The Tour (31 page)

‘Gee! I just want what I want OK? Is Ireland still back in the dark ages? No almond milk, perhaps you should check with someone more senior? Oh look, just forget it; clearly I’m wasting my time here. Just bring me a gin and tonic and I don’t want lemon, it must be lime, organic and unwaxed. Have you got that?’

‘There’s always one eh?’ he whispered sympathetically to Anastasia as she went in behind the bar to get the order.

‘She is terrible,’ Anastasia murmured back ‘I don’t think she is on tour, she comes alone I think. Not surprise she had no one to come to holidays with her. Do you know she order lunch earlier, eat all of it except for one tiny piece and then she say to Timmy, food is disgusting and she won’t pay! Anyway, what you like?’

‘Just a coffee when you get a chance, no rush. I’m meeting the woman I told you about. I’m just about to call her now. Wish me luck!’

‘Oh,’ said Anastasia, looking surprised and turning her back.

Maybe she didn’t hear me thought Conor. Or maybe she is upset at the carry-on of that old cow in the corner. He took out his phone, punched in the number, heart thumping in his chest. In the corner of the bar a mobile phone started to ring.

‘Hello?’ an American accent answered. ‘Hello Conor? Is that you?’

Anastasia watched as the colour drained from Conor’s face, the realization dawning on him.

He walked across to where the woman sat. ‘Hello Sinead,’ he said.

‘Are you having dinner here tonight?’ Anastasia asked Conor two hours later when they almost collided in the lobby.

‘No, not tonight, the farewell dinner is tomorrow night so the group are on their own tonight. Doing their own thing.’

‘Ah yes, I am working in Burren dining room tomorrow night, is for your group yes? So now I am off tonight,’ she said hesitantly. ‘Maybe you are very tired or have something to do with your friend from America, but if not perhaps we can go to eat something…?’

Conor looked at the elfin face of his young Ukrainian friend. He knew he should go inside, do some paperwork and get ready to wind up the tour. Today felt like it had been the longest day of his life. He knew he just couldn’t face paperwork tonight of all nights. The thoughts of an easy relaxed evening with Anastasia, a nice dinner and a glass of wine was so tempting.

‘Do you know what Anastasia? That’s the best offer I’ve had all week. But first I’d better go up and have a shower, get changed. I’ll be down in about twenty minutes. Is that OK? Where will we go?’

‘Well how about I will cook for you at my house? My housemate is gone back to visit family in Lithuania. I have apartment all by myself this week.’

‘Ah no love, sure you must be wrecked after your day.

No, I’ll take you out somewhere. You decide.’

‘You are feared I poison you? Or make you eat something from Ukraine like varenyky?’ Anastasia teased. ‘Really, I would like it and I think maybe you get sick from so much restaurant food? I like to cook. I just do something simple.’

Conor was touched. After the disastrous conversation with Sinead and all the drama and carrying on of the tour group over the previous day or so, a relaxed evening with Anastasia was exactly what he needed. Anastasia was everything that Sinéad was not. She was kind and funny and thoughtful and she seemed to want nothing from him but his company.

‘Well Anastasia, that sounds absolutely lovely. And I love Vark…var’

‘Varenyky,’ she prompted. ‘It’s dumplings with different fillings. It’s very good I promise.’

‘A home-cooked meal is something I dream about when I’m on the road. And after the day I’ve had, well, you couldn’t make it up. Let me just go up and get a quick shower and change and I’ll be down in ten minutes ok?’

‘Sure, I sit outside. It is not so much sunny here so I want to enjoy when sun comes out’

As Anastasia skipped out the door, Katherine O’Brien shot him a knowing look.

‘You were right’ Conor said. ‘There’s absolutely no future for Sinead and me. She isn’t the person I remember. Or maybe she is, and I just didn’t remember her correctly. I didn’t get to meet my nephew unfortunately, and I hope I will if she stays around. But no, she’s definitely not the one for me.’

‘Well I’m really sorry if it didn’t work out as you wanted it to. Can I get you anything? Have you eaten?’

‘No thank you Katherine. That’s very kind of you. Anastasia’s cooking me dinner. I think she feels sorry for me. She had a bit of a lash of Sinead’s tongue earlier so now she knows what she’s like. Poor Anastasia, she doesn’t know what she’s in for. I’m probably not the best company tonight,’ he added ruefully.

‘I’m sure you’ll have a lovely time. Forget about all this now and take it easy. You look tired,’ Katherine said and returned to her paperwork.

At the lift, he ran into Patrick. ‘Hi Conor, I’m just going out to get some things for Cynthia in the store. We were gonna get something to eat later in the bar if you’d like to join us.’

‘Thanks Patrick’ Conor replied with a grin. ‘You’re very good but I’m going out.’

‘Someone sure has cheered up your evening…you got a date?’

‘Ah nothing like that. I’ll leave all that romancing to yourself Patrick. No, I’m just having dinner with a friend.’

‘Well judging by the happy look on your face, this friend sure is better looking than me. Have a great night buddy. You deserve it after all you’ve done for us this last week,’ he said, giving Conor a playful thump on the back.

Anastasia sat outside the hotel in the early evening sun waiting for Conor to emerge. Creeping up behind her, he put his hands over her eyes.

‘Right so, Ms. Wonderchef, are we off?’ he asked cheerfully.

‘Hey Conor, how about we take a taxi to my house, then you can have a drink and not worry about driving?’

Good idea, he thought, as he spotted a taxi dropping off a passenger near the hotel. Grabbing Anastasia by the hand, they ran across the car park to hail it.

Anastasia’s place, a two-bedroom apartment in a converted warehouse complex, seemed eerily quiet as they let themselves in through the security gates.

‘Where is everyone?’

‘Most of the people who live here have two jobs. It’s a bit more expensive than other places, but I like it. It’s quiet and in other places where is lots of Polish or Ukrainian, there is many boys in big groups living together. They can be a bit noisy, lots of vodka you know?’

‘Don’t I know well,’ Conor nodded. ‘So you live here with Svetlana ?’

‘Yes, we are very good together here. She work often different shift to me, so many days I don’t even see her. But now she gone back in home to her father’s birthday. She is very happy to go back to her family. She gets lonely.’

Conor took the glass of wine proffered. ‘And what about you little Anastasia? Don’t you get lonely for home?’

Anastasia thought for a while. ‘Yes, of course, sometimes I get sad, especially if it’s birthdays or something, when I know all my family will be together. But I like it here also.’

‘What about the job offer? You were trying to make up your mind about it last week,’ he said, trying to sound casual, as he gazed out the living room window.

‘I still am not sure. It depends on some things.’

Conor wandered away from the window to look at the books crammed into a small wall-mounted bookcase, and they fell into an easy silence. Anastasia observed him as she peeled and chopped, remarking to herself how much younger he looked in his off-duty gear: dark jeans and a pale blue cotton shirt open at the neck, his hair swept back and still a bit damp from his shower earlier on. As he removed a copy of The Oxford English Dictionary and Thesaurus the entire wall-mounted bookcase unit collapsed and dozens of books crashed to the floor.

‘Oh feck it Anastasia! I’m so sorry. I’m having a really bad day,’ Conor said, looking aghast.

‘Don’t worry,’ she giggled, ‘always this happens. Svetlana and I have many books and this bookshelf is not made properly. We buy it when we come in Ireland and the instructions was in English so I think we make it wrong. When we finish, we have many more pieces of wood and nails and things not used.’

Conor chuckled. ‘Well, in my experience these flat pack people only give you barely the right amount. I’d say there could be some technical problem there right enough. I don’t suppose you kept the extra wood and things?’

Anastasia opened the drawer and extracted a small plastic bag containing screws and a screwdriver.

‘Here is it I think. Svetlana, she keep everything. The other pieces of wood are behind the TV.’

Conor laid out all the bits and pieces on the sofa, and stood staring at them for a few minutes as he tried to figure out what fitted where. Then slowly he began reassembling the bookcase properly.

‘You don’t have to do that!’ Anastasia protested. ‘It’s supposed to be your night off.’

‘No problem Anastasia. Listen, I couldn’t have had it on my conscience that you were at risk of being killed by an avalanche of hard looking Russian books . I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night, worrying about it.’

As they chatted over dinner, it struck Conor yet again just how easy it was to be in Anastasia’s company. She was interesting, funny and lovely – particularly so at that very moment as she sat at the table, sipping wine, her pretty little face and urchin cut hair bathed in candlelight.

‘You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but how was the meeting with your old friend?’ she asked shyly.

Conor sat back and let out a big, heavy sigh. ‘No, not at all. I don’t mind talking about it. Well…for a start...eh…she’s different. I mean she’s not as I remember her anyway. But you saw for yourself what she’s like, didn’t you? She wants to come back to Ireland. Said it was my fault that she left with Gerry. I should have stopped her apparently. If I’d told her how I felt about her back then, she would have stayed. She seemed to think that she could just show up and I’d be waiting for her.’

‘And is she right? Not…are you waiting for her…I mean…do you feel the same about her as you did all those years ago?’

Conor shook his head slowly. ‘No. I just sat there, I listened and I felt…well kind of nothing…kind of numb. I don’t think she really has cancer. She might have had it last year but it’s cleared up now thank God. I’ll tell you how I know that another time. On the other hand, the whole cancer thing might have been a bit of ploy on her part. Who knows? Her son I can’t tell you anything about. I didn’t get to meet him. But I will meet him, and I’d like to get to know him if they stay here in Ireland. But as for me and her? No. To be honest I thought I’d feel sad, or regretful at least for what might have been, but I feel nothing for her. So, tell me Anastasia, since we’re all heart to heart, did you sort out that fella of yours?’

‘Conor, I don’t have boyfriend. Not anyone since I come in Ireland.’

‘But…but I thought you said…’ ‘Conor, I want to say something to you.’

He sat back in the chair. ‘Sounds serious,’ he said with a grin.

‘Many things about Ireland is different from Ukraine. There we are more straight and just say things with no…em…no joking. I think it’s something to do with communists,’ she added with a weak smile. ‘So here for me is difficult sometimes. I don’t know when there is joking or serious you know? OK, I have now got to be honest. I know you think I am young and you are so much older than me but… I really like you Conor. Not just for friends, I like you like…like a woman likes a man. Last week I feel so stupid after calling you and you talk about this woman and then I sending you that text, but Svetlana say to me to just tell you how I feel. I think she is getting sick from me talking about you.’

Anastasia looked at him closely, trying to decide if she should continue. His face was hard to read. It was worth the risk, she thought.

‘It’s difficult, because even though we are friends, I don’t know that much about you. When I tell you about job offer back in Ukraine I suppose…I hope you say, don’t go. But I can’t go back and not say what I feel. It’s too hard. So now I am saying it. I like you…OK…I more than like you. I think maybe I love you and I want to…well, I want to know if you feel something for me.’

Conor was too shocked to speak.

‘…I’m sorry,’ she said, her voice now barely audible. ‘I should not do this to you but, if there is nothing, you feel nothing, then just say it and I go back in Ukraine. There is nothing else keeping me in Ireland. I have only stayed for this long because I hope...’

Conor looked at this gorgeous little creature whose eyes were now filling with tears. He had never allowed any previous relationship with a woman to develop to this point. He often wondered why that was. He’d gone out with some really great women over the years, but the spectre of Sinead had hung heavy over them all. He remained silent for only about a minute, but to Anastasia it felt like an hour.

‘OK Conor,’ she said. ‘You don’t have to say it. I’m sorry I should not have put you in this position. It’s not fair. You never give me reason to think, to hope that you liked me in that way so …’

Conor reached across and clasped her two hands. ‘Anastasia, this is very new territory for me. I had no idea you felt anything for me, other than friendship and, even then, I was a bit mystified. I mean, any man would be delighted to have you paying him attention, let alone someone of my age. I…well…you know more about me than most people. It’s hard for me to do this kind of thing. You’re way ahead of me with this, and I won’t lie to you. My initial reaction is to say no, but that’s because, well that’s what I do, but…if I’m honest, I do think about you. A lot. I just never let myself think of you as anything other than a friend. An incredibly gorgeous friend I should add,’ he smiled.

He paused again, for what seemed like another hour. Struggling to find what he hoped was the right formula of words, he said: ‘God, Anastasia, are you sure? I mean I don’t have much to offer you. I…what am I saying here? I really like you, I think you’re so…Well you’re not like anyone I’ve ever met. You’re so honest and brave. I don’t think I would ever have got the guts to say to you what you just said to me…I just don’t know what you see in me…honest to God I don’t. If I was your father, and I’m almost old enough to be, and you brought the likes of me home I’d …well I wouldn’t be exactly thrilled, put it that way.’