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Authors: Cathy Kelly
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doesn’t the time fly when you’ve got company?’ Mrs Hanley said as the bus shuddered into the depot at the bottom of Mil Street. ‘As I said, I’m counting on Loretta coming back from Lanzarote with an engagement ring, although keep that to yourself, but if she does, we’l have a bit of a bash. Nothing too fancy.
They’l be saving for the wedding, I dare say. Loretta loves the Metropole in Dublin. Very classy.
Or the Merlin Castle and Spa over in Kildare. Pity we’ve nothing like that here. There are builders working al hours of the day and night on the health farm in the old Delaney place. It’s nearly finished, I believe, but it won’t have a hotel with it, so Loretta wil have to go out of town if she wants her posh wedding.’
The words were only out of Mrs Hanley’s mouth when she realised what she’d said and clasped a beringed hand to her lips. ‘Sorry, Cleo. Me and my big mouth. I didn’t think.
Don’t
tel your mother, please. You know I’m mad about her, it’s just that young people, like Loretta, you know, they want different things at weddings these days and they like to make a weekend out of it. Say with the wedding on a Friday, then al sorts of treatments in the health centre on the Saturday, and a party that night. And you’d need a big bal room too and at least fifty rooms to cater for al the people flying in from abroad. A smal place with a few rooms wouldn’t do …’ She clamped a hand over her mouth again. ‘I’m digging an even bigger hole for myself, Cleo, love. I didn’t mean to offend you or your family.’
‘Don’t be sil y, Mrs Hanley,’ said Cleo briskly. She could hardly blame the woman for pointing out the truth as Cleo saw it herself. ‘Anyway, you’l be hearing interesting things about the Wil ow soon. We have great plans for the future, you know,’ she added. ‘The work wil be starting soon, in fact.’
‘Be positive about your hotel,’ had been part of the advice in col ege. ‘Don’t be afraid to tel people the positive points and any future improvements, as long as you can back it up.’ And they’d be able to do that soon, Cleo reasoned. If her family listened to her.
‘I’m so glad,’ Mrs Hanley said. ‘I’ve been worried because the place has been a bit run down and your poor mother is worn out with it al . Myself and the girls from the book club talk about it al the time.’
‘You do?’
Relief that Cleo hadn’t taken offence made Mrs Hanley loquacious. ‘She looks worn out, you know. Worn out. It can’t be easy, although she keeps a brave face on her. But we have been worried, Cleo. I’m so fond of your mother, and your father too. I thought they might retire, to be honest, and head off for the sun. The heat’s great for arthritis and your mother is a martyr to it. Stay off the tomatoes, Sheila, I tel her, they’re ruinous for the old arthritis, but does she listen?’
Mrs Hanley pressed another chocolate upon Cleo before they parted company. ‘You’re only a slip of a thing,’ Mrs Hanley said disapprovingly.
Cleo grinned and took the chocolate. Compared to the Hanley girls, she was a slip of a thing.
As she walked out of the bus depot, she chewed her chocolate slowly to make it last and thought of the truth in Mrs Hanley’s words. Everybody could see that the hotel was in trouble. Except her family.
On her way up through Carrickwel to the Wil ow, Cleo passed The Holy Land, which looked a bit bare now Christmas had gone, and past the brightly painted facade of Little Tigers Nursery with its big tiger motif on the front door. It was half six and parents were stil rushing in to col ect children, who emerged al wrapped up in warm clothes, running and skipping to their parents’ cars, talking madly about what they’d been painting and what games they’d played. Cleo had never given much thought to it before, but it occurred to her that it must be hard to leave your child in a nursery al day, only picking him or her up when
They’l be saving for the wedding, I dare say. Loretta loves the Metropole in Dublin. Very classy.
Or the Merlin Castle and Spa over in Kildare. Pity we’ve nothing like that here. There are builders working al hours of the day and night on the health farm in the old Delaney place. It’s nearly finished, I believe, but it won’t have a hotel with it, so Loretta wil have to go out of town if she wants her posh wedding.’
The words were only out of Mrs Hanley’s mouth when she realised what she’d said and clasped a beringed hand to her lips. ‘Sorry, Cleo. Me and my big mouth. I didn’t think.
Don’t
tel your mother, please. You know I’m mad about her, it’s just that young people, like Loretta, you know, they want different things at weddings these days and they like to make a weekend out of it. Say with the wedding on a Friday, then al sorts of treatments in the health centre on the Saturday, and a party that night. And you’d need a big bal room too and at least fifty rooms to cater for al the people flying in from abroad. A smal place with a few rooms wouldn’t do …’ She clamped a hand over her mouth again. ‘I’m digging an even bigger hole for myself, Cleo, love. I didn’t mean to offend you or your family.’
‘Don’t be sil y, Mrs Hanley,’ said Cleo briskly. She could hardly blame the woman for pointing out the truth as Cleo saw it herself. ‘Anyway, you’l be hearing interesting things about the Wil ow soon. We have great plans for the future, you know,’ she added. ‘The work wil be starting soon, in fact.’
‘Be positive about your hotel,’ had been part of the advice in col ege. ‘Don’t be afraid to tel people the positive points and any future improvements, as long as you can back it up.’ And they’d be able to do that soon, Cleo reasoned. If her family listened to her.
‘I’m so glad,’ Mrs Hanley said. ‘I’ve been worried because the place has been a bit run down and your poor mother is worn out with it al . Myself and the girls from the book club talk about it al the time.’
‘You do?’
Relief that Cleo hadn’t taken offence made Mrs Hanley loquacious. ‘She looks worn out, you know. Worn out. It can’t be easy, although she keeps a brave face on her. But we have been worried, Cleo. I’m so fond of your mother, and your father too. I thought they might retire, to be honest, and head off for the sun. The heat’s great for arthritis and your mother is a martyr to it. Stay off the tomatoes, Sheila, I tel her, they’re ruinous for the old arthritis, but does she listen?’
Mrs Hanley pressed another chocolate upon Cleo before they parted company. ‘You’re only a slip of a thing,’ Mrs Hanley said disapprovingly.
Cleo grinned and took the chocolate. Compared to the Hanley girls, she was a slip of a thing.
As she walked out of the bus depot, she chewed her chocolate slowly to make it last and thought of the truth in Mrs Hanley’s words. Everybody could see that the hotel was in trouble. Except her family.
On her way up through Carrickwel to the Wil ow, Cleo passed The Holy Land, which looked a bit bare now Christmas had gone, and past the brightly painted facade of Little Tigers Nursery with its big tiger motif on the front door. It was half six and parents were stil rushing in to col ect children, who emerged al wrapped up in warm clothes, running and skipping to their parents’ cars, talking madly about what they’d been painting and what games they’d played. Cleo had never given much thought to it before, but it occurred to her that it must be hard to leave your child in a nursery al day, only picking him or her up when
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