Changing Places (2 page)

‘You won’t be able to live like this when you have kids,’ her sister, Rachel, had told her.

Anna loved this room but it wouldn’t bother her if she had to change it tomorrow in order to make the place child-friendly. Not that this terrace house was designed for kids. The second
bedroom was tiny, and they only had a small courtyard where she kept a few pot plants. They’d probably have to move into a nice sensible three-bedroom semi-d like Rachel’s when they
started a family.

She and Liam had discussed children a number of times but decided to wait until Liam got to senior management level. That wouldn’t take long, Anna thought proudly. He was clever, a hard
worker and very highly thought of. He was currently Production Manager in Patterson’s Electronics, the firm where he had worked for nearly eleven years now, and he’d already been
promoted twice. The owner, Ted Patterson, had hinted more than once that when he retired to his house in the west of Ireland, Liam would probably be the one to step into his shoes. But that was a
long way ahead. Ted Patterson was a sprightly and quick-witted sixty-four-year-old who was unlikely to consider retirement for another ten years or so.

As for Anna, she was doing pretty well herself. After drifting from one job to another since she left school, she finally felt she’d found her niche when she came to work for
Donnelly’s Real Estate. Two years on, Mark was giving her more and more responsibility and he’d told her that he’d be reviewing her salary in a month’s time. Anna was
delighted. Now all she had to do was persuade him into taking on a junior. They needed to hire someone if they were to keep developing at the rate they had been doing over the last twelve months.
Mark wouldn’t want to, of course – the man was a skin-flint – but Anna was confident that she could talk him round. He was pleased with her work, but then why wouldn’t he be
after the money she’d brought in over the last couple of months? She thought with satisfaction of the house she’d sold that morning. A couple more sales like that and Mark Donnelly
would wonder how he’d ever managed without her.

She was back in the kitchen checking the chicken when Liam returned.

‘You’re looking very pleased with yourself,’ he said, pouring himself a glass of wine.

‘I sold the house on Sea View Lane today.’

‘The ramshackle hovel you’ve been trying to offload for months?’

‘Yep.’

‘That’s great news – well done!’ Liam grabbed hold of her and kissed her. ‘I hope you’re going to take me out for a slap-up meal when your commission comes
through.’

Anna made a face. ‘Don’t hold your breath. You know what Mark’s like. I’ll be lucky if I see it this side of Christmas!’

‘You can’t put up with that. March in there first thing on Monday morning and demand it in your next pay-packet.’

‘No, I plan to keep on his good side.’ Anna snuggled closer into his chest. ‘Aren’t you going to ask me why?’

Liam chuckled. ‘I’ve a feeling you’re going to tell me.’

She looked up at him, her dark eyes shining. ‘I think it’s time we started a family.’

‘I see.’

‘Is that it?’ She pulled back, frowning.

He shrugged. ‘Pretty much. Just one question.’

‘Oh?’

‘Can we eat first, I’m starving!’

‘Oh, you!’ Anna pummelled his chest.

Liam sniffed. ‘Do you smell burning?’

‘Oh, shit!’

‘So what do you think?’ Anna asked when she’d rescued their dinner and they were seated at the table.

‘About a baby? I suppose it’s time.’ Liam swallowed a piece of chicken.

Anna’s eyes widened. ‘Really?’

‘Yeah. We may as well get started now, as it’s likely I’m going to be made General Manager before long.’

‘Liam, that’s fantastic.’ Anna leaned across to kiss him. ‘It’s official then?’

‘No, but Ted Patterson was dropping very heavy hints today about changes and restructuring, so I read between the lines.’

Anna frowned. ‘But if he’s going to promote you, why not just do it?’

Liam rested his knife on his plate and took a drink of wine. ‘From what I can gather, Frank Boylan is going to take early retirement so my position won’t be public until that’s
signed and sealed.’

‘You’ll be a much better General Manager than Frank Boylan,’ Anna assured him.

He grinned. ‘You know what I love about you? You’re so biased!’

‘And we’ll be rich,’ she said happily.

‘A few extra shillings and a bigger company car,’ Liam agreed. ‘Maybe we could even afford to buy a bigger house!’

Anna laughed excitedly as she raised her glass. ‘Happy birthday, darling. I’ve a feeling it’s going to be quite a year.’

‘Gary, did you put the bins out?
Gary?
’

Rachel’s husband didn’t look up from his laptop. ‘I’ll do it later, I’m busy.’

‘If you want to know what busy is, try looking after your son and this house for a couple of days,’ she retorted. When Gary didn’t bother replying, Rachel went back out to the
kitchen and started to fling clothes into the washing-machine. It drove her mad when Gary behaved like this. As if he was the only one who worked while she sat filing her nails watching daytime
television.

Gary Hanlon was the Sales Director of a small company on the other side of Dublin that supplied and fitted windows, doors and conservatories, and the way he went on, you’d think he had no
staff at all! Rachel hated his job and hated how it took up all his time, even when he was at home. She knew he thought she had an easy life by comparison. As if minding an energetic five-year-old
was easy – although Alex was a little darling – and the house cleaned itself. It wouldn’t be quite so bad if Gary talked to her occasionally, but he always seemed to be working on
that damn laptop or else had his head buried in a newspaper.

When they did talk it was about Alex or what needed doing around the house, and the latter subject almost always ended in an argument. Rachel knew Gary thought she was a nag, and the part that
upset her most was that he was probably right. But she wouldn’t be like that if he treated her better. If he came home straight from work instead of going for a drink with ‘the
lads’. If he didn’t make her feel like a boring, drab housewife.

Slamming the door of the machine shut, she went upstairs to check on her son. Her face softened as she bent to tuck the duvet around him, first extracting a Power Ranger, stuffed elephant and a
tiny racing car. With his long dark lashes resting on round pink cheeks, mouth slightly open and dark-blond hair brushed back off his face, he still looked like her baby. Her fingers moved to her
stomach and she sighed as she thought of the baby brother or sister growing there.

Turning off the light, she crept out of Alex’s room and went into her bedroom. Gary’s suit jacket was on the bed, where he’d tossed it when he got in from work. Automatically,
Rachel slipped her hand into the pockets and examined the contents. Some loose change, a crumpled-up receipt for soup and a sandwich in the pub across the road from his office, another from a
bookshop, and his comb. Nothing to give her any reason to be suspicious, but she was. It had been a year ago now when she’d started to suspect that her husband was up to something. After
that
terrible night which still gave her the shivers whenever she thought about it.

She had been settling down to watch
Big Brother
when there was a bloodcurdling scream from Alex’s room. She’d charged up the stairs and into his room to find him rolling
around in agony clutching his side, his pyjamas and sheets covered in vomit. Feeling his forehead, Rachel realized immediately that he was burning up. She called the doctor, hugging the phone
between her neck and ear as she held her son and bathed his forehead with a wet cloth.

‘Call an ambulance, Rachel,’ her GP had said as soon as she’d described the symptoms. ‘The little man may have appendicitis.’

As she waited for the ambulance, Rachel tried to reach Gary but there was no answer on his mobile. He was at a business dinner and she knew that Bill Grant, his boss, was with him so she looked
in their address book to get Bill’s mobile number. Normally, she would never dream of interrupting Gary when he was out with colleagues, but she knew he wouldn’t mind tonight. This was
an emergency.

Bill Grant seemed slightly bemused at her frantic call. ‘Oh hello, Rachel – no, you’re not interrupting. I was just watching the golf on telly. What can I do for
you?’

Rachel had quickly told him about Alex, conscious that there were blue flashing lights in the road outside. ‘I must have gotten it wrong, Bill. I thought Gary had a business dinner this
evening.’

‘Nothing official, my dear, although he could well be out with a customer – probably is, in fact. A hard worker, your Gary.’

Rachel bit her lip as she went to open the door. ‘Yeah, Bill, he is. Look, I must go, the ambulance has arrived.’

‘Is there anything I can do?’

‘Perhaps you could phone around and see if you can track him down? Tell him we’re on our way to Temple Street Hospital.’

‘Consider it done. Now try not to worry, I’m sure the lad will be fine. Our lot were always getting one thing or the other. Looked as if they were at death’s door one minute,
right as rain the next.’

‘Right, thanks, Bill.’ Rachel hung up and went back to where Alex sat huddled on the sofa, his eyes closed and his face flushed. ‘It’s okay, darling, you’re going
to be fine.’

The rest of the night passed by in a blur. Within an hour, Alex had been in the operating theatre and when Gary arrived, several hours later, Rachel was sitting at his bedside,
holding his limp little hand.

‘Jesus, is he okay? What happened?’ Gary sank to his knees at the other side of the bed and stared worriedly at his son’s face.

‘He’s just out of surgery. They’ve taken his appendix out.’

‘Did he wake up? Have you talked to him?’

‘Just for a moment. He’s on a lot of medication for the pain. They said he probably wouldn’t wake again until morning.’

‘Sleep’s the best thing for him,’ Gary nodded, his eyes never leaving Alex’s face.

‘Where were you?’

‘What?’

Rachel watched him steadily. ‘Where were you?’

‘I told you, I had a business dinner.’

‘You also told me Bill was going, but he was at home watching golf.’

‘I didn’t say that – you never listen.’

‘Why didn’t you answer your mobile?’

‘I left it in the car by mistake.’

Rachel looked at the clock on the wall at the end of the ward. It was almost three o’clock. ‘That must have been some dinner.’

Gary shot her an irritable look. ‘Dan decided we should go clubbing. The client was all on for it; there was nothing I could do.’

Rachel knew Dan Horgan of old. He was in his early thirties, a dedicated bachelor and a man who liked the good life. He had often dragged Gary out with him, although Rachel didn’t believe
her husband needed much persuading.

‘I would have called,’ he continued, ‘but it was nearly eleven when we left the restaurant and I didn’t want to wake you.’

And Rachel had let it go at that. She hadn’t been entirely convinced, but her mind had been on Alex and she didn’t want to think about the implications if Gary
was
lying to
her. However, that episode had made her suspicious and now she always checked his pockets and his wallet. Once, she’d even checked his emails when he’d gone to the loo and left his
laptop open on the chair beside her. She felt disgusted with herself for snooping but she couldn’t help it. If only he talked to her more, she wouldn’t have to check up on him like
this.

Rachel hung up Gary’s jacket, took off her clothes and went into the bathroom in her bra and pants to remove her make-up. She studied her reflection as she applied her cleanser. She had
the same eyes as her sister, Anna, but there the similarity ended. Though Rachel also had red hair, hers was dull and lifeless. The last time she’d gone to the hairdresser, she’d
allowed herself to be persuaded to go blonde and had regretted her decision almost immediately. She’d also had it cut in a different, younger style, but the choppy cut did not flatter her.
Rather it emphasized her plump cheeks and drew attention to the bags under her eyes.

Rachel hadn’t slept properly since she’d been pregnant with Alex. In the last month of pregnancy, her back had ached and her bump had been huge and she couldn’t find a
comfortable position. Her mother told her that it was her body preparing her for motherhood.

‘You’re not going to get much sleep once the little one comes along,’ she’d joked.

Rachel had laughed too. ‘I don’t care. It will be worth it.’

And it had been, Rachel thought as she washed her face and patted it dry with the soft towel. Alex was a wonderful little boy but he’d been a difficult baby and she’d spent many
nights slumped over his cot while Gary slept soundly, oblivious to his son’s screams. Even now, Alex wasn’t a great sleeper and Rachel often ended up sitting on the edge of his bed in
the early hours of the morning. God only knew how she’d cope with two. She did like the idea of a brother or sister for Alex, but the thought of looking after two children on a minimum amount
of sleep overwhelmed her.

She hadn’t told Gary about the baby yet, more as a punishment for being such a grumpy so-and-so than anything else. She knew he’d be over the moon at the news but she was finding it
hard to get excited by the idea. Her life had only just started to settle down, and now that Alex was at school she actually had some time to herself again. She often had all her housework done by
ten just so that she could go for a walk or have a wander round the shops. She’d also been thinking of joining a gym. She’d never managed to lose those extra pounds after Alex was born
and she’d liked the idea of toning up and getting into some of those thin, body-hugging clothes that her sister wore. Now there was no chance of that. Rachel went back to the bedroom, took
off her underwear and slipped into white cotton pyjamas. And when the baby was born next December, money would be too tight for her to join anything more adventurous than Weight-Watchers.