‘Ah, no, dear. I’ll only be needing a table for one. I’m afraid my husband passed away at the beginning of the year.’
8 P.M. – 10 P.M.
25
AILISH
‘How do we look?’ Gwen asked, as they did one last check in the mirror in the hallway of her riverside loft.
‘Like Charlie’s Angels,’ Rhonda beamed, and Ailish was pleasantly surprised about the generosity of that statement, until Rhonda added, ‘The Menopause version. Wearing well, a few hot flushes, and we’d kick the shit out of the bad guys if they catch us in a mood swing.’
If the taxi driver who picked them up two minutes later wondered what they were laughing about, he didn’t ask. And if he wondered why the car fell silent after a few moments, he didn’t ask about that either, but Ailish knew.
All afternoon, the three of them had been riding a wave of excitement, adrenaline, nostalgia and emotion, but now it was the moment before the curtain went up and a whole different set of feelings were setting in. Gratitude. Trepidation. And if she were honest, a niggling worry that this could all turn out to be just a sad reminder of the rejection and devastation that had been her constant companions since the night, exactly two years ago today, that her world had been blown apart.
Before she could dwell on that, Rhonda broke the silence.
‘I hate to be the harbinger of doom here, but has anyone considered that we might get here and they won’t be able to fit us in? I mean, what if Dario isn’t there to pull strings for us? Or if he is, and the place is packed and there’s nothing he can do?’
Ailish wasn’t sure she had an answer for that question that didn’t involve a tiny touch of relief. They could go to another bar, one that came without memories she wanted to forget. Or they could go home and get into their comfies, then sit up all night reminiscing, just like they’d been doing all day. And no, she wouldn’t get to see Dario, and that would be a shame, but now that she was off the couch, she could always pop in next week, or next month, or never…
Her deliberation of the other possibilities was derailed when Gwen suddenly blurted, ‘Okay, I have a confession to make, so I’m just going to say it quickly and you need to forgive me.’
‘I love it when it’s not me that’s having to ’fess up to things,’ Rhonda gloated. ‘Tell me it’s something awful that they’ll make a documentary about?’
Ailish had the feeling Rhonda wasn’t taking this situation seriously.
Even in the dim light of the back of the cab, Ailish could see Gwen looked a little sheepish.
‘Okay, shoot,’ Ailish prompted. ‘Although, I’m not sure I want to hear.’
‘The thing is…’ Gwen began. ‘Today isn’t the random event that I’ve led you to believe all day. I booked this table at Gino’s months ago. Looking forward to coming here tonight, to seeing everyone and being in the place we’ve always loved, has kept me going even in my darkest moments. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get you both here, especially you, Ailish, but I knew I’d talk you into it somehow. Please don’t take offence. But I didn’t tell you before now because I was waiting for the right time. And then when I got sick again a couple of weeks ago, I thought wewere screwed, but here we are… And the only reason I’m telling you all this is because when we walk in the door, there will be a reservation in my name.’
Ailish wondered if there was a cap on how many times today she was going to be gobsmacked and speechless.
‘Are you mad at me?’ Gwen asked her.
Ailish sighed, taking a minute to formulate how best to describe how she felt right now. ‘I’m disappointed. I feel manipulated. Coerced. Betrayed…’ She let that sit there for a second before adding, ‘But thank God you’re a cunning old boot because I’ve had the best day ever and I wouldn’t change it for anything.’
Gwen was still grinning and squeezing her hand when they pulled up outside the restaurant. Ailish – her purse now transferred from the bag she’d taken to the hospital this morning to an evening clutch she’d borrowed from Gwen – paid the driver and they stepped out into the cold, dark night, yet she didn’t feel a single shiver.
They heard the music pounding through the pavement, smelled the intoxicating aromas of Gino’s food, but it was only when they opened the door that Ailish felt, as she always did here, that she was walking into another world. Only half the tables had people sitting at them so far, but already the room crackled with energy and elation and hilarity. Every day for the last two years, she’d thought about the night that ended her marriage here. Now, she remembered what she’d loved about the restaurant before that.
‘Table for Gwen,’ her friend told the hostess, a young woman Ailish didn’t recognise. It had always been Alicia, and then Dario’s ex-wife, Nicky, who greeted new arrivals. Just another changing of the times.
Ailish could feel a little swagger in her step that hadn’t been there at any point in her life before the moment that Chanelhad zipped up this utterly fabulous frock, and she walked a little taller, a little prouder, a little sexier… until she spotted a little lady sitting right there staring at her.
‘Minnie!’ Ailish gasped, a rush of joy and heartache and too many other things almost knocking her off the sparkly shoes she’d also borrowed from Gwen. ‘Oh, Minnie, it’s so lovely to see you here,’ she told her truthfully, then tried to bend down to hug her but the dress wouldn’t allow it. Instead, she reached over and lifted Minnie’s hand from the table and gave it a heartfelt squeeze.
One of the hardest struggles of the divorce was how it had changed her relationship with her mother-in-law. Their love hadn’t diminished in the least, but the logistics of their time together had been altered. Now she called to check the coast was clear before visiting. She still took Minnie for her shopping every week, but the subject of Eric was off limits. And the special occasions they’d always enjoyed together were now spent apart. Well, not tonight. And that made Ailish’s heart swell.
Gwen and Rhonda stepped in to exchange greetings too, having adopted Minnie as the entire group’s honorary mother-in-law when Ailish married Eric. Ailish knew Minnie loved them just as much as they adored her.
‘I’m so proud of you for coming here tonight,’ Ailish told her, meaning every word. They’d all seen how Minnie had been lost over the last year since Henry had so tragically passed away only two days into January. ‘Are you alone?’ Ailish glanced around, trying to see if there was anyone she recognised, a sudden rush of dread consuming her. Bugger. Don’t say Minnie was here with Eric and his girlfriend? Noooooo. Not tonight. Not when she was just starting to find her way back to the twinkly lights of normal life.
Minnie must have sensed her concern because she answered quickly. ‘Yes, dear, all on my lonesome. Well, apart from Henry, who’ll be here somewhere.’
Ailish could have cried, with both relief and with the gut-wrenching sorrow for Minnie’s loss. She was dealing with it in the way only Minnie would – she still chatted to Henry as if he was in the room, still told him everything she wanted him to know and she drew comfort from the unwavering conviction that he was still right by her side, looking out for her, just as he had for the last sixty years.
