Firefly Summer (101 page)

Mary served, and Sheila had gone behind the bar to help her.

Carrie, face aglow with Jimbo’s delight and pride, ran back and forth with sandwiches and soda bread that they would never be serving now to American visitors.

Brian Doyle said he was glad that Peggy had got on her high horse and not come to the opening in the end, because a) she was highly strung and b) she might get very put out by all these weddings in the air – Jimbo Doyle’s and Jack Coyne’s, two of nature’s bachelors.

Brian said that it would be like a sacrilege to discuss
who’d get the job of building the place up again, but he wanted it known that it was a heart scald and an agony from day one and he wouldn’t wish it on his worst enemy.

Kate sat with John in the side yard.

There were no words between them.

She had told him the news in the most natural way.

John had sat with his head in his hands, bemoaning all that had happened.

‘I’m weary, Kate, weary and sad. There has been nothing but destruction and death since that place was begun. There’s never any hope, no beginnings.’

‘I’ll tell you something about new life and new hope that you’ll hardly believe,’ Kate said.

They sat together in the yard that was filled with flowers. He held her very close, he pressed her to him.

He would take such care of her, he would make sure that it would all be all right.

A new life. Another person. Another Ryan.

They called Patrick to the phone. Again. He had taken so many calls that Jim Costello had eventually monitored them, standing in Kate’s green room and dealing with whoever called.

But this time he called Patrick. It was long distance. From New York.

‘Rachel, Rachel.’ His voice choked and he couldn’t speak.

But at last he found the words. The words to tell her about the end of the dream. Then he put down the receiver and walked through the glass doors into the yard filled
with flowers where Kate and John sat in a world of their own.

They looked up at him as he stood there, a big man always filling their place, dominating their lives.

‘I came to tell you. I’ll be going home,’ he said.

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