If he was engaged in his stuff, she felt less guilty about hers.
‘Just lost track of time. Happy six-month anniversary!’
Liam kissed her. ‘And they said it wouldn’t last.’ He was joking, but there had been a lot of surprise.
‘It’s very soon,’ her mum had said.
‘I’m tired of waiting for my life to start,’ Nell had said. ‘I’m sure about this.’
‘Yeh, but is he?’ Petey asked. ‘I mean, I like the chap –’
‘He’s more sure than I am!’
‘We’re open-minded people.’ Petey sounded anxious, because they weren’t really: they were kind but traditional. ‘Marriage is a big deal, though.’
‘We can always get divorced.’ She was half joking.
Petey took a breath. ‘I suppose you can.’
‘You were both younger than me when you got married.’
‘But we felt older. I’d a job, your mother had a job and I know you have a job, love, but we had jobs we got paid for, and I’m not having a pop, I’m just saying.’
‘But that’s the thing, Dad. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, never mind in ten years’ time. I can only live life with the stuff I know, and I know that I want to marry him.’
‘Tell us why you love him,’ Angie said.
‘He’s done so much living, travelling. He’s had a career, a marriage. Fatherhood, twice. He’s interesting and knows stuff. Also,’ she added, ‘he’s a complete fox.’
‘Holy Mother,’ Petey half moaned.
‘He treats me like a – a queen, I’ve never had that before.’ Seeing herself through his eyes, she felt free-spirited and bohemian. A sea goddess in touch with nature, instead of someone living a shabby struggle of a life. ‘He’s literally beyond my wildest dreams.’
‘Ah, here, that’s jayzis codswallop!’
‘Dad, listen to me. Beyond my wildest dreams. He’s great in ways that I couldn’t even have imagined.’
‘Have you any worries about him?’ Angie asked.
‘That’s shut her up,’ Petey observed.
‘He barely sees his two little girls. That must be tough but he keeps it inside.’ She pressed her hand against her mouth. ‘Sometimes he gets narky about me not buying clothes. He likes nice things. But that’s it.’
After a pause, Petey said, ‘Okay. Well, it’s your life. And I like the chap –’
‘He likes the chap,’ Angie said.
‘I like the chap too,’ Nell said.
‘We all like the chap,’ Angie agreed. ‘We’re trying our best here, Nell.’
‘So be happy for me.’
Petey and Angie looked at each other and came to some mutual agreement. ‘Right so,’ Petey said. ‘We are happy for you, God’s honest. So how much money do I need to ask the Credit Union for?’
‘None. We’re getting married, but we’re not wasting money on a wedding.’
‘What do you mean? I don’t get to walk my only daughter down the aisle? Ah, here!’
‘We’re getting married abroad. You’re welcome to come.’
‘Where? It better be somewhere sunny. Iceland? In November? Ah, goodnight! You can expect a phone call from Nana McDermott. She won’t be happy!’
Sure enough, the following day Nell’s nana rang her, raging about the foolishness of not only marrying in haste but marrying in Iceland.
‘But I love him so much, Nana,’ Nell had said. ‘Doesn’t that count for anything?’
‘I never had you down for an eejit, Nell. But there we are.’
As they were drifting off to sleep, Liam said, ‘It’s Dilly’s first communion on Saturday. We need to give her two hundred euro.’
‘Is that the going rate for communions these days?’ It couldn’t possibly be!
‘I’m her godfather.’
After a spell of silence, Nell said, ‘Dilly doesn’t need that kind of money …’
‘Oh, Christ, you’re planning something, aren’t you? You are.’
‘You know Perla and Kassandra? The Syrian woman and her little girl? Okay, you know about them. Instead of us giving the cash to Dilly, how about we ask her to give it to Kassandra? Sort of like sponsorship.’
‘I don’t know if Jessie will go for that … What if it upsets Dilly, and Jessie and Johnny are raging with us?’
‘We could okay it with them first. I could get some photos, maybe a letter from Kassandra to Dilly …’ Nell’s head raced with ideas.
Cautiously Liam said, ‘Ask Jessie. See what she says.’
TWENTY-THREE
Ed and Tom were talking softly. Tom must have woken early and climbed into bed with them.
‘Lots of cultures have coming-of-age ceremonies,’ Ed was saying. They seemed to be discussing Dilly’s forthcoming first communion.
‘Eight is too young,’ Tom said. ‘I’m eight and I still don’t know about God. When I grow up I might be a Jedi or a scientist or a – a postman. But now I’m only a kid so