February 24 – Tuesday
It took Tess a moment to place Stephen’s voice when he rang much too early one morning. He sounded different – taller if that was possible on the phone.
‘I had to ring you,’ he was almost out of breath. ‘I’ve just come off the phone with… um, well, that is, I’ve heard something marvellous… and I had to tell you…’ his excitement was contagious.
‘You’re being very mysterious, Stephen,’ she laughed, in spite of herself, he had that effect on her all the time, she found herself smiling when he spoke to her. Funny how she hadn’t noticed it before.
‘No. Me, never,’ Stephen said mildly.
‘Oh, yes you are, what’s up?’
‘Okay, well, if I tell you, will you promise not to tell anyone else. I mean, we really should wait until it’s official and tell the whole choir together. After all, it’s…’
‘I promise, it’ll be our secret,’ she laughed again now, had a feeling this could only be good news.
‘We’ve been invited to perform in Salzburg, next year. I mean, we are being officially invited. They made overtures that night, you know, when I spoke to them after the performance, but I was afraid to say anything until I heard more, just in case, but today it arrived, an email from the President himself. They’d want us to be part of their closing performance; it’s a great compliment to the group.’
‘Oh my God, Stephen, how did you manage to keep it under your hat for this long?’ It was weeks since the concert. Tess had a feeling that she would have burst if she had to hold in this kind of news.
‘Not easy, let me tell you.’ He laughed now, a real belly laugh. ‘I suppose now we’re in cahoots, are you sure you can keep it a secret until I tell the rest of the choir, you know how some of the other members can be a bit precious about… things.’
‘Oh, Stephen, you know, I’ve kept bigger secrets than this, if you can get them to meet without spilling the beans as easily as you did to me, then I can keep quiet on my end.’
‘Ah, it’ll be easier not to tell them, that’s why I rang you first.’
‘Well, thank you.’ Tess knew in there he had managed to include some kind of compliment. ‘Do you want a hand to gather them up? I’ve an hour here to spare; I could make half the calls for you?’ It was such a joy to have the days to herself, she felt outrageously fortunate to be liberated from the nine to five. Her bold move into sudden retirement had goaded Stephen to finally do the same. She knew that for all his talk, he’d been as scared as she at the idea of being alone if he did not have a place to go each day. She suspected he was the kind of man who would have been ‘good’ at being married. The fact that he hadn’t rushed back up the aisle again made her wonder if she really knew him as well as she sometimes thought she did. He set her straight on their journey back from Ballycove that day. There had been opportunities to settle down over the last few years, but something always held him back, and then he’d winked at her and she had known more than if he put the words between them. She was very glad he hadn’t.
‘Would you do that for me?’ Stephen’s enthusiasm brought her back to the present.
‘Of course. I’ll call the women and you call all the men, how’s that?’ It was the least she could do, after all, things were different now.
‘And, maybe in return…’
‘There’s no need for any return, Stephen, I’m only helping you out.’
‘Well…’ she could hear him fumbling, as if perhaps the phone had fallen from his hand. ‘Here’s the thing,’ his voice was clearer now, ‘I wondered if you might come along to see La Bohème, I’ve managed to get two tickets for Sunday night and… just us, you know…’ his voice turned into a mumble.
Tess held the phone away from her for a moment. A deep blush travelled from her neck to the top of her forehead, then she took a deep breath.
‘You’re asking me to the Opera?’ she had to check, it was so long since anyone had asked her anywhere. ‘On a date?’
‘Well, yes, that is I want you to come with me, I thought we might…’ Again, he seemed to sink into a bashfulness that was so unlike the person she knew him to be from the moment they met, but Tess found it oddly endearing. It was easy, not threatening or judging. ‘Well, would you, go on a date with me?’ Yes, she liked it very much.
‘I’d love to come,’ she said and she could almost hear him exhale his relief on the other end of the line. ‘Let’s make a plan after we’ve contacted everyone about Salzburg.’
Tess put down the phone and whooped. The sound brought Robyn running from the porch a startled expression on her face.
‘What, what is it, is everything all right?’ She stood nervously at the door; even Matt looked a little scared.
‘I’m going on a date. A proper date, to the Opera!’ Tess flopped back in her chair, she was ready for this, finally ready to start living again. ‘No, I’m definitely going on a date.’