Where Rainbows End (12 page)

Ruby:

So you keep saying.

Rosie:

What’s that supposed to mean?

Ruby:

You’ve been in the flat for two years now, you’ve been in that job of yours for a few weeks now, I’ve seen Katie and she’s fine Rosie, she’s very happy. She’s adjusted to this “huge change,” I think that maybe it’s
you
who needs to adjust.

Rosie:

Adjust to
what?

Ruby:

Alex is married now Rosie. Move on and make yourself happy!

Rosie has logged off

love, rosie

105

Steph:

Why didn’t he ask you to marry him?

Rosie:

I wasn’t aware that he had to.

Steph:

Would you have liked to?

Rosie:

You know me Steph, if anyone got down on one knee and proposed (on the beach with a four-piece orchestra in the background) I’d like it. I’m an old romantic.

Steph:

Are you disappointed he asked you to move in with him and not marry you?

Rosie:

Well I presume if he had proposed it would mean I’d be moving in with him anyway so I’m really not that heartbroken. I’m lucky to have met someone like Greg.

Steph:

Come on Rosie, you’re not just “lucky” to have met Greg. You
deserve
to be happy. It’s OK to want more than you’re offered.

Rosie:

I’ve decided to move in with him. We’ll take it one step at a time.

Steph:

If that makes you happy.

Rosie:

Then
if things are still as perfect between us as they are now, I’ll expect the room filled with roses and lit with candles.

Dear Sally,

Sorry I spilt my orange juice on your new dress when we visited a few weeks ago, it is just that when I heard you slagging my mum’s new dress I got a shock and spilt my juice all over you. Just like you laughed to your friend, the next day, about my mum having me, accidents happen.

I sure hope your dress doesn’t stain seeing as it was so expensive and all.

I hope you will come to visit us sometime in our new house. We are moving in with Greg. It’s bigger than your apartment.

Love,

Katie

PS: My friend Toby says hi and says that he spilt orange juice on his school shirt and it wouldn’t come out when it was washed. His mum had to throw it out. It was white too. But lucky for him, the shirt was not as expensive as your dress.

106

Cecelia Ahern

You have an instant message from: ALEX

Alex:

Hi, what you up to?

Phil:

I’ve been surfing the Net for hours looking for the original chrome exhaust pipes on a 1968 Ford Mustang. And do you think I could find the original badges as well as two-tone leather seats for the 1978

Corvette?

Alex:

Eh . . . no?

Phil:

Exactly but I don’t suppose you want to hear about my problems.

How was the Rosie trip? Any more silences?

Alex:

Oh drop it Phil.

Phil:

Hee hee. What’s the boyfriend like?

Alex:

He’s OK. Nothing special. He’s not the kind of man I’d have put Rosie with.

Phil:

He’s not you, you mean.

Alex:

No that’s not what I mean. He’s not exactly the life and soul of the party.

Phil:

Should he be?

Alex:

For Rosie, yes.

Phil:

Maybe he’s a calming influence on her.

Alex:

Yeah maybe. He’s polite and friendly, but that’s all he lets you no about him. He doesn’t talk much about himself. I couldn’t quite figure him out. He’s one of those people that don’t seem to have an opinion on anything, he would just agree with absolutely everything everyone is saying. It’s hard to get a sense of him. Sally and he got along very well though.

Phil:

Maybe he just had a problem with you then.

Alex:

Thanks Phil, you always have such a good way of making me feel comfortable.

Phil:

And isn’t that why you discuss all of life’s little problems with me?

Alex:

Yeah. How are Margaret and the kids?

Phil:

Great. Maggie thinks she’s pregnant again.

Alex:

Jesus, another one?

love, rosie

107

Phil:

I’m one fully loaded man, Alex.

Alex:

Good to no Phil.

Alex has logged off

from:

Alex

to:

Rosie

subject:

Moving in with Greg?

So I take it you’re moving in with Greg. Sally got a letter from Katie during the week, but she wouldn’t let me read it. She just said that they have an understanding between each other now. I’m glad. Whatever that means.

In answer to your question about Greg, yes he’s a nice man. Not the kind of person I expected you to settle down with, he’s very quiet and reserved. A lot older than you as well. He’s what . . . 37? And you’re 27.

That’s 10 years, Rosie. How will you feel when he’s old and decrepit and you’re still young and beautiful? How will you ever look into those faded watery eyes and kiss those wrinkly dry cracked lips? How can you rub your hands over the varicose veins in his legs and go running through fields holding hands while all the time secretly worrying about his weak heart?

These are the things you need to worry about, Rosie.

You have an instant message from: ROSIE

Rosie:

Are you on drugs???!

Alex:

Only the little pink ones . . . sometimes I hear them calling out to me during the night . . .

Rosie:

You’re a doctor, help yourself. OK, I take it from that attempt-at-being-humorous-but-meaning-every-word-of-it reply that you don’t like Greg. I’ve had enough of your snide comments about Greg.

Well to let the truth be known, I can’t stand Sally. Ta-da!

108

Cecelia Ahern

I hate Sally and you hate Greg. Now we have learned that we all can’t love each other. We’re moving in with him next week. Everything is wonderful. We are blissfully happy. I’ve never been so in love in my life blah blah blah. Now stop annoying me and get over it.

Greg is here to stay. So what have you got to say to that?

Alex has logged off

ROSIE, KATIE, AND GREG,

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

LOVE FROM ALEX, SALLY, AND BABY JOSH

TO ALEX, SALLY, AND BABY JOSH!

WARM WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR!

WITH LOVE,

KATIE, ROSIE, AND GREG

Hello sis,

Stop worrying! Rosie, for the last time, it is absolutely normal for friends not to get along with each other’s spouses/partners. Pierre’s sister drives me up the wall but that’s neither here nor there. Anyway, it doesn’t mean that you and Alex are never going to speak to each other again.

The problem with you two is that you’re too honest. I can’t think of one friend of mine that I would feel comfortable saying, “I hate your husband/wife” and if I even say one miniscule thing to Pierre about how frustrating his sister is, then he jumps down my throat and defends her. There’s never going to be anyone good enough for your best friend, Rosie. So therefore Alex thinks that you could do far better than Greg and you think the same of Sally. Sally and Greg aren’t stupid, they probably sense that. When Sally met you I’m sure she felt you checking her out. Of course she’s going to be defensive! And likewise with Greg. He knows that Alex was the most important man in your life (he also knows that you once had a crush on him, which doesn’t make things any better). And Alex knows that he’s been replaced. So both Greg
and
Alex are going to be a bit competitive with each other. This is all quite natural.

But in order to maintain your friendship I do think that you need to care about what Alex cares about and that doesn’t necessarily mean caring about 110

Cecelia Ahern

Sally
but it means caring about the fact that
Alex
cares about her. Does that make sense?

Anyway stop giving yourself a headache with all this stuff, just ring the man or e-mail or write or whatever it is that you two do . . . By the way if you don’t like Pierre, I don’t care. I love him so keep your opinions to yourself!

Send me your measurements over will you? And don’t lie Rosie, this is for your bridesmaid dress and if you pretend you’re two stone lighter than you actually are and the dress doesn’t fit, tough, you have to wear it because I can’t afford to get you another one. Do you prefer red or wine? Let me know.

Love,

Your agony aunt

PS: By the way, will you ring Alex and tell him that he and his wife are invited to the wedding. Now there’s your excuse to talk to him.

FOR MY GODFATHER,

HAPPY 28TH BIRTHDAY!

I HOPE YOU LIKE YOUR PRESENT; MUM SAID THAT YOU LIKED RED

BUSES! AREN’T YOU A BIT OLD FOR TOYS?

LOVE,

KATIE

TO ROSIE,

BIRTHDAY WISHES FROM US TO YOU!

HAPPY 28TH—YOU’RE CATCHING UP ON ME!

LOVE,

ALEX, SALLY, AND JOSH

TO KATIE,

YOU ARE 9 TODAY!

BEST WISHES! I HOPE YOU CAN BUY SOMETHING NICE WITH THIS!

LOVE,

ALEX, SALLY AND JOSH

love, rosie

111

from:

Rosie

to:

Alex

subject:

Great news!

Alex Stewart, why don’t you ever answer your phone? I have become best friends with Josh’s nanny now and we have both come to an agreement over the fact that you and that wife of yours work far too much. Does poor little Josh even know who Mummy and Daddy are, or are you both happy with him thinking you two are just the nice people who pick him up and cuddle him a few times every day?

Anyway, the reason why I’m e-mailing you is because you are, as I said,
never
home to answer your phone and I have something brilliant that I really want to tell you and I refuse to announce it to you on a computer! So ring me when you get this message. Your good advice may have been helpful after all, and I thank you for it!

Ring me, ring me, ring me!

from:

Alex

to:

Rosie

subject:

Re: Great news!

I am refusing to ring you on the grounds that I am far too angry over your attacking my parental skills. If one more person tells me how to be a father to my son I will explode.

The main problem we’re having is that Sally and I just don’t work regular hours. The majority of the time we arrive home when Josh is asleep and I have to stop myself from waking him up just to say hello. We never have the same days off together so we can’t go out on the weekends to the park and play happy family. We just can’t seem to spend any quality time together, it’s like we’re passing each other in the halls and grabbing quick moments of forced happiness before we run out the door.

It’s not the greatest situation for Josh to be in but we just simply can’t afford to stop working to be there for him all of the time. Things are tough at the moment. And by the way,
never ever
get married.

112

Cecelia Ahern

from:

Rosie

to:

Alex

subject:

Surprise!

Oh shucks, you’ve gone and spoiled my surprise.

from:

Alex

to:

Rosie

subject:

Re: Surprise!

Rosie Dunne, are you getting married?!

from:

Rosie

to:

Alex

subject:

Re: Surprise!

Surprise! What a lovely, lovely way to tell you, I can’t have imagined a better way of sharing my delightful news with my best friend . . .

from:

Alex

to:

Rosie

subject:

Marriage!

Oh I’m so sorry, that’s great news. Don’t mind what I say, I’m just tired and whinging. So how did it all happen? When’s the big day? I thought what’s-his-name didn’t want to get married.

from:

Rosie

to:

Alex

subject:

Marriage at last!

Oh, Alex, you don’t have to pretend to be interested in all the little details, it’s OK. And his name is Greg, by the way. You’ve plenty on your 114

Cecelia Ahern

mind now so I’ll bore you another time; I just want to let you know that the

“big day” won’t be so big. It’s only going to be a small gathering with close friends and family. Greg doesn’t really want anything too OTT and I’m happy enough to go along with that.

Katie is my flower girl/bridesmaid type person and I want you to be my best man. If Greg is allowed to have one then so should I. Please say yes.

Sally and Josh are more than welcome too. Make it a family holiday, I bet you haven’t had one of those yet. You can relax and enjoy yourselves because you all deserve it. You can finally spend a few days together as a family.

I won’t go into any detail about the proposal: I knew it was going to happen so it wasn’t that amazing . . .

from:

Rosie

to:

Stephanie

subject:

So romantic!

Oh Stephanie it was
so
romantic. I had absolutely
no
idea he was going to propose! He took me away for the weekend to this tiny little village in the west that I’ve never even heard of so I won’t even attempt to spell it. We stayed in this charming little B&B and we ate in a restaurant called “The Fisherman’s Catch.” The place was empty so we had the entire place to ourselves. The atmosphere was magical and then he proposed over dessert! Then we went for a stroll around the lake and headed back to the B&B, it was low-key and quiet but so romantic!

from:

Stephanie

to:

Rosie

subject:

Re: So romantic

That’s funny, Rosie, because I always thought you said you wanted fireworks and romance, rose petals and violins while your man went down on one knee and proposed in front of a gasping and tearful crowd. Greg’s proposal sounds
nice
and all but whatever happened to that dream?