CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
‘Hi, Connie, you look terrific. The holiday did you good.’ Barry leaned over and gave his ex-wife a kiss on the cheek, as his eyes roved appreciatively over her, noting the golden glow of her skin and her bright, clear eyes.
‘Thanks, Barry, and thanks for seeing me,’ Connie said quietly. She was sitting outside a small seafront café in Bray, to where she’d taken the Dart to meet her ex-husband.
‘So are we on a date?’ he flirted, delighted with this unexpected meeting. She’d been very mysterious on the phone, just saying she needed to see him to discuss something.
‘Don’t be silly, Barry,’ she said crossly, waving at a waiter to serve them. She had fierce PMT and wasn’t in the humour for his jocularity.
‘Just joking – lighten up, Connie, I get enough gloom and grief at home,’ he growled.
‘Sorry,’ she apologized. ‘And, Barry, I’m sorry also to have to tell you there’s more of that in store for you. Debbie and I are both convinced that Melissa is suffering from an eating disorder. Debbie caught her chewing and spitting her Chinese the night they came down to see Miss Hope, and the evening before yesterday, when she had supper with me, she went into the loo halfway through the meal and made herself sick. You’ve got to get her seen to,’ Connie said bluntly.
The colour drained from Barry’s face. ‘Ah no, you couldn’t be right. She eats at home fine,’ he protested.
‘Come on, Barry, when do you ever eat meals together? I’m not mistaken; I saw the puke spatters around the rim of the loo. And look how much weight she’s lost.’
‘Surely that’s puppy fat falling off. Remember Debbie used to be a bit plump in her teens?’ he argued, desperate not to hear what she was saying.
‘Barry, listen to me. Melissa’s in trouble, and you and Aimee need to put aside your differences and get her taken care of before this gets any worse. I’m telling you, if this takes a hold of her, she could die. Do you understand what I’m saying here? If this is allowed to go untreated, and Melissa goes the whole hog with it, she will starve herself, her periods will stop and her fertility will be affected. She could develop osteoporosis and damage her heart, before her body starts eating itself. Lack of potassium can bring on a heart attack. Look what happened to Karen Carpenter. Not even force-feeding will save her. In hospital, those girls encourage each other to starve themselves. When one of them dies, they applaud her for it, wishing it was them. Barry, it’s horrific, and you’ve got to do something about it.’
‘Jesus, Connie, stop – you’re frightening me,’ he protested.
‘I want to frighten you, Barry. This is your daughter’s life we’re talking about. And you cannot let on that I spoke to you, or say anything about Debbie knowing what she was doing. She is not to know that we alerted you, under any circumstances. She needs someone to confide in at her own pace, and Debbie is very anxious to be there for her.’
‘God Almighty, Connie, I . . . I . . . don’t know what to say . . . or do.’ He was ashen.
‘Look, I’ll suss it out and get some names for you, but just be aware of what’s going on, will you?’ she said sympathetically. ‘I know St Vincent’s have a unit, and there’s one in St Pat’s; I’ll get you the relevant contact numbers. You need to talk to your GP, too. I’m really sorry to have to be telling you all of this, Barry, but it’s imperative you act now. I’ll call you tomorrow when I have some information for you.’
Barry put his head in his hands.
‘Look, she’ll have plenty of support, we’re all behind her,’ Connie said gently. ‘It’s better to deal with it now, before it becomes too severe.’
‘This is a hard burden, Connie,’ he groaned. ‘I don’t know if I can carry it. Aimee wants a divorce. I don’t know what’s to become of us. I need you more than I’ve ever needed you.’
‘Well, this time you have to carry your burdens, Barry. You can’t run away from Melissa the way you ran away from Debbie,’ she said sharply. ‘And I’ll help you all I can, but I have my own life to lead, please don’t forget that.’
‘I won’t – but promise me you’ll be there for us.’
‘I’ll be there,’ she sighed. ‘Just start dealing with Melissa; the divorce can wait until she’s sorted. I’m sure Aimee will see that when you tell her what’s going on with your daughter.’
‘All Aimee can see is me me me,’ he said bitterly. ‘How do I deal with that?’
‘Barry, I’m not a marriage counsellor,’ she said exasperatedly. ‘My advice to you is to go home and tell her what I told you and take it from there.’
‘That’s easy for you to say,’ he griped.
‘Look, this is not all about you or Aimee, this is about Melissa.’ Connie was losing patience fast. ‘And, by the way, she knows about you and Aimee discussing divorce. She overheard you having a row, so bear that in mind as well.’
‘Oh, for God’s sake!’ he exclaimed. Could this evening get any worse, he wondered, sick to his stomach. ‘Who did she tell about the row?’ he muttered.
‘Debbie. But at least she felt she could tell her. That could send her into a downward spiral too,’ Connie warned. ‘You might need to talk to her about it, she was very upset, Debbie said.’
‘OK, I hear you,’ Barry retorted as the waiter came to take their order.
‘Just tea for me, please,’ Connie said.
‘Same for me, please, and a scone,’ Barry ordered. ‘Are you sure you don’t want anything?’ He looked across the table at her.
‘I’m not hungry,’ she said sombrely.
They sat in silence until their teas came.
‘Sorry. I shouldn’t be taking it out on you,’ apologized Barry as he poured her tea.
‘Forget it, I just want Melissa to be OK,’ Connie said.
‘Is that what you think? That I ran out on Debbie?’ he said gruffly.
‘Didn’t you?’ She didn’t see why she should let him off the hook.
‘I suppose so, if you want to look at it like that.’
‘Look, there’s no point in crying over spilt milk, just be there for Melissa, no matter what happens. Not everyone’s lucky enough to be given a second chance, Barry, so take it,’ she urged.
‘What’s it like to be perfect?’ he said bitterly.
‘I’m far, far from perfect, that’s unfair, Barry,’ she flared, hurt.
‘Well, stop judging me,’ he muttered.
‘Oh, grow up, Barry. For crying out loud, I’m not friggin’ judging you. Look, I’m going. I know this is hard for you and, believe me, I don’t want to be involved, but I like Melissa very much and she’s the only reason I’m here. I’ll call you tomorrow with the information I get. See you.’ She grabbed her bag and stalked off without a backward glance, furious.
He didn’t call her back and, if he had, she wouldn’t have gone. She glanced at her watch. If she hurried, she’d catch a Dart to Greystones earlier than she’d planned. She could see the train in the station, and she ran as fast as she could, collapsing in a breathless heap on the seat when she got into the carriage. She wheezed; she needed to get fitter. Walking on the beach was all very well, but she’d have to put in more of an effort and do some aerobics or something.
She could murder Barry Adams, she thought as the whistle blew and the train rumbled out of the station. Just because she was the bearer of bad news, she was not the baddie. Typical of him to turn it all around to himself, doing his poor-me act. He and Aimee would want to get their respective acts together, or Melissa was going to slip through their fingers.
She was in a thoroughly grouchy mood when she got into her car in the car park in Greystones a while later. She was driving along past Tesco’s when a familiar jeep beeped at her, and she saw Drew observing her quizzically. She pulled in further up the road, and he parked behind her and got out.
‘You look as grumpy as I did the other day,’ he said mildly when she rolled down the window and he leaned on the door with his forearm.
‘I just met Barry and told him about Melissa,’ she explained.
‘Did it not go well?’
‘Oh, it’s a long story,’ she sighed. ‘What are you doing in Tesco’s at this hour of the evening?’
‘Ran out of dog food. Nothing for his brekkie. Do you want to come for a drink and tell me the long story?’ he asked diffidently.
‘Are you sure you want to hear it?’ She looked up at him, noting the way his black chest hair curled at the V of his shirt just below his throat. She liked chest hair on men. Bryan got his waxed so he’d look like David Beckham, Debbie had told her once. There was no comparison between Bryan and Drew, or Barry and Drew, she thought as he stared down at her. He’d a nice mouth, too, a firm mouth, she thought, with a sudden longing to be kissed and cuddled and comforted.
‘I like long stories,’ Drew said solemnly, but his eyes were twinkling.
‘I’m not very dressed up,’ she murmured.
‘And I am?’ He arched an eyebrow at her, and she laughed. ‘You look fine to me. Where do you want to go?’
‘I’ve cold beer in the fridge at home, I got it in for you the other day when you were cutting the grass,’ she said impulsively.
‘Perfect. I’ll follow you.’ He straightened up and tapped the roof. ‘Drive carefully.’
‘I will,’ she said, happy that the evening wasn’t going to be a total disaster.
‘And when did she tell you this?’ Aimee demanded.
‘She asked me to meet her in Bray earlier. She didn’t pull any punches either, Aimee. This is serious. I’ve told you what Connie said could happen.’
‘Oh, Connie, Connie, Connie. I’m sick of Connie,’ Aimee muttered.
‘She’s probably sick of us too,’ he retorted. ‘She told me she’d have some information for us tomorrow. Places and people we can contact.’
‘Maybe it’s just a phase Melissa’s going through,’ Aimee said, grasping at straws.
‘I don’t think so and, another thing: she heard us arguing and knows we’ve used the “D” word. She’s very upset about it; she told Debbie about it.’
‘For God’s sake, do they know all our business?’ Aimee snapped, irately.
‘Well, they seem to know more about our daughter than we do, and what does that say about our parenting skills?’ he shot back.
‘And you want us to have another child?’ she said bitterly.
‘Look, this is getting us nowhere, Aimee. We need to focus on Melissa for the time being. Do you agree?’ He stopped pacing up and down the lounge and stood in front of her.
‘Yes, I suppose you’re right. It’s scary, though. Kathryn Lawson’s daughter has been in and out of hospital for the last three years, she’s like a walking skeleton. She only weighs six stone.’ Aimee’s face crumpled, and she started to cry.
Barry sat down beside her and put his arm around her shoulder. ‘Look, we’ll deal with it together. We’ll put our own issues on hold and be there for Melissa until we have her sorted. What do you say?’
‘OK,’ Aimee sniffled, thinking that this was the worst year of her life, new job notwithstanding.
‘And . . . err, Connie suggested we don’t let on she or Debbie knows anything about this or has mentioned anything to us. Connie feels Melissa needs someone she can trust, and she seems to be bonding really well with Debbie,’ he said hesitantly.
‘I suppose it makes sense, although I wish they weren’t involved,’ Aimee said sulkily.
‘In fairness, I think Connie wishes she wasn’t involved either. She has her own life to lead.’
‘Why, what did she say?’ demanded his wife. ‘She doesn’t have to be involved. We can take it from here, tell her, thank you very much.’
‘No, no,’ he said hurriedly, thinking Aimee was such a powder keg these days. ‘She was apologizing for being the bearer of bad news and having to lay this at our door, but she felt she had to,’ he pacified.
‘Oh . . . I see. I suppose it wasn’t easy to tell someone their daughter has a problem like anorexia,’ Aimee conceded. ‘That’s if it is anorexia.’
‘Something’s up, Aimee. She has lost a lot of weight and, looking back, she’s stopped eating treats with me when we go for coffee on Saturday mornings, and she never eats with us here. She’s always saying she’s had something earlier,’ Barry pointed out.
‘I never even noticed,’ Aimee muttered, tears starting to fall again. ‘What kind of a mother am I?’
‘You’re a good mother,’ he said stoutly. ‘We lost our way for a bit. We’ll get back on track with her.’
‘I hope so, Barry. Anorexia and bulimia and all those things are very hard to deal with. I’m scared.’
‘I know, me too. But we’ll deal with it together, OK?’
‘OK,’ she agreed.
They heard the front door open, and Aimee went to draw away from him, but he pulled her back. ‘United front,’ he whispered as their daughter clip-clopped down the hall.
‘Hi, Muffin. Where were you until this hour? Your mother and I were just starting to worry about you,’ Barry said lightly.
‘Were you?’ Melissa looked inordinately pleased to see them together on the sofa.
‘It’s getting dark earlier these nights,’ Aimee said, patting the sofa beside her. ‘Where were you?’
‘Hanging out with Sarah.’ Melissa flopped down next to her mother.
‘Listen, I was just thinking – you know this new job I have? Well, I’ve three weeks’ holiday to take. How about we head off somewhere for a few days? Barry, would you be able to manage that?’ She looked at him.
‘For my ladies, anything is possible.’ He smiled at them. ‘Where will we go? It would be a relief to get away from this disaster of a summer.’
‘Any suggestions?’ Aimee looked at her daughter, noting the gaunt hollows in her cheeks and the dark circles under her eyes. She felt sick with terror. How could she have missed what was under her nose?
Melissa’s eyes lit up. ‘I’d love to go to Disneyworld in Paris?’ She looked hopefully at Aimee.
‘How about Disneyworld for a day, shopping for two days and a few days in a hotel in the south of France so your mom can relax and put her feet up?’ Barry suggested.
‘Savage, Dad. Can we, Mom?’ Melissa’s eyes were sparkling.
‘Let’s get on the internet and book.’ Aimee held her daughter’s hand tightly.
‘What have I let myself in for?’ Barry groaned, but he leaned down and lightly kissed the top of his wife’s head, and then gave Melissa the biggest hug he’d ever given her as they trooped into the dining room to gather around Aimee’s computer.
‘Look at the time, Connie – it’s well after midnight.’ Drew stared at his watch in surprise.
‘It only felt like an hour.’ She yawned and stretched. It was a sultry night, and they had sat out on the deck and she’d lit candles and Chinese lanterns to lend some atmosphere.
‘You’re easy to talk to.’ He smiled at her.
‘You’re pretty easy yourself,’ she complimented back.
‘I can’t remember the last time I talked so much. I don’t usually spend hours chatting. You have a knack of drawing people out.’ Drew stood up reluctantly. ‘I had a lovely evening, Connie, thank you,’ he said quietly.
‘On one can of beer,’ she laughed.
‘It was the company.’
‘I had a lovely evening, too. Thanks for listening to my moans about Barry and Aimee. It was great to get it off my chest.’
‘Any time. Make sure to bring Melissa to visit Frisky.’
‘I will. Thanks, Drew.’
‘I guess I better go.’ He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
‘How chaste,’ she teased as she stood up.
‘I’m a shy country boy.’ His eyes glinted in the moonlight, and he turned her face to him, stroking her jaw with a long, tanned forefinger before leaning towards her, his intention unmistakable.
‘Are you sure you want to? Maybe I was being forward,’ she said hastily.
‘I love forward women,’ he said huskily, and bent his head and kissed her, lightly at first, with soft butterfly kisses which were gentle and tender, then, more deeply, with a passionate, hungry kiss which she returned ardently.
They drew apart breathlessly. ‘I thought you said you were shy,’ she murmured, pink-cheeked.
‘I am,’ he assured her. ‘Maybe if we kiss again, I’ll get over it.’ He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her soundly for a second time before resting his chin on the top of her head and holding her tightly to him. She leaned her head against his chest and listened to his heart beating beneath her cheek. It was the strangest feeling. She felt that she’d come home.
‘I’m going to go now,’ he whispered against her hair, ‘because, if I don’t, it’s more than kissin’ we’ll be doing. And I want us both to be comfortable with what we’re doing and where we’re going.’
‘Well, you better go quick then, because I like what we’ve been doing up until now, and I’m very comfortable,’ she said slowly, wishing he would stay but knowing that what was happening between them was too important to rush.
‘Me too,’ he said, kissing the tip of her nose. ‘You sleep well, Connie, I’ll see you soon.’
‘Night, Drew.’ She stroked his cheek. ‘I’m so glad we met.’
‘Me too,’ he said. ‘Very glad.’
They walked arm in arm around the side of the house to the front gate, and she stood waving him off with a grin the size of a melon slice on her face. She felt a surge of wild joy. It had been a long, long wait, but she knew with certainty that she and Drew Sullivan were going to be together for the rest of their lives.
Drew drove into his driveway and patted his golden Labrador, Tusker, who stood up lazily and pattered down the steps of the veranda that ran the length of the house. His tail wagged ecstatically, and he looked at his beloved master with total adoration.
‘Hello, boy.’ Drew bent and tickled the dog’s ears, let himself into the house and headed for the kitchen. He took a bottle of beer from the fridge, opened it without even bothering to put on a light and headed back to the veranda to sit down in the rocking chair. Tusker curled up beside him as Drew stretched his legs, and took a swig from the bottle.
He smiled, thinking of the past evening. Who would have ever thought that he’d meet a woman like Connie? He’d known the minute he’d laid eyes on her that she was special. He’d felt completely at ease in her company. They had so much in common and, best of all, she had a sense of humour that matched his own. They ‘got’ each other. It was amazing. He felt as though he’d known her all his life. How rare was that, Drew wondered, to meet another human being and, in such a short space of time, to feel a connection that touched mind, body, soul and divinity? He’d wanted to make love to her and spend the night with her, but he wanted to be absolutely sure it was what she wanted; he didn’t want to take advantage. He was no monk – he’d been with women since his marriage broke up – but this was very different. Lovemaking would come in its own good time. He would woo her, Drew decided, as well as teaching her to ride. The clouds had thinned and parted, and a cluster of stars shone brightly in the inky darkness. A shooting star streaked across the firmament. ‘Thanks, Mam.’ He raised his face to the sky. ‘I couldn’t be happier.’