“Morning, Catherine. The door was open. How are you, Liam? Are you not yourself? Did you not sleep? Sure I'm as bad myself. Twisting and turning half the night, praying for the bit of light through the curtains. I might as well-”
“The Boeing 747 can carry up to five hundred passengers.”
“Don't be fretting yourself, it's only me. Would you not stick in his arms? He'll catch his death of the cold.”
“I told you before. There's no point.”
“Still, if anyone walked in… Do you know what I have for you, Liam? A bit of news. I met the new curate after mass and he said he might drop in. Won't you look forward to that? Of course you will.... Wouldn't you pity him, lying there like a corpse. I wonder does he notice us at all or is he just remembering? Did I ever tell you about the first day he arrived?”
“You did.”
“He had digs with Mrs. Hargroves down by the Dead Wall. Me and
your Mammy were coming up Coote Street when this grand-looking lad
asked for directions to the library. Even then, he was a woeful man for the
books. Tessie and myself thought he was gorgeous. So shy and well-
mannered. Your Mammy was the lucky girl. He had his pick of
the town. It was the night of the Nurses' Dance. Toby Bannon's orchestra
was playing a foxtrot, one of Victor Silvester's, when he walked across the
floor and, to tell the truth, I thought it was for myself he was coming....
Every eye in the place was on them. You'd swear they were royalty.”
“The De Havilland Comet was the world's first jet airliner.”
“Would you not stick in his hands?”
“He's not cold.”
“And a year later he took her to the altar. Did she ever tell you how he proposed to her?”
“Many times. The longer we were in the States, the more she spoke about the past.”
“Isn't it a wonder he never brought her back for a holiday, and all belonging to her here? Anyway, where was I? He was a terrible man. It was New Year's Eve, and the three of us were going up to the Statue for the rosary. That used to be a great occasion. The accordion band, choir, altar boys, the whole works. Outside Turpin's, didn't he go down on one knee and pop the question. Just like that. In full view of half the town. I thought he was only codding, or maybe he had a few drinks, but Tessie was grinning like the cat that got the cream. Even in the dark I could she was delighted. I told him to get up out of that and not be making a stook of himself in public. But the next Saturday, didn't they go to Dublin and come back with the ring. Isn't that a grand story?”
“He was always very romantic.” continue
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