Read Online Silver Wedding by Maeve Binchy - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Maeve Binchy
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Nessa said, *s if to make up for her earlier outburst. 'You always get on to the wave length so well.'
'It's probably that I'm there already,' Helen said. 'You know about taking one to know one and all that.'
'You'd never be a bag lady, Helen,' Brigid said affectionately.
'You'd lose the bags.' The laughter around the supper table at St Martin's was warm and good-natured.
Helen felt very much at peace and very much at home.
She thought she heard Nessa get up in the middle of the night and go downstairs. It was an old house full of creaks and sounds. They could each recognize the others' steps and coughs. Like a family.
Helen was about to get up and follow her down to the kitchen for cocoa and a chat. But she hesitated. Brigid had often said that when people were upset the last thing they needed was someone to arrive in on top of them offering tea and sympathy. Helen had listened without agreeing. It was what she always wanted. There hadn't been any of it at home. Daddy too tired, Mother too anxious, Anna too busy, Brendan too withdrawn. It was why she had found this other family. They always had time to sympathize. It was what their work was all about. Listening.
Surely she should go down now and listen to Nessa, and maybe tell her all about the drunk today and how upsetting it had been. But maybe not. As Helen was deciding she heard Sister Brigid's light step go down the stairs.
She crept to the landing to hear what they were talking about.
Strangely it was all about the garden, and what they should plant. Shrubs would be nice to sit and look out on, Brigid said.
'When do you ever sit down?' Nessa spoke in a tone that was both scolding and admiring.
'I do sit down, lots of times. It's like that thing we got to charge the batteries for the radio, it puts new energy into me, into all of us.'
'You never seem tired, Brigid.'
'I feel it, I tell you. I'm getting old anyway, I'll be forty soon.'
Nessa laughed aloud. 'Don't be ridiculous, you're only thirty four.'
'Well, forty is the next milestone; I don't mind, it's just that I don't have as much energy as I used to. Who'll do the garden, Nessa? I'm too full of aches and pains. You can't be spared from the children.'
'After today I think I could be spared only too easily. I don't have any judgement...'
'Shush, shush ... Who will we ask to do it? It's hard work, you know, trying to make that little patch look like something restful and peaceful.'
'Helen maybe?' Nessa sounded doubtful.
Helen on the landing felt a dull red come up her neck and to her face.
'Oh, she'd do it certainly, and she'd be full of imagination . . .' Sister Brigid sounded doubtful too. 'The only thing is. ..'
Nessa came in immediately. 'The only thing is she'd lose interest halfway through after we'd bought all the plants, and they'd die. Is that what you mean?'
Helen felt a wave of fury come over her.
'No, it's just that I don't like her to think that we're shunting her to do something that isn't really... our work, you know.'
'But it's all our work, isn't it?' Nessa sounded surprised.
'Yes, you know that, I know that, Helen doesn't. Anyway we'll see. Come on, Nessa, if us old ones are to be any use to this Community we'd better get a few hours of sleep a night.' She was laughing, Sister Brigid had a lovely warm laugh that included you and wrapped you up.
'Thank you, Brigid.'
'I did nothing, said nothing.'
'It's the way you do it, say it.' Nessa was obviously feeling better now.
Helen slipped back into her room and stood for a long time with her back to>the door.
So they thought she wouldn't finish things? She'd show them, by heavens would she show them.
She'd dig that garden single-handed, she'd build a magic garden where they could all sit and think and be at peace and they would realize that Sister Helen more than any of them knew that anything done for the Community was as important as any other thing. Then they would have to let her take her vows. And she would be completely
'It's probably that I'm there already,' Helen said. 'You know about taking one to know one and all that.'
'You'd never be a bag lady, Helen,' Brigid said affectionately.
'You'd lose the bags.' The laughter around the supper table at St Martin's was warm and good-natured.
Helen felt very much at peace and very much at home.
She thought she heard Nessa get up in the middle of the night and go downstairs. It was an old house full of creaks and sounds. They could each recognize the others' steps and coughs. Like a family.
Helen was about to get up and follow her down to the kitchen for cocoa and a chat. But she hesitated. Brigid had often said that when people were upset the last thing they needed was someone to arrive in on top of them offering tea and sympathy. Helen had listened without agreeing. It was what she always wanted. There hadn't been any of it at home. Daddy too tired, Mother too anxious, Anna too busy, Brendan too withdrawn. It was why she had found this other family. They always had time to sympathize. It was what their work was all about. Listening.
Surely she should go down now and listen to Nessa, and maybe tell her all about the drunk today and how upsetting it had been. But maybe not. As Helen was deciding she heard Sister Brigid's light step go down the stairs.
She crept to the landing to hear what they were talking about.
Strangely it was all about the garden, and what they should plant. Shrubs would be nice to sit and look out on, Brigid said.
'When do you ever sit down?' Nessa spoke in a tone that was both scolding and admiring.
'I do sit down, lots of times. It's like that thing we got to charge the batteries for the radio, it puts new energy into me, into all of us.'
'You never seem tired, Brigid.'
'I feel it, I tell you. I'm getting old anyway, I'll be forty soon.'
Nessa laughed aloud. 'Don't be ridiculous, you're only thirty four.'
'Well, forty is the next milestone; I don't mind, it's just that I don't have as much energy as I used to. Who'll do the garden, Nessa? I'm too full of aches and pains. You can't be spared from the children.'
'After today I think I could be spared only too easily. I don't have any judgement...'
'Shush, shush ... Who will we ask to do it? It's hard work, you know, trying to make that little patch look like something restful and peaceful.'
'Helen maybe?' Nessa sounded doubtful.
Helen on the landing felt a dull red come up her neck and to her face.
'Oh, she'd do it certainly, and she'd be full of imagination . . .' Sister Brigid sounded doubtful too. 'The only thing is. ..'
Nessa came in immediately. 'The only thing is she'd lose interest halfway through after we'd bought all the plants, and they'd die. Is that what you mean?'
Helen felt a wave of fury come over her.
'No, it's just that I don't like her to think that we're shunting her to do something that isn't really... our work, you know.'
'But it's all our work, isn't it?' Nessa sounded surprised.
'Yes, you know that, I know that, Helen doesn't. Anyway we'll see. Come on, Nessa, if us old ones are to be any use to this Community we'd better get a few hours of sleep a night.' She was laughing, Sister Brigid had a lovely warm laugh that included you and wrapped you up.
'Thank you, Brigid.'
'I did nothing, said nothing.'
'It's the way you do it, say it.' Nessa was obviously feeling better now.
Helen slipped back into her room and stood for a long time with her back to>the door.
So they thought she wouldn't finish things? She'd show them, by heavens would she show them.
She'd dig that garden single-handed, she'd build a magic garden where they could all sit and think and be at peace and they would realize that Sister Helen more than any of them knew that anything done for the Community was as important as any other thing. Then they would have to let her take her vows. And she would be completely
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