Dan watched most of the attendees head to the bar, he continued to sit there and looked over to his mother. Still chatting away, she seemed as bad as all the others. Her smile was bigger and brighter than everyone else’s though and so infectious he felt his own lips curl. Seeing her so animated, it was hard to believe she was sick and wishing more than anything that she wasn’t, Dan found himself asking how long before the tell-tale signs that she was dying would begintoshow.
He didn’t have a clue how he’d cope without her, a reality that obviously worried her more and more too. Why else would she bring him here of all places? He just wished she hadn’t insisted he make that stupid promise to start with. But promise he did. He looked around the rest of the room and knew nights like tonight weren’t the answer. Spotting marriage potential at the best of times, let alone in a simple five minutes, wasn’t just difficult, it was nigh on impossible. Even Annabel had said so and she was trying to get pregnant via a turkeybaster.
Annabel. As soon as her face popped into his head he wished it hadn’t. Ever since they’d nearly kissed he’d been doing his best not to think about her. The last thing he needed right now was more complications and, as far as he was concerned, Annabel was one complicated lady. Of course, it didn’t help that he liked the woman, the very reason he’d tried to keep things professional these last weeks. Maintaining a distance seemed safer somehow. Then she offered him a drink and one thing led to another – well almost. He knew if their lips had connected, he’d have been hooked. Yet further proof that he needed to find the real woman of his dreamsandfast.
Dan willed his mother to hurry up, she at last ended her conversation and enthusiastically began making herwayover.
‘Isn’t this fun?’shesaid.
Dan rose to his feet, doing his utmost to pretend he felt the same. ‘That’s one way of putting it,’ hereplied.
He showed his mother to a vacant table in the bar area and went off to get them a drink. Then he returned with two glasses of orange juice, he would have preferred something stiffer. Getting drunk might not solve his problems, but it would certainly get him through the rest of the evening. All in complete contrast to how his mum felt, he noted. Having a merry old time, she clearly needed no suchassistance.
‘You see that chap over there,’ she said, indicating to a man in the crowd. ‘The one in thegreysuit?’
As he took a seat, Dan followed her eye line, identifying the manconcerned.
‘He’s so lovely I can’t believe he’s still single. You’d think, as a doctor, he’d have no problem meeting the right woman, especially being surrounded by nurses every day. Unlike him over there.’ She pointed to another man. ‘It’s no wonder he’s on his own. He breeds rabbits. I tried to tell him a woman doesn’t really want to know the difference between a Britannia Petite and a Dwarf Hotot, but he wasn’t having any of it. The man’sobsessed.’
‘And that bloke there,’ shecontinued.
Drawn into her chatter, Dan tried to keep up. ‘The guy in the bluejumper?’
‘That’s the one. Well, his girlfriend’s just dumped him. Come the end of our five minutes, I realised I knew more about her than I did him. Honestly, you have to wonder what some people are doing here. Men like that can’t seriously be looking for arelationship.’
Dan laughed at the hypocrisy. ‘And you’re herebecause… ?’
‘What choice do I have?’ she asked. ‘I have a son who won’t grant his dying mother her one andonlywish.’
Thanks to his mum’s current vivaciousness Dan had almost forgotten she was sick. Why did she have toremindhim?
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ he asked. According to her Bucket List she had lots of dyingwishes.
‘It means I have a son who doesn’t know what’s good for him. He refuses to settle down with the one beautiful, intelligent woman whom his mother knows is justperfect.’
Dan almost choked on his orange juice. She had to be kidding. ‘Please tell me you’re not talking about Missy’s daughter again, Mum. Settle down with her, I haven’t evenmether.’
‘And whose fault is that?’ she asked. ‘It’s not like you haven’t had the chance.’ She took a sip of her drink. ‘In some cultures you wouldn’t have a choice in the matter, you know. In some cultures, it’s the parents who decide thesethings.’
Dan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He’d guessed there’d be an agenda somewhere along the line, but he hadn’t made a connection to Maeve. ‘So all that stuff about us doing something fun together was just a ploy, was it? Tonight was meant to be so unbearable that I’d see the error of my ways? Are you sure you don’t have cancer of the brain as well as the body?’ heasked.
He froze, immediately horrified by what he’d just said. He couldn’t believe such a thought would enter his head, let alone come out of his mouth. ‘Mum, I’m so sorry, I take it back. I didn’tmeanthat.’
Much to his surprise, rather than be upset by his words, his mother suddenly burst out laughing. ‘Yes you did,’shesaid.
As she continued to howl, Dan stared at her incredulous. Try as he might, he still couldn’t see thefunnyside.
‘That’s the first God’s honest thing you’ve said to me in weeks,’ she carried on. ‘Thank you, Lord. A bit ofnormality.’
‘Normality?’ said Dan, wondering what the woman was talking about. Now he really, really needed a drink. ‘Nothing about anything feels normal anymore.’ He took in his surroundings. ‘I mean look at us. You talk about mother and son. We’re out speed-dating together, forgoodnesssake.’
Much to his frustration, this made his mum laugh even more. But despite not getting the joke, it felt good to see his mum like this. Her laughter became contagious and Dan found himself starting to titteraswell.
‘Oh, Dan, I have missed this,’ she said. She pulled herself together and gave himahug.
As he felt his mother’s arms around him, Dan thought about the misery of the last few weeks and had to concede that he’d missedittoo.
‘Ditto,’hesaid.
