Wishful Thinking (a journey that will change lives forever) (4 page)

Martin studied his son-in-law. “You seem to have put a lot of thought into this, Robert.”

He shrugged modestly. “Sophie and I are reaching breaking point.  At this stage, we have to examine our options, especially for Claudia’s sake.”

“And does examining your options mean that you’ve also asked your own parents to contribute their deeds?”

Robert reddened.  “Well, that’s a little bit different. As you know my parents’ house wouldn’t be worth anywhere near …” Robert’s parents lived up north where house prices had yet to reach the dizzying heights of the Dublin suburbs.

“I see. So, it’s just myself and Rosie that would be put at risk.”

“Oh, for goodness sake, Dad, there would be no risk!  Rob and I would never default! Don’t you see? There is no way that we can possibly afford to buy a five hundred thousand euro house in Dublin without your help – no way!”

“And therein lies the problem, Sophie,” Martin said, his tone weary.

“What?”

“You and Robert have good jobs – you admitted that yourself.  You also admitted that interest rates are low.  You seem to have plenty of money to buy fancy clothes and go out for fancy meals and the like.  It seems to me that the two of you should have no problem getting the deposit together for a nice starter home out in Lucan or Meath or somewhere like that.”

“But we don’t want to live in some poxy estate, Dad – we want to live in Dublin –Malahide or Portmarnock, somewhere
nice
.”

“Lucan is a lovely place.”

“But we’d have no friends out there!  All our friends are here!  Caroline Redmond’s parents gave her a hand, and now they’re living in this fabulous mews in Malahide, and Nikki Cassidy and her husband are about to move to –”

“The answer is no, Sophie,” Martin said quietly, and by his tone, Rosie knew that there would be no turning with him.  

“Thanks, Dad,” Sophie said, looking petulantly at Robert.  “Thanks a bloody lot.”

“Couldn’t we give them a hand, Martin?” Rosie asked him, later on that evening, when the kids had gone back to Dublin.  “It must be tough on them all the same.”

“Love, at this stage in our lives, we don’t need any more debt.  Jesus, I worked like a demon over the years to get rid of it – we both have.  Sure, we’ll be lucky if our pensions keep us going, never mind going off on foreign holidays and getting widescreen TVs like they do.” He sighed. “And Rosie, you and I both know that my health isn’t improving.  If anything happens to me – ”

“Sssh, don’t say that,” Rosie interjected, although she knew deep down that Martin was right.  He’d only just got over his second heart attack and all the warnings were there. So, it wouldn’t be right for them to take on more debt, not at this stage in their lives.

“Anyway, didn’t we already shell out a fortune for that big wedding of hers two years ago?  I know we had a great time, but honestly, all that money for just one day!”

“I know.” Rosie herself couldn’t believe the colossal amount that Sophie had racked up for her wedding.  Martin had insisted on paying for most of it, but in more ways than one, neither had budgeted on their daughter’s expensive taste, nor the swanky hotel she’d chosen for the reception.  And Rosie only knew a fraction of the two hundred and fifty guests she’d invited.  Still, it had been a great day, Sophie was their only daughter and being the last child they’d never get to do it again so …

Still, Sophie’s comment about how all her friends’ parents were helping out unsettled Rosie.  It did leave them at a disadvantage.  And now with Claudia to think of, they really did need a decent roof over their heads. 

She could understand too, Sophie’s reluctance to live all the way out in Lucan.  Sure, Lucan was a different county!

And of course there was little prospect of them moving down here to Wicklow, although it would be lovely to have them close by.  But Wicklow house prices were just as bad as the ones in Dublin, if not worse.  And at the end of the day, she couldn’t blame Sophie for wanting to live near her friends, especially now that they were all starting to settle down and have kids.  Sophie needed the support, and wasn’t Rosie the very same when she first had David?

It was such a pity Martin couldn’t see things from his daughter’s point of view.  But the problem was that once Martin made up his mind about something, then that was the end of it.  And Rosie wouldn’t dream of forcing her husband to do something he genuinely didn’t want to do.

Still, lying in bed that night, unable to sleep, Rosie couldn’t get her daughter’s devastated expression out of her head.    

And for the first time in her life, she wondered if she and Martin had let their daughter down.

“So what did you think?” Sophie enthused.  They were having lunch in a very nice hotel close by the house they’d just viewed, and while Rosie felt ill at ease with these sumptuous surroundings, Sophie, her sunglasses perched fashionably on her head and in her fancy suit, looked as though she’d been frequenting this kind of place all her life.

Although very nice, the house had been a humongous, hugely over-elaborate mansion – Rosie house in Wicklow would have fit in the entrance hall alone.  The décor was very American what with all these marble tiles and stone pillars – dangerous enough for a fully-grown adult, let alone a young child like Claudia.  In Rosie’s opinion, it was totally over the top, and a small family like Sophie’s had no need for a house like that. 

“Well, it was nice –”

“Nice?  Mum it was
fabulous
!  Didn’t you see that amazing American oak floor and the incredible Acacia kitchen?  And weren’t the K glass windows just divine?”

Rosie felt a bit lost. How did her daughter
know
about these things?  The kitchen did stand out as being very nice indeed but, to be honest, wasn’t too far off a version of the one Martin had put in himself back home with a few bits and pieces from the local builder providers.  And what on earth were ‘K glass’ windows and how did they differ from ordinary windows?  In truth, Rosie felt a bit threatened.  Was she that behind the times these days? 
Should
she know
about American oak floors and brushed steel handles and granite flooring? 

“And, apparently, the houses were designed by J Sparks Architects,” Sophie added reverently, as if again this was something to get excited about.

Rosie looked blank. 

“The famous award-winning architects?”

“Oh, right, those ones.” Rosie feigned comprehension, wondering why this made such a difference. 

“Nikki will just
die
when she sees it.  She’s been after a Sparks house forever and will just go apoplectic when she finds out I’m thinking of buying one.”

“Look, are you sure this is really the right house for you, pet?  It’s a huge place – think of what the heating would cost, let alone the mortgage.” 

Sophie sighed. “Well, Mum, this is the thing,” she began, reaching across and softly touching Rosie’s arm.  “Rob and I have been doing the sums and …” she paused dramatically, “remember when we came to you and Dad before? Looking for help?”

Rosie nodded, her earlier suspicions verified.  “And now you’d like me to help you out,” she confirmed, quietly.  She’d expected Sophie to ask of course, but still she couldn’t help feeling a little pressurised, especially when Martin had been so against it.  But yet, if she didn’t agree, Sophie and Robert and the baby would be stuck in that rented apartment so …

“Do you think you could consider it?” Apparently unaware of her mother’s discomfort, Sophie’s eyes shone eagerly.

“I don’t know …”

“Mum, you’re our last hope.” Now her daughter’s eyes shone with tears and Rosie’s heart melted. “You have no idea how difficult it is trying to get enough money together for a deposit – let alone the fact that the bank won’t lend us enough on the basis of our salaries. We’re spending so much money on rent as it is that we’re practically living hand to mouth!”

Hand to mouth? Almost instinctively Rosie’s glance moved to the window and the carpark, where Sophie’s brand new sports car was sitting proudly. 

“We would be so grateful, Mum, you know we would.  We can’t ask Rob’s parents because these days he and his dad don’t really get on. And I know Rob would rather live on the street than ask him to help out,” she added bitterly.  “But luckily, you and I don’t have that problem, do we, Mum?”

“No, no, of course not.” Rosie couldn’t concentrate properly.  She’d never heard anything about Rob not getting on with his parents before. 

“So as I said, you’re really our last hope – ours – and Claudia’s . . .”

And at the mention of her granddaughter, Rosie actually understood what it felt like to have her heartstrings tugged. 

“You saw yourself the size of the back garden,” Sophia went on. “Claudia would be in her element out there.”

“But it is such a big house, Sophie. Surely you don’t need five bedrooms for just the three of you. You’d be lost in a place that size.”

There was a brief silence.

A moment later, Sophie cleared her throat. “Well,” she said looking sheepish,  “I didn’t want to say anything, but … well, Rob and I were talking the other night, and we decided that if we
did
get this house … well then we’d start thinking seriously about a brother or sister for Claudia.”

“Oh.” After all the giving-out her daughter did during pregnancy, and especially after childbirth, Rosie would have put her life savings on Sophie
never
having another baby.  But wasn’t it true what they said, that over time every woman forgets the pain and hardship?  And it would be lovely for Claudia to have a little brother or sister, or indeed for Rosie herself to have another grandchild.  She smiled, the thought of it all delighting her enormously.

Sensing she had hit the bull’s-eye, Sophie sat forward.  “So, we were hoping to start trying as soon as we could but of course, we couldn’t even
dream
of it until we were settled in a house of our own – a big enough house of our own and …” she let the remainder of her sentence trail off.

Rosie exhaled loudly. “Well … I don’t know much about those kind of things,” she said, shrugging a little. “Your father was the one who looked after all of that and – ”

Sophie almost leapt out of her seat. “Mum, you wouldn’t have to do a thing!  Rob will sort it all out … well … I mean he could help
you
sort it all out!” She looked fit to explode with delight. “But to begin with, we need to have your house valued, you know – just to see how much the bank will lend against it.” She smiled conspiratorially.  “By my reckoning, it should easily be good for about three hundred and fifty thousand.  So then, with your equity guarantee, and what the building society give us, we should be well able to afford this place!”

Her eyes shone happily, and just then Rosie knew that despite her misgivings about what was actually involved, she wouldn’t dream of refusing her.  Granted, she didn’t understand a lot of what Sophie was saying about guarantees and equity and all that, but she was sure Robert would help her get to grips with it all.

And sure, these things were par for the course now too – weren’t they always saying it on the News how hard it was for couples to get a foot on the ladder nowadays? In all honesty, it delighted Rosie’s heart to think that she’d be able to help her daughter out when she needed her.  Wasn’t that what parents were for after all?

“Mum, I can’t believe it – our very first house!” Sophie enthused, her eyes shining with delight.  “Oh, I can’t wait to tell Rob!” Quick as you like, she whipped out her tiny mobile phone and pressed a button. “Darling, hi, it’s me.  Mum’s agreed!” She grinned happily, and Rosie couldn’t help but grin too.  “I know, isn’t it fantastic? Yes, well, why don’t you phone the estate agent now and get an offer in.  Great! Well, look, I’ll see you tonight and we’ll talk more about it then.  Oh and Rob?” she added, giggling girlishly. “Don’t forget to pick up some VC on the way, OK?
Ciao
!”

Rosie sat back in her seat, relaxing a little. “You should tell him to get that new Russell Crowe one that’s out now,” she said, as Sophie put her phone back in her bag.  “Myself and Sheila were watching it last week, and I must admit I really enjoyed it.  He’s a fine cut of a fellow, that Russell Crowe.”

“What?” Sophie looked as though her mother had suddenly gone dotty.

“Well, I wasn’t trying to listen in or anything,” Rosie was embarrassed, “but I couldn’t help hearing you tell Robert not to forget to pick up a video on his way home.  I just thought that –”

“Oh, Mum!” Sophie burst out laughing.

“What?” Rosie didn’t know what was so hilarious.

“Mum, you’re a ticket! VC doesn’t stand for video, it stands for
Veuve Cliquot
!”

Again Rosie looked blank.

“Champagne?” Sophie supplied helpfully. 

“Oh.”

“Well, it’s not every day a girl gets a chance to bid on a J Sparks home, and that certainly calls for a glass of bubbly or two, doesn’t it?”

“Oh … oh, I see.”  For about the third time that day, Rosie wondered if she and her daughter actually inhabited totally different words.

“God, Mum, our very own home!” Sophie was still gushing. “I have to admit I really didn’t think it would ever happen, and at one stage I was feeling so desperate that I really thought we’d end up raising poor Claudia in that shoe-box we’re in now.” She smiled winningly.  “Mum you are an absolute treasure for helping us out like this, you know that, don’t you – an absolute treasure!”

“Not at all love,” Rosie basked in her daughter’s praise, surer than ever that she had made the right decision.  “Not at all.  And if you can’t rely on your parents to get you out of a spot, sure who can you rely on?”

******

The next week seemed to go by in a daze.  A daze of estate agents, valuations and lots and lots of talk, most of which went completely over Rosie’s head. 

Today, the three of them were on their way to Sophie’s solicitor in town, to ‘sign everything over’.

Rosie knew she wouldn’t understand half of what was going on, but luckily Rob and Sophie were there to fill in the forms.  All she’d have to do was sign her name, they’d told her.

Rosie hated filling in forms – it was something that had always overwhelmed her, even back when her eyesight had been perfect.  Martin used to laugh at her staunch resistance to even the simplest of paperwork, like writing a cheque, or even a birthday card, but it was all right for Martin, at least he had finished school.  Rosie had left school and went out to work when she was fifteen years old, and while she was no by means illiterate, she just wasn’t confident enough about her reading and writing abilities to get involved in it all.  Anyway, Martin had always done what was required, so she had little need to get involved. 

Anyway, it looked like she was right to be wary – weren’t the brats always in the news lately for swindling and overcharging people, and wasn’t Rosie better off looking after her own money?  The final straw had been when poor old Sheila – or rather Sheila’s husband, a builder – had been accused a while back of holding one of those illegal off-shore accounts, and had to pay the taxman a small fortune as a result.  The problem was that Jim had been dead for years, Sheila had never known anything about it, and the poor thing had to hand over most of her life savings to pay the bill. 

Now, sitting in this swanky office, in front of an even swankier-looking solicitor, Rosie didn’t like all the questions he was firing at her about title deeds and insurance policies and the like.  Robert and Sophie sat on either side of her, and although Rosie knew they were sitting like that to make her feel more comfortable, in truth she felt a little stifled.

“So, Mrs Mitchell, you’re content to let the building society take a lien on your title deeds in order to fund your daughter’s mortgage?”

Rosie blinked. 

“Mum, he’s simply checking that you’re happy doing this, and that you don’t have any objections to helping us out.”

“Oh, right.” Feeling silly, Rosie reddened a little. “Of course I’m happy to do it.  I wouldn’t be much of a mother if I wasn’t, would I?” she said, with a little laugh.

“Great,” the solicitor smiled. “But I take it you’re aware that if there is any default in repayment, your own property may be at risk of repossession.”

“There won’t be any default,” Sophie interjected sharply, and Rosie looked at her, confused.  “He’s only letting you know the worst-case scenario, Mum,” she soothed.  “Don’t worry, Rob and I can well afford to make the repayments.  The banks are just trying to cover themselves, aren’t they, Mr King?”

The solicitor smiled.  “Certainly, and I’m sure everything will go very smoothly.  However, it is my duty to point out the consequences of what could –”

“It’ll be fine,” Sophie reiterated, gritting her teeth.  “Rob and I have explained everything, haven’t we, Mum?”

Rosie smiled nervously.  They had tried to explain everything, but again, she hadn’t really understood much of it, other than the fact they were “unbelievably grateful” she was making it possible for them to have “the house of their dreams”.

“Yes, I’m sure it’s all grand,” she said, smiling at the solicitor.

“Terrific.  Well, all I need now is for you three to sign this little lot –” He pushed a sheaf of papers across the table, and immediately Rosie stiffened.  “There you go, Mrs Mitchell,” he said, handing her a pen and adding playfully, “We’ll let you be the first to sign your life away.”

Sophie gave him an irritated look.  “As if,” she said conspiratorially, rolling her eyes at her mother, and instantly setting Rosie at ease. 

The way this fellow was going on, she thought, you’d swear Sophie and Robert were asking for the clothes off her back and not just the deeds to her house!  But that was solicitors for you, a pack of scaremongers the lot of them.  Rosie scrunched up her eyes, searching for the place she should sign her name.