Finishing Touches (37 page)

Think positive, she ordered herself as she left the church, sprinkling herself with holy water for an extra blessing. She almost ran home, so desperate was she to feel the blessed sense of
relief that would wash over her when she saw the familiar old metallic Escort parked outside the flat. Anxiously she scanned both sides of the road and her heart lurched in disappointment when she
failed to see any sign of her fiancé’s car.

‘Hi! Did Robbie ring by any chance?’ Cassie tried to keep her tone light and airy.

‘No,’ Aileen replied, ‘but your mother phoned and said would you bring her home a carton of fresh cream and she wants to know if you want her to keep a bit of dinner for you
and Robbie. And Barbara’s gone out with the dashing detective,’ she added, grinning.

Laura saw the expression on Cassie’s face.

‘Ring his friend at work and see what time Robbie left Drogheda,’ she suggested quietly. She had noticed Cassie’s anxious glances at the clock earlier on and she knew Robbie
long enough to know the score.
And
she was just a little bit concerned about her wedding cake.

‘He’s a bit late, isn’t he? Tell him if he doesn’t hurry, he’ll be late for tea, let alone dinner,’ Aileen remarked, unaware of Cassie’s
angst.

Once again she tried his apartment and once again she got no answer. She’d phone the hotel in Drogheda as Laura had suggested. Her stomach tightened in anticipation.

‘Chef O’Halloran didn’t arrive in for work today,’ she was informed by a bored receptionist. Cassie felt sick as her heart plummeted to her toes. Where was Robbie and
where was the cake? What was she going to say to Laura? Cassie didn’t have to say anything. Laura knew by the look on her friend’s pale face that she had not succeeded in contacting
Robbie.

‘Come on,’ she ordered. ‘We’ll drive to Port Mahon and leave a note for Robbie to follow us if he arrives.’ There was little chance of it and Laura knew it. If she
had been able to put her hands around Robbie MacDonald’s neck, she would have strangled him for what he was doing to Cassie. To hell with the cake; it was Cassie she was worried about.

Cassie sat down heavily on the sofa. ‘What will we do if he doesn’t come home with the cake?’

Aileen’s jaw dropped. She hadn’t really cottoned on to what was happening until now. ‘He’ll be here,’ she assured Cassie comfortingly. ‘He’s not going
to let Laura down on her big day.’ Laura had no such delusions and even Cassie could only imagine the worst scenario.

‘We’ll get an old cake somewhere. Don’t worry about it,’ Laura said gently, sitting down on the sofa and putting her arm around her friend’s shoulders.

Cassie started to cry. ‘Where will we get one? Today is Sunday. You’re getting married tomorrow and it’s a bank holiday. We won’t be able to get one anywhere. Oh Laura,
I’m sorry, I’m really sorry. Your wedding’s going to be ruined.’

Laura caught her by the shoulder. ‘Now, you listen to me, Cassie Jordan. I’ll buy a couple of Oxford Lunches and we’ll get your mother to slap a bit of white icing on them and
no-one will know the difference.
You
have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. You are not responsible for Robbie’s actions and get that into your thick skull. I’m going to say
something to you that you won’t like, but I’m one of your best friends, and that gives me the right. I’m telling you now, Cassie, if you marry Robbie, you are going to have a
repeat of this scene over and over and over again. You’ve got to realize that Robbie loves drink far more than he loves you because he’s addicted to it and I just don’t think
he’s got it in him to give it up. Robbie doesn’t like responsibilities and you’re going to have to face that. You are going to live a life of misery. You’ll always be
wondering and worrying. And imagine what it will be like if you have children! Girl, if that’s the way you want to live your life I think you’re absolutely crazy.’

‘Maybe he had a puncture! Maybe he called in to his parents. He might have had an accident. You don’t know, Laura!’ Cassie said agitatedly.

‘Stop it! Stop making excuses for him,’ Laura said angrily. ‘You’re just like his mother, making allowances and excuses. She’s never made him face up to his
responsibilities and neither have you. You’ve taken him back time and again. Face the facts, Cassie – Robbie’s let you down yet again and that’s all you can
expect.’

‘What makes
you
such a bloody expert on everything?’ Cassie snapped. Laura with her perfect romance. Laura who was going to marry Saint Doug and live smugly ever after.

‘Cassie, I’ve got a brother just like him. You haven’t the monopoly on alcoholic men, believe me,’ Laura said gently. ‘I’ve seen exactly the same thing happen
at home. I’ve seen Mick’s girlfriends in tears. I’ve seen Ma make excuses for him. Why should he change? Mick can behave like a lout and get away with it because he’s always
going to be taken back and he knows that.’

Aileen arrived in with coffee for the three of them. ‘Here, Cassie, get that inside you, and whatever happens, Laura and I are always here – don’t forget that.’

‘I know that,’ Cassie smiled, ‘and it helps an awful lot.’

They drove out to Port Mahon in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Cassie had bought the Oxford Lunches. She had insisted on paying for them and she was dreading having to tell Nora about
Robbie. She had always hidden his drinking from her mother; in fact only Laura and Aileen knew of it.

‘Why didn’t you tell me about this before? Oh Cassie, ‘I’m your mother. You shouldn’t have kept something like that from me,’ Nora exclaimed in dismay.

‘I know . . . I know . . . It’s just when he joined AA, I thought he’d be fine. I thought he wouldn’t drink again.’

‘Sure maybe he isn’t drunk, pet. Maybe there’s a good reason,’ Nora said reassuringly.

Cassie’s face crumpled and tears slid down her cheeks. ‘I know he is: I just know it,’ she sobbed.

‘Ah Cassie, don’t cry. It will be all right,’ Nora drew her daughter close and held her tightly as Cassie cried like a baby. Later, when Cassie had calmed down, Nora arrived
into the kitchen carrying two Christmas cakes.

‘Forget about those Oxford Lunch things. Wasn’t it lucky that I was a bit organized? I made these last weekend for the ladies’ club draw. I’ll ice them and make two new
ones tomorrow. Laura will have her wedding cake. Go into the pantry now like a good girl and get me the icing sugar and the almond essence. We’ll have them iced in a jiffy. What colour is the
bridesmaid’s dress until I see if I have a nice bit of ribbon to match?’

‘Oh Mam, you’re a brick,’ Cassie hugged Nora.

‘I’m your mother. Why wouldn’t I be?’ Nora replied, busy getting out bowls and sieves. But Cassie knew she was pleased all the same. It was so reassuring to come home
knowing that her mother was there as she always was and that home never changed. She watched as Nora measured her ingredients.

‘Cassie, did I put almond essence in already? Honest to God, my memory isn’t what it used to be!’ Nora frowned.

‘You did,’ she reassured her mother.

‘Last week I was making bread and I put bread soda in twice and I had to throw the loaf out it was so green,’ Nora grumbled. ‘I must be getting old!’

It was true that Nora had slowed down a bit, but she still looked a fine healthy woman and Cassie smiled. ‘If I look as good as you do when I’m your age I won’t be
complaining.’

‘Go on with you. Here’s a bit of almond paste. It was always your favourite when you were a child,’ Nora said fondly as she began to roll out the almond icing.

They were layering the white icing on the sides of the two cakes when the phone rang. Cassie felt herself tense up.

‘Do you want me to get it?’ Nora asked sympathetically.

‘No! No! I’ll get it,’ she said hastily. Was it Robbie? Had he called to the flat with the cake and seen her note? It was nine-thirty. He was terribly late. He’d better
have a damn good excuse. God, please let it be him. Taking a deep breath she picked up the phone. ‘Hello?’

‘Hi, Cassie. Will you tell Mam I’m staying the night at Jenny’s and I’ll see her tomorrow?’ It was Irene.

‘Yeah, sure, Irene. How are you?’ Cassie struggled to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

‘I’m a bit pissed off, actually. I’ve been called for the County Council earlier than I thought. I wasn’t supposed to be going for another six weeks and I’d planned
to visit Dorothy in the States. I’m awfully disappointed,’ her sister sighed.

‘That’s a shame all right,’ Cassie murmured. Honestly, Irene was away with the birds. Instead of being delighted to have got a job months after leaving school, she was moaning.
Cassie knew full well that it was Nora who would have been paying for the holiday in America, Irene’s only source of income being the few pounds she earned from her part-time job in a
boutique in the town.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow, then.’ Irene was clearly in a hurry.

‘OK. Bye.’ Cassie hung up and rubbed her eyes wearily. She dialled the number of Robbie’s apartment and listened to the phone ringing, willing it to be answered. It just rang
and rang. In desperation she dialled his parents’ number, to be told by his mother that Robbie hadn’t been in contact over the weekend. ‘He’s gone to Drogheda, isn’t
he?’ enquired Mrs MacDonald.

‘I was expecting him back today,’ Cassie said. ‘I thought perhaps he might have called in home.’

‘No, dear, he’s not here. No doubt you’ll see him tomorrow,’ her future mother-in-law said cheerily. Cassie did not share her optimism.

‘Any sign or any word?’ Laura asked the following morning when Cassie delivered a perfectly iced wedding cake. Nora had done a very professional job on it and Laura was thrilled.
Cassie shook her head.

‘Nope.’

‘I’m sorry, Cassie,’ Laura said gently.

‘Well, at least you’ve got a cake.’ Cassie feigned cheerfulness. She wasn’t going to spoil her best friend’s wedding by going around with a face on her. ‘Will
I deliver this to the hotel for you or what do you want me to do?’

‘Oh, would you, Cassie? And if I give you the list would you make sure the seating arrangements are the way I’ve organized them?’

‘Sure I will,’ Cassie replied firmly, glad of something to do. It would keep her occupied. She had phoned the apartment twice already this morning to no avail and then she had phoned
Drogheda to be told that Chef O’Halloran had still not made an appearance. There was no doubt about it in her mind. Robbie and his friend were well and truly on the batter.

Four hours later Cassie watched as Laura and Doug Donnelly become man and wife. She had been so looking forward to this wedding, and now here she was alone, listening to the
priest performing the same marriage ceremony that in the not too distant future she and Robbie would have been sharing. Now what lay in store for her? She was utterly confused, hurt, angry and sick
at heart. As she heard Laura pronounce her vows clearly and confidently, a lump rose to her throat and in spite of herself she started to cry. Beside her, Aileen, who had quite a good idea of the
emotions her friend was feeling, having suffered a broken heart herself, rooted in her bag and found a tissue.

‘Here,’ she whispered.

‘Thanks,’ sniffed Cassie, feeling an awful fool.

‘Do you want to go out?’

Cassie shook her head. ‘I’ll be fine in a minute. If I could get my hands on Robbie, I’d throttle him, wherever he is.’

Join the queue, Aileen thought grimly, but she said nothing, not wishing to upset Cassie any further.

Cassie found the day endless. Every minute she expected Robbie to appear shamefaced and repentant through the door.

‘Where’s Robbie?’ all her friends wanted to know.

‘Sick, stomach bug,’ she lied, protecting him as usual. It was a great relief when Laura and Doug made their way through cheering friends to where Aileen and she were standing as
they waited to see the newly-weds off. Hugging her tightly, Laura whispered, ‘Chin up, Cassie. Thanks for everything.’

Cassie returned the hug. ‘Have a wonderful honeymoon, Mr Donnelly and Ms Quinn. See you when you get back.’ Laura had decided to keep her maiden name. Then Laura and Doug were gone
and Aileen and Cassie were left looking at each other.

‘Well, at least one of us has had some luck in love,’ Aileen said glumly. She wasn’t having the time of her life, either. She’d been thinking about Liam all day.
‘Come on, Cassie, to hell with the buggers. Let’s go and have a drink before they close the bar.’

As she lay in bed wide-eyed and sober despite Aileen’s best efforts to get her drunk, Cassie knew she was going to have to make a decision about herself and Robbie. She was going to have
to accept his drinking and put up with it or else break off their engagement and cut him out of her life. Whatever she decided, the future looked anything but good.

‘Don’t do this to me, Cassie. I promise it will never happen again. Please, Cassie, stick by me and give me a chance to prove myself.’ Robbie looked so
woebegone that in spite of herself Cassie’s heart went out to him and she found herself wavering.

It was a week after Laura’s wedding and she had just given him back his engagement ring. The day before, she had met her old friend and boyfriend of many years past, Donie Kiely. She had
stayed friends with him through his years in the seminary and had felt proud and happy for him the day of his ordination to the priesthood. Donie was sympathetic but blunt.

‘If you marry Robbie, thinking you can change him, you’re making a grave mistake,’ Donie warned her after listening to her try and come to some resolution about her future with
Robbie. ‘Maybe he
will
stop drinking; many alcoholics do. You’ve got to decide if that’s a chance you’re prepared to take. But you have to make the decision to stay
with him and then accept responsibility for that decision. If he continues to drink, you can’t hold it against him because you knew before you got married what you were letting yourself in
for. It’s a decision only you can make, Cassie, and though you know I’ll support you whatever you do, I won’t advise you one way or another. You and you alone have got to make the
choice.’