Thank God Darren had disappeared. That was the best thing that could have happened to her. This was fate. The more she thought about it the more everything made sense. She started up the car again. She wouldn’t be able to reach Dublin fast enough.
Should she ask him to the party tonight or leave it until tomorrow? Maybe it would be best not to ask him straightaway. The shock might be too great for him!
‘Hello, love.’
‘Hi, Mum’. Anna dragged her suitcase into the hallway and let her mother kiss the top of her head.
‘We’re so pleased for you.’ Mrs Allstone grinned from ear to ear. ‘We’ve told everybody about your promotion. All the neighbours and cousins know. I don’t think we left anybody out.’ She gave a little laugh.
‘Thanks,’ Anna produced a smile.
‘Your brother was delighted for you, of course.’
‘Was he?’ Anna asked, surprised.
‘And he’s just announced his engagement.’
‘Wonderful,’ Anna said. ‘And what a coincidence that both events should be announced in the one week,’ she couldn’t refrain from adding.
‘Now,’ her mother said, ignoring the comment,
‘come into the kitchen, I’ve baked you a chocolate devil cake. Your favourite.’
My favourite when I was about six years old, not now, Anna thought and obediently followed her mother into the kitchen.
‘Congratulations.’ Her grandfather almost spilled his tea. ‘When are you getting married?’
‘I’m not,’ Anna muttered. ‘I’ve been promoted.’
‘Oh,’ said her grandfather, immediately losing interest. He was of the old school, where a woman dutifully got married and didn’t entertain daft ideas that entailed going off to England to run a store.
‘Sit down and get a few digestives into you, you’re skin and bone.’
‘Do you think so?’ Anna felt like hugging him.
‘Are you looking forward to tomorrow?’ Her mother cut a generous slice of cake.
‘Not really,’ Anna admitted. She wasn’t exactly looking forward to meeting Victoria and her cronies but she was looking forward to having Mark on her arm. To think it had taken all this time for her to realize he was definitely the one.
‘Do you want to tell me about it?’ her mother said as she sat down.
‘I’m bringing Mark Landon,’ Anna told her. ‘It’s just that, I dunno . . . I’m not into this reunion thing at all.’
‘But surely you don’t have to bring someone,’ her mother seemed surprised, ‘I thought it was a reunion just for the girls.’
‘I wish it was, but Victoria has invited partners as well.’
‘I’m sure Mark will be delighted to escort you. He’s a lovely, lovely chap. Handsome too.’
Anna couldn’t believe her mother remembered Mark so well. She’d invited him to her debutante school graduation dance and had been a bundle of nerves before he arrived. She remembered her mother telling her to take deep breaths and to ‘be herself ’.
Mark had been the perfect gentleman, arriving with a pretty orchid and a huge box of
Milk Tray
chocolates. He’d stood patiently with Anna as her father took the usual fifty compulsory photographs and introduced him to the neighbours as ‘Anna’s young friend’.
He’d told her she looked beautiful, even though she felt like a waltzing Matilda in her big ballooning beige ball gown, and most importantly he’d ignored Victoria when she ditched her own poor escort in a failed attempt to get off with Mark.
That night had probably been the happiest night of her life. Mark had lavished attention upon her, making sure she’d enough to drink, pulling out chairs for her, dragging her onto the dance floor. But when he tried to kiss her at the end of the night, she’d turned away in case he was just feeling sorry for her and was kissing her out of pity.
‘I wasn’t going to invite him,’ Anna admitted.
‘But to be perfectly honest there’s nobody else I’d rather bring.’
‘Well, I always thought he
was a perfect gentle
man,’ her mother assured her. ‘You two always made a great couple.’
‘You’ve never said that before.’
‘Ah, you see,’ her mother smiled, ‘I knew that if you thought I liked him you’d do your best to get rid of him.’
‘But do you think he liked me? Even then?’
‘Darling, the boy was
crazy
about you.’
For the first time in her life Anna felt like hugging her mother.
As she sat alone in her old room listening to an old tape of Madonna’s and staring at a poster of Patrick Swayze that she’d never bothered to take down, Anna pondered on her mother’s words. Had it really been that obvious? Had everybody known Mark was mad about her? Why hadn’t anybody said anything? Now that she was definitely going to England a relationship between them wouldn’t be so easy. But then again, didn’t they say that true love conquered all? Somehow they’d be able to work it out.
It was late now. Her parents and grandad were downstairs watching
The Late Late Show
. Mark wouldn’t be in this late on a Friday night, would he?
Well, she might as well drive down to Ranelagh and see if she could catch him now. So what if he was going out? All she wanted was a few minutes to invite him to the party. She slapped a bit of foundation on both cheeks, said goodbye to her parents and got into her car. Jesus, was she mad or what? Don’t think about it, she thought. Don’t think about it or you’ll definitely change your mind.
She drove down the dual carriageway, her heart pounding. She tried to imagine Mark’s face when she told him how she really felt. Would he automatically sweep her up in his arms or would he take a minute to let it all sink in? God, it was exciting and at the same time terrifying. What if he insisted on following her to London? Or insist that she take another job in Dublin to be near him? Anna wasn’t sure she could do that. She’d worked too hard for this new position. Herself and Mark would really have to think this through properly.
She turned left at the lights in Donnybrook, up Eglinton Road and right towards Ranelagh. Please let him be in, she begged. Please, please let him be in tonight.
Slowly she drove past his front gate. A light was on in the front room. She parked the car a little further down the road and walked back, towards his house. She peered over the hedge. There was Mark sitting on the sofa watching the TV.
Here goes
, she told herself and took a deep breath. It’s now or never.
‘ANNAAA!!!’ a loud voice boomed in her ear.
‘Jesus, Grainne, you frightened the living daylights out of me.’
‘Aoife said you’d be up this weekend. I’m thrilled you came to see us. Have you been waiting out here long? You must be freezing.’
‘No, not too long,’ Anna said, thanking God, it was dark and Grainne couldn’t see her face go crimson.
‘Come in,’ she said. ‘It’s just me in the flat. Sandra and Rich are out.’
‘Sandra and Rich!’
‘Oh Jesus.’ Grainne’s hand flew to her mouth. ‘I forgot you didn’t know. Sandra will murder me, so she will. She wanted to tell you herself so there’d be no hard feelings.’
‘Don’t worry, there’s no hard feelings,’ Anna laughed. Jesus, Sandra deserved a medal to put up with him. But different courses for horses and all that. ‘Is she getting on well with him?’
‘Yes, apart from him being constantly broke,’ Grainne laughed.
‘But he’s an actor,’ Anna said ironically.
‘So we keep hearing.’ Grainne opened the big green door. ‘Come in.’
‘Do you ever see Steve?’
‘Not any more unfortunately,’ said Grainne. ‘He’s studying his brains out. Pity, he’s a fine thing, you know.’
She followed Grainne up to the top of the house, past her old flat.
‘Who’s in there now?’ she asked quietly.
‘Some weirdo,’ Gra
inne said. ‘He’s always com
plaining about our noise. He must have no life, that’s all I can say.’
Anna sat down on a kitchen chair and accepted Grainne’s offer of a beer. She couldn’t believe she still hadn’t got to talk to Mark yet. The longer she left it, the harder it would be.
She really had to talk to him. It wasn’t such a big deal. He was mad about her. Everyone said so. Even her mum. And of course Claire had been saying it for years.
‘Rich has a contact that can get us parts in
Fair City
,’ Grainne broke her from her train of thought.
‘What kind of parts?’ Anna eyed her suspiciously.
‘Well, sitting in th
e background of the pub pre
tending to talk, you know. Will I tell him you’re interested?’
‘There’s not much point,’ Anna sighed, ‘if I’m going to England.’
‘Maybe he could get you put on
Coronation Street
or
EastEnders
?’
Anna laughed. ‘Do you not think if Rich was that well connected, he’d get himself a job on one of those soaps?’
‘I s’pose,’ Grainne agreed.
‘Grainne?’
‘Mmm?’
‘Do you know Mark across the road?’
‘The good-looking fella?’
‘That’s the one.’
‘Well, not personally no.’
‘But you know who I’m talking about?’
‘Sure.’
‘Have you seen him recently with a girlfriend?’
Grainne frowned. ‘No,’ she shook her head,
‘no, I don’t think so. Why, does he have one? It’s very hard to tell. He’s always with someone, isn’t he? I wouldn’t mind him myself. He’s feckin gorgeous.’
‘I wonder has he anyone now, though . . . anyone special like?’
‘Why don’t you go over and ask him?’
‘No way. What do you think I am?’
‘Well, it would put an end to the speculation,’ Grainne was pragmatic.
The dull feeling inside Anna was growing all the time. Grainne was right. If she went across the road and rang his bell, then she’d know for sure if he was single at the moment. If he wasn’t, then what? Oh God, she couldn’t do this without any preparation.
‘Go,’ Grainne urged. ‘It won’t be as bad as you think.’
‘Right.’ Anna got to her feet.
Anything to get Grainne off her case
. ‘But if I’m not back in five minutes you’re to come and rescue me.’
‘Sure,’ Grainne promised. ‘By the way, not being nosy or anything, but have ya the hots for him? I mean, are you going to ask him out or what?’
Anna took a deep breath. ‘Something like that. Wish me luck, okay?’ she said, fidgeting with her fingers.
She skipped outside into the darkness, determined not to be overwhelmed by all this. Even Grainne didn’t seem to think it was much of a deal.
She walked boldly up Mark Landon’s path, her heart pounding at a furious pace. She wasn’t a bit worried. Of course she wasn’t. At the end of the day Mark would probably be over the moon. But as she pressed a trembling finger on the modern doorbell, her stomach a flurry of butterflies, she asked herself,
‘Anna Allstone, what the hell do you think you’re doing?’ She stood uneasily in the doorway, riddled with nerves, and waited for approaching footsteps.
Nobody came to answer the door.
Maybe he didn’t hear the bell. After all, the TV was on. It would probably drown out the sound of the doorbell. She went to ring again but something intervened. Waves of panic swept over her, making her turn on her heel and walk swiftly back down the path.
‘Chicken,’ Grainne accused back in the flat.
‘It wasn’t a good time,’ Anna argued.
‘Well, if you can live without knowing, that’s fine.’ Grainne grimaced. ‘Personally it wouldn’t be me.’
‘Could you not ask him for me?’ Anna asked in a small voice.
‘Me? Sure he’d think I was a nutter. Can you imagine me stomping across there demanding to know his romantic situation? Don’t be silly, Anna.’ Grainne’s words hounded her as she tossed and turned in her old bed later that evening. She was silly, wasn’t she? The management at Lolta’s didn’t think so but she knew she was. She hid it well at work. She flounced around with her sales charts and her power suits. But deep down, Anna Allstone wasn’t as brave as everyone thought. She still feared Victoria’s cutting tongue and dreaded an entire evening in her showcase home. She still chose to drive home to the safety of her parents’ house rather than pour her feelings out to Mark.
She sat up in bed suddenly craving a cigarette. Her parents still didn’t know she smoked. She dragged herself to the window, opened it wide and lit herself one. She stared out into the night. This was where she used to sit and wonder about all those guys in college that she loved. Guys that didn’t love her back. If someone had told her then, that in ten years’ time, she’d be sitting in this exact same position, worrying about more or less the same kind of thing, she probably would have topped herself !