Moving On

Plans

Plans

AS PROMISED, THE MARKETING SOLUTIONS CON-tract arrived from Laura a few days later. Despite Tim’s warnings about the salary, Ellen was pleasantly surprised to discover that he was offering a fair bit more than she was making at the sandwich bar. Her working hours would be the usual nine to five, with a straightforward commute.

She signed the contract and posted it back, with a note to Tim saying she looked forward to joining the team, and then she broke the news to Claudia.

As she’d expected, it wasn’t well received. ‘I am sorry,’ her employer said mournfully. ‘I am very sorry to lose you. This is a big disaster for me. We must find another Ellen.’

‘Actually, I have a friend who might be interested,’ Ellen said. ‘She’s Irish too’ – so an arrangement was made for Claire and Claudia to meet at the sandwich bar the following Friday.

‘Well, that is wonderful news,’ Frances said, ‘just wonderful. I know you liked the sandwich bar, but I was hoping you’d find something a bit more interesting. You’ll fly it.’

‘Congrats,’ Joan said. ‘I didn’t even know you were thinking of looking for that kind of work. Mam isn’t here; I’ll tell her when I see her.’

‘That’s fantastic,’ Danny said. ‘Delighted for you. When are you home again? I forget what you look like.’

‘I’m finishing up in the sandwich bar at Easter, and then I have a week before the other job starts. If I can get a cheap flight just after Easter I’ll come home for a few days.’

‘How about you fly into Dublin instead of Shannon? I could pick you up at the airport and drive you home. You could admire my jalopy.’ His parents had bought him a secondhand car when he’d accepted the permanent job from the company that had given him work experience.

‘That’s a lovely offer, but I couldn’t possibly drag you all the way across the country.’

‘I’m due a trip home. I haven’t been forgiven yet for missing Christmas because of the skiing trip. My mother’s on the point of writing me out of the will.’

‘Well, if you’re sure it would suit, that would be great. I’ll check out flights and let you know.’

On the appointed day, Claire showed up fifteen minutes early to meet Claudia, and while she waited she turned her attention to Gloria.

‘I’d love to learn Spanish,’ she said. This was news to Ellen.

Gloria closed the ledger she’d been writing in and folded her arms. ‘You want speak Spanish.’

‘ Si ,’ Claire replied – and to Ellen’s astonishment, Gloria took up a cup.

‘ Taza ,’ she said.

‘ Taza ,’ Claire repeated.

Gloria pointed to the milk. ‘ Leche .’

‘ Leche. ’

‘ Azucar. ’

‘ Azucar ’ – and by the time Claudia arrived, Claire could say Una taza de café con leche sin azucar por favor in perfectly accented Spanish.

While Gloria finished doing the books and Ellen cleaned up, Claudia took Claire into the small back room. When they emerged shortly afterwards, both appeared satisfied.

‘See you soon,’ Claudia said.

‘Can’t wait,’ Claire replied. ‘ Adiós , Gloria.’

‘Eight pounds a week more than she paid you,’ she reported to Ellen on the way home. ‘I asked for ten, she offered eight. I would have taken five.’

‘Well done. Since when have you wanted to learn Spanish?’

‘Since half an hour ago. Listen, it worked, didn’t it? Gloria was flattered that someone was interested in learning her language, so she’s going to be easier to live with. You just tell people what they want to hear. I told Claudia working in a sandwich bar was my dream job.’

Ellen laughed. ‘You’re shameless. You’d never have gone for it if I hadn’t put the idea in your head.’

‘True – but what harm is a little white lie if it gets you what you want? Anyway, I quite fancy learning another language.’

‘You didn’t kill yourself learning French at school.’

‘That was different. Mrs Purcell hated me.’

‘Because you never did a tap!’

Claire ignored that. ‘Gloria’s a native speaker, so I’ll have the right accent – and I won’t have to do dictation, or any of that rubbish. And you know what the best bit is?’

‘What?’

‘I don’t have to give up the pub.’

Ellen stared at her. ‘You’re going to keep it on? I thought you wanted to get away from late nights.’

‘Not if they’re just Saturdays and Sundays. I’ll keep those on, and drop the rest.’

‘But that means you’ll be working seven days a week. You’d have no day off.’

‘So what? I’ll finish at four on the weekdays and get a lie-in at the weekends, and between the two I’ll have a nice little income.’

‘That’s true.’

Telling Gloria she wanted to learn Spanish, Ellen thought. Telling Claudia that working in a sandwich bar was her dream job. Telling them what they wanted to hear.

‘It’s all falling into place,’ Claire went on, linking arms with Ellen. ‘We’re both getting what we want. Right?’

‘Right,’ Ellen replied. There was no harm in it. It was just Claire, doing things her own way.

A few days later she booked a return flight into Dublin and back from Shannon, and rang Danny to give him her arrival date and time.

‘Wear a name badge,’ he said, ‘just in case.’

‘Very funny.’

She phoned her mother, who’d written to congratulate her on the new job.

‘You’re coming home after Easter? Did you tell that to Joan when you phoned?’

‘No – I just booked the flight today. I would have come for Easter but it was much dearer. Is there a problem?’

‘It’s just that I’ve arranged to go on a little trip.’

‘Oh.’ This was most unusual. When did she go on trips? ‘Where are you going?’

‘France. I wouldn’t have planned it if I’d known you were coming.’

‘ France? ’ To the best of Ellen’s knowledge, her mother had never been outside Ireland.

‘We’re leaving on the day you arrive. A pity I didn’t know.’

We. She wasn’t going alone. As far as Ellen was aware, she didn’t have friends, or certainly not the kind of friends she’d go away with – people she knew were more casual acquaintances. After Ellen’s father had walked out, not a single person from the town had called in to enquire how they were doing.

Then again, what did Ellen know? Clearly, there was a friend. Maybe she’d met her at work. ‘When do you get home?’

‘On Saturday.’

‘I’m flying back to London that day.’

‘Well, that’s too bad. Joan will be here, of course. I’ll let her know you’re coming.’

‘Have a good trip.’

She’d go to Frances, she decided. She’d stay one night with Joan and then travel on to Galway and spend the rest of her time there. Joan had Seamus; she wouldn’t be put out.

She was losing touch with her family, moving further away as time went on. She’d always keep in contact with Joan, but she imagined the day would come when she stopped going home altogether, apart from weddings or funerals.

It made her a little sad. Not much, just a little.