One Winter Weekend

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

“ P addy?” Helen called from the bathroom the following morning. “Love, can you bring me another towel?” She waited a few moments before calling her husband again. “Paddy? Are you there?”

Helen stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, a plume of steam trailing her. She rounded the corner into the bedroom to see where her husband was – only to find him barking orders into the phone.

Again.

“Felicity,” he said sternly, “we need to – well no, I –don’t make – well just go over it again then.”

“ Paddy O’Brien! ” Helen thundered.

“I’m going to have to call you back,” he said sheepishly into the phone before hanging it up. “Something wrong, pet?” he asked, turning to his wife.

Helen’s face was red with fury. “Paddy,” she said, her voice so low he had to strain to hear her, “today is your daughter’s wedding day. It is a day for celebrating. For God’s sake, Paddy, it’s Christmas Eve! No one should even be at the office today.”

“I hate to break it to you, love,” Paddy replied patiently, “but today is the busiest day of the year for us. I can’t just abandon them.”

“Oh, you can too,” she snapped. “I swear, if I see you on that phone once between now and the end of today, I’ll break the damned phone – or your neck – or both.”

“Yes, mammy,” he chortled. He fixed his eyes directly on his wife. “Helen,” he said, rising from his seat and approaching her, “I’ve never left Felicity in charge before. She’s nervous, and I’m nervous, and we both just need everything to go smoothly.”

“I realise that,” she responded, “but the least your family can expect today is your undivided attention. Besides,” she continued with a wink, “I’m going to need all the support I can get if I’m to deal with that – that – woman .”

Paddy embraced his wife, who attempted to pull away. “Paddy, don’t,” she chuckled, “I’m all wet.”

“I don’t care,” he replied. “We’ll just have to be wet together, then.”

“That’s not all we can be together…” Helen said suggestively. “But for now,” she added, kissing him on the nose, “I have to do my hair.” With that, she returned to the bathroom mirror and turned on the hair dryer.

She left it on as she returned to the room to grab her hairbrush – only to find Paddy back on the phone again, barking orders.

Helen sighed, rolled her eyes, and went back to fixing her hair.