down the stairs just in time to see a little pointy tail flick around the corner of the landing.
‘Rex! Come here!’ She jumped the final two stairs to save time. As she landed she heard a loud crack and felt a searing pain. Her leg gave way beneath her. ‘Owww!’ she screamed. The noise stopped Rex in his tracks ten stairs down.
Doubled up, she clutched at her ankle, rocking and muttering to herself. ‘Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow.’
Someone came up the stairs below her. It was Adam, her downstairs neighbour. He picked up Rex as he came past. ‘Lainey? My God, what’s happened? Are you all right?’
Her face was tight with pain. ‘I think I’ve broken my ankle.’
Joseph put down the phone and crossed out another number on the long list in front of him. There had to be a better way to find her. Over the past three days he’d rung hundreds of Kennedys in Ireland. He’d
started with Galway, then moved out to all the counties surrounding Galway. He’d spoken to old women, young men, teenagers, children. But none of them had heard of a sculptor and singer called Niamh who had just got back from a holiday in Australia. If only Kate had been able to remember the numbers Niamh had left. But she had been so embarrassed about hearing any of Niamh’s message, it was hardly surprising the two numbers hadn’t stayed in her mind. ‘I’m so sorry, Joseph, I only heard snatches of it. I remember she said that the time she spent with you in Australia was the best time in her life. And I think she said it was up to you to ring her if you wanted to talk to her again.’ He very much wanted to talk to her again, but he couldn’t find her. She must have an unlisted number, there was no other explanation. But Kate had said she’d left two numbers. So what could the second number have been? He ran his hand through his hair. Then it came to him. Of course. How could he be so stupid? It must have been Lainey’s number in Melbourne. Perhaps she’d left a message with Lainey for him, which was why she’d left that number on his answering machine. But she hadn’t needed to. Because he already had it. He picked up the phone again and dialled Lainey’s number.
At that moment, Eva was on the phone to Lainey in Melbourne. ‘Crutches for a fortnight? At least? Oh Lainey, that’s terrible. You poor thing. How on earth are you managing the stairs to your apartment?’ ‘I’m not. I tried once and nearly fell head over heels again. I’ve moved back home with Mum and Dad. Me and little Rex. Just until the swelling has gone down a bit and it isn’t complete agony every time I move. My brothers are carrying me everywhere, doing my every bidding, it’s brilliant. And Rex loves it, all this company and attention.’ ‘So are you picking up messages from home or should I ring you at your parents’ number?’ ‘At my parents’. Or this mobile number. I turned the answering machine at home off. There was no point people leaving messages thinking I’d get back to them when it could be days before I even heard them. Besides, everyone who knows me has my mobile number.’ Then Lainey’s tone of voice changed. ‘So, Evie, any word yet?’ Eva’s tone changed too. ‘No. Not yet.’ ‘It has only been a few days.’ Only? They’d been the longest few days of her life. Lainey went on, ‘He might have been called away for work. Or maybe his grandmother had a relapse. Or maybe ‘ ‘He heard my message and decided he didn’t want anything else to do with me.’
‘Stop that. You told me what you said on your message and it was great. It was perfect. I’m sure he’ll ring you. Maybe he’s just thinking it all through. He’s not free of blame either, you know. Maybe he’s really embarrassed that you caught him out. You can’t possibly know. But I’m sure he’ll ring, I saw the way he looked at you.’