“Yeah, it is all a bit shit the way the day ended, brilliant wedding, though.”
That comment made me smile. The service, the speeches, Liam’s song to me, our performance, and the fact that by nine o’clock, just about every guest was on the dance floor were perfect. Everybody from our friends to my grandparent’s friends had joined us and seemed to have a great time.
“It was a brilliant wedding, wasn’t it?” I was smiling, but a traitorous tear rolled down my cheek.
***
Later that day, after saying goodbyes and thank yous to my grandparents, I drove back to our house in Liam’s Jag with Sasha and Maggie as passengers. The rest of Liam’s family drove back in their hired car, and after dropping Sash off at home, we all meet up at my house.
Liam’s family were due to stay at our place while we were on honeymoon and use it as a base while they visited London and a few other tourist attractions around the country. So, I decided that, to occupy my time while Liam was away, I would make myself their tour guide. If I couldn’t be with my husband, I might as well spend time getting to know his family.
“How you holding up, kiddo? None of this can be easy for you.”
Liam’s mum asked me as I stood at the sink and filled up the kettle.
“Fuck the tea, Sarah, we need wine. This is your honeymoon, and since I can’t offer you sex, I can at least ply you with alcohol,” Maggie stated.
I turned around and faced Lori, Maggie, and Marie, who were all standing in the kitchen with me. They all look so much alike, and I could see a little bit of Liam in each of them. All of a sudden, it was all just a bit much, and I felt my lips begin to tremble and fought not to cry.
“No tears.” Marie held up her finger and pointed at me. “We promised Lee we’d look after you, which means wine, but no tears.”
Lori came over and took the kettle from my hand and put it back down on its base. Maggie retrieved a bottle of white from the fridge, and Marie pulled glasses from the cupboard next to it.
“I love what you’ve done with this kitchen,” Marie stated. “Liam sent us the link to the real-estate site, so we’ve seen all the pictures of how it looked before.”
“You’ve done a fantastic job,” Lori added. “Liam’s been sending me photos and updates as you’ve finished each room. You’ve got a great eye for design, Sarah, the whole house looks great.”
Our house was now fully refurbished and finally starting to look like a home. We’d had the landscaping finished over the previous few weeks, and we now had a useable alfresco area, a large raised deck, and a lawn with flowerbeds that were no longer obscured by building materials.
Liam had spent a fortune getting everything finished so it would look good for when his family arrived.
Something I’d learned about him as his parents’ visit approached, was that he desperately sought approval from his dad.
I wasn’t sure if it was because his mum and dad divorced or because his dad had other sons with other women, but Liam was a little insecure about his relationship with him.
I wasn’t sure if they were purposely talking about the work we’d done on the house as a distraction, but it was welcome.
“Thanks. It’s been a lot of hard work but it was important to Liam that we had the place finished before the wedding. He wanted you to have somewhere nice to stay.”
“Well, it looks great. It actually feels like a home, not like the place he had in Sydney with The Cunt.”
“Maggie!” Lori shrieked as Maggie poured wine into my glass. I hid my smile behind it as she winked at me.
“What? Stop shrieking, Mum. She is a cunt, and we all know it.”
“Margaret Sinead Delaney, will you please stop saying that word.”
“Cunt, cunt, cunt, cunt, cunt. It’s just a word, Mother, and if I remember rightly, one of the first that Liam ever said. Ironic really that he went on to marry one.”
I watched Marie hide behind her hand, while I continued to hide behind my glass at the conversation going on in my kitchen.
“It was only Liam’s first word because you taught it to him.” Lori turned to me looking mortified. “I’m so sorry, Sarah, my daughter has no filter.”
I shook my head and curled both my lips between my teeth while trying not to laugh.
“I hear much worse from your son and my brother, so it’s honestly not a problem.”
“Well, that doesn’t make me feel much better.” She took a large gulp of her wine. “I know Liam mentioned that you don’t swear, so I’m sorry if Maggie’s language offends you.”
“I’m not offended in the least, and besides, my language has become a little more colourful since meeting your son.”
“How many bedrooms does this place have?” Marie intervened with an obvious attempt to get her sister off the hook.
“Four.”
“Room for lots of babies then.” She winked as she spoke.
I felt all of their eyes on me.