‘Oh, you’re so masterful,’ said Tara with an adoring sigh. Stuart was just about to hit her on the head with his newspaper when Maggie said, ‘Good heavens.’ They both looked at her in amazement. It was the nearest they’d ever heard her get to blasphemy.
‘What is it, Mother?’ asked Tara. ‘Is he still proposing, or after all these years has he finally married someone else?’
‘Neither. He’s been offered a job as head of the Mathematics Department at the University of New South Wales, and he’s coming over to meet the Vice-Chancellor before he makes a final decision.’
‘Couldn’t be better,’ said Tara. ‘After all, he’s Irish, handsome, and has always adored you. And as you regularly remind us, Dad only just managed to beat him off in the first place. What more could you ask for?’
There was a long silence before Maggie said, ‘I’m afraid that’s not altogether accurate.’
‘What do you mean?’ said Tara.
‘Well, the truth is that although he was handsome, and a magnificent dancer, he was also a bit of a bore.’
‘But you always told me …’
‘I know what I told you,’ said Maggie. ‘And you needn’t look at me like that, young lady. I’m sure you occasionally teas
e Stuart about that young waiter from Dublin who …’
‘Mother! In any case, he’s now a …’
‘A what?’ asked Stuart.
‘… a lecturer at Trinity College, Dublin,’ said Tara. ‘And what’s more, he’s happily married with three children. Which is more than can be said for most of your ex-girlfriends.’
‘True,’ admitted Stuart. ‘So tell me,’ he said, turning his attention back to Maggie, ‘when does Dr O’Casey arrive in Oz?’
Maggie unfolded the letter again and read out:
‘I’m flying from Chicago on the fourteenth, arriving on the fifteenth.’
‘But that’s today,’ said Stuart.
Maggie nodded before continuing:
‘I’ll be staying in Sydney overnight and then meeting the Vice-Chancellor the following day before returning to Chicago.’
She looked up. ‘He’ll be on his way home before we get back from the weekend.’
‘That’s a shame,’ said Tara. ‘After all these years, I would have liked to meet the faithful Dr Declan O’Casey.’
‘And you still could, just,’ said Stuart, glancing at his watch. ‘What time does his plane land?’
‘Eleven twenty this morning,’ said Maggie. ‘I’m afraid we’re going to miss him. And he doesn’t say where he’ll be staying, so there’s no way I can get in touch with him before he flies home.’
‘Don’t be so feeble,’ said Stuart. ‘If we leave in ten minutes, we might still get to the airport in time to meet his plane. You could invite him to join us for lunch.’
Tara looked across at her mother, who didn’t appear at all enthusiastic about the idea. ‘Even if we do make it, he’ll probably say no,’ said Maggie. ‘He’ll be jetlagged, and he’ll want to prepare for his meeting tomorrow.’
‘But at least you’ll have made the effort,’ said Tara.
Maggie folded the letter, took off her apron and said, ‘You’re right, Tara. After all these years it’s the least I can do.’ She smiled at her daughter, quickly left the kitchen and disappeared upstairs.
In her room she opened her wardrobe and picked out her favourite dress. She didn’t want Declan to think of her as middle-aged - though that was rather silly, because she was, and so was he. She inspected herself in the mirror. Passable, she decided, for fifty-one. She hadn’t put on any weight, but one or two new lines had appeared on her forehead during the last six months.
Maggie came back downstairs to find Stuart pacing up and down in the hall. She knew the car would already be loaded, probably with the engine running.
‘Come on, Tara,’ he shouted up the stairs for the third time.