he might follow.’ Sean nods up the lane and I turn Mercury and to my surprise he falls into step beside me. Behind me, Sean is pushing and pulling, cajoling and swearing as Freddie refuses to budge. He drops the lead rope in frustration.
‘Shake the bucket!’ he shouts. I’m walking backwards and give it a really good shake. Suddenly Freddie decides it’s dinner time and chases up the road towards me. Sean’s chasing Freddie and I’m running with Mercury. In no time at all we’re back at the farm and Freddie and Mercury are back in their field. Sean secures the gate, really tightly this time. I hold my knees trying to catch my breath. When I stand up Freddie has his head over the gate and Sean is rubbing him along his long ears. ‘You have to watch for that. They’re master escapologists. I’ve tried all sorts to keep them in, but nothing seems to work,’ is all he says. I’m still catching my breath.
‘And these are the girls,’ he points towards the hen house in the next field and beyond that a gaggle of white geese. ‘They have to be put away before the fox comes round looking for his dinner.’ Sean vaults over the gate. The light is fading and the hens follow him to their shed, climbing up a ladder and into their bedroom where he shuts them in for the night. He does the same with the geese but they don’t seem quite so obliging and he has to herd them, arms spread out to get them into their pen. An obliging donkey I may have been able to handle, but these look like a different kettle of fish all together.
‘You’ll be OK to feed them in the morning?’
‘Yes,’ I say with more confidence than I’m feeling.
Just as Sean is switching off the lights in the feed shed, Nancy’s BMW turns into the drive.
I give a little wave and Sean gives an apologetic shrug. She sticks her head out of the car window.
‘You’re not ready! Hurry up!’ she calls and the window whirrs shuts.
‘Right …’ He shuts the feed shed firmly and jogs round to the cottage steps, whereas I can hardly walk.
In my room I peel off my clothes. Despite the waterproofs I’m wet through to my undies. I decide to brave the erratic shower to warm up. By the time I’ve finished and dressed in my bedroom in more clothes that Sean’s found for me, the fire is cheerily flickering away, Grace is eating and Sean’s in the bathroom. Nancy is pacing up and down the living room in her coat, her black high heels clipping across the floor. She shivers.
‘So, you’re English?’ she enquires.
‘Yes,’ is all I can think of saying. I can’t tell her I ended up living in Cardiff, too complicated.
‘What brings you out to Galway?’ She looks around like this is the last place she wants to be.
‘Oh y’know. It was time for a change,’ I say, not wanting to say that my new husband ran out on me and I’m stuck here.
‘Hmmm, you should’ve gone to France. The weather is so much better. Oh, where is he? Sean! I’m waiting in the car!’ she shouts.
‘Have a nice evening,’ I say as she heads out of the door. I turn to the kitchen and wonder what to do about supper.
‘Don’t look round if you’re easily offended,’ Sean says. I can hear wet footsteps behind me and he’s making his way through the living room to his bedroom. My God, was he actually naked? I fling open the refrigerator and stick my head in it, looking for something to eat and keep it there until I hear his door click shut. He really is too much. Nancy beeps her horn outside.
‘I won’t be back tonight,’ Sean announces as he comes back into the living room, pulling on his battered wax jacket. He’s wearing a crumpled cream shirt.
Nancy leans on the horn again. He ignores it. Sean Thornton is obviously not a man who likes taking orders.
‘You shouldn’t have any problems. I’ll leave the tractor keys just in case.’ He puts a small set of keys on the table and heads for the door saying, ‘Right, have fun,’ over his shoulder.
I hear
‘Shake the bucket!’ he shouts. I’m walking backwards and give it a really good shake. Suddenly Freddie decides it’s dinner time and chases up the road towards me. Sean’s chasing Freddie and I’m running with Mercury. In no time at all we’re back at the farm and Freddie and Mercury are back in their field. Sean secures the gate, really tightly this time. I hold my knees trying to catch my breath. When I stand up Freddie has his head over the gate and Sean is rubbing him along his long ears. ‘You have to watch for that. They’re master escapologists. I’ve tried all sorts to keep them in, but nothing seems to work,’ is all he says. I’m still catching my breath.
‘And these are the girls,’ he points towards the hen house in the next field and beyond that a gaggle of white geese. ‘They have to be put away before the fox comes round looking for his dinner.’ Sean vaults over the gate. The light is fading and the hens follow him to their shed, climbing up a ladder and into their bedroom where he shuts them in for the night. He does the same with the geese but they don’t seem quite so obliging and he has to herd them, arms spread out to get them into their pen. An obliging donkey I may have been able to handle, but these look like a different kettle of fish all together.
‘You’ll be OK to feed them in the morning?’
‘Yes,’ I say with more confidence than I’m feeling.
Just as Sean is switching off the lights in the feed shed, Nancy’s BMW turns into the drive.
I give a little wave and Sean gives an apologetic shrug. She sticks her head out of the car window.
‘You’re not ready! Hurry up!’ she calls and the window whirrs shuts.
‘Right …’ He shuts the feed shed firmly and jogs round to the cottage steps, whereas I can hardly walk.
In my room I peel off my clothes. Despite the waterproofs I’m wet through to my undies. I decide to brave the erratic shower to warm up. By the time I’ve finished and dressed in my bedroom in more clothes that Sean’s found for me, the fire is cheerily flickering away, Grace is eating and Sean’s in the bathroom. Nancy is pacing up and down the living room in her coat, her black high heels clipping across the floor. She shivers.
‘So, you’re English?’ she enquires.
‘Yes,’ is all I can think of saying. I can’t tell her I ended up living in Cardiff, too complicated.
‘What brings you out to Galway?’ She looks around like this is the last place she wants to be.
‘Oh y’know. It was time for a change,’ I say, not wanting to say that my new husband ran out on me and I’m stuck here.
‘Hmmm, you should’ve gone to France. The weather is so much better. Oh, where is he? Sean! I’m waiting in the car!’ she shouts.
‘Have a nice evening,’ I say as she heads out of the door. I turn to the kitchen and wonder what to do about supper.
‘Don’t look round if you’re easily offended,’ Sean says. I can hear wet footsteps behind me and he’s making his way through the living room to his bedroom. My God, was he actually naked? I fling open the refrigerator and stick my head in it, looking for something to eat and keep it there until I hear his door click shut. He really is too much. Nancy beeps her horn outside.
‘I won’t be back tonight,’ Sean announces as he comes back into the living room, pulling on his battered wax jacket. He’s wearing a crumpled cream shirt.
Nancy leans on the horn again. He ignores it. Sean Thornton is obviously not a man who likes taking orders.
‘You shouldn’t have any problems. I’ll leave the tractor keys just in case.’ He puts a small set of keys on the table and heads for the door saying, ‘Right, have fun,’ over his shoulder.
I hear
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