This is a subscriber-only article
They were due at 12. Denis was looking out the window from half eleven.
“Keep away from that window or they’ll see you looking out at them when they arrive.”
“And what harm if they did see me?” he said.
“Ah, I don’t want them thinking we’re on tenterhooks waiting for them.
“But we are.”
“But I don’t want them to know that. It’d give them an advantage.”
“’Tisn’t the Good Friday agreement, Ann. We’re not negotiating with them.”
“Just can’t you get away from the window anyway.”
“In the end, we both missed them coming in. Denis turned his back and there they were in the yard.
“That’s them?! I didn’t hear them come in at all.”
He squinted out through the net curtains.
“An electric car?”
Denis doesn’t like them at all.
“What’s the point in driving something if you can’t hear it? ’Tis like with cameras now. You never know when they’re taking the photo and you’d be there with your mouth open.”
“Well you can cut that out for a start. Whichever way this meeting is going to work out, we’re not going to have a row about what they’re driving.
They definitely looked like they had money alright. I don’t know how much them electric cars cost but the way they got out of it – there was a sort of air about them. They had a sort of tan that you’d only build up gradually – not go out and get burnt and hope it would go brown after a while.
The four of them got out. I got a bit of a pang when I saw that. I don’t know what it is but the way Jennifer seemed to be getting on with them – I was thinking I’d sort of lost her to another family. Anyway, I said to myself: “Ann Devine, cop on to yourself now. ’Tis just a meal and they’re just humans, so get over yourself.”
They definitely looked like they had money alright. I don’t know how much them electric cars cost but the way they got out of it – there was a sort of air about them. They had a sort of tan that you’d only build up gradually – not go out and get burnt and hope it would go brown after a while.
Desdemona had the most beautiful white trousers. I was glad I’d locked up the dog for the day just to be on the safe side. Although he was whining away. The place sounded like a puppy farm.
We had a cup of tea in the house first. I was looking around the place for dirt but between myself and Solomon (see last week) we’d done a good job apart from the dirty rag that I’d been using to clean the floor that was under the chair Desdemona was sitting at.
Breadwinner
“We’re going up to the golf club for the dinner,” says Denis.
“Lunch, daddy. Daddy still has his dinner in the middle of the day, Jennifer explained.
“Dunch,” so says Denis. I always know when he’s nervous when he starts making them kind of jokes.
“What line of business are you in yourself, Phil?”
“What makes you think he’s in the business?” says Desdemona, smiling at me.
“I’m a kept man, Denis,” says Phil.
“Phil is the homemaker,” says Dessie. “I’m the breadwinner. Always have been.”
“Dead right, too,” says I, “and what do you work at?”
Declan seemed to be blushing. I had never seen him blush before.
“Well … I have a couple of toy shops.”
“Oh, isn’t that lovely. We could have done with you when we were looking for the Paws Patrol at Christmas.”
Desdemona gave a bit of a cough.
“I don’t think you’d get that in one of my shops, they’re more toys for adults.”
“Like gadgets?”
Denis was still all at sea, but I was already guessing the answer. Poor, innocent Denis
“Sex toys daddy, says Jennifer. Desdemona owns the Good Vibrations chain in Dublin.”
At least we’d have something to talk about over lunch anyway.
SHARING OPTIONS: