‘Yes, yes,’ she said, sniffling and coughing ‘I’m sorry… I mean…’
‘Have you seen the headlines?’ Michael said, taking a pile of newspapers from Lucy and putting them on the kitchen table. Finally, he had achieved one of the great tenets of being a politician – a sex scandal. Maybe even conventional people like Michael craved being at the centre of a drama sometimes. We’re all human, we all need attention at times, I supposed. And you don’t go into politics not to be noticed. And Michael had finally done it, nationwide notoriety. This was political gold. ‘I’m notorious… I’ll never be known for anything else.’ He looked pretty pleased with himself, the rosy pinkness back in his cheeks.
‘What’s your mother going to say?’
The colour drained out of him again. ‘Mammy… oh God.’
‘We’ll tell her together, Michael,’ said Lucy, back to her marvellous self and taking charge, brilliantly, as she always did. ‘She’ll come round.’ She smiled him a smile full of love and admiration and can-do while he looked at her with gratitude and I was reminded once more why they were so well suited. I had never looked at him like that. Ever.
‘There’s something else,’ he said. ‘Bigger than everything… this you won’t be so happy about. It’s something of a bombshell.’
‘What now?’ I imagined the worst. ‘You’ve embezzled money? You’re on the run?’
‘Out with it, Dad,’ said Rosie.
Lucy went over and took his hand.
‘We’re pregnant,’ he said. ‘Well, Lucy is. We only found out this week… and…’
‘We’re going to have a baby,’ joined in Lucy. ‘Tabitha… I’m sorry… we’re really sorry…’
I held up my hand. ‘Enough. Right… a baby,’ I stalled.
‘A baby!’ said Rosie, looking shocked.
‘You’re going to be a big sister,’ said Michael.
‘I hope you’re pleased for us,’ said Lucy. ‘It’s all been such a rush and I am sure there were far better ways of announcing things.’
‘Better out than in,’ said Michael.
‘Rosie?’ I said. ‘What do you think?’
She shrugged. ‘I’m not sure,’ she said, truthfully. ‘I feel like we’re on a twenty four hour news channel and everything is moving so fast. But I could get used to it,’ she said. ‘It might be nice. A little brother or sister. Someone who might actually get to Trinity.’ She gave Michael a look.
‘Well, it’s a little soon for that, but perhaps, you never know, it wouldn’t be too far from the realm of possibility.’ Now he looked quite delighted with himself.
‘Lucy, you sit down here and I’ll make you some tea. You’ve been travelling all morning. There’s a biscuit here somewhere. Or you can have some of Clodagh’s Baileys,’ I joked. ‘She keeps a bottle here for medicinal purposes.’
‘Just the tea,’ said Lucy. ‘I think I’ll be off the drink for a while.’
My phone beeped while I was digging out the mugs and the milk. It was Red.
Are you home?
I quickly texted back.
Yes. Would you like to come round?
‘My headache’s gone, Mammy,’ said Michael.
‘Has it?’ I said, automatically, just as Lucy said, ‘That’s good news, Michael.’
And then I realised that I was released by the horror of being called Mammy by someone who wasn’t my child. Every cloud…
*
The ring of the doorbell, gave me an excuse to leave the kitchen for a moment. Would Red have come so soon? Would he mind walking into a family drama? It was Red. We stood there for a moment, smiling.
What a sight for sore eyes. Red looking beyond handsome, hair pushed to one side, his sleeves rolled up. For a moment, I didn’t move, didn’t know what to say. I was just so pleased and relieved to see him and wanted to put my arms around him and take a moment to remember what he felt like, to feel the heat of his body.
We stood there, looking at each other.
‘Welcome to the house of fun,’ I said.
He laughed. ‘Shall I go and leave you all to it?’
‘No. No, don’t go. It feels right, somehow.’
‘Listen,’ he said, eventually. ‘I just wanted to say, I’m still your friend. Always was, always will be. And I’m sorry for acting like a drama queen.’
‘Drama king,’ I corrected him.
‘Drama king. How’s Rosie?’
‘A little bit dazed,’ I said. ‘But not doing too badly. Taking it in her stride.’
‘And you? Are you okay?’
I nodded. ‘Never better. It’s like everything is the way it should be. Michael with Lucy. I’m glad for them. And they’re here,’ I nodded to the kitchen. ‘They are in the kitchen with Rosie.’
‘And you’re not angry with him?’
I shook my head. ‘Not at all. I don’t even think I should be,’ I said. ‘I’m almost excited. Life just got interesting again.’
He smiled at me. ‘And there was I thinking that I could swing in, my sword out and beat up paparazzi… or husbands…’
‘I didn’t know you were into physical violence,’ I said. ‘I thought you were a pacifist. I can see I’m going to have to change my good opinion of you.’
‘Well, when I say beating up, I mean a bit of teeth baring or even a shaken fist.’ He looked at me, one eyebrow raised, an amused expression on his face.
I love you Red Power, I thought, a huge smile spread on my face.
Behind me, in the hall, Rosie ran upstairs. ‘Hi Red,’ she said. And she gave me a special smile of encouragement and support, a quick nod, which gave me a lump in my throat. ‘Everything all right?’ I said to her.
‘It can’t get any worse,’ she said. ‘I’m going with the flow. Nobody’s died.’ She grinned. ‘Yet. I’m going upstairs to phone Alice.’
‘You know something, Red,’ I said, refocussing, once I heard Rosie’s bedroom door close. ‘I’m quite impressed. I didn’t think Michael had it in him. Adultery! And I thought he was a man who thought a sex scandal was only if you removed your vest and socks during sex.’
Red laughed.
‘I’m…’ How was I feeling? ‘I’m actually delighted.’ Yes that was it. Delighted and happy. Giddy with new possibilities and new adventures to be had. Rosie was going to be all right, I knew that. I’d be there for her with everything she needed and now Michael, God bless him, had fallen in love with Lucy, it meant there was nothing stopping me. I had been determined to stay in the marriage for the simple reason that I wanted my daughter to have a mother and a father in the same house. I’d been wrong, it wasn’t any good having a mother and father who didn’t love each other, who weren’t even a team.
But somehow, now, life stretched out like a glittering and exciting carpet. Or like the ‘Billie Jean’ floor in the Michael Jackson video. Enticing and exciting. ‘And Lucy’s pregnant.’ And then I realised it wasn’t all going to be plain sailing, that I couldn’t afford to be giddy and excited. I still had to tell Red about my baby. Our baby.
‘Good grief.’
I could do with a hug, I thought, as I stood to one side to let him go past me, his jacket brushing my hand. I could do with the biggest hug of my life. From you. I’d hold on and never let go.
I pulled him by the arm, feeling his muscles beneath his shirt, into the kitchen. We bumped up against each other and there was a lightness, a giggling quality, a slight hysteria was infecting us.
‘I hope you don’t mind, Mrs… Tabitha,’ said Lucy when we went into the kitchen, ‘but I made the tea. I haven’t had a decent one for two days. One thing I don’t like about Brussels. The water. You can bring your tea bags but it’s not the same.’.’
‘Michael, you remember Redmond Power.’
‘Ah yes,’ he said, holding out his hand. ‘Tabitha’s old friend.’
‘That’s right,’ said Red. ‘I hope you don’t mind me calling at this time…’
‘Time of what?’ said Michael. ‘Time of me being a national laughing stock?’