Minding Frankie - Maeve Binchy [118]
“No, I mean to celebrate your birthday?”
“Oh, just the two of us,” Moira said, and she gathered herself up and left.
Noel and Lisa didn’t dare to speak until she had left the building.
“We should have said she didn’t look thirty-five,” Lisa said.
“What does she look?” Noel asked.
“She could be a hundred. She could be any age. Why did she ask me to dinner?”
“Maybe she fancies you,” Noel said, and then, “Sorry, sorry. I’m just making a joke.”
“Right, you can afford to make jokes. You’re not the one having dinner with her on Friday.”
“She may be going mad,” Noel said thoughtfully.
Lisa had been wondering exactly the same thing.
“Why do you say that?”
“Well …” Noel spoke slowly and deliberately. “It’s a very odd thing to do. No one normal would invite you to dinner. You of all people.”
She looked up at him and saw he was smiling.
“Yes, you’re right, Noel. The woman’s lonely and she has no friends. That’s all.”
“I was wondering …” Noel paused. “I was thinking of inviting Faith to dinner. A proper dinner, not just a bowl of soup or something on toast. You know, to thank her for the notes and everything.”
“Oh, yes?” Lisa said.
“I wonder, would Friday be a good night? You’ll probably be out late, hitting the clubs with Moira. I’d feel safer having a meal here. It’s such a temptation to order a bottle of wine or have a cocktail in a restaurant.” Noel rarely spoke of his alcoholism at home. He went to meetings and there was no drink in the flat. It was unusual for him to bring the subject up.
He must be interested in Faith after all. Lisa’s mind leapt ahead again. Suppose Faith really did move in with Noel? Where would that leave Lisa? But she mustn’t start to fuss. That was her least attractive quality. Anton had told her when they were in Scotland that she was an absolute angel when she didn’t fuss. And Noel deserved some happiness in his life.
“That’s a great idea. I’ll do a salad for you before I go out and maybe you could cook that chicken in ginger you do sometimes. It’s very impressive. And we’ll make sure to iron the tablecloth and napkins.”
“It’s only Faith. It’s not a competition,” Noel protested.
“But you want her to know you’ve gone to some trouble to entertain her, don’t you?”
Noel realized with a shock that this was the first date he had planned in years.
“And in return you have to help me think of a present for Moira. Not too dear. I’m broke!”
“Ask Emily to look out for something from the thrift shop for you. She finds great things—new things, even.”
“That’s an idea.” Lisa brightened. “Well, Frankie, social life around here is getting very lively. You’re going to be hard pushed to keep up with us.…”
Frankie stretched her arms out to Lisa.
“Mama,” she said.
“Nearly there, Frankie, but it’s Lee-Za, much posher.” But from this child, “mama” was perfectly fine.
Faith was surprised and pleased to be invited.
“Will there be many people there?” she asked nervously.
“Just the two of us,” Noel said. “Will that be all right?”
“Oh, fine!” Faith seemed very relieved. She smiled at him. “Thanks, Noel, I’m looking forward to dinner.”
“Me too,” said Noel. He wondered suddenly was she expecting that they would go to bed together. He realized he had never made love in his life while sober. He had heard some terrible stories on this topic at AA. It was apparently fraught with difficulties and had disastrous effects on performance. Many people had told his AA group that they had taken a quick shot of vodka just to see them right and were back on full-time drinking within a week.
But he would face that if and when it occurred. No point in destroying Wednesday thinking about Friday. This one-day-at-a-time thing really worked.
Friday eventually came.
Emily had found a small mother-of-pearl brooch as a gift for Lisa to give Moira. She even produced a little box and some black velvet. Moira couldn’t help but like that.
Anton had laughed when Lisa had said she was going to Ennio’s with Moira.
“That should be a bundle of fun,” he had said dismissively.