Desperately Seeking - By Evelyn Cosgrave Page 0,47

all that bothered about anybody else. Most people admire them, or are slightly in awe of them, or wish to compete with them, but I don’t think anybody thinks they are nice.

Now, Keith’s parents are nice. Even as I use the word I know it’s losing its meaning and that’s an awful shame because it’s a good word to describe a good thing. I’ve never underestimated the simple goodness of being nice. People who are genuinely nice – who do nice things for people and say nice things about them and mean it – are generally good people. And while sometimes they might not be the most exciting people in the world, they’re better than most of the rest.

Anyway, Keith’s parents – good people. We were at their house in Corbally one evening and his mother was excited that we had been invited to a Doheny family wedding. ‘Of course, it’s a late invite,’ Irene explained. ‘Breda’s wedding’s only three weeks away, Keith, but seeing as the family’s so big, your aunt Nuala decided not to ask any of the cousins to the main wedding and invite all of them to the afters. That way no one would be left out. But now, you see,’ she continued, sitting down beside us on the couch, ‘it seems that a lot of the family that was to travel from America won’t be able to make it. There’s a dying uncle in Colorado, you see, and a very sick aunt in Utah and the families don’t want to travel. You can understand that. And I think there’s a conflict with some of the family on the other side, I don’t know what it’s about, but the numbers will be down there too. So the upshot of it all, anyway, is that Nuala has decided to ask the cousins to the full reception. I’m delighted. You can travel with us and we’ll stay the night in the hotel. It’ll be great altogether. Of course, that’s if ye can go. Keith always has a devil of a time getting off work – Kate, sure you know that, they work him far too hard out there in Shannon. And you’re very busy too, Kate – aren’t lawyers always busy? But it would be really lovely if ye could come.’

She sat there looking as anxious as if she’d asked us to do something criminal, and could only expect an answer in the negative with a rap on the knuckles. Actually, I was enthralled by the whole idea. Having a very large, overbearing family myself, I was always curious about other people’s. And, I guessed that Keith’s family was large and overbearing in a different way from mine. ‘We’d be absolutely thrilled to go, Irene,’ I said. ‘I’m dying to meet all the family.’

Keith was delighted that, for once, he didn’t have to persuade me into it. He’s very fond of his extended family even though he readily admits that half of them are a bit nuts. But isn’t that the way with all families? And he’s very, very fond of his parents, and very protective of them. His father is recently retired, having worked all of his life for CIÉ and then Iarnród É ireann. He’s a quiet man who likes to let his wife do the talking when the topic of conversation is in her arena and outside his, like family weddings, for example. But if sports or politics are on the agenda, he will argue with the best of them. His mother, I suppose, is a typical Irish mammy, adoring her two sons beyond anything in the world. They and her husband have been her whole life, and it’s clear she’s enjoyed every minute of it. Keith is very good to them, giving them generous presents and still spending a lot of time with them. They say that a girl should always watch the way a man treats his mother because he will eventually end up treating her like that. If it’s true, I’ll have a lovely life, if a little quiet.

Ever since our first meeting, after we’d got engaged, Irene and Tom had treated me as if I was already part of the family. Keith’s older brother Kevin isn’t married either, and they were getting a little worried that there wouldn’t be any grandchildren. When I met them I was a little freaked out by how willing they were to believe that I was the girl of their son’s dreams and that I would