Second Chance (5 page)

Eddie smiled to himself. What goes around comes around was his motto. Something good would come of that young man's good deed. Matt had plans!

Dave Cummins sat on the cold hard ground. His fingers shook as he positioned the needle. He couldn't even wait until he got home. He had to
have it now. It was cold and wet and the alley was dark. He didn't care. He had his fix. He'd robbed two more handbags since his disastrous first effort. Both times he'd been successful and he'd got enough money to buy a couple of hits of his precious heroin. What did he care that he'd terrorised three elderly women. For one very brief moment a wave of self-disgust swept over him as he stuck the needle into his vein. Then it was gone and he felt nothing except relief as the drug took effect and he sat, slumped in the wind and rain, oblivious to the world.

A week later the phone rang and Bridie Feeny answered it. “It's for you, Tony,” she called.

Tony picked a piece of wallpaper out of Jean's hair. They were stripping Bridie's bedroom. “Nearly finished,”
he said encouragingly as she scraped at a particularly difficult piece.

He ran downstairs and picked up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Tony. It's Matt Collins. I have a proposition to put to you.” Tony's eyes widened as he listened to the man at the other end of the phone. He felt stunned. Shocked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. A wave of joy enveloped him.

“Tomorrow morning would be fine. I'll see you then and thanks very much, Matt.”

“Thank
you
,” Matt said firmly before hanging up.

“Jean! Jean!” He raced up the stairs.

“What's wrong?” Jean looked worried as she came to meet him.

“Wrong? Nothing's wrong. Everything's right. Matt Collins has just
offered me a job in his printing firm. He owns it, Jean.
He's
the boss and he's asked me to work for him. One of his men is retiring at the end of the month and there'll be a vacancy. I've to go in and see him tomorrow.” The words were tumbling out of him.

“Tony. Oh Tony,” Jean squealed in delight as her husband lifted her into the air.

“I knew something would come up. I just knew it,” Tony exclaimed. “Our luck's going to change and all because I helped an old lady. Who'd believe it?”

“This is the third happiest day of my life,” Jean declared giddily.

“What were the other two?” Tony asked, grinning.

“The second was the day Angela was born. The happiest day was the day I married you.”

“Mine too.” Tony smothered her in kisses as they hugged and danced around Bridie's bedroom amidst the piles of stripped floral wallpaper.

“It's better than winning the Lotto. I can't wait to get back working again. We'll get our house some time. We'll buy one near your ma. We'll go on a holiday. We'll do all the things we planned we'd do. We're on the way up again.” Tony brandished his scraper. “Let's get to it. I have to have this room done before I start work. Jean, I feel ready for anything. It will be good practice for when we get our own house.”

Thrilled with themselves, they set to work with a will that not even the most stubborn patch of wallpaper could resist.

OPEN DOOR SERIES

SERIES ONE

Sad Song
by Vincent Banville

In High Germany
by Dermot Bolger

Not Just for Christmas
by Roddy Doyle

Maggie's Story
by Sheila O'Flanagan

Jesus and Billy Are Off to Barcelona

by Deirdre Purcell

Ripples
by Patricia Scanlan

SERIES TWO

No Dress Rehearsal
by Marian Keyes

Joe's Wedding
by Gareth O'Callaghan

It All Adds Up
by Margaret Neylon

Second Chance
by Patricia Scanlan

Pipe Dreams
by Anne Schulman

Old Money, New Money
by Peter Sheridan