Gemini Rain (24 page)

Lauren twisted and turned all night, now she could hear
Emma
and Keith talking downstairs. Turnin
g her head to look at the clock
she groaned
,
‘
It’s 6.45am, why the hell can’t they get up this early on their school days!
’
  Putting the pillow over her head she decided they could get their own breakfast, watch some TV or play until she was ready to get up. Suddenly she felt a weight on one side of her bed and somebody
lifting the pillow off her head.

‘Ca va!’ David said cheerfully.

‘Christ, I don’t believe this, David what are you doing here at this ungodly hour and you’re wet, is it raining?’ Lauren didn’t move as she was naked under her quilt, she rarely slept with clothes on.

‘Oh, I forgot my jacket last night,’ he tried to gently lift the quilt to take a peek, but she smacked his hand away, a difficult procedure as she was lying on her stomach but she managed.

‘Ouch! And I thought I should say sorry for leaving the way I did last night, it was wrong of me,’ he tried his apologetic look. ‘Do you forgive me?’ he went down on his knees leaning across the bed his face close to hers.

‘I’m deducting the price of a new coffee cup from your rent. You could’ve just got your jacket and apologised by phone, and surely you have more than one jacket’ she responded.

‘Ah, but it’s not the same
over the phone
is it?’ he moved in closer knowing she was
afraid to move in case some part of her body
was revealed, caressing the back of her neck
he smiled, ‘f
eeling any better mon amie?’

‘Oh David I’m sorry too, but please don’t tease I really can’t handle it at the moment,’ Lauren felt that tightness in her throat again and David saw the tears well up in her eyes, she tried to turn away but he stopped her.

‘Mon
Amie
what happened, why won’t you tell me?’ David pulled her closer to him feeling her resist but knowing he w
as stronger he won the struggle.
‘Please tell me! Are you leaving, what did your friends from Ireland say to you? If it’s love, no matter what I can better it, don’t leave Lauren.’ Holding her tightly, the cover was now only around her waist she could feel the wetness of his shirt, but neither cared, he wasn’t teasing anymore.

Lauren cried, ‘No, you’ve misunderstood the situation and
honestly
I can’t tell you,’ she looked up to him caressing his face, ‘it’s something I’ve got to deal with myself, please believe me. Let me sort it out, please.’

He knew by the look on her face and by her voice it was something she had to do alone, a ghost still haunting her, reluctantly he agreed but ma
de her promise to tell him if she did need help
or when it was over. Lauren promised.

‘I’ll be here for you, I promise
too
,’ he said softly kissing her on the forehead, ‘now you lie back there and rest, I’ll take care of the children…’

‘David you have a flight to catch, remember?’ Lauren said dryly.

‘Oh Mon Dieu, the time!’ Lauren nearly fell out of the bed as he jumped up but he caught her arm on time. They both laughed as she covered herself quickly. ‘Too late! I could see every delight’ he grinned.

‘When will you be back?’ Lauren murmured. Sitting back on the bed he looked sad for a change, ‘Not until the 15
th
May
,’ he sighed continuing, ‘it’s…’

Lauren interrupted, ‘Great!’ she was delighted,
but
David was surprised. ‘Oh I don’t mean it that way,’ she chuckled drying her tears at the same time, ‘you’ll be back on time for my birthday! It’s on the 18
th
June
, I’m having a small party because
Debbie
, Pat, their family and Peter’s two other sisters will be here, they’re brilliant musicians and singers, it’ll be wonderful!’

‘Your birthday’s on the 18
th
?’ he couldn’t believe what he just heard
, ‘the 18
th
June,’ he sat back down on the bed.

Lauren
tapped him on the head, ‘Eh, hello in there. Is that not what I just said? Is there a problem?’ she started to laugh agai
n pointing her finger at him, ‘j
ust don’t ask me how old I’ll be, ‘cause I’m not telling it’s depressing enough without you joking or teasing about it too.’

‘No problem,’ he rose looking at his watch, ‘I won’t ask a lady such a personal question. I have to go I’m sorry the taxi will be waiting.’

Truthfully
the taxi wasn’t due for another half hour
,
but
he couldn’t wait to get back to the farm, he had a plan and needed to talk to his parents, he hugged and
kissed her quickly on her forehead again
, ‘I’ll phone tonight, no more surprise dates please, I don’t want Veronique telling me the details.’

Lauren coyly smiled, ‘s
he told me about that, were you upset?’ pretending to be sympathetic.

Not answering he put his head up in the air and turned saying goodbye.

Hugging
Emma
and Keith he asked them how old would their Mammy be on her next bi
rthday.

‘She’s hitting the big 4
- 0,’
Emma
stated informatively.

David was delighted; this is getting better by the minute.

Chapter 22

             
Paul arrived back at his house based on the now disappearing rural part of Northside County Dub
lin just before midnight. He felt exhausted not only from
the return journey from Marseille and although the plane landed at 4.30pm
,
he
still
needed to go directly to Dail Eireann to leave in papers to his secretary and collect any outstanding work and messages that he ha
d to set aside for the past four
days.

Knowing by the stressed and annoyed look on his secretary’s face, a holiday, at this time or at any time while Dail Eireann’s doors
were still open
was not what she expected from him. Not even the present he brought back for her sufficed, so he volunteered to stay back with her and attempt to get the backlog sorted into matters of importance first. Longing to include her and tell her the true reason for hi
s trip to France, he felt Mairead
deserved
much more for her loyalty
, but he knew it would place her in a too dangerous and volatile position.

So nearly six hours later, he finally reached his destination of home taking delight when he saw a welcoming light shining through the sitting room window. The pleasure of having someone to come home to after so many years of emptiness made him feel refreshed, in his mind’s eye he could hear the bath water running and the cork popping out from the wine bottle. It was a tradition they carried out whenever they were separated for more than a day
or two,
‘
then
,’
he thought wryly,
knowing Marc,
‘
he’ll ensure it
s French wine as a joke because of where I’ve been for the p
ast four days -
the git.
’

Turning off the engine, he sat in his
car for a minute contemplating;
he longed to just go straight in and see those beautiful hazel eyes once more but dreaded the barrage of questions he was going to get too. Closing his own eyes he tried to clear his mind but one tearful face kept returning, he couldn’t cope with it
and quickly
got out of the car rushing towards the front door. Entering he could smell the wonderful aroma drifting from the kitchen and on hearing the bath water running headed straight for the stairs. Getting his foot on the first step a familiar voice called out from the kitchen, ‘Good evening Mr. Minister for Justice, I’m preparing something light for you, the bath’s running and I’ll call you when its ready.’

Paul sm
iled no questions yet,
but that
thought was interrupted.

‘But I just want to know one thing,’ the voice sounded sympathetic and gentle, ‘did she take the bait?’

‘I don’t know,’ Paul replied hoarsely, his lips tightened into a thin line, ‘not now please.’

Marc
popped out from the kitchen, ‘Are you okay?’

But Paul looked grey and tired beneath his light tan, turning he sat down on one of the stairs, ‘I don’t know,’ he felt confused, frustrated, annoyed and scared, really scared. ‘I don’t know if she took the bait and I don’t know what I’m going to do next and,’ he struggled to hold back t
he tears, ‘I don’t know if I’m
doing the
right thing. I’m scared for Lauren
, I
’m scared for her children,
scared for us.’

‘Hey, calm down,’ strong firm arms were placed ar
ound his shoulders as Marc
sat down on the stairway beside him, ‘of course we’re doing the right thing and it is a
we
remember not an
I
, you’re not alone in this mess remember
.’

Paul got some reassuring strength from the hug and those wonderful eyes.

‘I’ve got the morning off would you prefer if we talked about it then?’

‘No,’ Paul simply replied, ‘I’ll go have my bath
it’s probably
close to
overflowing at this stage
and you finish whatever culinary delight you’re preparing for me and then we’ll talk. We need to talk, unfortunately I haven’t got the morning off,’ he smiled but it was a strained smile, ‘I’ve to go jogging at 7.30 to make my report to An Taoiseach.’

‘Now don’t
you just hate that,’ Marc
pulled Paul in closer, ‘I’ll think of you when I’m on my second dream,’ he teased.

Chapter 23

Veronique was growing impatient, she was sitting in her kitchen with nothin
g to do but wait. Only a few days into her sick
leave
because of her blood pressure
and another two
weeks before D-day, what on earth was she going to do with herself, she was so used to a busy work and home life but now nobody would let her make a cup of coffee, never mind anything else. Attempting to read the book Helene kindly bought her wasn’t helping. It was good but she could only read two or three chapters before she needed to walk around again. Welcoming the sound of a car pulling up outside she looked out the window it was Lauren and Gabrielle.

‘We’ve decided to let Jean-Pierre
struggle with the children,’ Gabrielle chortled, ‘would you like a shopping trip into Marseille?’

Veronique didn’t hesitate, ‘Let me leave a note for Joel.’

The women spent a fortune and nearly all afternoon in the city. La Canebiere was in the heart of Marseille and the centre for shopping, south of La Canebiere was Rue St. Ferrol, a walking street lined with bo
utiques, department stores, no shop
was left untouched by the women. In the Centre Bourse shopping mall they decided t
o take a breather in one of the centre
many cafés and got talking on pregnancy.  Lauren was amazed the
small
amount of Maternit
y Leave women got in France, ‘16
weeks in all! Chr
ist in Ireland its 6 months but
I
do
think shorter in other c
ountries.
’

‘Extremely
short I think
,’ Veronique admitted, ‘and I was so looking forward to it, I don’t know why now. I’m
so bored with the waiting and
rethinking a
bout giving up work altogether
maybe I should continue part-time.’

‘Believe me,’ Gabrielle interrupted, ‘you’ll know why after the child is born.’ 

But Lauren understood Veronique’s misgivings, thankfully Lauren had her studies and work on the Internet, otherwise she’d go crazy with boredom.

‘How was it for you Lauren?’ Gabrielle asked.

‘When I had Emma and Keith I didn’t give up work, ignoring doctor’s orders of course. Peter nearly had a nervous breakdown with me,’ she laughed remembering the arguments, ‘I tried to stop one week before Emma’s due date but then she was fifteen days late so my waters broke in my office.’ They all burst out laughing drawing the attention of others in the café. 

‘But f
ifteen days late,’ Veronique sounded disappointed
.

‘Ah, the midwife is f
orgetting all her training,’ Lauren
nudged Gabrielle, ‘don’t worry about it, enjoy it while you can. I didn’t appreciate the time that was handed to me on a plate and anyhow just to cheer you up, Keith was three weeks early, that was another soaking of the office floor!’