Minding Frankie - Maeve Binchy [150]
“I’ll miss you,” Maud said.
“You won’t notice I’m gone,” he assured her.
“Who’ll finish my sentences?”
“You’ll have Marco trained in no time.”
“You’ll fall in love and live out there.”
“I doubt it, but I’ll be home often to see Lizzie and you and Marco.” Maud noticed he didn’t include their parents. Father was on his travels and Mother had only the vaguest idea of who they were.
As if he read her mind, Simon said, “Weren’t we so lucky that Muttie and Lizzie took us in? We could have ended up anywhere.”
Maud gave him a hug. “Those American girls don’t know what’s coming their way,” she said.
· · ·
It was a day of many changes.
Declan and Fiona and Johnny moved house. It was only next door but it was still a huge move. They arranged that Paddy and Molly Carroll should be part of it all so that they would realize how nothing had really changed. They would be next door; when Johnny was old enough to walk he would know two homes as his own. And as for the new baby? That would be born into a two-house family.
The house had been painted in a cheery primrose color that brought sunshine into every room. They would think about proper color schemes later, but the most important thing was to make it bright and welcoming. Johnny’s room was ready and waiting for his crib. Declan and Fiona would have room for their books and music.
They would have their own kitchen at last.
The time with Molly and Paddy Carroll had been happy, but it couldn’t go on forever. They had both looked forward to and dreaded the day when they would have to move to somewhere with more space: this had been an ideal solution.
They walked the few steps between the houses carrying possessions and stopping for a pot of tea in one house or the other so that it underlined how much together they were still going to be. Dimples came in and walked around the new house and seemed to approve. Emily had brought window boxes already planted as a housewarming gift.
Dr. Hat and Emily decided to open a garden store. There was still plenty of room beside the thrift shop. Now that so many residents of St. Jarlath’s Crescent had begun to take an interest in beautifying their gardens, there was no end of demand for bedding plants and ornamental shrubs. They went up and measured it. It was now no longer a wish, but a reality; they would do it together, and it would be yet one more thing they could share.
· · ·
In the disturbed world of Anton’s restaurant the staff were making their plans. They would not open next week. Everyone knew this. April sat around the place with her notebook, suggesting places for Anton to do interviews on the difficulties of running a business during a recession. Anton felt unsettled. He wasn’t listening. He wondered what Lisa would be saying.
It was the day that Linda and Nick decided to stop talking about adopting a baby and do something about it.
For Noel it was a good day also.
Mr. Hall had said that there was a more senior position in the company that had been vacant for some time. He now wanted to offer it to Noel.
“I have been impressed by you, Noel. I don’t mind saying that you did much better than I would have thought at one stage. I always hoped you’d have it in you to make something of yourself, though I confess I had my doubts about you for a while.”
“I had my doubts about myself,” Noel had said with a smile.
“There’s always some turning point for a man. What do you think yours was?” Mr. Hall had seemed genuinely interested.
“Becoming a father,” Noel had said without having to stop and think for a second.
And now he was at home with Frankie helping her take her first independent steps. There were just the two of them. She still liked the comfort of something to hold on to, and every now and then she suddenly sat down with a surprised look on her face. She had been making great efforts to tear up the cloth books that Faith