Chapter 11
11
As it turned out, there were only two buses every day to Ballymcguinness: one in the morning and one in the late afternoon. Jess decided to get on the 8 a.m. bus and return at 5 p.m. later that day.
‘You’ll arrive sometime around twelve o’clock, in time for your lunch, so you will,’ the Bus Eireann operator informed her as she booked a return ticket. ‘It’s about a four-hour trip each way, with a few wee stops along the way.’
She assumed he didn’t mean ‘wee’ stops literally. Nothing was ever precise in Ireland either, she thought with a half-smile, thanking him for his help and hanging up. Next she banged out an email outlining to her boss, Niall, the story idea she wanted to put together in the vague hope of some travel expenses coming her way. Fat chance of that, though; the Express ’s coffers were tighter than Olivia Newton John’s spandex pants in Grease . Oh well, the fare wasn’t going to break the bank, she thought, sighing and shutting her laptop. Besides, she’d write Amy’s story for free if it came to it.
After texting the number Owen had left her to give him her guesstimated arrival time in Ballymcguinness, she decided to give Brianna a call and fill her in on the latest instalment of Amy’s story.
‘Oh my God, Jess! I didn’t expect that – I bet you didn’t either. That’s unbelievably awful. Whenever I hear things like that, I want to hold Harry and never let him out of my sight. Speak of the devil, he was last seen heading toward my room with a look of intent on his face. I’ve just bought a new nail varnish, and he’s determined to get a hold of it. Remember what happened last time I was gassing on the phone?’
Jess did indeed remember; she didn’t think she would ever forget. Harry had decided to put his mother’s fuchsia colourfast lippy on all his teddies. They’d looked like they belonged in a teddy bear brothel, not a little boy’s bedroom, by the time he’d finished. She held the phone away from her ear while Brianna yelled, ‘Harry, come here please. Mammy needs you.
‘Sorry about that,’ she said a few moments later. ‘I’ve plonked him in front of the telly – his favourite SpongeBob is on, so we won’t hear a peep out of him. Now then, your girl Amy – I still can’t believe she died like that. I mean, I grew up hearing about what was happening in the North and seeing bits of it on the news while my mammy and da tut-tutted over it all, but it always seemed like it was happening in another country.’
‘In someone else’s backyard.’ Jess echoed Owen’s earlier words.
‘Exactly.’
‘It’s a real tragedy, isn’t it? And I bet Amy’s story is only one of hundreds, but it’s a story I get the privilege of telling. I’m catching the bus to Ballymcguinness tomorrow morning to meet with Owen.’
‘The bus? Jaysus, you’re game! Why did you not look at catching the Dublin to Belfast Express? The train only takes a couple of hours at the most. You could have got a bus down from there to this Ballymcguinness. Sure, it would have only been a hop, skip and a jump away.’
‘I didn’t know express was even a word in the Irish language.’
‘Ha ha! Well, I’ll get the last laugh when you’re clutching your bum as you bounce over every pothole from here to the back of Ballybeyond.’
Note to self , Jess thought. Bring a cushion . Her mobile announced an incoming text, and she quickly glanced at the new message. It was Owen, asking why she hadn’t booked herself on the Belfast Express. She decided not to mention the text to Brianna, whose tone had grown sombre.
‘Seriously, though, tread lightly, Jess; it’s bound to be emotional for this Owen chap, talking about his sister in-depth with you like that after all these years.’
‘I’m not Nora, Brie. I won’t bulldoze my way in.’
‘Sure, I know you won’t, but, hey, speaking of Nora, I got the weirdest text from her. You know what they’re like to decipher, but I think she was on about skydiving. Surely not, though; Nora’s terrified of heights.’
‘Ah yes, but she’s also mad about Ewan. Question is – is she mad enough to throw herself out of a plane for him?’
Both girls chorused, ‘No way!’
Er, yes way , Jess thought, shaking her head in disbelief at seven thirty that night. She was scrolling through photos Nora had just sent to her email as evidence that she, Nora Brennan, had indeed done a skydive. Jess’s eyes widened as she took in the impressive sight of one of her best friends, spreadeagled and decked out in some hideous padded suit with goggles on, blonde hair flying out behind her and mouth forming a perfect terrified ‘O’ as she launched herself into the great blue yonder. Crikey , Jess thought, she really does have it bad for Ewan .
She spied a new message from her boss and found to her surprise that Niall was so enthused over her story idea, he wanted to run it as a full-page article, independent of her column, for which, if the figure he’d quoted as payment was correct, she was to be generously reimbursed. Her eyes widened further as she carried on reading. The Express would pay her travel costs to Ballymcguinness, too, and any other additional costs she incurred. She felt inordinately pleased that it wasn’t just her that had recognised Amy’s story needed to be told; she just wished she’d booked a first-class seat on the train, after all.