Chapter 34
Liam had told Nora he didn’t want any fuss on the drive home to Emerald Bay – that he just wanted to slip back behind the bar as though he’d never been away, business as usual, like. Nora had stopped singing along to Robbie Williams and turned the stereo of Vera, her yellow Volkswagen Golf, down to reassure him she’d told the girls and his mam there was to be no fanfare upon their return, because she wasn’t sure if their auld dad could take any excitement. Liam had shot her a sideways glance, suspecting she was poking fun at him. His wife, however, hadn’t taken her eyes off the road as she’d resumed crucifying ‘Angels’.
In all his days, he couldn’t remember being so pleased to arrive home, and as Nora slapped his hand away when he went to help her with his bag, he knew it wasn’t just because the hospital food hadn’t been much cop. There’d been a few terrifying seconds alone on the bogland where he’d not thought he’d ever walk back through the doors of the Shamrock or tell his wife and family how much he loved them ever again. There was no more time for sentiment, though, as with a wave to Evan Kennedy, who was pretending he hadn’t just stubbed his cigarette out in the wine barrel full of pink gardenia, he crossed the Shamrock’s threshold, and a mighty cheer went up.
‘This has nothing to do with me or the girls,’ Nora insisted as his hand was shaken and his back slapped.
Hearing Liam making noises about how they shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble, Evan Kennedy, who’d followed them in, breathed over his shoulder, ‘Sure, but you’re an institution, Liam!’
His breath was like an ashtray, Liam thought before helping himself to a club sandwich once Nora had disappeared out the back with his bag. He didn’t like to say it was only a mild heart attack he was after having and that the doctor had reassured him that with the stent and a few lifestyle tweaks, he’d be grand. Nor did he mention it was only a few days he’d been gone, not twenty-five years, as the balloons and streamers decorating the place would suggest. Still and all, it was good to have been missed, he supposed. His nose would have been bent out of joint if nobody had acknowledged what had happened.
The voices filling the pub grew louder throughout the afternoon as the ale flowed, Liam settled into the seat opposite Grace. The table between them was now awash with pints of lemonade well-meaning punters had brought over in celebration of his return. Liam knew they were under orders from Nora not to oblige him with a Guinness. It wouldn’t do him any harm to stay off the black stuff for a few days, he supposed, but if he supped any more of that fizz, he was liable to start floating out of his seat.
He noticed the voices around him had petered away, and you could hear a penny drop as Dermot Molloy finished his haunting Uillean pipe introduction to the ‘Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears’. Then Ollie Quigley picked up his fiddle to provide a soundtrack for Shannon. His eldest daughter had been blessed with the voice of an angel, which she did not get from her mammy. Her haunting lament saw a rash of goosebumps appear on his arms and brought a tear to not only his eye but the eyes of everyone gathered in the pub, and he patted about in his pocket for a handkerchief.
Later, as the music wound up, Nora rang the bell to announce Liam had had a long day and, sure, it was already an hour past closing. Shouts of goodnight could be heard as Kitty Kelly began shooing people out the door.
Imogen came over and planted a kiss on top of her dad’s head. ‘Night night. Ryan and I are away home now. We’ll call in to see you tomorrow.’ She turned to look at Grace, amber eyes soft with concern. ‘You doing OK?’
‘Apart from worrying my arse has taken root on this chair given how long I’ve been sitting in it, I’m grand,’ Grace grumbled.
Imogen and her father laughed, although Liam was quick to add, ‘I know the feeling.’
‘Good night, Liam.’ Ryan shook Liam’s hand, telling him it was good to have him back, and ruffled Grace’s hair, which saw her telling him to get off, then they disappeared out the back door.
Shannon, James and Hannah were helping to clear up when Shannon yawned, giving Liam and Grace a clear view of her tonsils.
‘Do you mind, Shannon?’ Liam tossed over at his eldest child. ‘I can see what you had for breakfast.’
‘Sorry. It’s been a big day, Dad.’ Shannon yawned again.
Liam twisted in his seat to where James gave the sticky tables elbow grease with a cloth. ‘Leave that, James. It can wait until morning.’
James hesitated.
‘You’ve to be at the practice for nine. Get yourselves off to bed,’ Nora bossed.
Shannon and James didn’t need asking twice, and another round of kisses, handshaking and hair ruffling ensued.
Grace smoothed her hair, although she quite liked being treated like James and Ryan’s kid sister.
‘What about me, Mam? My feet are killing me.’ Hannah finished stacking glasses in the glass washer and set it to run. Another load still littered the bar.
‘I think we should all call it a day,’ Nora declared, and Kitty concurred.
‘I’m going to take a cup of tea up to bed. Anyone else like one?’ Kitty asked, and when there were no takers, she pushed through the door.
Hannah was hot on her heels.
‘Don’t disappear just yet, Hannah. You could give your sister a hand getting to bed.’
Grace shooed her off. ‘I don’t need help. I’ve got the hang of these now.’ She flapped her hand at the crutches.
‘You heard her, Mam. Sleep tight, everyone. See you in the morning.’
Then it was just the three of them. Nora moved toward Grace, rolling her sleeves up. ‘Right then, young lady, let’s get you off to bed.’
‘Actually, Mam, I wanted to have a word in private, like, with Dad.’
Nora hesitated. ‘Grace, he’s after having a heart attack. He can’t be doing with any upset.’
‘I know that. I just want to talk to him – that’s all.’
‘Would you two stop talking over me like I’m not here? The girl wants to have a chat with her father, Nora. Sure, we’ll be grand, won’t we, Grace?’ The tightening in his chest as he said this had nothing to do with his heart but with the things he, too, wanted to say to his daughter.
Grace nodded. ‘I promise not to upset him, Mam.’
Liam huffed. They were at it again. He made a note to himself that when his mam was old, properly old, never to speak about her as though she weren’t in the room. ‘G’won with you, Nora – I’ll be up soon.’
Still, Nora hesitated, searching both their faces, her indecision plain to see, until finally she turned on her heel and left them to it.
Father and daughter sat in silence for a few ticks of the clock, then they both spoke at the same time.
‘Dad, I’ve never been—’
‘Grace, I’m sorry—’
They smiled at each other.
‘You go first, love,’ Liam instructed.
‘All right.’ She twisted the bottom of her shirt. ‘I’ve never been so scared thinking I might lose you, and I was wrong to keep needling you the way I did.’
She studied the Claddagh ring on her finger momentarily, and Liam waited, sensing she’d not finished.
Grace cleared her throat. ‘Dad, if you want what happened between you and Mark Dorrance to stay in the past, then I’ll leave it there and say no more about it.’ She looked up then and, reaching over, placed her small hand on his. ‘I love you, Dad.’
‘And I love you, Penny. You know that, don’t you?’
Grace nodded.
‘And what happened had nothing to do with you, so you’re not to go down that road. I was a ticking time bomb, and if it weren’t for you, things might have worked out very differently. The thing is, Grace, I’m an eejit of the highest order sometimes, but I had time to think lying there in that hospital bed, and I realised you and your mam were right. It does no good to hold on to the past, because you can’t change it. You have to learn to live with it, and as I told your mam, tomorrow, I’ll put things right between Mark and myself. It’s a second chance I’m after being given. I’ll not waste it.’
Grace smiled. ‘Good for you. I think you’re very brave.’
‘And the next time that Chris fellow of yours is in town, I’d like to meet him properly, like. Because anyone my Penny thinks is worth their salt has got to be someone I’d like to know.’
‘He’s a great fella altogether, Daddy…’
‘I sense a but coming.’
‘But we’re only housemates, and he has a girlfriend.’
Liam winked. ‘If you say so, Penny. If you say so. Now, c’mon with you. Best we turn the lights out and hit the hay, or your mam will be back down wanting to know what’s going on.’