5 Peppermint Grove (6 page)

“Don’t you want to eat first?” she said wickedly.

“No way!” he said, turning the dial on the hob where the curry rested. “The hot thing that I fancy is standing right in front of me!”

Ruth let Ian take her by the hand and lead her into the bedroom. She fluttered inside at the prospect of her aperitif. This was Ian at his very best – this was what other women only dreamed of having – this is what he would never have with his wife. He had assured her that the humdrum of normal living was left on the other side of the city with Ciara – but what
they
had was special.

Odette listened to a car pull up in the driveway and she presumed that it was Craig – it was a pity that he wasn’t a little bit earlier as he could have put the children to bed. They loved it when he kissed them goodnight as they saw so little of him during the week. But when the doorbell rang she was startled. She went out to the hall and recognised Dylan’s silhouette through the glass. She opened the hall door and was greeted by the smiling face of her brother-in-law who looked surprisingly unkempt. She had never seen him with stubble before and his clothes were casual to the point of scruffy. Nonetheless she kissed him on his cheek when he leaned forward and asked cheekily where his brother was.

“Where do you think, Dylan! I’m sick of all the work that he is doing lately. Have you noticed how much pressure he is under? He’s difficult to live with at the moment and he has no time for me or the kids.”

Dylan followed Odette into the kitchen, brushing his fringe back from his brow.

“I know better than anyone what it’s like out there in the workforce,” he said, “but Craig is luckier than most – he’s not going to be made redundant – as long as the national carrier stays flying he’s going to be employed – not like the rest of us!”

“Oh dear – is everything okay with you, Dylan? Don’t tell me you’re in trouble with work.”

Dylan sat down at the kitchen table and watched Odette fill the kettle.

“I’m luckier than most – I’ve been politely asked to hand in my notice but the package they’ve offered me is difficult to refuse so I’ve decided to take it.”

Odette’s mouth dropped. “You’ve been let go?”

“It’s time I moved – I’ve been with Avaxa too long and I know too much! In fact, it works in my favour and I’ve had to agree not to work for any competitor for a year so I guess I’ve been handed an opportunity to do all the things I’ve longed to do but never had the time.”

“But what are you going to live on?”

“The severance package is more than sufficient. Don’t worry about me, Odette. I have enough contacts in the energy business to find myself a new position before the end of next year.”

“Tea?”

“Thanks, yes, that would be good.”

“Wow – that sounds like you have the much-needed time off that Craig needs – and that you are happy about it?”

“Believe me, Odette, I’m ecstatic. I think a change would be good for Craig too though. I don’t like hearing about all this late-night work.”

Odette put two mugs of tea onto the table and sighed. “It’s so depressing hearing of all of these job losses and austerity measures – why has it come to this?”

“It’s a cycle – our little country will be okay – it’s just like the eighties!”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Have a bit of faith. So, when are you expecting Craig back?”

“He could be as late as ten but mostly he’s home at eight.”

Dylan looked at his watch. It was nine.

“Do you mind if I stay until he gets home?”

“Of course not – I’m glad of the company. Come into the living room and we’ll stick on the TV.”

Dylan envied his brother – Odette was lovely and had given him two beautiful children. His life was mapped out and, although five years ago Dylan would have felt that scene somewhat boring, now he longed for the security and love of a family. His own apartment in
Malahide Marina Village was in a prime location but a bachelor pad didn’t have the warmth and love that a family home can give. Craig was very foolish and if Dylan’s hunch was correct then he was about to make a big mistake.

Ruth rested her strawberry-red hair on Ian’s shoulder in post-coital bliss. She couldn’t tell him now. This wasn’t the moment. But when would be? The truth was that, as she lay like this with Ian, she didn’t want to go to Australia. She didn’t want to start a new life. All she wanted was to be at his side. She closed her eyes tightly but a tear trickled out and rolled down the side of her cheek.

Ian was almost asleep but he sensed her discomfort and turned to see the tear.

“What’s up, kitten – did you not enjoy?”

Ruth gave him a playful thump on his bare, hairless chest. “Don’t be silly. It’s something else.”

Ian rolled his eyes and sighed. “This isn’t about Ciara, is it? I told you that I never think of her when I’m with you.”

With that Ruth burst into tears. “It’s not about bloody Ciara! I’m sick of bloody Ciara – she may be the centre of your world but I have other things that I have to think about and deal with – like – like –”

“Like what?” he brazenly asked.

“Like where I’m going to spend Christmas this year!”

Ian started to chuckle. “Kitten, I’ll be over to see you straight after my flight on Christmas Eve.”

“That’s not it!” she said curtly. “It’s where I’m going to be after Christmas – I’m leaving
Ireland.”

Ian laughed louder. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m emigrating – I’ve got a job lined up and it’s starting at the beginning of January.” Her voice was trembling now but Ian’s laughter had hurt her. He never took her seriously.

“Good, I’m glad you’ve got a job – but where are you emigrating to?
London?”

She propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at her lover.

“Australia!” she exclaimed boldly.

“You’re joking!” he whispered.

“No, I’m not – I’ve got a job with Tourism Ireland – it’s a two-year contract for starters but I’ll see how it goes.”

“But why
Australia?”

“Because that’s where the job is!” she said in a very matter-of-fact tone.

“But what about us?”

Ruth fell back from her position of power and onto his shoulder again. She didn’t have an answer. She knew what she wanted to say: ‘Come with me – leave your wife – get a job with Qantas.’ But the truth was she hadn’t a clue about their future and from the tone in his voice he hadn’t either. He would never leave his children. But sometimes Ruth wondered if the children were just a lame excuse and their relationship only worked on this illicit basis.

“Come on, the curry is waiting,” she said as she slipped out from the sheets and pulled her dressing gown over her shoulders. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

Ian didn’t join her for at least fifteen minutes. He took a shower before dressing and coming to where she sat at the kitchen table.

Ruth had never known him to be so silent. He always had an answer for everything but this time she had done it – she had opened the can and the worms were crawling and wincing their way all over the pair of them.

Craig slammed the front door shut. He rubbed the nape of his neck and put his laptop case onto the ground. He wondered why his brother was calling unannounced. It was not like him and especially this late in the evening.

Odette jumped up when he entered the living room.

“Hey, you’re extra late – did you have dinner?”

“Yeah, sorry, I should have told you that I ate in work. How’s it going, Dylan? What has you here at this hour?”

“Just dropping by!” he replied, nodding his head and staring at his brother.

“Well, I’m off to bed – goodnight, Dylan,” Odette said, giving her brother-in-law a swift kiss on the cheek before she left the room.

Craig sat heavily on the couch and let out a loud sigh. “I’ve got to get out of this job – it’s killing me.”

Dylan said nothing. Craig did seem to be under extreme pressure lately but that still didn’t explain what he had seen earlier.

“What’s up with you?” Craig asked.

Dylan wanted to come out and say why he was there but decided to fish around first and try to draw out some information from his brother.

“I saw your car outside the Coachman’s Inn earlier – did you go for a pint?”

“You should have rung and you could have joined me.”

The casual way that his brother suggested this surprised Dylan. He had expected a different reaction. But Dylan had seen it with his own eyes. There was no doubting that he had been engrossed in a long and lingering kiss with a woman – whoever she was.

“On your own, were you?”

“No, there was a crowd from the office – one of our best is leaving. She’s moving to Abu Dhabi – her husband hasn’t worked in over a year and they cannot afford to pay their mortgage. They have no children so are hoping to make a fresh start in the Middle East.” Craig shook his head. “It’s going to get much worse before it gets better, you know – I can feel it. The figures don’t add up and when ordinary hardworking decent couples are being forced to leave it makes you wonder who is going to be left in the country!”

Dylan was so relieved that the kiss he had seen was more than likely an over-the-top goodbye and not the seeds of a heated affair – that was providing of course the woman that he was kissing was the woman who was emigrating. Although he wasn’t positive, he now had a hunch that that was all it was. He would, however, keep a closer eye on his brother. He had done right not accusing him straight out and would let it lie for the moment.

Chapter Seven

Angela had been here before. She stirred the teabags in the pot and put the lid on.

“And when did you decide to move to Australia?” she asked her daughter.

“Julia told me about the job. I guess I need a change of environment. I was working with Oliver too long.”

“He wasn’t the worst boss in the world.”

“You didn’t have to work with him, Mum. That job was getting me down. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure that I want to live in
Australia but I’ve fallen into a rut – surely you can see that?”

Angela didn’t argue. “But to move all the way to
Australia! Could you not find a job here?”

“It’s a good opportunity. Things have slowed down so badly in
Dublin I don’t know where I would get a job at the moment. I thought you of all people would like the idea of me living in Australia – I mean, you spent time down there.”

“And I came home before I had you. There was a reason for that.
Australia’s very different from Ireland and I’m not sure that you’ll like it.”

“Well, maybe I should try – I won’t know unless I do.”

Angela could feel her old self in her daughter’s words. But her motives for moving to Australia were not entirely the same.

“I was married to your father and things were bleak in the seventies.
We had to commit to staying two years in Australia before we were granted the cheap £10 passage fares but, even so, if it wasn’t for your father we would have come back a lot sooner. It’s a very chauvinistic society, Ruth – it’s not a country for a young girl to go to on her own.”

And the more her mother spoke against the move, the more Ruth defended her decision to go. If her mother knew about Ian, she would have her at
Dublin airport before she could pack a suitcase. Her mother, however, was seeing the situation from her own experience entirely and couldn’t understand what it was like to be out of work and the sense of hopelessness that was sitting on Dublin like a gauze.

Angela wiped her brow and stared at the unpoured pot of tea.

“I suppose I’m just feeling a bit shocked, that’s all. I thought that after your younger brother got married I had you all reared and settled. You were the least likely of my children to up and leave and now it looks as if Kevin is going to Canada.”

Ruth put her hand up to her mouth. This was news and, although it was difficult for Angela to see her grandchildren in Kerry, at least they were in the same country.
Canada might not be as far away as Australia but it could be expensive and difficult to get there.

“I had no idea – when did he decide this?”

Angela took a sharp intake of breath. “He called last night – heaven help me but what more bad news will I get? It always comes in threes.”

Ruth put her hand on her mother’s and could feel the dread and sorrow. There was no easy way for her to deal with the loss of her children to another country and Kevin had three small children who were likely to become settled beyond the point of return.

“It’s like déjà vu, Ruth,” Angela said with a shake of her head. “Kevin was doing so well but when they shut that factory in Tralee and he was made redundant I knew it was complete disaster. You see, Kevin invested the profits from the sale of his house in Dublin into three apartments and he used the collateral from his house in Kerry to complete the deals. He’s up to his eyes in debt and, without job or tenants to pay his mortgages, is left with no choice.”