A Time for Friends (37 page)

What was Leon’s rejection of him teaching him? he wondered miserably. He had to raise this incident to a higher level; otherwise he would wallow and drown in self-pity and sorrow. But he
was only human – he wanted to wallow. All these spiritual teachers like Hannah were much more evolved and adept at dealing with life’s disasters than he was. He was still mired in the
lower energy of life. He scowled as he made his way back through the arcade to Kensington High Street. Of course Hannah wouldn’t call this latest episode a disaster, he thought crossly.
She’d call it ‘a growth opportunity’. Well he was fed up with having ‘growth opportunities’ through woe. He wanted his opportunities to come through joy. He was sick
of all this rubbish that Hannah spouted every time he visited her. It was getting him nowhere, he raged, consumed with anger at his counsellor and her unpalatable take on things. He trudged along,
heavy-hearted, until he got to the florist’s stall. He chose two bunches of glorious purple and yellow tulips and paid for them. Leon had bought him tulips the previous week when Jonathan had
invited him to his apartment for a home-cooked dinner. How vibrant they had looked in the John Rocca vase on the table and how happy they had made him. Tears blurred his eyes and desperate not to
be seen crying in the middle of a London high street he slipped through a side entrance to the high-spired church and wandered into the very small peaceful garden so many passed by without seeing.
Clumps of snowdrops, tulips, daffodils and bluebells grew wild in the grass, under the shade of freshly budding trees. Outside the iron railings life surged on, but he felt protected and distanced
from it all as the tears streamed silently down his cheeks and he leaned against a buttress that was hidden from view and cried his eyes out as though his heart would break. Waves of grief engulfed
him.
Why
? he shouted silently.
Why
?

No answer came but a bird sang on a blossoming green branch that reached towards the high spire that pierced the blue Kensington sky. A measure of peace descended on Jonathan’s troubled
spirit as he sat on a ledge and composed himself, oblivious to the noise and flurry that carried on relentlessly, just metres away.

‘I’m so excited. I can’t believe I’m in London,’ Sophie bubbled as they hurried along the narrow, grey, tubed structure that led from arrivals to
the exit at Heathrow.

‘It’s lovely out too,’ Millie exclaimed as they emerged into the rounded glassed area and the sun gave hint to the welcome balminess that often occurred during springtime in
London. Ten minutes later they were sitting on the Heathrow Express, delighted with themselves that they had made the departing train by the skin of their teeth, and would soon be winging their way
to Paddington.

‘I’ll ring Jonathan when we’re in our taxi to the hotel,’ Hilary decided, rooting in her bag to turn on her phone.

‘Don’t forget to say
I’m
here, not
we’r
e here!’ Millie reminded her.

‘Good thinking, wonder girl.’ Hilary grinned at her daughter.

‘Can we go to the London Eye?’ Sophie asked eagerly.

‘I don’t see why not,’ Hilary agreed as the whistle blew and the train chugged out of the station.

‘It’s nice being on a girls’ trip, all of us together.’ Sophie snuggled in affectionately against her mother.

‘It’s a real treat being with my two gorgeous daughters. I was just thinking that when you’ve finished the Leaving Cert, Millie, we’ll definitely go to Powerscourt
Springs for an overnighter and some beauty treatments, the three of us.’

‘Cool.’ Millie’s eyes lit up.

‘I’m going to spend
all
my time in the pool and jacuzzi,’ Sophie declared, ‘and eating that scrumptious walnut bread you brought home the last time you were
there.’ They laughed, and Hilary thought how blessed and lucky she was and hoped that she would always be as close to her daughters. Sue was missing out so much in her relationship with
Margaret. It was a shame for both of them. Families were so different, she reflected. Hers wasn’t perfect but she was very thankful for a reasonably good relationship with her daughters and
her own mother and sister.

‘Gosh I’d hate to live in a high-rise,’ Millie remarked after they had emerged from the tunnel and had sped through Southall and West Ealing.

‘It’s nice to have a garden,’ Sophie observed.

‘Yes, and one that’s so private. We’re very privileged and lucky,’ Hilary reminded them.

‘You know I don’t think you should ring Jonathan from Paddington,’ Millie said thoughtfully. ‘I think we should check in and you tell him to come up to the room and we
can hide in the loo and surprise him.’

‘Yes,’ agreed her sister. ‘And I think we should buy a bottle of something to clink glasses, seeing as it’s our first time in London with him!’

‘Champagne!’ exclaimed Millie in anticipation.

‘Well perhaps not champagne,’ Hilary demurred. ‘Remember he’s very upset. Maybe a bottle of Prosecco.’

‘But can’t I have some too? I don’t want to be drinking 7 Up like a child!’ Sophie insisted.

‘Yes, seeing as it is a special occasion. But just the one glass,’ Hilary agreed.

‘Yaayyy!’ Sophie punched the air as the train drew to a halt at Platform 7.

‘You’re in your
room
! Brilliant, I’ll be there in five minutes. I just need to wash my face and wake myself up. I fell asleep on the bed,’
Jonathan said, yawning. ‘What number?’

‘346,’ Hilary said, grinning at her daughters who were exploring the contents of their mini bar.

‘Can’t wait to see you. I can’t believe this time yesterday I was deliriously happy. I feel like I’m in some sort of weird dream.’ He sighed deeply.

‘Let’s have a cuppa and a chat while I’m settling in, and decide what we’re going to do for the rest of the day. I’ll boil the kettle.’

‘Won’t be long,’ he assured her, flinging the throw off and padding into the bathroom to freshen up. At least he wasn’t on his own now. He could pour his heart out to
Hilary, say what he liked about Leon and his own stupidity and know that she would provide a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on.

‘Why didn’t you get a double?’ Jonathan asked when he followed Hilary into the room after giving her the tulips and hugging the daylights out of her.

‘I did,’ she told him, leading him to the seating area.

‘Did they make a mistake?’

‘Nope,’ Hilary grinned as the girls burst out of the bathroom yelling ‘Surprise! Surprise!’.

‘What are you two doing here?’ He was flabbergasted.

‘We are the Jonathan Harpur Rescue Society,’ giggled Sophie, barrelling across the room to throw her arms around him. ‘That Leon fella is a prize dodo!’

‘Yeah, a real loser.’ Millie added her tuppence worth, planting a kiss on his cheek and squeezing his hand.

‘Oh girls!’ gulped Jonathan. ‘I don’t know what to say!’ He burst into tears, much to Sophie’s horror.

‘Don’t cry, Jonathan.
We
love you,’ she said fiercely, holding him tight.

‘Sorry! Sorry! I feel a right eejit!’ He tried to compose himself.

‘You’re not an eejit,’ Millie assured him earnestly. ‘It’s
horrible
when a boy breaks your heart!’

‘You can say that again,’ Jonathan agreed with heartfelt emotion and they looked at each other and cracked up. Their laughter echoed around the room as they chortled and guffawed,
Jonathan more loudly than any of them, his natural humour reasserting itself, and the release of pent-up tension a welcome relief.

‘Aw girls, you’re a tonic,’ he said, wiping his eyes, grinning at Hilary.

‘Time for a drop of sparkly to start the evening,’ she said, waving the bottle of Prosecco. ‘We thought champagne might be somewhat inappropriate but this will do the
job.’ She rooted in the mini bar for glasses and asked Sophie to get the two out of the bathroom. She took some packets of nuts and snacks out of the bar and opened them, cracked open the
Prosecco, poured the sparkling golden liquid into the glasses and handed one to Jonathan. ‘To a lucky escape, I’d say!’ She raised her glass.

‘For you’re a jolly good fellow!’ Sophie clinked hers with Jonathan, and took a long glug.

‘Go easy, you, miss! One glass, remember!’ Hilary cautioned.

‘OK! Can I have glass of wine at dinner?’ she asked brightly.

‘Two chances: slim and none,’ her mother assured her.

‘I’m starving,’ Millie announced. ‘What
are
we doing for dinner? Can we have something to eat soon?’

‘How’s your appetite?’ Hilary eyed Jonathan over the rim of her glass.

‘I could manage a bite or two. I only had a BLT at lunchtime.’ He took a drink of his Prosecco and felt himself begin to relax for the first time since Leon had dropped his
bombshell.

‘OK, where do you want to go? Any preferences? Fancy or casual?’ Hilary asked.

‘If we want to eat straight away, timing’s not great. It’s between lunch and dinner.’ Jonathan glanced at his watch and drained his glass. ‘So I’d suggest
casual.’

‘Anywhere as long as there’s food,’ Millie urged, gobbling some nuts.

‘I remember Colette telling me that she took Jazzy to Sticky Fingers, you know, Bill Wyman’s restaurant, and it’s just up the road. We could give that a bash,’ Hilary
suggested. ‘Or there’s that lovely Italian place just off the High Street that you and I went to when we stayed here.’

‘You pick, girls,’ Jonathan said graciously.

‘Sticky Fingers!’ they exclaimed simultaneously and Hilary threw her eyes up to heaven. ‘Tomorrow then it’s posh! I want a proper dressy-up night out!’

‘OK’, they agreed, beginning to retouch their make-up, eager to get going.

‘Come next door to my room, Jonathan. I just want to change my top and I’ll ask housekeeping for a vase for the tulips,’ Hilary suggested lightly. There were some conversations
she wouldn’t have with him in front of the girls. ‘He didn’t take money from you or anything like that, did he?’ she asked bluntly the minute they were out on the
corridor.

‘No, nothing like that. We had a great trip over, and a fantastic meal in Bibendum – I spared no expense,’ he added drolly. ‘In my head we were going back to the hotel.
In his head we were going clubbing, and worse, going clubbing to score other people. He’s obviously come over to London before. He knew all the clubs, where they were. Knew who was DJ-ing.
He’s no novice! I’d say he comes once or twice a year, parties, scores, shags a few people and then comes home to be “normal”. He doesn’t want to come out, he’s
perfectly happy the way he is. Just my luck to be taken in and fall for him. I was the perfect patsy for him.’

‘Well he’s the loser, big time. You’re better off without him if that’s the case,’ Hilary declared, opening the door of her room. She laid the tulips on the table
and rang housekeeping for the vase, while Jonathan meandered over to the window to have a look out.

‘We’re on the same side, I’m on the floor above you,’ he said, watching a personal trainer do press-ups with a client on the grass below.

‘I asked to be close to you when I was booking.’ She pulled her T-shirt over her head.

‘I honestly can’t believe it, Hilary. I was so sure it was different this time.’ Jonathan came and sat on her bed forlornly, while Hilary took a pale aqua top out of her case
that was cooler than the one she had travelled in.

‘I don’t know what to say, Jonathan. Platitudes won’t help. It just stinks!’

‘Look, the fact that you and the girls came over helps more than you’ll ever know. I feel such a part of your family, Hil. And I know Millie is supposed to be revising for her
Leaving Cert so I really appreciate her travelling.’

‘Well believe me it was no hardship for her to stop revising for a few days. She jumped at the opportunity to come with us,’ Hilary assured him. ‘And don’t forget we
think of you as family, always,’ she said, pulling on the aqua top and running her fingers through her hair. ‘And talking of our family, guess what Sue did?’

‘Nothing good, I’d say, knowing The Secretary,’ he said caustically. ‘Don’t tell me she invited Margaret to stay and she’s looking after her while
you’re away?’

‘Are you for real?’ Hilary scoffed and proceeded to tell him of her sister-in-law’s latest stunt, knowing it would take his mind off himself for a while.

A young housemaid knocked to deliver the vase and Hilary watched Jonathan artistically arranging the flowers and hoped against hope that he wouldn’t let Leon’s rejection of him lead
him into a downward spiral. Life was so strange and cruel sometimes. He’d had his hard times; surely it was time for her beloved pal to get some sort of a break.

‘Hello?’ Colette saw a London number come up on her caller ID but didn’t recognize it.

‘Guess where I am?’ Hilary’s voice came clear as a bell down the line.

‘Well London, obviously. I recognize the prefix number. What are you doing there?’

‘Umm, I’m over with the girls for a little jaunt, and I’m in one of our favourite haunts.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me you were going?’ Colette demanded. ‘I could have taken a few days and flown over.’

‘It was kind of spur of the moment, and that’s what you get for not keeping in touch more often,’ Hilary said acerbically.

‘Oh OK.’ Colette backed down. ‘Where are you?’ she asked wistfully. How she would love to be in London in spring with Hilary.

‘The Royal Garden. I’m looking out over the Palace and the park, it’s a fabulous day here.’

‘Stop! I can’t bear it,’ Colette sighed. ‘Are the trees gorgeous? And are the bluebells out? Is the sun shining on the Pond?’

‘Yeah, I shouldn’t have phoned and made you homesick. I was just remembering some of the giddy times we had here when you came over first,’ Hilary said apologetically.

Colette giggled. ‘Remember the time we went to visit the National Gallery, and the security guard held out his hand to check your bag and you thought he wanted to shake hands?’

‘And then when he opened it, I’d shoved my socks into it because my feet were killing me after all the walking and because it was so warm, and they were pongy to say the
least!’ Hilary chortled.