Maeve Binchy - Evening Class

'He sort of hugged me,' Kathy said.

'I expect he's impotent,' Harriet said wisely. 'In the magazines you always hear of women writing in about that sort of thing, there seems to be a lot of it about.'

'It could be, I suppose,' said Kathy, and took out her geography text book.

Mr. O'Brien, who still took senior geography even though he was Principal, looked at her over his half glasses. 'Your flu better all of a sudden, Kathy?' he said suspiciously.

'Yes, thank God, Mr. O'Brien,' Kathy said. It wasn't actually rude or defiant, but she spoke to him as an equal not a pupil.

That child had come on a lot since the beginning of term, he said to himself. He wondered had it anything to do with the Italian classes, which by some miracle had proved not to be the total disaster he had predicted but a huge success.

Mam had gone to Bingo, Dad was at the pub. Fran was at home in the kitchen.

'You're a bit late, Kathy. Everything all right?'

'Sure, I took a bit of a walk. I learned all the parts of the body for class tonight. You know, she's going to put us into pairs and ask Dov'è il gomito and you have to touch your partner's elbow.'

Fran was pleased to see her happy. 'Will I make us a toasted sandwich to give us energy for all this?'

'Great. Do you know the feet?'

' I piedi . I learned them at lunchtime,' Fran grinned. 'We're going to be teacher's pets, you and I.'

'I went to see him today,' Kathy said.

'Who?'

'Paul Malone.'

Fran sat down. 'You're not serious.'

'He was very nice, very nice indeed. He gave me his card. Look, he gave me his direct line and his home number.'

'I don't think it was a wise thing to do,' Fran said eventually.

'Well, he seemed quite pleased. In fact he said he was glad I did.'

'He did?'

'Yes. And he said I could come any time and go to his house and meet his wife if I wanted to.' Fran's face seemed empty suddenly. As if all the life had gone out of it. It was as if someone had put a hand into her head and switched something off. Kathy was puzzled. 'Well, aren't you pleased? There was no row, no scene, just normal and natural as you said it was. He understood that it had all been a bit of a shock, and he said from now on it would be different. Different and better, those were his words.'

Fran nodded, it was as if she wasn't able to speak. She nodded again and got out the words. 'Yes, that's good. Good.'

'Why aren't you glad? I thought this is what you'd like.'

'You have every right to get in touch with him and to be part of all he has. I never meant to deny you that.'

'It isn't a question of that.'

'It is a question of that. You're right to feel short-changed when you see a man like that who has everything, tennis courts, swimming pools, chauffeurs probably.'

'That's not what I was looking for,' Kathy began.

'And then you come back to a house like this, and go to a school like Mountainview and you're meant to think that going to some bloody evening class that I scrimp and save for is a treat. No wonder you hope things are going to be… what is it, different and better?'

Kathy looked at her in horror. Fran thought she wanted Paul Malone instead of her. That she had been swayed and dazzled by a momentary meeting with a man she had not heard of until a few days ago.

'It's only better because now I know everything. Nothing else will change,' she tried to explain.

'Of course.' Fran was clipped and tight now. She was spreading the cheese on bread, with two slices of tomato each and putting it under the grill as if she were a robot.

'Fran, stop. I don't want any of that. Listen, don't you understand? I had to see him. You were right, he's not a monster, he's nice.'

'I'm glad I told you.' f

'But you've got it wrong. Look, ring him yourself, ask him. It's not that I want to be with him rather than you. It's only just to see him the odd time. That's all. Talk to him on the phone then you'll understand.'

'No.'

'Why? Why not? Now that I've sort of paved the way.'

'Sixteen years ago I made a bargain. There was a deal I would not contact them again, and I never did.'

'But I didn't make that deal.'

'No, and am I criticising you? I said you had every right. Isn't that what I said?' Fran served them the cheese on toast and poured a glass of milk each.

Kathy felt inexpressibly sad. This kind woman had slaved for her, making sure that there was everything she needed. There would have been no pints of nice cold milk at the ready, no hot suppers cooked, if it were not for Fran. Now she had even let slip that she had scrimped and saved for the Italian classes. No wonder she was hurt and upset at the thought that Kathy might, after all this sacrifice, be prepared to forget the years of love and commitment. That she might be blinded by the unaccustomed thought of access to real wealth and comfort.

'We should go now for the bus,' Kathy said.

'Sure, if you want to.'

'Of course I want to.'

'Right then.' Fran put on a coat which had seen better days. She changed into her good shoes, which weren't all that good. Kathy remembered the soft Italian leather shoes that her father wore. She knew that they were very, very expensive.

' Avanti ,' she said. And they ran for the bus.

At the lesson Fran was paired with Luigi. His dark menacing frown seemed somehow more sinister than ever tonight.

' Dov'è il cuore' ?' Luigi asked. His Dublin accent made it hard to know which part of the body he was talking about. ','/ cuore ,' said Luigi again, annoyed. ','/ cuore , the most important part of the body, for God's sake.'

Fran looked at him vaguely. ' Non so ,' she said.

'Of course you know where your bloody cuore is.' Luigi was getting more unpleasant by the moment.

Signora helped her out. ' Con calma per favore ,' Signora came in to make the peace. She lifted Fran's hand and put it on her heart. ' Ecco il cuore .'

'It took you long enough to find it,' Luigi grumbled.

Signora looked at Fran. She was quite different tonight. Normally she was part of everything and encouraging the child to participate as well.

Signora had checked with Peggy Sullivan. 'Did you tell me that Miss Clarke was the mother of the sixteen-year-old girl?' she asked.

'Yes, she had her when she was only that age herself. Her mam brought the girl up, but she's Miss Clarke's child, it's well known.'

Signora realised that it had not been known to Kathy. But they were both different this week. Perhaps it was known now. Guiltily she hoped she had played no part in it.

Kathy waited a week before she called Paul Malone on his private line.

'Is this a good time to talk?' she asked.

'I have someone with me at the moment but I do want to speak, so please can you hold on a moment?' She heard him getting rid of someone else. An important person maybe. A well-known personality, for all she knew.

'Kathy?' His voice was warm and welcoming.

'Did you mean it that we could meet somewhere sometime, not rushed like in an office?'

'Of course I meant it. Will you have lunch with me?'

'Thank you, when?'

'Tomorrow. Do you know Quentin's?'

'I know where it is .'

'Great. Will we say one o'clock? Does that fit in with school?'

'I'll make it fit in with school.' She was grinning and she felt him smile too.

'Sure, but I don't want you getting into trouble.'

'No, I'll be fine.'

'I'm glad you rang,' he said.

She washed her hair that night and dressed with care, her best school blouse and she had taken the stain remover to her blazer.

'You're meeting him today,' Fran said as she watched Kathy polish her shoes.

'I've always said you should have been in Interpol,' Kathy said.