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  ‘I’m not so country now, am I? I can hold my own in any conversation about schools’ rugby, the best Dublin hotspots or why Cavistons is really the only place to buy fish in South Dublin!’

  Robin laughed and ordered more champagne for his fiancée.

  When they arrived back at the hotel, it was clear Robin had informed the staff of his ‘proposal plan’ as not only did they greet them with flowers and champagne, but showed Robin and Ali into their room, where they had not only covered the bed and room with fresh rose petals, but had run Ali a bubble bath with the petals just everywhere! And as Robin drifted off to sleep with a rose petal stuck to his forehead Ali had to pinch herself that this was all real, that she was about to get married.

  33

  A few days later they drove up to the Cape winelands. They checked into an old-world hotel in Franschhoek. Along with many wineries, the town was famous for its art galleries, shops, restaurants and quaint feel. They drove their rented car straight to La Petite Ferme, one of the most famous restaurants, wineries and hotels in the winelands. Ali and Robin sat down on the terrace and opened a bottle of wine made from grapes that had been grown and harvested right in front of where they were sitting. As they ordered their food, Robin started laughing.

  ‘Ali, here we are surrounded by a valley full of vineyards, fields of lavender, and mouth-watering food, and yet you are like a magpie and can only stare at the engagement ring!’

  ‘I can’t help it! I’m in love with it. I just can’t wait to show my sisters and all the girls. You have great taste.’

  ‘I know, sure, didn’t I choose you?’ And with that their food was served and they settled back to watch the world go by.

  South Africa was so laid-back, Ali didn’t know how she was ever going to return home to her boring work, get the bus every day in the wet weather and put up with the stress of living in a big city again. As if Robin could read her mind, he tried to reassure her.

  ‘Don’t worry, Ali, we’ll come back here again, I promise. We are not even halfway through the holiday, but already I know that this will be our place! It’s our paradise; we’ll be back.’ Reassured, Ali smiled at him, and then started her vegetarian tartlet.

  34

  I must be mad, thought Ali, trying to control her fear as she looked down at the deep dark water. How had she let Robin persuade her to join him on a shark-dive?

  ‘Just trust me, Ali, you can do this. I know you can,’ Robin whispered to her, as she zipped up her wetsuit.

  After the winelands they had travelled across the mountains to stay in a seaside town called Hermanus, and it was from there that they were now going shark-diving … great white shark-diving! Robin had been dying to do it for years, ever since he had seen a documentary about people doing it on the Discovery Channel. It seemed like madness to Ali, to willingly lower yourself into shark-infested water, all for the pleasure of saying you had done it. Robin had been trying to persuade her for days that it was safe and a great achievement. No wonder he proposed before this, she thought. He was just trying to butter me up! But as the day approached Ali swung between not wishing to go near the sharks, and wanting to be able to say she was not afraid and was able to do it. She just couldn’t decide what to do. So here she was now, in her wetsuit, with Robin and two American guys trying to persuade her to get in a cage. Each cage took four people, and was lowered down from the side of the boat into the bloodied water below.

  ‘You will be fine, darling. I’ve been married and divorced four times, and nothing could be scarier than a divorced woman,’ laughed the large Texan man.

  Oh, that’s it, I’ll have to do it now, just to prove I’m not as ridiculous as this man, Ali thought, as she tied back her short blonde hair and began to lower herself into the water.

  ‘Just don’t drop the ring,’ shouted Robin as she felt the water hit her toes.

  Oh no, too late, she thought, why didn’t I take it off?

  At first there was nothing to see, just the blood and dead fish that had been thrown into the water to encourage the great whites; but then out of nowhere they came, three of them all circling in front of her. Ali was actually in the water with sharks. They came close to the cage, and suddenly one of them head-butted the cage right in front of her. I’m going to die, just like in Jaws, except I was stupid enough to pay two hundred euros for it, Ali screamed in her head, but then the shark disappeared as quickly as it had come. After that the sharks kept trying to head-butt their way into the cage, and ran their fins up against the bars, but Ali was braver and kept her nerve. She was with Robin and that was what mattered, nothing could harm her. She had been rattled in a cage by a shark, and survived! And as she was pulled out of the water by the boat-owner she grabbed Robin, and high from the adrenaline rush gushed that their shark encounter would be a good story to tell their future kids.

  35

  Ben was on the 46a bus on the way to work. My God, he thought as he sat down, why did the bus always smell of a brewery every Friday morning? It was from all the people going for drinks on Thursday night, he knew, but one day someone would light a match and some poor bus would explode. Ben chuckled to himself. He was on good form, work was going well, and things with Laura were progressing slowly but nicely. He had been in a serious relationship before, and didn’t want to just slip right back into one that wasn’t going to work again.

  He had a few match reports to be written up, and an interview with a young Limerick Gaelic football player to do that day in work, and then he was hoping he could finish a bit early, to try and meet Laura for a bite to eat, before heading off to see Rocky Balboa in the cinema with the lads. They were all dying to see how their eighties hero now looked in the boxing ring.

  Jeremy was in Ben’s office when he walked in. His friend’s stag do felt ages ago, but Ben knew the wedding was soon, he had the invite somewhere.

  ‘How are you getting on, buddy? Still avoiding accounts and balance sheets by hiding out here?’ Jeremy joked.

  ‘I love the work here. I really do, and I have some good stuff to hand in today. Thanks for all your support.’

  ‘No problem, just make sure you keep up with the work and all. I still have to answer to the sports editor, who isn’t quite sure why we hired someone with no journalism qualifications! Anyway, I also wanted to ask, should we be setting an extra place for this Laura girl at our wedding in four weeks’ time?’

  Ben dropped his file. ‘No way, not yet. That might look too serious. Thanks, Jeremy, but definitely not yet.’

  ‘You’ll never change,’ laughed Jeremy as he walked across the newsroom.

  Laura looked lovely as she walked into Pasta Fresca in jeans, a tight fitted polo-neck and knee-high black suede boots. After a meal and bottle of red wine Ben had to dash to meet the lads. Laura seemed miffed that their Friday-night date was over by eight thirty, but Ben had already booked the cinema tickets. As they kissed goodbye Laura worried if he was too immature for her. He might be tall, dark and handsome, but she was too old to be messing about.

  * * *

  Over a full Irish breakfast the next morning, Ben told his parents about the film, and filled them in on all the gossip from his friends. He was so sweet sometimes, Maura thought, so gentle and calm. As he fed the parrot and dog, Maura could still picture him as a two-year-old playing in the sandpit in their back garden. When he offered to drop his dad off at golf Maura thought his new love-interest Laura might be having a good influence on him. But then, when she asked him to unpack the dishwasher later on that day and he cried off saying he was late for a rugby match, she felt annoyed. She had always wondered if being an only child had made him a little bit more selfish and immature, and if he valued his friends more than anyone else because they were the closest he got to siblings. Would he still be refusing to pack dishwashers and living at home if he had a sister or brother?

  36

  Sarah had just received a text from Ali saying they would be home next week and to keep the following Saturda
y free for their engagement party. It was exciting, but Sarah couldn’t help feeling a little jealous too. Ali was so lucky, while Sarah seemed to go from disaster to disaster – Ross being the latest. Even though they had only been on a few dates, she had been so hurt by his behaviour, and though Ross tried to ring her a few times she just ignored him until the calls stopped. Of course, he was entitled to have whatever kind of dating lifestyle he wanted, but even so, she couldn’t help feeling used and embarrassed – and now she was back to square one. She hadn’t been out since that night, and had been happy to stay home with her mum. She was taking this afternoon off work to go and visit her sister Mel. Mel was overdue and ready to pop, so Sarah thought an afternoon of chick flicks and chocolate might help her relax. But before that she had the delivery from the gallery’s picture-framer to open. In it were all the pieces that had been sent to be framed, or reframed as people’s tastes changed. It still amazed Sarah how a frame could totally change a picture, making it seem bigger, smaller, brighter or more expensive. She unwrapped the three pieces that Hugh Hyland had ordered. He had good taste and not only an excellent eye for art, but for the right frame, too. He seemed to buy an awful lot of art, but he had explained once that not only was he an avid collector, but the firm he worked for also liked to have plenty of expensive-looking art around their offices, so he took it upon himself to pick out the pieces because, as he often joked: ‘The rest of them wouldn’t know Monet from Mozart!’

  She rang his mobile to remind him his new purchases were ready. He said he was coming down to Monkstown for lunch, so would pop in before she left. Clodagh, who worked part-time, was covering for her this afternoon, and would handle any other orders.

  Sarah was surfing the internet for the other galleries that had exhibitions on at the moment, to see what artists they were handling, when Hugh Hyland came in. It was hard to know what age he was but Sarah guessed late thirties. He was well-dressed, and very polite, and, as usual, asked if any new pieces had come in that he hadn’t seen yet. So Sarah showed him some, and checked that his three new frames were OK. Clodagh arrived as they were finishing up.

  ‘You work so hard here, Sarah, how do you make enough time to go out with that boyfriend of yours?’ Hugh enquired.

  ‘Boyfriend?’

  ‘The man I met in here a few weeks ago.’

  ‘Oh him! He isn’t my boyfriend,’ she politely replied.

  ‘I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m sure there are plenty of guys queuing up for a date with you. I mean I would—’ But before Hugh could finish Sarah’s mum ran into the gallery. She was in her slippers and hair-curlers. Oh my God, Sarah thought, is she drunk? What was going on? And how could she explain it to Mr Hyland?

  ‘Sarah! Mel has gone into labour. John has brought her to Holles Street, but I’m too nervous to get behind the wheel. You’ll have to drive me in right now. I mean, my first grandchild is on the way! Come on.’

  Sarah was too stunned to say anything, but Clodagh grabbed her and pushed her out of the door, telling her not to worry, she would look after everything, It wasn’t until Sarah was walking in the doors of Holles Street hospital that she realized she hadn’t even said goodbye to Hugh Hyland.

  After four hours in the waiting room, Sarah and her mum had drunk the soft-drinks machine in the hospital dry of Lucozade. In times of crisis, stress, sickness and excitement all their family drank. They had rung Tom to bring more in. As he walked in the door with a crate of the ‘sweet nectar’ as Sarah called it, Tom tried to ask: ‘Am I an uncle yet?’ It was not until the Lucozade was cracked open that Sarah explained that Mel and John were still in the delivery room.

  ‘My nerves are shot,’ her mum almost cried. As this was to be her first grandchild, she was up to ninety, and she was excited and nervous at the same time. But it was another two long hours before John calmly walked out to say that he was a dad.

  Mel had given birth to a little girl.

  As they rushed in to see Mel, Sarah noticed her mum was weeping.

  ‘I just wish your father was here to see this.’

  Sarah was thinking the same thing, family had been so important to her father. He would have done anything to have been there.

  ‘Mum, I’m sure he is here, looking after Mel and us all. He wouldn’t miss it for the world.’

  And as they caught a first glimpse of new, beautiful little ‘Fiona’, Sarah could see her father in the baby’s eyes and knew he was still with them all. Everyone stared at this stunning little new creature. It was such a happy occasion, it made Sarah crave for a husband and baby herself, and she was only distracted from this fantasy by Mel shouting: ‘If I don’t get some Lucozade quick …’

  37

  Ali gasped as she felt the tough skin of an elephant trunk in one hand, while trying to take a photo with the other. Robin and herself were in an elephant sanctuary near Plettenberg Bay. It was their second-last day in South Africa, and before they flew back to Cape Town they had come to this well-recommended sanctuary. The only other time she had ever seen one of these animals up so close before was in Dublin Zoo, where there was a big old elephant. But being surrounded by elephants in the wild was a totally different experience. Ali had spent the last few hours helping wash and walk these beautiful creatures. They were so calm and relaxed. Most of them had been saved and were now living in the sanctuary, which had acres and acres of land and muddy puddles for them to play in. Now as she and Robin walked trunk-in-hand with the elephants back to the camp Ali almost had a tear in her eye thinking that these amazing experiences were nearly over. In two days’ time she would be home in Dublin. The last three weeks seemed to have flown by. With wine-tasting, shark-diving, tours of game reserves and washing elephants, it had all been like a dream. Robin had almost crashed their rental car the other day, when an actual real-life monkey had run across the road in front of them. Ali hadn’t been quick enough with her camera, but she was ready when, a few miles later, they saw springboks feeding metres from their car. The food had been great, too, and Ali had never had so much fish. And the massive steaks, all chargrilled, were turning her into a real carnivore!

  Later that night, in the famous beach-side shack restaurant, Robin discussed what he thought they should do on their last day, but Ali knew exactly what she wanted, she needed a new dress for their engagement party, and wouldn’t it be great to buy something that no one else in Dublin would have: a dress from Cape Town!

  So after a short internal flight the next day Ali and Robin were back down in the V&A Waterfront. Within minutes of shopping Ali had seen it, the perfect I-have-just-got-engaged dress! A strapless pink to-the-knee dress, with a large black ribbon and bow, it was perfect for her petite frame and fair hair. As she paid she thought how great it would be to get her bridesmaids’ dresses here, but then changed her mind as her two younger sisters back in Kilkenny would kill her if she didn’t let them decide what they wanted to wear. They were picky enough and it wasn’t worth crossing their paths.

  * * *

  After a last dinner of outrageously huge steaks Robin led Ali to a moonlight cruise he had booked for them. It was the perfect end to the perfect holiday. She would miss South Africa and all the memories it had created for them, but the closer she got to home the more excited she was about showing people the ring and making wedding plans. On the long flight home they started to discuss churches, the best man and the honeymoon.

  ‘It is not all about the big day; marriage is a lifetime commitment, not just one day of fuss,’ Robin joked. Ali knew that, and felt the same, but it was exciting to plan the wedding venues and what kind of music they needed.

  ‘Mum and Dad are so happy,’ Robin said. ‘They’re so excited to be finally having a daughter. They can’t wait for you to be having Christmases with us in Dublin!’

  What? Ali thought. Christmas away from Kilkenny? Oh my God, she had never imagined anything beyond the honeymoon. Married life wasn’t just about changing your surname, it was going to be all about change.
Changing things for ever. I just hope I’m ready, Ali thought to herself, as the flight left sunny Africa and headed home.

  38

  Molly carried Heavenly’s large wicker basket into the offices of Sterling Bank. Every day the bank faxed through a list of the sandwiches, wraps, salads and quiches their staff wanted. It was time-consuming delivering them, but as Molly’s aunt reminded her, they paid very well and were loyal customers. As she made her way to the funds department she got the sandwich list ready. She laughed at how each department could be identified by their order. Marketing was always full of surprises – salmon, cream cheese, olives and capers – while the funds department seemed to be all men, and men who loved ham and cheese and not much more! She approached Mr Williams and Mr Shortall. Mr Shortall did the odd time throw in a tuna salad as a surprise, but Mr Williams had ham, cheddar cheese and mustard every day. How boring, Molly thought.

  ‘Thanks so much, Molly. I don’t know how I’d get through my afternoon meetings without you.’

  ‘No problem, Mr Williams,’ Molly replied, turning to leave, and get back to the busy café.

  ‘It’s Scott, you know. Calling me Mr Williams makes me sound like my father.’

  Well, maybe your father would be a bit more adventurous, Molly thought, but then felt mean as Scott was only trying to make small chat.

  ‘Glad to help,’ she cried as she headed back, unaware her arms and dark hair were covered in melted chocolate from making brownies earlier. Scott Williams smiled to himself, watching her, before getting back to his computer.

  39

  Molly was chuffed. She had just received a call from Ali, who had rung her the instant she had arrived back from her holiday to see if Molly could make ‘niblets and finger food’ for the engagement party.