Read Online The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes by Anna McPartlin - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Anna McPartlin
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called a man in a BMW a wonky-nosed wanker.’ She pushed herself back on the chair and swung her feet.
Rabbit smiled at her daughter. ‘A wonky-nosed wanker, huh?’
Juliet nodded and pushed her nose to the side. ‘It was like this.’
Rabbit chuckled. It was lovely to see Juliet acting her age.
Grace held her hands up. ‘I’m a bad person.’
‘How is Jeffrey?’ Rabbit asked.
‘He’s fine. We’ve caught it in time.’
‘Good,’ Rabbit said, and everyone in the room silently wished the same could be said for her.
‘How’s the diet going?’ Rabbit asked, with an inward smile, because she knew her nephew would be having none of it.
‘He’s threatening to run away.’
‘Not to worry, he won’t get far,’ Molly said, and Davey laughed.
‘Not funny,’ Grace said. ‘Bloody Ryan keeps calling him Fat Chops and I swear to God if Stephen tells one more fat joke I’m going to scream.’
‘He’s lost three pounds already,’ Juliet told Rabbit.
‘That’s great.’
‘Yeah,’ Juliet said. ‘How are you feeling, Ma?’
‘Great,’ Rabbit lied.
‘When are you coming home?’
‘I don’t know yet, Bunny.’
When Juliet was born, her grandfather, Jack, had announced that Rabbit had a bunny, and although the name hadn’t stuck, it had become a term of endearment. Juliet grabbed a chair and dragged it as close to the bedside as she could. She sat down and took the moisturizer from her mother’s locker, opened it and began to smooth it onto Rabbit’s right hand.
‘Because
I
can take care of you. I know your meds and we can turn the dining room into a bedroom if you can’t go up the stairs.’
‘You always take care of me,’ Rabbit said, brushing the hair out of Juliet’s face with her free hand.
‘So let’s go home,’ Juliet said.
‘You have school.’
‘I can take a week off, or I can get up extra early to do what’s needed, and we can ask Mrs Bird to drop in when I’m not there. I can leave a list of your meds and stay in touch with both of you by phone. Jane Regan lost her job two weeks ago so she’s home all day too.’
‘You’ve thought of everything,’ Rabbit said.
‘So?’
‘So let’s see how I am next week,’ Rabbit said.
Juliet looked as though she was going to burst into tears but she feigned a smile and nodded.
‘OK,’ she said, then squeezed out some more moisturizer and massaged her mother’s other hand. Everyone else in the room was silent. The weight of Rabbit’s lies lay heavily on every shoulder . . . but maybe she was right, maybe she’d be OK, despite everything Mr Dunne had said. After all, he was a consultant, not God.
When Rabbit’s pork chop was served, Juliet cut it up small. ‘Just try a little bit with some spud, Ma.’
Rabbit obeyed, but it was all she could do to swallow three spoonfuls. ‘Lovely,’ she said, and Juliet seemed pleased.
‘Would you like the ice-cream?’ she asked, taking the lid off the pot. Rabbit shook her head: she’d had enough. Juliet held it up. ‘Who wants ice-cream?’
Grace and Davey’s hands went up. Juliet looked at her mother. ‘The power,’ she said, and Rabbit grinned.
‘Go on, give it to Grace,’ Davey said.
‘Yeah, come on, I’m living on greens with Jeffrey.’
The others laughed. ‘Ha-ha,’ Grace said, grabbing the ice-cream and spoon. ‘Oh, yeah, that hits the spot.’
Juliet looked at her mother to share in the fun, but Rabbit had drifted away.
Davey nodded at Molly. ‘Let’s see what’s on the box, Ma.’ Molly turned on the TV and Juliet watched an old episode of
Friends
, holding her mammy’s hand.
Johnny
It was the night of Kitchen Sink’s first TV appearance. All the lads were getting ready at Davey’s after a quick rehearsal. Francie and Jay’s uncle Terry was to pick them up in his bread van, which doubled as the band’s tour bus. Grace was going with her da and even though her ma wouldn’t be found dead dancing around some TV studio, she was as
Rabbit smiled at her daughter. ‘A wonky-nosed wanker, huh?’
Juliet nodded and pushed her nose to the side. ‘It was like this.’
Rabbit chuckled. It was lovely to see Juliet acting her age.
Grace held her hands up. ‘I’m a bad person.’
‘How is Jeffrey?’ Rabbit asked.
‘He’s fine. We’ve caught it in time.’
‘Good,’ Rabbit said, and everyone in the room silently wished the same could be said for her.
‘How’s the diet going?’ Rabbit asked, with an inward smile, because she knew her nephew would be having none of it.
‘He’s threatening to run away.’
‘Not to worry, he won’t get far,’ Molly said, and Davey laughed.
‘Not funny,’ Grace said. ‘Bloody Ryan keeps calling him Fat Chops and I swear to God if Stephen tells one more fat joke I’m going to scream.’
‘He’s lost three pounds already,’ Juliet told Rabbit.
‘That’s great.’
‘Yeah,’ Juliet said. ‘How are you feeling, Ma?’
‘Great,’ Rabbit lied.
‘When are you coming home?’
‘I don’t know yet, Bunny.’
When Juliet was born, her grandfather, Jack, had announced that Rabbit had a bunny, and although the name hadn’t stuck, it had become a term of endearment. Juliet grabbed a chair and dragged it as close to the bedside as she could. She sat down and took the moisturizer from her mother’s locker, opened it and began to smooth it onto Rabbit’s right hand.
‘Because
I
can take care of you. I know your meds and we can turn the dining room into a bedroom if you can’t go up the stairs.’
‘You always take care of me,’ Rabbit said, brushing the hair out of Juliet’s face with her free hand.
‘So let’s go home,’ Juliet said.
‘You have school.’
‘I can take a week off, or I can get up extra early to do what’s needed, and we can ask Mrs Bird to drop in when I’m not there. I can leave a list of your meds and stay in touch with both of you by phone. Jane Regan lost her job two weeks ago so she’s home all day too.’
‘You’ve thought of everything,’ Rabbit said.
‘So?’
‘So let’s see how I am next week,’ Rabbit said.
Juliet looked as though she was going to burst into tears but she feigned a smile and nodded.
‘OK,’ she said, then squeezed out some more moisturizer and massaged her mother’s other hand. Everyone else in the room was silent. The weight of Rabbit’s lies lay heavily on every shoulder . . . but maybe she was right, maybe she’d be OK, despite everything Mr Dunne had said. After all, he was a consultant, not God.
When Rabbit’s pork chop was served, Juliet cut it up small. ‘Just try a little bit with some spud, Ma.’
Rabbit obeyed, but it was all she could do to swallow three spoonfuls. ‘Lovely,’ she said, and Juliet seemed pleased.
‘Would you like the ice-cream?’ she asked, taking the lid off the pot. Rabbit shook her head: she’d had enough. Juliet held it up. ‘Who wants ice-cream?’
Grace and Davey’s hands went up. Juliet looked at her mother. ‘The power,’ she said, and Rabbit grinned.
‘Go on, give it to Grace,’ Davey said.
‘Yeah, come on, I’m living on greens with Jeffrey.’
The others laughed. ‘Ha-ha,’ Grace said, grabbing the ice-cream and spoon. ‘Oh, yeah, that hits the spot.’
Juliet looked at her mother to share in the fun, but Rabbit had drifted away.
Davey nodded at Molly. ‘Let’s see what’s on the box, Ma.’ Molly turned on the TV and Juliet watched an old episode of
Friends
, holding her mammy’s hand.
Johnny
It was the night of Kitchen Sink’s first TV appearance. All the lads were getting ready at Davey’s after a quick rehearsal. Francie and Jay’s uncle Terry was to pick them up in his bread van, which doubled as the band’s tour bus. Grace was going with her da and even though her ma wouldn’t be found dead dancing around some TV studio, she was as
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