Maeve Binchy - Tara Road

It was entirely surreal, but Marilyn told herself over and over that this is what Gertie ached to hear and it was being delivered to her.

Ria was having coffee with Sheila Maine when the call came from Sheila and Gertie's mother with the news of Jack's death. She said it was hard to speak because there were so many people there. Ria realised that it was also hard to speak since she too had been sworn to support the story of the fairy-tale marriage.

Sheila was appalled. 'What on earth will she do without him, she'll be devastated,' she cried. 'I mean, other people think they have happy marriages but this is one we all dreamed about and never knew.'

Polly left a message in Rosemary Ryan's office. They told her that Rosemary was on another line and couldn't be interrupted. 'Just tell her that Gertie Brennan's husband is dead.' 'Any more details, Ms Callaghan?' Rosemary Ryan's assistant was as cool as she was herself.

'No, she'll know what to do,' said Polly.

'Danny, I have to talk to you.' Rosemary had phoned Danny Lynch's mobile.

'It's not appropriate now, Rosemary.' He was sitting holding Bernadette's hand, as she drifted off to sleep.

'Go on, Danny, take the call if it's business,' Bernadette said.

He took his phone into the next room.

'What is it, Rosemary?'

'You haven't got in touch since you got back.'

'Well, quite a lot has been happening,' he said.

'I know, and didn't I alert you out there?'

'Not about work. We lost the baby.'

'Oh.'

'Is that all you can say?'

'I'm sorry.'

'Thank you.'

'But life goes on, Danny, and you and I have a lot of worries which you should know about. Can you meet me?'

'Absolutely not.'

'We have to talk.'

'No, we don't.'

'Is your business safe, your house?'

'The business has closed, the house will have to be sold, but at least not as part of Barney's estate. Now I have to go back to…'

'But you, Danny, what will you do? You must tell me. I have a right to know.'

'You have no right to know. You couldn't help me when I was in trouble. You made that clear, and I accepted it.'

'But there's more… wait… Marilyn knows.'

'Knows what?'

'She knows about us.'

'Really?'

'Don't go all distant on me, Danny Lynch.'

'Please, Rosemary, leave me alone, I have too much to about.'

'I don't believe this,' she said.

'Rosemary, stop the drama. It's over.'

She hung up, shaking.

Her assistant came in. 'Ms Ryan, I have a message here. Some bad news. It's to tell you that Gertie Brennan's husband is dead.'

'Good,' said Rosemary.

'We're going home two days early,' Ria said. 'I was able to get cancellations.'

'Oh no Mam, no. Not for awful Jack Brennan's funeral. You never liked him, it's so hypocritical.'

'Gertie's my friend though, I like her,' Ria said.

'You promised we could stay here until September.'

'Well, I'd have thought you would like to be going on the same plane as Sean Maine, but what do I know?' Ria said.

'What?'

'Sheila's taking the two children over to the funeral, we'll all travel together… but of course if you're violently opposed to that then I suppose…'

'Oh Mam, shut up, you'd never win a prize for acting,' Annie said, overjoyed.

Andy had a business meeting near by. Or so he said. 'Can I take your mother out to the Thai restaurant on her own?' he asked Annie and Brian when he came to the house.

'On a date like?' Brian asked.

'No, just for boring grown-up conversation.'

'Oh, sure, I'll go to Zach's house. Will it be overnight?' Brian asked.

'No, Brian, it will not be overnight,' Ria said.

'I can go to the movies with Hubie,' Annie said. 'And before you ask, Brian, that's not a date and neither is it overnight.'

'You have a delightful family,' Andy said.

Ria sighed. 'I must remind myself not to cling to them too much, not to be the mother from hell.'

'You couldn't be that,' he laughed.

'Oh easily. I don't know what we're going back to; it's real uncharted territory. I must not use them as my pair of crutches through it.'

'You don't need any crutches, Maria,' he said. 'Will you keep in touch with me, do you think?'

'I'd love to.'

'But just as a friend… that's all, isn't it?' He was disappointed but realistic.

'I need friends, Andy, I'd love to think you were one.'

'That's what it will be then. And I'll send you recipes, I'll actively seek them out for you to make you a legend in Irish cuisine.'

'You know, I really do think it might get off the ground. My friend Rosemary is putting herself right behind it and she's a real dynamo.'

'I don't doubt it for one minute,' said Andy Vine.

'I didn't have sex with Sean Maine and I'm not going to have sex with you either, Hubie. Are we clear on both these matters?' Annie said.

'You're making the point very forcibly, yes,' he said. 'But the thing that really bugs me is that one day soon you are going to have sex with somebody and it won't be me because you're going to be miles away.'

'I might not , you know.' Annie spoke very seriously. 'I don't mean become a nun or anything but I might just not do it, ever.'

'Unlikely.' Hubie dismissed the notion.

'I once saw two people doing it… years and years ago. I don't know how to describe it… it wasn't nice. It wasn't the way I thought it would be.'

'But you were very young then,' he said. She nodded. 'And you probably didn't understand it.'

'Do you understand it?' she asked him.

'A bit, I suppose, well better than when I was a kid. Then it seemed full of mystery and excitement and you had to have it and yet you were afraid of it.' He smiled at the recollection of how silly he had been when young.

'And now?'

'Well, now it seems more natural, do you know? Like the thing to do with someone you like.'

'Oh?' She wasn't convinced.

'I haven't done it all that often, Annie, believe me. I'm not bullshitting you.'

'But it was nice?'

'It was, and that's the truth,' said Hubie Green who knew they were having a conversation about abstracts and not about how the evening was going to end.

'Will you be living in a trailer park when you get back?' Zach asked.

'No, I don't think so, why?' Brian was interested.

'Well, if your house is gone?'

'I don't know where we'll live, maybe with Dad but I think his house is gone too.'

'It's a real adventure, isn't it?' Zach said. 'Will there be somewhere for me to stay when I come over there next year?'

'Oh, there'll have to be,' Brian said airily. *"

'And will I meet Myles and Dekko?'

'Certainly.'

'That's great,' Zach said. 'I never thought I'd be a person who would travel.'

'That's funny,' Brian said. 'I always knew I'd travel, I'll probably go to planets and all. I was going to be an auctioneer like my dad and work with him but now that he's lost his business I think I'll be an astronaut instead.'

'I’ll miss you,' Carlotta said. 'I wish I'd got to know you better. Earlier on I suppose I felt inhibited. Marilyn has kept us all at such arm's length, we thought that as her friend…'

'I think you'll find that she has changed a lot in a couple of months. She talks about Dale now, and Greg's coming back here to live. Things will be much more open now.'

'Does she know Hubie visits here?'

'Yes, I told her. She has no objection, though I don't think he'll be around so much when my Annie leaves!'

'And did you find what you came here for, Ria?' Carlotta asked.

'No, but I was looking for the moon,' she said.

'I kinda thought you had found the moon that weekend when your husband was here,' Carlotta said.