Positively Yours (6 page)

Grace dived into the blue-and-white tiled pool, and surfaced just as her mum arrived down in a gold togs, large white sunglasses and an oversized straw sunhat. Grace didn't know what kind of look her mum was going for with her pale Irish skin gleaming white against the gold shiny material, but she was glad it was only the two of them in her back garden, and made a mental note to take Patsy to the shopping mall the next day. Patsy made her way towards one of the large wooden chairs that sat overlooking the pool and lush garden.

‘Oh, Mum, don't sit on that chair. That's Coco's. You can sit on the other one, the one with the blue cushion.'

Patsy stared at her only daughter, and laid her handbag and straw hat down on another chair.

‘Are you telling me that dog has its own sun chair? That is madness, he is just a dog.'

Grace sighed as she pulled a lilo into the pool. She knew how her mum felt about Coco. The dog was like a child to her and Ethan. He was so gorgeous and good; great company for Ethan on his morning runs on the beach and for Grace when Ethan worked late, which was almost every night. She had never been much of a doggy person when she had lived in Ireland, but here in America everyone seemed to love their dogs, and even though at first she had laughed at all the doggy
day spas and costume shops, she now found herself treating Coco more and more like a human being. He was no longer ‘just a dog', the way her mum saw him. Grace ignored her mum's remark about Coco's sun chair, and pretended not to notice Patsy's look of shock as the golden retriever came running out of the kitchen, jumped on to the floating lilo, and, after a quick swim, climbed back up on to his padded sun chair.

‘Grace Slattery, does that dog have his toes painted?' her mum almost screamed, as the golden retriever stretched out his long legs and dried off in the sun.

Grace tried to justify Coco having his toenails done. He needed it: every other dog on the block had theirs painted too. Patsy sighed as she lowered herself into the pool.

‘Well, just promise me you won't be telling the neighbours when you move back home to Ireland that your dog gets manicures! My God, people will think all that American sun has gone to your head, and I would never be able to show my face in the local shops again. Just promise me his nail varnish will be gone by the time you all arrive.'

‘I promise, Mum,' Grace said, knowing she was losing a battle. ‘And, anyway, Coco won't be coming over to Ireland for a few months. You actually need to start preparing your pet for immigration a minimum of six months before travelling, and because we only decided to move to Dublin recently, we just haven't got Coco ready to fly. You wouldn't believe all the vaccinations and blood tests he needs to have done. He even needs a microchip!'

Patsy threw her eyes to heaven, but Grace was oblivious to her mother's disapproval.

‘Luckily Ethan's brother, Matt, and his wife, Cindy, have agreed to home Coco. They are big animal lovers, and already have four gorgeous dogs. So when they heard about our problem with Coco they kindly said they could squash one
more dog into their home. It's just for a few months, until he gets his vaccinations and papers in order, but also, really, we want to wait until we have a proper place of our own in Ireland before bringing him over. Your house will be lovely for us, Mum, but he isn't used to small gardens, it would upset him.'

‘Upset him? It doesn't upset me, and I have been living in that house for over thirty years! My God, he is just a dog. He'll be fine! He can run around the local park.'

Grace got out of the pool and sat beside Coco, stroking his long golden hair.

‘Oh, it's fine, Mum, he will love Matt and Cindy's big yard and swimming pool, he'll have plenty of room to play in. And like Ethan, Matt is really good at IT, and has promised he will use his web camera to keep us posted on how Coco is doing. It's great because it means even though we will be in Ireland, Ethan and I can watch him online while he is swimming!'

‘For heaven's sake, you should be watching a child of your own swimming, not a flipping dog!'

Grace felt her blood pressure rise. No matter what conversation she had with her mum it all came back to the fact that she and Ethan did not have children. She understood that being the eldest of her family, and the only daughter, the pressure really was on her to produce some grandchildren, but Grace was not the maternal type and had no urge to procreate. This was something her mum did not seem to understand. As a mother of three herself, it seemed Patsy had presumed Grace would want that life, too. But Coco was the closest Grace would ever come to having a child.

There was some tension around the pool, but once Coco went inside to eat Patsy seemed to relax. Grace caught up on what was happening back home, and they both discussed how she ought to pack up for the trip to Ireland.

Before long the sun went in, and it was time to get some dinner.

‘Let's go out tonight, Mum. A great new sushi place has opened in Seaport Village.'

‘Raw fish? Oh, that doesn't sound safe to me, love. No, I will stick with chips if they have any.'

Grace sighed. Her mother could be so old-fashioned sometimes. But she ignored Patsy's remark, and, after quick showers, they headed to the nearby waterfront shopping, dining and entertainment complex. After some shopping and a few cocktails they headed for the sushi bar, and as Grace got stuck into some sashimi, Patsy ate a ‘safe' chicken noodle salad.

After dinner they returned home, and Patsy was delighted to see her son-in-law's jeep in the driveway. Ethan was waiting for them in the living room.

‘Patsy! It's great to see you! Sorry I missed dinner, but I got held up at work. But you girls sit down, as I have a nice bottle of champagne chilled for us.' And with that Ethan headed for the kitchen. It wasn't long before the three of them were relaxing on the couch, and Ethan was filling Patsy in on his work, and his plans for their ‘stint in the Emerald Isle'!

As Ethan chatted away, Patsy noticed that Grace was unusually quiet and seemed to excuse herself to go to the bathroom a few times. But since she didn't indicate anything was wrong, Patsy said nothing, too. As Ethan was showing Patsy the plans for his new Dublin office, Patsy shook off her shoes and curled her pale Irish legs under her new dress. She saw Ethan glance at Grace.

‘Oh, Mum, we don't allow feet on seats in this house. The couches were very expensive.'

Ethan nodded his head in agreement. Patsy turned and looked at Coco the dog sprawled out on one of the cream couches, feet and all on board.

‘
Well, that's funny, Grace, because I don't remember you ever caring about couches before, especially not the ones at home. Remember how you used to drive your father mad by painting your toenails on them? There are still bright pink stains on the three-seater from the time you spilt a whole bottle of my good nail varnish on it.'

Grace looked at her mum and started to cry, and then ran for the bathroom. Patsy immediately felt guilty and ran after her.

‘Oh, I'm sorry, pet, I won't mention that blasted nail-varnish accident again, but it's hardly fair that Coco is allowed to put his grubby dog feet on the couch when I, your mother, can't!'

‘It's not that,' said Grace, reaching for the toilet. ‘I don't feel well all of a sudden. I think it was the sushi, my stomach is upset,' and with that she started to cry.

Patsy resisted the urge to remind her daughter that she had told her raw fish wasn't safe. Instead she did what every mother does best: she rubbed Grace's back, and looked after her all evening. And later, as Ethan and Patsy helped her to bed, Grace thought that, as mad as her mum drove her about not having children, sometimes it was worth all that fighting just to have her around. There was no one like your mum.

PATSY SLATTERY'S WEEK
in San Diego flew by. Grace had been sick for a few days with food poisoning from the blasted sushi, but Patsy had busied herself sunbathing, reading Hollywood star gossip-magazines and shopping in a nearby mall. She was just coming in the door when Grace greeted her.

‘Hi, Mum. I'm so sorry I couldn't get up this morning. My stomach was in bits again, but I do feel much better now. I see you found the shops OK, though!' Grace helped her mum, who was struggling with eight oversized paper shopping bags. When she flung them down on the counter out poured jumpers, jeans, bracelets and toys.

‘Who are these toys for?' Grace asked, surprised to see a Disney bag crammed full of dolls, games and T-shirts.

‘Well, the dolls are for Tara and Jade. And the games and T-shirts are for Michael, Tommy and little Paul,' Patsy replied, as she took off her shoes and rubbed her tired feet.

‘Who the hell are Tara, Jade, Michael, Tommy and what's-his-name?' Grace asked.

‘Well, they are the kids I babysit for! I have no grandchildren to mind, so when Brona and Derek across the road asked me to help out and babysit their four kids a couple of afternoons a week I said yes. Brona's studying for her degree in science and needed some help. And then her sister Angie had to go
back to work, and her Tommy's such a sweet little boy – well I just couldn't say no. They are all real dotes and I have great fun with them. Wait until you see Jade! She has just learned to walk and is causing havoc!'

Grace looked at her. She felt half-annoyed by the usual grandkids digs and half-sad that her mum was so looking forward to being a granny that she was minding friends' children. Grace decided to take the high road and avoid a fight, so she simply walked to the large fridge and began to pour her mum some organic lemonade.

After Patsy had recuperated from her morning's shopping, she and Grace decided to go for a walk, as Grace needed some fresh air.

‘I'm sorry for being sick the last few days, Mum. I hope I haven't ruined your trip,' she said, as they slipped off their sandals and began walking barefoot on the beach.

‘Not at all, pet,' Patsy replied, taking in the beautiful surroundings. ‘I just love being here with you and Ethan, in such a gorgeous location. You're going to miss all of this.'

Grace looked around at the beach, ocean and bright sun.

‘I have to admit, Mum, I will miss San Diego, it's been my home for ten years now. But of course I am looking forward to spending more time with you, and being able to see Colm and Aidan more regularly. Sometimes I feel like I don't know my little brothers at all. When I lived at home they were still in school, playing computer games and trying to persuade me to buy them alcohol! But now when I hear they have jobs and are living with “mates”, I feel so distant from them.'

Patsy looked at her daughter and knew it must be hard to have your husband on one continent and your family on another.

‘Don't worry about your brothers! Those two lazy lumps haven't changed at all. They're still playing computer games,
leaving their washing in my house, and trying to get me to buy the alcohol, so they can “save” their money for important things! Nothing has changed. We all still love you and can't wait for you to be back in Dublin.'

Grace smiled.

‘I just wish your dad was here to bring Ethan for a pint in O'Donoghue's. Dad would have loved that, bringing a “real Yank” to his local!'

Grace looked at her mum, and knew she was still grieving for her husband. It had been five years since Teddy Slattery had gone to work one day, to the bakery factory where he had been for over thirty years, and never returned. Patsy's beloved husband had suffered a massive heart attack and died before she could say goodbye. Grace and Ethan had flown to Dublin straight away, and Grace had spent three weeks with her mum, but eventually she'd had to follow Ethan and go back to work. She'd felt so guilty at abandoning her mum, and leaving her to deal with becoming a widow all on her own. Patsy had plenty of close friends, and the neighbours had been great keeping her busy with bingo and long chats, but it had taken a few years for her to accept her new, lonelier, life. And now, with Colm and Aidan living out of home, and Grace being so far away, Patsy did feel at a loss what to do and who to talk to. But since Teddy's death she had accepted Ethan's generous offer to fly her over to visit Grace more, and she admitted she was becoming quite used to her biannual visits to the West Coast.

‘I'll miss the sun and shopping myself,' Patsy said as they sat down at a local beach bar and ordered ice creams.

‘Well, maybe we should find you a nice American bachelor, Mum! So you can spend more time here with me!' Grace laughed as they watched men of all shapes and sizes jog past.

‘Oh, I don't know. They all look a little too “pretty” over here, a bit too “feminine” for me. I mean, how could I date a
man who uses more moisturizer than me? Or who works out more than I ever have? Your father never worked out anything, apart from how to save enough money for pints on a Friday!'

Grace laughed at her mum, but saw Patsy still kept her eyes firmly on the joggers as they ran past looking like Abercrombie & Fitch models!

As it was such a hot evening, Ethan decided to cook outside, and they all enjoyed his famous barbecued beefburgers and ranch salad before they began talking about the ‘big move', and how Ethan was looking forward to enjoying a big proper family Christmas for once and seemed to expect it would be a ‘white one'.

‘I hate to disappoint you, but we never have snow at Christmas in Ireland. It's cold, but never that cold,' Patsy explained, as Ethan's face dropped.

‘But don't worry, honey, once you try Mum's mince pies and Auntie Mary's stuffing you will forget all about snow,' Grace said, starting to get excited herself about the move.

And soon Grace and Patsy were telling Ethan about all the places in Dublin he would have to go and see. He had only been twice, and both had been flying visits, and he seemed keen to ‘get to know the real Ireland' this time.