Foreign Affairs (44 page)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

‘He’s very nice, Jenny,’ Paula approved. They were in the students’ restaurant in the Tech. The party was in full swing around them. Ronan had gone to
get them some beers and the three girls were sitting taking in the scene. Paula had come and they were all ready to enjoy themselves. Orange and red seemed to be the predominant colours, the music
throbbed loudly, a fug of smoke enveloped the place and the dim lights gave a night-clubbish atmosphere. Jennifer felt on top of the world. She felt confident about her exams. She’d been able
to answer most of the questions. The heat was off and she was going to enjoy herself.

Ronan had been waiting for them at the side entrance. He’d led them down the wide stairs to the party and squeezed her hand and said how glad he was that she’d come. He’d
smiled that wide boyish smile. Jennifer smiled back, oblivious to Beth and Paula grinning at each other. ‘It’s love!’ Beth clutched her heart dramatically. Jennifer never heard
her, she was too busy looking at Ronan wending his way through the throng to get their refreshments. He’s very nice, she thought happily, thinking that it must have been fate that made her go
to the Botanic Gardens that day.

‘I’ve never seen so many pint glasses in my life,’ Paula remarked and Jennifer emerged from her daydream. It was closing time and there was a steady stream of new arrivals from
the Bolton Horse pub across the street. The girls were all staying at Paula’s. They could stay out a bit later than they would if they were at home. Helen was not quite as strict as their
parents.

Ronan arrived back with a tray containing their drinks, a plate of ham sandwiches and a bowl of peanuts. ‘I grabbed these while the going was good,’ he laughed. ‘There
won’t be much left when this horde of savages gets loose.’ He indicated a group of students who were leaning against a pillar chatting. Before the girls knew it, about ten of them
arrived over, pulled up chairs and demanded to know how ‘Stapo’ had managed to surround himself with the three most gorgeous women in the room.

The ratio was about ten fellas to every girl. Jennifer, Beth and Paula were in constant demand for dancing. The girls were having an absolute ball.

‘This is great fun,’ Jennifer murmured as she and Ronan smooched to a slow set.

‘I wasn’t too sure if you’d really enjoy it. Your friends are having a good time. I like them,’ he said.

‘They like you too,’ Jennifer smiled. ‘But I’ll have to go home with them when they’re going. I’m staying at Paula’s aunt’s house, you
see.’

‘Don’t worry, it’s no problem,’ he assured her. ‘But I was wondering if you’d like to go to the pictures some night next week. I’d ask you tomorrow but
I always go home on Sunday and come back on the bus on Monday morning.’

‘I’d like that,’ Jennifer said. ‘But I’ll have to OK it at home. I’m only allowed out at weekends. You know, with the exams. My parents are a bit
strict.’

‘I bet they’re not as strict as mine,’ he teased. ‘All I want to do is to make sure you’ll see me again. You just tell me when it suits.’

‘Sure.’ She gave him a spontaneous little hug and he hugged her back.

‘You have my number. I’ll just casually mention it tomorrow and see how it goes down with Ma and Da. We can fix something up,’ Jennifer said as the dance ended and they went to
rejoin the girls.

‘He’s asked me to go to the pictures.’ Jennifer confided to Beth and Paula much later. They were in the loo, prior to going home. It was two a.m. and they knew they’d
want to get going. Time was pushing on.

‘Are you going to go?’ Beth asked. ‘You’d be mad not to. He’s nice. Just your sort.’

‘I know.’ Jennifer beamed at her friends. ‘Ronan’s the nicest fella I ever met.’

‘Look at the colour of your woman,’ Beth hissed, giving Jennifer a nudge in the ribs as a bespectacled girl with red curly hair weaved her way across to one of the cubicles. She was
green in the face.

‘I’m going to be sick,’ she slurred as she staggered into a cubicle and threw up.

‘I suppose we’d better wait and see if she’s all right,’ Jennifer murmured as Beth and Paula made faces at the retching sounds. Five minutes later, the girl re-emerged.
Her glasses were perched on top of her head and, whereas she’d been a ghastly green before, now she was pure white.

‘Are you OK, do you need any help?’ Jennifer asked kindly as the girl rinsed out her mouth and washed her hands.

‘I’m fine, it must have been those bloody ham sandwiches.’ She tried, but failed, to focus on Jennifer. ‘Stay cool,’ she waved a limp hand and then she disappeared
out the door.

‘God, I hope those sandwiches were OK,’ Jennifer declared. Was it her imagination or was she starting to feel queasy?

‘There was nothing wrong with those sandwiches,’ Paula snorted. ‘Didn’t you see her? She’s stoned out of her skull. She was smoking pot!’

‘How do you know?’ Jennifer couldn’t believe her ears.

‘You can smell it down there.’ Paula laughed. ‘You pair, you haven’t a clue.’

‘If my mother knew I was at a party where people smoked pot, I’d be murdered.’ Beth was half dismayed, half thrilled.

‘Imagine if it was raided.’ Jennifer was an avid watcher of American detective series on TV and there were always drug busts on them.

‘Somehow I don’t think that’s going to happen. Anyway go and say goodbye to Ronan. We’d better leave this den of iniquity pronto and get a taxi. I don’t fancy
walking to Griffith Avenue,’ Paula ordered.

Ronan, being a gentleman, walked up towards the Plaza cinema with them and along to the taxi rank in Parnell Square.

‘I’ll phone you tomorrow.’ He smiled.

‘I’ll be waiting,’ Jennifer assured him as he held the door of the taxi open for them.

‘Of course you can go to the pictures with Ronan once the exams are over,’ Kit said after she’d consulted Jim.

‘Thanks, Mam, thanks a million.’ Jennifer was ecstatic.

‘You’d better say thank you to your father as well,’ Kit reminded her.

‘I will, of course I will.’ Jennifer went off in search of her father.

Kit smiled, remembering how she’d had to ask her parents’ permission to go to the pictures with Jim. Her palms had been wet with perspiration. She didn’t mind Jennifer going
out with Ronan, and, to give him his due, Jim hadn’t minded either.

Kit was glad Jennifer was going out with a chap. It would do her good. Not that she’d want her daughter to be as sophisticated as Paula. No, Kit thought. Paula was a nice girl and
everything, but she was far too grown-up for her age. She’d often wondered if Jenny felt a bit left out of things as both Paula and Beth were dating. But her daughter never let on if that was
how she felt. Nonetheless, Kit was glad Jenny had met a nice chap. She wouldn’t feel left out of things now. The way you worry when you’re a mother, Kit thought wryly as she went
downstairs to make the tea.

‘He’s a student! Dead loss,’ Brenda declared as she shoved her rucksack into the bottom of her wardrobe and then started to dry her hair.

‘Why?’ Jennifer demanded.

‘No money!’ Brenda said succinctly.

‘I don’t care,’ she declared. ‘I don’t care at all.’ Nor did she. When he phoned she’d been sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring.

‘I can go,’ she said almost before he’d finished his hellos. Ronan laughed. And she’d had to laugh too. If Brenda’d heard her she’d have killed her for being
so eager. Brenda maintained you should never let a fella know how much you fancied him because it put you at a disadvantage. As far as she could see, Brenda had not taken her own advice and had put
too much pressure on Eddie. He’d chickened out. It was all very confusing. Well she wasn’t going to start worrying her head about things like that. No doubt Paula’d have advice
for her too. They could all keep their advice. Jennifer felt very much at ease with Ronan. She wasn’t going to start using any subterfuges to get him to fall for her. That just wasn’t
her way.

Chapter Forty

‘What do you think of this one?’ Kathy pointed to a length of flowered chiffon material. Brenda eyed it dubiously.

‘It’s a bit fussy for a bridesmaid’s dress.’ She frowned. Her friend’s face fell.

‘Isn’t there anything you like?’ Kathy asked with a faint hint of exasperation.

No there isn’t, Brenda wanted to say. I hate all these materials. I don’t want to be bridesmaid at your blooming wedding. I just wish you’d go off and elope so I won’t
have to see Kenny putting the ring on your finger. And what’s worse, have to walk down the aisle with Eddie because he’s your bloody best man. With difficulty, she kept her mouth shut.
Don’t be such a bitch, she remonstrated with herself. Kathy’s your best friend. Try and show some enthusiasm.

Brenda sighed. It was hard to muster enthusiasm for Kathy’s wedding. Her pal was in a tizzy of excitement. They’d spent the entire morning looking at fabrics for the wedding and
bridesmaids’ dresses. Traipsing from one end of town to the other. Kathy had agonized over the vast arrays of silks and satins before finally selecting a luxurious duchess satin, although the
wild silk was equally enticing and she spent ages making her decision, much to Brenda’s irritation. The previous weeks had been spent studying huge books of patterns with hundreds of
beautiful styles of wedding dresses. In the end, with Brenda’s help, Kathy had chosen a Butterick design with a fitted bodice and wide princess-style flowing skirt. It looked sensational.

Although she was trying her best to be as sensitive and supportive as a best friend and chief bridesmaid should be, Brenda was finding it all a terrible trial.

It was now more than six months since Eddie had broken it off and she was still devastated. Not that she was letting on, of course. She was out every night of the week with her new friends from
work. She even went drinking in the Autobahn with Kathy and Kenny, knowing that Eddie was occasionally there. He never brought a girl with him and as far as she knew, he wasn’t seeing anyone
else. So Kenny told Kathy, who always kept Brenda informed of developments.

When he was there, she was ever so bright and bubbly. She went on about her new job and her weekends away with An Óige. Brenda behaved as if she hadn’t a care in the world. At night
though, in the darkness, listening, to Jenny sleeping peacefully, she would lie enveloped in despair, wondering if the pain and heartache would ever go away. Wondering if she would ever stop loving
Eddie. Wondering if she was going to end up an old maid languishing on the shelf.

Everybody thought she’d got over the break-up very well, even Kathy was fooled. But then she was so immersed in her approaching wedding she wasn’t really seeing much further than the
end of her nose. And besides, Brenda felt she couldn’t always be a wet rag, it wasn’t fair to her friend. Kathy confided once that she felt a bit guilty. Everything had worked out so
well for her and Kenny and she was so happy while Brenda was so miserable. So Brenda disguised her misery as best she could and tried to be as normal as possible. But it wasn’t easy, Brenda
thought wryly, her bright bubbly performance should earn her an Oscar.

If only they knew. Her mother hadn’t seemed that surprised when Brenda told her of the split. ‘He’s young, you’re young, you’ve got all your lives to lead.
Eddie’s right, Brenda, go and enjoy life. There’s lots of other fish in the sea.’ That was Kit’s sympathetic but bracing advice. Her mother couldn’t see what there was
to be so upset about. Even Kathy, who knew her so well, had no inkling of how deep the hurt was. And so Brenda’s defence was to let on that everything was fine. Eddie was relegated to her
past and life was going smoothly on. Only in the privacy of her room could she let the façade drop and be as miserable as she felt. Jenny was sympathetic up to a point but she really
didn’t understand. Brenda knew her sister thought she was mad to be mooning over her ex-boyfriend, hoping against hope that he might come to his senses and realize the mistake he’d
made.

Brenda dreaded the wedding. How ironic that she would indeed be coming down the aisle arm in arm with Eddie. Sometimes she fantasized that, when Eddie saw her in her bridesmaid’s dress,
and saw Kathy and Kenny exchanging vows, he’d have a complete change of heart and ask her to marry him as they danced around the floor during the reception. It was a slender thread of hope
that carried her through the worst nights.

‘Brenda. Are you listening to me?’ Kathy gave her a poke in the ribs. ‘Is there anything here that you like?’

‘Ah . . . mm.’ Brenda came to with a start and stared at the bewildering array of fabrics in front of her. A turquoise chiffon caught her eye. ‘This one looks nice,’ she
murmured, fingering the soft material.

‘Oh Brenda! It’s gorgeous!’ Kathy enthused, pulling out the bolt and holding it up against her friend. ‘It does wonders for your eyes. Here hold it, and have a look in
the mirror there and see what you think.’ Brenda surveyed herself with the chiffon held against her. It
did
look good. Kathy fussed around, arranging the material this way and that.
‘Oh what do you think, Bren? Will we get it?’ she bubbled.

‘Shouldn’t we see what Beth thinks first?’ Brenda asked. Beth, who was in hospital recovering from yet another operation on her back, was Kathy’s second bridesmaid.

‘Oh, yeah, Brenda, I just wasn’t thinking for a minute,’ Kathy responded. She fingered the material. ‘Why don’t we get a sample of it and pop in to see Beth on the
way home? And I’ll get it on Monday at lunch-time if Beth likes it. What do you think?’

‘Great idea,’ Brenda agreed, beginning to feel more cheerful. It certainly was beautiful material, very soft and sensuous. And it did bring out the colour of her eyes. Maybe when
Eddie saw her in it, he’d be bowled over. Her spirits rose buoyantly. There
was
light at the end of the tunnel. She was going to get Eddie back. She just knew it. Kathy’s
wedding was going to be the happiest day of her life. Every single second of misery that she’d endured was going to be worth it for the moment Eddie took her in his arms and asked her to be
his girlfriend again.

‘Wait until Eddie sees me in the dress,’ she said to Kathy, a hopeful glint in her eyes. Her friend looked at her in amazement and caught the drift of Brenda’s thoughts. Her
eyes lit up.