Are You Ready? (23 page)

‘These are amazing. Wait until everyone sees them,' Robin said, as he examined the cards. He gave Ali a hug.

‘Everyone has been complimenting us, and asking where you found that artist,' the shop assistant said.

‘She's my friend,' Ali answered.

‘Well, aren't you lucky to be friends with such a talented artist! Tell her she should set up shop as a full-time wedding-invite designer. She could make her fortune!'

Ali agreed with the lady, and as she paid Robin picked up the box and headed for the door.

‘Another thing to cross off your to-do list, hey, Ali?'

Yes, Ali thought, but she was still in shock about the invite. To see it in print made the whole wedding so real now. People were actually going to be invited to their wedding: it really was happening.

They arrived at Molly's parents' house by 2 p.m. Molly answered the door looking a little hot and bothered.

‘Sorry to be so stressed,' she exclaimed. ‘I wanted to have everything ready for you by now, but our dog escaped and I spent an hour running around trying to catch him. Then I had forgotten I had left the bread in the oven, so that was well and truly burnt by the time we got the bad dog back home.'

Ali and Robin sat down in the kitchen.

‘Molly, it is only us, don't be so worried. We can't wait to try your work!'

Molly calmed herself down, and poured them all glasses of lemonade.

‘OK, well, as we discussed before, I've prepared two servings of every course you are going to choose from. I've kept the menu simple, as weddings have to cater for a wide range of ages. For starters I've narrowed it down to either a cold seafood platter or else Caesar salad.' Ali and Robin's mouths were watering as Molly served them the two dishes.

‘What fish are in this, Molly?' Robin asked as she handed him the cold seafood platter.

‘Quite a lot, really. There is fresh salmon, Boston prawns, oak-smoked salmon, Bismarck herring, fresh anchovies and crayfish tails, and it's all on a bed of salad leaves with saffron fusion. Like the salad, I can serve this with my mum's special homemade walnut brown bread.'

Robin tucked in, and was delighted by the taste.

‘This is unreal,' both Ali and Robin agreed as they sampled the fish.

‘It's so different, and it is lovely to have a cold starter. It's August so it will probably be quite hot, and fish and brown bread will be perfect. Nobody will be expecting such a glamorous starter from us. Let's go for the fish,' Ali added.

Molly was happy that her friends liked the dish: she had worked so hard the last few weeks getting it right.

Next, Molly served them the tenderest beef Robin had ever tasted. And with it a mixture of green beans, baby carrots, roasted potatoes and spring-onion champ.

‘It will be a lucky man who marries you,' he said as he wolfed down the lean slices of sirloin.

Molly laughed, but could see Ali giving Robin a dirty look for mentioning men. All her friends were careful not to mention men, Luke or future plans at the moment. Molly ignored the awkward moment, and started to serve them another option, which was a rolled stuffed loin of pork with an apple and walnut stuffing.

‘They will both be served with the same vegetables and all, it is just whether you prefer beef or pork,' Molly said, giving Robin more potatoes and gravy.

Ali and Robin discussed the advantages of both, and in the end both agreed they preferred the tender sirloin.

‘Great, so now we have dessert.' Molly laughed as she whipped some cream.

They both gasped when they saw pastry slices layered with a hazelnut praline filling and served with yummy hot chocolate sauce.

‘But then, as it's summer, we could go for juicy Wexford strawberries with freshly whipped cream and a homemade vanilla ice-cream,' Molly added.

Ali could feel her mouth watering as she ate the pastry, but it did it again when she tried the fresh strawberries.

‘Oh, I don't know, these are both great,' Ali said, in-between more mouthfuls of both desserts. Molly laughed. She was starting to tidy away the dirty pots, pans and plates.

‘I do love praline and chocolate,' Robin said. ‘But I think after a big meal on a hot day there is nothing like strawberries and cream. I know everyone loves strawberries, while some people don't like pastry and chocolate, so maybe the strawberries are better, Ali.' Robin turned to his future wife, who now had chocolate sauce all over her face.

‘You are probably right.' Ali sighed as she scraped the chocolate sauce off her plate.

‘Don't worry, Ali,' Molly said, pouring her some more lemonade. ‘On your wedding day I can sneak you in a pastry slice, just for you. You are the bride, after all. Just don't tell anyone else!'

Ali hugged her friend.

‘You are the best, Molly, and such a great chef. Thanks so much for doing this job.'

‘Thank you both for believing in me, I appreciate it.' After that all three moved out to the back garden to catch some sun, and Ali filled Molly in on Hawaii and showed her the wedding invitations.

After two hours soaking in the sun and catching up on gossip, Robin stood up.

‘We'd better get going soon, Ali, we've those bands to go and see.'

‘Why don't you come with us, Molly?' Ali asked. ‘We're going to see three different bands tonight, ones we want to check out for the wedding. They're all having gigs in various bars, so they invited us along to hear them play. It might be fun.'

Molly was about to say no, but remembered even
her mum and dad were going out tonight. It would be so sad to stay in on a Saturday night, alone and single.

‘OK. Just let me wash all this flour and chocolate sauce off!'

Ben walked in from work to hear his mother and father talking in the kitchen.

‘I just don't want you going back to work, Joe. You almost died. You can't push yourself so much again. Ben will take care of things.'

Ben's heart sank. Work was exactly what he had wanted to talk to his parents about tonight. As his second week of working for his father's company had come to an end he was hoping to tell his parents that he really had to go back to work on the newspaper. His friend Jeremy had been a great help, but he had said he really couldn't keep the job open any longer. Ben set his briefcase and suit jacket down and headed for the kitchen. His father was sitting at the kitchen table, and even though Ben and Maura were doing everything they could to make sure he rested and ate well, he looked ten years older than he was. Pale and thin, he was like a ghost. Ben still got a shock every time he saw him. The doctor had said that recovering from a massive heart-attack and surgery could take
months, but nothing ever prepares you for the sight of your father being too weak to be able to dress himself properly, or walk up the stairs.

‘How was work? How did that meeting with Andrew McCarthy go?' Joe asked Ben enthusiastically.

Ben could see the pride in his father's eyes at the thought of Ben attending meetings on behalf of the company and dealing with clients.

‘It all went very well, Dad, don't worry. Andrew was asking after you, and said whenever you're ready for a round of golf to give him a call.'

‘Golf? Sweet Jesus, there will be no golf, Ben. Do you want to kill your father off?' Maura half-shrieked, as she prepared a chicken casserole.

‘Don't worry, honey, there will be no golf for a while. But maybe we could swing by the clubhouse for a pint one day, Ben!' Joe whispered the last sentence to his son.

Ben knew how much his dad must miss golf and the social interaction he relied on work and the golf club for.

‘So, how is everything going in the office? I suppose everyone can't believe you have finally joined the company. I'm so proud of you, Ben,' Joe said. He patted Ben's hand and smiled at him.

Ben didn't know what to say, and instead excused himself and went up to change. After dinner Ben was in the living room watching
The Rugby Club
, a weekly rugby programme he loved, when his mum came in.

‘How is work really, Ben?' she said kindly, as she
passed him a cup of tea and a slice of apple tart with cream.

Ben sat up and turned the TV off.

‘I don't know what to say to Dad. I told you both I was only helping the company out for a week or so, and then we would have to get someone in to take over until Dad went back. But now he seems to think I've agreed to work there for ever.'

Maura looked at her son.

‘I can't force you to work for the company, Ben, but please don't fling away this chance to run your own company and make your father proud, just because you want less responsibility and a carefree life. Your father is a long way off going back to work, and I do not want you upsetting him by chucking in the job and heading back to that newspaper. You are old enough now to start thinking about your own future and how your decisions affect us.'

And at that moment his father walked into the room and their conversation was over. As Ben turned the TV back on and watched his father struggle to lower himself into a chair, he realized he had no choice. He texted Jeremy: ‘You free for a pint tonight? We need to talk.' Jeremy texted him right back, and they agreed to meet in Stillorgan in half an hour.

After many pints and a long discussion, Ben and Jeremy both knew what Ben had to do.

‘Thanks for all your help, anyway, Jeremy. You're a good friend, and I hope you're not in trouble with the paper for keeping my job open. I'll really miss it,
but I've to help my dad, it's the only option.'

Jeremy looked at his oldest friend.

‘Ben, I'm proud of you. Of course I'll miss seeing you around the office, but it's great you're growing up.'

‘“Growing up?” You're the married one now,' Ben laughed.

‘It's not about being married or not. You're grownup when you start thinking about others' feelings, and notice how your actions affect them. And sometimes that means doing stuff you don't want to do. So you, my friend, really have grown up. Watch out! You'll be getting married next!'

Ben laughed, taking over a company was enough for him for one day. Finding a girl to marry was another day's work. As they left the pub and Ben began the walk home, Jeremy turned.

‘I might get Martin in accounts to give you a shout next month. The paper is getting fed up dealing with the over-priced stuck-up snobs we use at the moment, and they've been thinking about putting the audit out to tender.'

Ben thought having a newspaper as a client would certainly be more interesting than all the old fogies he mostly dealt with at the moment.

‘I would love that, give me a call any time.'

Maybe being an accountant won't be so bad after all, Ben thought, as he walked home.

On Saturday morning Ben was eating Nutella spread straight out of the jar, and helping his mum unpack groceries in the kitchen, when his dad asked him what meetings were coming up the following week. Ben saw his mum look at him, concerned. He had not yet told either of them his decision about work.

‘Well, actually, Dad, that is something I want to talk to you about.'

Ben's mum walked behind Joe, and put her hand on his shoulder. She didn't know how he would take the news that Ben was going back to the newspaper.

‘It's about all those meetings and clients. I think it is about time I had some business cards printed up. I mean, how can I spread the word about our business when I don't even have a business card to keep in my wallet?'

A look of relief spread over Maura's face, while Joe beamed with joy.

‘Yes, son, we must get on to that straightaway. Let me show you my card.' And with that Ben and Joe
were deep in a discussion about cards, new letterheads and email addresses. Maura gave Ben a big hug. She had always known that one day he would grow up and do the right thing. Now it had happened, and he was becoming the man of the family, and she couldn't have been prouder.

Ben spent the afternoon discussing work and clients before his dad got too tired and needed to lie down. Ben had been nervous about committing to taking over the company, but after seeing the excitement in his dad's eyes he knew he was doing the right thing. He grabbed some beers from the fridge: he was off to a barbecue at a friend's house, and was looking forward to an afternoon of burgers, beer and relaxation. As he picked up his sunglasses and wallet he suddenly thought he would text that girl Nikki. She had been great fun, and maybe she would like to see him after the barbecue. By the time he got into his car, she had texted him back to say she would meet him at 10 p.m. on Dawson Street. It's going to be a great night, Ben thought to himself, as he plugged his iPod into his car and blared the Foo Fighters the whole way to his friend's house.

The barbecue was great fun, and everyone there was delighted to hear about Ben taking over running the family business from his dad. As they drank beer and sang along to Razorlight Ben knew he had made the right decision. After some drinking games and some more dancing he realized it was after 10 p.m., and he was late meeting Nikki, but she didn't seem to
mind. He grabbed a taxi to town and met her outside Samsara.

As they headed into the bar for a drink Ben ran straight into Laura. It was quite a shock: he hadn't seen her for so long, not since before his dad got sick and his life had changed. She looked startled to see him, too.

‘Hi,' Ben said. He gave her a kiss on the cheek.

She smiled, and accepted the kiss, even though he knew she must still be fuming that he stood her up on a date.

‘I meant to ring you many times, I really did. I'm so sorry about that night.'

‘It's OK, Ben. Robin and Ali explained to me about your dad being sick. I did text you but I'm not sure if you ever got it,' Laura said.

Ben silently cursed himself for not replying. He had received her text, but with all the panic of the hospital he had never even replied. She must hate me, he thought.