Epilogue
The house of the righteous contains great treasure,
but the income of the wicked brings them trouble
Proverbs 15:6
Chapter One Hundred
and Forty-One
‘Nana looks different.’
Michael laughed at his grandson’s seriousness. ‘I know she does. She’s not well. But she’s getting better, that’s the main thing.’
Jake nodded, but he wasn’t so sure about anything any more. He knew his real mum was dead. He had seen her grave and she was buried with his great-nana Hannah. His granddad went to visit them a lot, and he sometimes went with him. It was funny thinking his mum was dead, up in heaven, but one of the nuns at school had told him that sometimes Jesus missed people so much that he called them back up to heaven early. He liked to think that was true, but he wasn’t sure if it was. His mum had been a bit of a cow – at least that is what his nana Josephine had used to say about her. Now his nana Josephine was in a hospital, and she acted very strangely. He could see her walking towards them, and Jake felt his heart sink inside his chest.
‘Here she comes, Jake.’
Jake could hear the false gaiety in his granddad’s voice.
Josephine walked across the grass towards her husband and her grandson slowly. The drugs were responsible for that; she couldn’t bring herself to break into a sprint these days. She sat down at the picnic table opposite her husband. He still looked so good, so very handsome. He got better looking as he got older; it was unfair.
Michael smiled at her. ‘You’re looking well, Josephine.’
But she wasn’t. She looked awful these days. She didn’t bother with her appearance any more. It was a good thing, according to her doctor. He wasn’t so sure himself.
She didn’t answer him. Instead she looked at Jake and, holding her arms out, she said sadly, ‘I could do with a hug, young man.’
Jake looked at his granddad and, when Michael nodded slightly, he went around the table, and allowed his nana to squeeze him to her tightly. When Jake finally managed to pull himself away from her, he went straight back to sit beside his granddad.
Josephine knew that she had been well and truly rejected by her grandson, but there was nothing she could do about it.
‘Really, Josephine, you do look much better. The doctor told me that you were finding it much easier to go outside. It’s wonderful to see you out here with us now.’
Josephine looked at her husband for long moments. He visited her twice, sometimes three times, a week and he seemed genuinely interested in her progress. But it was bullshit. She wasn’t stupid. She knew him better than he knew himself. He was just doing his duty. That was his trouble, he didn’t have a treacherous bone in his body. He was determined to divorce her, though, she knew that.
‘How are you, Michael? Good?’
He smiled gently. ‘Yeah, I’m fine. You know me, same old, same old.’
Josephine nodded in agreement. ‘I hear you’re having a right old time of it. Katherine Rourk, Danny’s
daughter
. I bet she could be
your
daughter, eh? She’s young enough.’
Michael didn’t answer her; it wasn’t any of her business.
She laughed nastily. ‘I still hear everything, Michael. I’m not fucking dead yet.’
He smiled back at her but his voice was steely as he said, ‘If you don’t watch your fucking mouth, that could be arranged sooner than you think, Josephine.’
‘Are you threatening me?’
He saw how she narrowed her eyes, and he wondered how he had let her rule him for so long. ‘Why would I do that, Josephine? If I was threatening you, believe me, you’d know it. I come here to see how you are and to bring your little grandson in to visit you. There’s no hidden agenda.’
Then she said angrily, ‘It’s been nearly six months, Michael. I want to go home.’
Michael turned to Jake. ‘You can go inside now, and spend the pound I gave you in the sweet shop. Wait in the reception and I’ll be there in a minute, OK?’
Jake nodded.
‘Say goodbye to Nana.’
Jake waved at her quickly and, running off, he called out ‘Goodbye’ over his shoulder.
Michael knew that the lad found Josephine a trial – as
he
did if he was honest. She was stranger than ever now, but it was all to the good, according to the doctors. Personally, he thought she was getting madder by the day.
‘Look, Josephine, I can’t control everything any more. This is a proper hospital – you can’t just buy the doctors here, and choose your own fucking meds. Look how far that got you. You need to do whatever the doctors tell you to do. For once in your life, Josephine, you can’t rely on me to bail you out. You were
sectioned
, for fuck’s sake! You can’t just fucking
choose
what you want to do any more. It’s out of our hands. The doctors decide when you can go home and, when that day comes, I have purchased a lovely little cottage for you. You will love it.’
‘I’ve already got a home.’
He sighed heavily; he was sick and tired of this. ‘Not any more you haven’t. Once we get the divorce, I will see you all right. But you will never come back to that house again. It’s in Jake’s name now anyway.’
Josephine grinned nastily. ‘You’re loving this, aren’t you? You dumped me, and then you put me away. Katie Rourk must be a blinding fuck, Michael. Got you right where she fucking wants you!’
Michael stood up slowly. ‘I’m not doing this, Josephine. I’ve told you before. It’s over between us. I will
never
forgive you for what happened to our Jessie. I will take care of you up to a point – I owe you that much. But don’t treat me like a fucking earhole, OK? I come here so you can see Jake, so I can see how you’re getting on. After all, I
am
the one footing the
fucking
bill for this, aren’t I? If I pull out, lady, you will end up in a local NHS nut ward somewhere, so don’t bite the hand that feeds you.’
Josephine couldn’t believe that her Michael couldn’t find it in his heart to forgive her; he had
always
forgiven her in the past, no matter what she had done. She grabbed his hands in hers, and she tried to pull him back into his seat, to make him sit down and talk with her.
‘Please, Michael, I promise you I will do anything . . . But don’t do this to me . . .’
He pulled away from her and, stepping back, he said gently, ‘I’ve got to go, Josephine. But if you don’t stop this I can’t visit you any more. I’ve told you over and over again I will bankroll your treatment, and I will always look out for you. But our marriage is over.’
He walked away from her purposefully, aware that he didn’t have even a small sliver of doubt about what he was doing. She had ceased to exist for him when he had seen that letter. It was like he had woken from a coma, and seen his wife for what she really was. It had been a revelation. He had suddenly seen how much she had manipulated him over the years and, the worst thing was, he knew that he had gone along with it all: her agoraphobia, her fear of telephones, her fear of fucking everything that didn’t suit her. But she didn’t have a fear of wine – she could neck that all day and night. He had swallowed it until he had seen that letter which resulted in his daughter dying in such pain and with such injuries. Knowing that if Josephine had just
once
put someone else first it might have all have been avoided wasn’t something he could excuse.
He walked into the reception room. Jake was waiting for him – he looked so worried, bless him.
‘Is Nana OK?’
Michael grinned. ‘’Course she is. Come on, let’s get home, shall we? Dana is cooking us a shepherd’s pie! With real shepherds in!’
Jake smiled a real smile at last. ‘That’s my favourite dinner!’
‘And mine too! What’s the chances of that, eh?’ He grasped his grandson’s hand and walked him out to the car park. Jake stopped in front of the Mercedes, and Michael looked at him quizzically.
‘What’s wrong, Jake?’
The little boy suddenly looked vulnerable and frightened. Michael smiled at him gently. ‘You can tell me anything, Jake, you know that.’
Jake started to cry, and Michael rushed over to him, and he swept him up into his arms, hugging the boy to his chest tightly.
‘Nana scares me. I don’t like coming here, Granddad.’
Michael knew then, without a shadow of a doubt, that he would never come back here again. ‘Then we won’t come here any more, Jake.’
Jake pulled himself away from his granddad’s chest and looked into his face as he said seriously, ‘Promise?’
Michael smiled at the little lad; he loved him so very much. ‘Promise.’
Chapter One Hundred
and Forty-Two
Declan was well on the way to getting drunk. He was on the borderline at the moment, but he was feeling good. He watched the doorway, expecting Michael. Declan thought it was good for Michael to get out more, he had spent so much of his life pussy-footing around Josephine, it was good for the man to finally just do whatever he wanted to. It had been a hard year for him, he had buried his mother and his daughter, and he had seen his wife, the love of his life, sectioned, and dragged out of his home kicking and screaming. He deserved a bit of R and R. He had been getting that with young Katie Rourk, by all accounts, and good luck to him. Michael had never been the unfaithful type. He was a one-woman man. If anyone else had married Josephine they would have been out on the nest in no time, but not Michael.
Declan looked around the bar. There was no doubt that, for a private drinking club, it had a very good feel to it. No one got in unless they were members, and Michael and he agreed the memberships! How fucking neat was that? He could come here knowing that he wouldn’t have to deal with anyone that he didn’t want to.
He gestured to the barmaid for another drink, and she did as he requested immediately. It was early evening and the place was nearly empty. It didn’t really liven up till later, so he was enjoying the quiet. He picked up his Jack Daniel’s and Coke and, raising his glass towards the barmaid, he took a long drink.
Michael came down the stairs a few seconds later, all smiles, which pleased Declan. The man was finally looking relaxed again.
The barmaid was tiny – under five feet tall, and she had the smallest hands and feet Declan had ever seen on a grown woman. Her hair, on the other hand was
huge
. It was beautiful, her crowning glory, and she was always smiling. She had that kind of nature – she was a glass-half-f girl, as she had told Declan on more than one occasion. She automatically mixed Michael Flynn a large vodka and tonic.
He took it from her with a smile and, turning to Declan, he said happily, ‘I needed this, Declan. It’s been a fucking mad day.’ He took a large gulp of his drink; it was strong, even for him.
‘So? How was Josephine?’
Michael shrugged. ‘Same old, same old!’
Declan laughed then. ‘Hark at you! Who’d have thought it, eh?’
Michael lit a cigarette, and he pulled on it quickly. As he blew out the smoke, he said honestly, ‘I never thought we would ever have broken up. But we have, and I’m glad.’ Michael grinned suddenly. Then, leaning forward, he said quietly, ‘I have some news for you, Declan – you’re the first person to know.’
Declan laughed at his mate’s cloak-and-dagger voice. ‘Oh yeah? So what is it, then?’
Michael Flynn grinned happily. ‘Katie’s pregnant. It wasn’t planned, but I’ve got to tell you, Declan, I’m over the fucking moon.’
Declan Costello was taken aback, but he recovered quickly. ‘Congratulations, mate. How old is Katie anyway?’
Michael gestured to the barmaid to refill their glasses.
‘She’s twenty-six. Not as young as she looks. But still a lot younger than me! Josephine has already pointed that out today. But I don’t give a toss, Declan. I really care about her, and I think she does me. And I want a child, I want a child of my own. I will marry her, Declan, and I will give her and my babies the world.’
Declan Costello was speechless.
Michael Flynn looked into his friend’s stunned countenance and he said gaily, ‘I’m the wrong side of fifty, and I have nothing left, other than Jake, of course. I want what I never had, Declan – a couple of kids,
nice
kids, and a woman who isn’t a fucking walking headcase. Josephine’s doctor told me that nothing I could have done would have changed her life. She has a personality disorder. I always thought it was my fault that she wasn’t the full five quid. But it would have happened anyway, no matter what. Katie is fun, she makes me laugh. So much of my life was spent holding Josephine’s hand, or living down my only daughter’s antics, pretending that I didn’t care, when I did care. I cared more than I could ever let on. But not any more. That’s all over now. She’s gone – my Jessie is dead and gone. Josephine and all her fucking problems are gone. This time around I want what everyone else takes for granted. I just want a normal fucking life.’
Declan Costello smiled. He raised his glass in a toast, and he said sincerely, ‘To you, Michael, and the next generation of Flynns.’