I think we both cried, though we did our best to pretend it was just allergies.
I haven’t shown Adam or Saul yet. The boys are coming home this weekend for a break. I’ll show them then. If I see them. Adam and Jodie will be joined at the hip. Adam can’t wait to get home in time to accompany Jodie to her next hospital appointment, after which they are planning to start shopping for some of their baby essentials. Whereas Saul is bringing a friend back to show him the sights and sounds of Derry. I’ve not met this friend, who goes solely by the nickname of Wigan, before. I’m told he’s ‘great craic’ and that he and Saul are going to seek out digs together once Adam moves back. It’s very reassuring to see Saul make new friendships, and to know that he will have people to rely on without the safety net of his twin on hand.
For now, though, I’m toasting my girls and it feels so lovely.
‘Sixteen-year-old you would be proud,’ Laura says. ‘That’s a big one ticked off the list. Published in a glossy magazine. So what’s next? Marrying David Duchovny?’ She raises an eyebrow.
‘I have my own real-life David Duchovny, don’t you know,’ I reply, and she makes fake sick noises. But I know she doesn’t mean it. She’s delighted for Conal, and for me.
‘Well, since we’re celebrating,’ Niamh says, ‘I might as well let you in on my news.’
We all look directly at her, knowing that she has been deciding what she wants to do about her no longer fulfilling career.
‘I’m going back to teaching,’ she says.
‘What?’ I am confused. Very confused.
‘Only until next year. I’m going to look at the early retirement pathway, and while I’m still teaching I’m going to do some learning of my own too. I’m going to train to be a yoga and wellness instructor. Particularly focused on women.’
‘Oh, wow!’ Laura says. ‘That’s amazing.’
‘It is. I’ve already been putting some feelers out. I’ve been speaking to Peggy, actually, about what I want to do. I want to do whatever I can to support us all, particularly through menopause and beyond. Sixteen-year-old me didn’t have that plan in her letter because she was daft as a brush, but me now – that’s what I want for myself. To feel as if I’m making a difference and not just getting buried under admin or being terrorised by Year 11.’
I am so incredibly proud of this woman. ‘You’re amazing,’ I say.
‘You really are,’ Laura echoes.
‘Since we’re making announcements,’ Laura says, ‘would you mind if I added to the list?’
‘The more the merrier,’ I say.
‘Good!’ she says. ‘Well, I’m taking the money from the sale of Mum’s house and I’m going back to school too. Deirdre has been giving me a little guidance behind the scenes. I didn’t say anything before now because I didn’t know if it would be doable, but it looks like it is.’
‘Back to school?’ I am incredulous. The Laura I know did not particularly like school the first time. She couldn’t wait to be done.
‘Women’s Studies,’ she says. ‘I’m going to study my passion for a bit, and because I can for a while. There’s enough money to cover my loss of earnings for a few years, so I’m going to prove to myself that I can. I know I don’t need to. I’ve done well enough without it. But I think Mum would approve. And I know I want to.’
‘Oh, Laura.’ I feel suddenly emotional, thinking of her taking on such a challenge.
Glancing down at the magazine cover again, at our smiling faces, I think I can’t wait to see what comes next.
47
EPILOGUE PART TWO
Niamh – August
Niamh is incredibly calm. Much calmer than she thought she would be when the time came. The same cannot be said for Paul, or Cal, or Ethan who are running around like headless chickens. Niamh doesn’t think she has ever seen Paul Cassidy this nervous before – not even when his own children were being birthed.
But this is different. This is his baby having her baby. He just wants everything to go well for her. As does Niamh, but she knows that now is not the time for her to let her true emotions bubble to the surface. So she exudes calm, allowing only the faintest traces of her excitement and nervousness occasionally to escape.
Jodie – well, Jodie looks young, and nervous, but Niamh knows that her daughter is absolutely ready to meet her baby. They stand together in their kitchen in the early hours of the morning, Jodie’s face devoid of make-up, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, and wearing joggers and a hoodie. She is circling her hips as Niamh rubs the small of her back.
‘I think they’re getting closer, love,’ Niamh says, tenderly. ‘I think we should think about going to the hospital now.’
Sitting at the kitchen table behind them is Adam, his face sheet-white, while Becca rubs his hand and a very eager Daniel – absolutely delighted to be out of the house at this insane hour – nuzzles his head into Adam’s lap, looking for a cuddle.
‘It will be fine,’ Becca reassures him, and Niamh can’t help but smile. She knows just how excited Adam is to become a father, but how he is absolutely shit-scared of what’s about to go down in the delivery room. He made the fatal error of watching one too many YouTube clips of birth – all taken from an up-close-and-personal angle. On one occasion, Jodie had ended up comforting him as he came round from a pretty impressive faint. It’s something she hasn’t let him live down.
