Page 52 of Coming Home to Inishbeg Cove

I sensed we were no longer talking about the village and had moved on to something deeper, although I was unsure what.

‘Sometimes we might outgrow places or people, but never those that are worth having in our lives,’ I replied.

‘But how do you know if something is worth having in your life?’ She turned and looked at me. Her eyes met mine, and in their grey-green depths I could see confusion. I guessed then that we were talking about her marriage. Although I didn’t know anything about her relationship with her husband, the fact that she had been in the village alone with her daughter for the last three months and then he had showed up out of the blue led me to think that they were having difficulties. There was something about Penny – a vulnerability, if you like – and I thought she might need someone to talk to. I knew she was staying with her parents and she had become friendly with Ruairí in the café too, but sometimes it was easier to talk to a stranger: someone who could look in from the outside and listen without any preconceived opinions or agendas.

‘That’s a big question,’ I began. ‘But I suppose when the good times you spend with that person outweigh the bad times, then it’s worth fighting for. Even though you will disagree now and then, if you both know that ultimately you are on the same page, then that will get you through the difficult times.’I was deliberately being as vague in my response as she had been in her question. I could tell she wasn’t ready to open up fully to me, but she obviously needed to talk. ‘I always think that if you can have a laugh with someone, then you still have something special,’ I added.

‘I’ve seen you in the café with your husband – Greg, isn’t it?’ she said.

‘That’s himself.’

‘I know I don’t know you well, so I hope you don’t mind me saying that you two always look very happy together.’

Her words made me pause. There was me thinking I was doling out the advice, but she was right. I had lost sight of that over the last few days. On the whole, Greg and I were good together. Although we might have hit a speed bump recently, I knew we could surmount it because our relationship was worth striving for. ‘We are...’ I began, ‘but lookit, I’d be lying if I said we didn’t have our ups and downs like every couple.’ I felt I owed it to Penny to be honest and let her know that everyone had their problems, no matter how perfect their lives might look on the outside. ‘Is everything okay, Penny?’ I ventured.

She smiled at me. ‘Sorry, I’m sure you’ve better things to be doing than listening to me yakking on.’

‘I don’t know your situation so please don’t take this the wrong way, but if it helps, I firmly believe that you only get one life and you have to live it without any regrets. Listen to your heart, and you can’t go far wrong.’

‘I think you’re right,’ she said, climbing down from her rock and standing on the sand, which was littered with bladderwrack. ‘I’d better get home or Lucy will be wondering where I am.’

I went to stand too, although I had to use a nearby rock to lever myself up. ‘If you ever need someone to talk to, you know where I am,’ I said. ‘I mean it. It’s not all letters and stamps in the post office, you know – you’d be surprised at the number of people who come through my door just for a chat and cuppa.’

‘Thanks for listening.’

‘No bother. Now, I’d better head on too.’ Talking to Penny had made me realise that I needed to have a little chat of my own with someone...