The Bright Side (35 page)

On this occasion, I decided to split the difference with a text.
Looking
forward
to
the
show
, I wrote,
Love,
Mum
x
. I dropped the phone onto the bed and started to get dressed, wondering if I dared hang out the window for a crafty fag. A few seconds later, when I was halfway into a pair of jeans, it rang. I hopped across and picked it up. It was Robert. My heart began to hammer. I poked the green button
.

“Hello?
”

“Hi, Mum. It’s me.” “Hi. How are you?
”

“I’m fine. I got your text.” “Good, good. Seven thirty?
”

“Yeah. Same as ever. So … how are you feeling?
”

I bit down on the first reply that came to mind, which was “Not bad at all”. And then I heard myself saying, “I haven’t been feeling great today, to be honest.
”

“No?
”

“Not really. Things have just caught up with me a bit, I suppose.
”

“Bound to happen,” Robert said quickly and uncertainly. “Bound to.
”

“Yeah …. Is there any chance …” “What?
”

“Ah, I’m sure you’re busy.” “No, what?
”

“Well … is there any chance you could nip out and meet me? Just for a coffee. It might do me good to have a chat. Won’t take an hour, I swear. You’ll be back in plenty of time to watch yourself.
”

He hesitated but not for very long. “I wouldn’t mind a proper drink,” he said. “How about that?
”

“Okay,” I said. “Where?
”

* * *

Downstairs
in
the
kitchen,
I
reminded
Melissa
that
this
was
The
O’Mahonys
night.
She
made
a
big
show
of
pretending
that she
already
knew
because
they
never
missed
it.
I
let
her make
a
fool
of
herself
for
a
while
and
then
told
her
it
was
all right,
she
could
drop
the
act
.

“I keep meaning to watch it,” she said meekly. “And I have caught it a few times. Vincent – isn’t that right?
”

“Valentine,”
I
corrected.
“Valentine
Reilly.
He’s
no
good.” “I
knew
that
much.
I
saw
one
where
he
stole
money
from
his
girlfriend’s
purse.
”

“That
was
Nicola.
She
was
about
five
girlfriends
ago.
And
having
a
few
quid
nicked
from
her
purse
was
the
least
of
her problems.
He
got
her
pregnant
and
then
cheered
when
she had
a
miscarriage.
He
crashed
her
car
and
said
it
was joyriders.
He
beat
the
crap
out
of
her
ex-boyfriend
because he
smiled at her
in the pub. He
drowned her cat in
the toilet because
it
scratched
him.
I
could
go
on.
”

“He must have some redeeming features,” Melissa said. I nodded. “Apparently … he’s very good in bed.
”

“I see.
”

“Listen,” I said then. “I’m going to pop out for a while. I’m meeting Robert for a, y’know … chat.
”

“Oh. Okay. Are you going around to his?
”

“No. He fancies a pint. We’re meeting halfway. Leeson Lounge.
”

Her
face
shimmered.
“Right.
Are
you
…
walking?” “No,”
I
said
as
evenly
as
I
could.
“I’m
driving.
And
not
drinking.
Obviously.
”

She smiled quickly – too quickly – and returned to the bonsai she’d been pruning
.

“Enjoy,” she said
.

* * *

Robert
arrived
at
the
pub
fifteen
minutes
late,
as
I
had guessed
he
probably
would;
in
matters
of
punctuality,
as
in
so much
else,
he
was
his
sister’s
polar
opposite.
When
he walked
in,
two
women
who
were
perched
at
the
bar
(and evidently
had
been
for
some
time)
made
audible
squeaks, eyed
him
up
and
down,
then
put
their
heads
together
to
giggle
like
schoolgirls,
which
they
were
most
certainly
not
– they
were
my
age,
at
least.
As
he
nodded
hello
and
asked
me if
I
wanted
a
drink,
I
found
myself
feeling
faintly
unwell.
I had
no
trouble
guessing
what
they
might
be
saying
to
each other
and
dearly
wished
I
could
make
my
imagination
a
little more
PG.
I
told
Robert
that
I
was
fine
with
my
sparkling water
and watched with some surprise as he ordered a glass of
red
wine.
The
women
at
the
bar
clammed
up
and
stared hard
at
each
other
while
he
was
beside
them,
which
was
a relief;
I’d
half-suspected
that
one
(or
both)
of
them
was going
to
proposition
him
there
and
then
.

“Wine?” I said as he retook his seat. “I thought you were a Guinness man.
”

He shrugged. “Dunno what to tell you. I got a taste for it, that’s all.
”

“You’ll be on the caviar next,” I smiled. Robert didn’t smile back. He was, I presumed, on the cusp of taking offence. “Good for you,” I added hurriedly
.

“So,” he said then. “Has he been in touch?
”

“Your father? He called, yes. But I didn’t speak to him.” “Right. Are you planning on speaking to him?
”

“I suppose so. Yes. I’ll call him … soon. Have you been talking to him yourself?
”

“Have I
fuck
.” “Language, Rob –
”

“I was talking to Chrissy though.” “Oh.
”

“She feels like shit. She told me so. I think she only told me because she wanted me to tell you.
”

I took some water. “I see.
”

“I got the impression she’s afraid to call you.
”

“Well,
there’s
no
need
for
that.
What
did
she
say,
exactly?” “She
didn’t
go
into
a
lot
of
detail.
She
said
she
was
a
bit hard
on
you.
Gave
you
grief
about
being
too
cool.
Said something
about
your
marriage
being
over.
And
then
you
bolted.
”

“I did, yeah. I’m not proud of it either. I’ll give her a call and get it all sorted.
”

“I’m sure that’d go down well.
”

“And what about you? How are you … feeling?
”

There was a long pause, punctuated by a large gulp of wine on Robert’s part and another sip of water on mine
.

“I’m still mad. Fucking furious, actually.” Another pause, shorter this time. “But he’s my dad, isn’t he?
”

“Yes, Robert. He is.
”

“So what am I supposed to do?
”

I mistook this for a rhetorical question at first. When I realised that it wasn’t, I said, “You’re not
supposed
to do anything. Just … play it by ear.
”

He made a noise with his lips. “Yeah, but …” “Go on.
”

“It’s just that … Chrissy says she’s never talking to him again.” “I know. She told me.
”

“Oh. I didn’t know that. I thought it was something she came up with while she was talking to me. But …
”

“But you don’t feel that way.
”

“No.”
There
was
an
element
of
fear
in
his
voice. “Robert,
she
obviously
didn’t
tell
you
this
much
either:
I
was
very
upset
when
she
said
she
was
finished
with
your father.
Very
upset.
”