‘How are you feeling, love?’ she’d whispered.
Her son had shrugged and leaned against the wall, unwilling to chat; and with a look of abject sorrow, stumbling with fatigue, he had gone straight to bed. She had then heard him moving around on the landing in the early hours and hoped that he might get some rest this morning.
Enya sat up in the bed, still with her phone in her hand. It was time for her Sunday morning call with her sister.
‘So, let me get this straight.’ Angela took a breath and Enya could picture her wearing her tropical sarong over her swimming costume, taking the call from the comfort of her sun lounger while Frank bobbed in the communal pool on his lilo. ‘He’s marrying this girl he’s only known five minutes?’
It was typical of Angela to exaggerate.
‘Three weeks, he’s known her for three weeks, which I know is still very quick, but...’ She felt the need to justify Aiden’s actions, to defend him. Always. Even if she more than understood what Angela was driving at.
‘What does she look like?’
‘I don’t know. Aiden said she’s beautiful, but I don’t have any more details.’
‘And she works?’
‘Yes, in marketing, not sure what that means, exactly.’
‘Clever then. And did she have a fella that she had to dump?’ Angela fired questions with her usual lack of tact.
‘I don’t know.’ It hadn’t occurred to Enya to ask.
‘And what did Holly say, the poor love?’
‘She’s heartbroken, as you’d expect. Not that I’ve seen her.’
She felt the rise of sorrow in her chest at the thought of how Holly would be feeling, picturing her arriving here only yesterday with her tray of blondies and a spring in her step. A lifetime ago.
‘And what about Jen? Have you spoken to her? She must be gutted!’
‘No, I haven’t.’ This not an easy admission, cringing over her generic text that her friend had snubbed. ‘I don’t know what to say or how to say it. I sent a heart emoji.’
‘I see.’ Angela’s lack of reassurance spoke volumes. ‘So, is he getting his stuff out of the flat?’
‘I suppose so, it’s still all very raw and new, but they’ll have to discuss the practicalities at some point.’ She dreaded the process in advance.
‘And Aiden paid the deposit, didn’t he? Make sure he gets that back.’
‘Honestly, I think that’s the last thing on his mind.’ She rolled her eyes.
‘I suppose we’ll have to start booking flights to get Mum and Dad over for the wedding, is it a secret or can I tell them? She’ll have to get a hair appointment and find a dress...’
‘Oh, God!’ Enya honestly couldn’t stand the thought of it all.
‘Well, you can’t spring it on them, they’re old! You can’t spring it on any of us, come to think of it, we have lives and things like this take a bit of organising. Unless it’s going to be one of those awful dos where they nip up the registry office and we all shove fifty quid behind the bar of a grotty pub with a sticky carpet.’
‘It’s been sprung on me too, Angela! Don’t forget I only found out yesterday, so don’t start blaming me for any lack of notice, I have a life too!’
‘You do?’
Enya heard the teasing in her sister’s tone but wasn’t in the mood for any discussion about her Arctic fox life today.
‘It’s a lot to get my head around. And I have no idea what kind of wedding,’ she pinched the bridge of her nose, ‘but Aiden said they would probably do it in her parents’ garden among the fruit trees.’
‘Oh, God no! That’ll mean wasps.’ Her sister sighed. ‘Frank’s allergic.’
‘You can’t have it both ways. You can either have your registry office affair with the sticky carpet to follow, or wasps, take your pick!’ She hadn’t meant to raise her voice.
