Chapter 29
TWENTY-NINE
Half an hour later, I’m down in the cellar, amazed by the bodies busily working away.
There is a buzz of activity but everyone is pulling together with great heart, kindness and camaraderie.
Terry, standing precariously on a step-ladder with his huge frame, has already installed overhead dimmers, as the core group he has chosen to start the clearing-out work whistle away.
Aaron and his team of builders hammer away.
It’s like a scene from one of those reality revamp shows.
‘Right, first things first, the place needs to be power hosed, top to bottom. We will be serving food down here so it needs to pass all inspections for health and safety.’ Finishing the job I started is exactly what Mrs Schwartz would want me to do.
She was not the sentimental type, she was a self-proclaimed grab-life-by-the-pants-and-get-on-with-it gal and I take great comfort she is now with Jacob, the love of her life.
She struggled so much without him. I glance down at her Claddagh ring again, so happy that I now have a piece of her with me forever.
‘I’m on that, Maggie!’ Peadar from the power hosing truck I first met on my drive into Heartwell raises his hand.
‘Thanks, Peadar! Next, all rest of the barrels and crates need to be removed from under the trap door of the castle so Peadar can begin,’ I shout, hands on either side of my mouth.
‘I’m sending down a group of men from the local farms for that,’ Terry says, coming down the step-ladder, ticking off a list in his hand, ‘they are ready and waiting upstairs.’
‘Brilliant, and all the wine needs to be taken up and stored properly in Dan’s office?’ I say, ready to delegate to the first taker in the room.
‘That’s me and the girls from the Heartwell Book Club!’ Giselle says, as Terry stares at her. ‘I can carry a few wines bottles, Terry. I’m not drinking them! Allez! Men!’ Giselle says with a laugh.
‘I’m JP, by the way, Mary’s better half. I’m supplying the floor and I’ve ten more of Aaron’s men on the way to lay it when it’s set, you’re getting the reclaimed wood from a job I did out in Bearna last week.’ A small, robust man with red cheeks and a thick moustache.
‘Oh hi! That’s amazing! Thank you. I hope your sister is better, Una, isn’t it?’ I remember Mary telling me.
He looks at me with a lop-sided grin. ‘She is, much better, thank you for asking after her, I was able to get away early. My wife told me you’re a lovely person, I can tell she didn’t spin me a lie. Now, the floor must be left settle for an hour.’ JP twists a tool-belt around him.
‘We will take lunch when the floor is being laid,’ I tell him.
‘We are making the table cloths and matching napkins,’ Clare says from the stairwell. ‘Theresa is here, she’s the expert and she’s setting up in the Sweet Orange Room now with her sewing machine.’
‘I’m making tie-backs for the chairs!’ Betsy shouts from the stairwell. ‘I’m going back to the Teapot Café to do it, so I’ll bring back some apple pies and my mince pies for us all to scoff!’
‘I’m donating some of my castle paintings for the walls.’ Another voice.
‘Thank you all!’ I bend calling up to them. ‘Now, I need a hundred tea-light holders mounted?’ I yell out to any takers.
‘I’m on that!’ Dan says.
‘I’ve borrowed fifty chairs and tables from the Moritz hotel.
Kate’s aunt Madge was relieved, she is a one-woman band in the little hotel and they don’t ever host weddings, she was just doing Kate a favour.
Seán is collecting them in the trad band’s van so he has a few runs to make.
The first load will be delivered at six o’clock when the floor’s settled.
Right now, I need someone to drive to Galway city and collect the thousand fairy lights?
’ I’m ticking a list off the piece of paper in my hand as a hand tips me from behind.
‘I can do that,’ a man I’ve never seen before offers. ‘I’m Syd, I run the Airbnb with my husband Marv.’
‘Thanks Syd!’ I hand him the address and Eircode as I rip off the end of the piece of paper.
I spin the other way as someone else tips my other shoulder. ‘I’m Father Brady, the local priest. I’ve been sitting upstairs with Kate and Jimmy going over the ceremony. Day off today so I’m in my civilian clothes.’ His nose crinkles in a cute laugh. ‘What can I do?’
‘Hi Father,’ I smile at him, ‘I need place cards and menu cards. I’ve ordered them from this family-run business out by Letterfrack?’ I tear off another piece of paper and hand it to him. He folds it into his wallet. ‘I’m on it, God bless, won’t be long.’
It’s only now, as all these people scuttle around me moving barrels and wine and crates and boxes, I realise I love the hustle and bustle.
The pace and flurry of bodies is comforting, a far cry from my reaction to the New York sidewalk outside my old job a few days ago.
As I stand in a daydream state, I hear a voice call out.
‘Well, well, well, look at you, my friend.’
My head nearly spins off my shoulders.
That voice. It can’t be?
‘Jill! Jillllllllll! Oh my God! What are you doing here?’ I drop my paper and pencil, run through the cellar to my best friend who is standing at the end of the room in her white bubble jacket. We fall into each other’s arms, almost squeeze the breath out of one another.
‘I cannot believe you’re here!’ I cry tears of happiness now.
‘Of course. You asked for my help, right? I booked flights as soon as I hung up the phone to you.’ From her oversized tote bag Jill produces her phone with the biggest ring light that I’ve ever seen attached.
‘W-what the—?’
‘I’m going to story all of this for you guys,’ Jill tells me, her face lighter and happier than I’ve seen it in years. Old Jill is well and truly back.
‘Don’t squeeze her too hard! Hi Maggie!’ Max pops his head out from behind Jill.
‘Max! Hi! You guys didn’t have to come . . .’
‘You know Jill, right? You try stopping her.’ Max pulls me into a tight embrace, kisses the top of my head. ‘So good to see you.’
‘Thank you. You too!’ I can’t believe this. ‘What did I ever do to deserve such amazing friends? I’m overwhelmed you guys came here like this, for me.’ I can’t stop smiling.
‘Eh, you are literally the greatest friend in the world. I know you don’t see yourself as others do, as I do, and I wish you would.
You have the kindest heart of anyone I’ve ever met – heck, you were about to jump on a plane to me when you thought I needed you yesterday,’ Jill says throwing her arms out wide.
‘You have been there for her, for us, through it all . . .’ Max drops his hand to his wife’s stomach where their beloved baby is growing.
‘Well, thank you, I love you both so much,’ I say, again choked with emotion.
‘So you carry on, Maggie, let me do my thing.’ Jill flicks on the ring light and it’s so bright it’s like a spaceship has landed!
She glides away, talking to the camera now, doing her thing as only she can.
The camera loves her because she doesn’t lie, she’s completely natural.
I’m glad that she’s here because I want her to be busy, like her doctor said.
‘So, guys, I’m here in Castlemoon in Ireland, in the stunning county of Galway, giving you an exclusive. This is the before . . .’
‘Hurry up there, I need to start power hosing,’ Peadar says to her, rolling out his hose pipe.
‘Put me to work,’ Max says. ‘We’re here for one night only, I just flew home and she wanted to come straight here. I’m back to Lisbon tomorrow night, to wrap things up there.’ Max literally rolls up his sleeves.
‘Actually, Max, we could do with your legal brain? Dan’s solicitor is abroad. But we can’t pay you just yet.’ I turn to him.
‘Anything. Maggie, I owe so much to you, it was you who pulled Jill through all those failed IVF cycles, I don’t know how she would have survived it all without you. Whatever you need from me, you only have to ask.’
‘Dan,’ I call over to him. He’s painting the tops of the barrels with a coat of gloss. ‘This is Max. He and my best friend Jill have arrived to help.’
‘Very decent of you, much appreciated and congratulations by the way, Maggie told me your wonderful news.’ Dan holds up his paint-stained hands and the two men bump elbows instead.
‘I’m sure Jill filled you in on my job?’ I ask.
Max nods and his face clouds over. ‘Great, so Dan, I’d like Max to double check all Frederick’s stuff, including the legals of the deposit, and also send him a legal letter saying he is never to approach us again, that he is very lucky we aren’t filing a lawsuit for deception of purchase,’ I say.
‘That okay, Max?’ Dan asks, as he pulls a rag from his back pocket and now starts wiping his hands.
‘Consider me your legal representative on everything from here on in. I deal with sharks like Acquired Finance every day, I make it my mission to call them out. I know all the loopholes better than he does, I can guarantee you that,’ Max tells us, crossing his arms, doggedly.
Dan and Max move out of the cellar up the stairs as Dan calls back. ‘We’ll be back to do the tea-light holders in a few.’
‘Perfect!’ I call back as Peadar rolls out the rest of the hose pipe and gets ready to deep clean the cellar.
‘Everyone out for half an hour!’ he yells. ‘I hope there is a pint waiting for me after this? Me head’s not great after last night.’ There’s an unlit cigarette perched between his lips.
‘A pint and fish and chips,’ I promise him, ‘followed by Betsy’s apple pie and cream.’
‘Jill!’ I beckon for her to follow me back upstairs.
‘This place is out of this world.’ Jill stops at the reception desk, looks all around her. ‘You go, I just want to get stuff down for more content.’ I know better than to argue with her when she’s in work mode. Her muse is back it seems and it’s in the shape of a castle.