Chapter Six

 

Next morning, Aileen was up early with plans of her own. Her ma’s brother, Uncle Paddy, was the one person she knew she could turn to. Dressed in a short-sleeved blouse, black mini-skirt and white low-heeled shoes, she pulled on her jacket, went down to O’Connell Street, and caught the bus to Finglas, where her uncle and aunt lived. She was edgy, and couldn’t wait to get there. Hopefully, they might know something to solve the unexplained mystery of her ma’s note.

It started to rain as she opened the gate and walked up the path. The garden was a blaze of colour, and she stopped briefly to inhale the scent of the roses. Her aunt opened the door in her dressing gown, her hair in large rollers.

‘I’m sorry to call on you so early, Aunt Bead.’

‘What a lovely surprise! Come in, love. How are things?’

‘Not good, Aunt Bead. Is Uncle Paddy in?’

Aileen looked down the hall. The broad figure of her uncle—his bald head as shiny as ever, a huge smile on his face—was all the welcome she needed. ‘Aileen, love.’ He walked towards them and gave his niece a warm hug. A sob caught in her throat.

Bead placed her hand on Aileen’s back and opened a door into the sitting room. ‘Let’s go in here. You’ll be more comfortable.’ She smiled. ‘Give me your jacket. I’ll hang it up. Would you like a drink, love?’

‘No, thanks.’

‘Well, sit yourself down,’ Paddy said, sitting next to her on the sofa. ‘I take it this isn’t a social call, love?’

Bead tightened the cord of her dressing-gown and sat down, crossing her legs. ‘What is it, Aileen? You look like you’ve lost a shilling and found sixpence.’

Aileen bit her lip, her emotions getting the better of her, and she covered her face and wept.

Paddy placed a strong arm around her. ‘Ah, don’t cry now. It’s only been weeks, and I know yea miss your ma, but things can’t be that bad.’ He handed her his handkerchief.

‘It’s worse than bad, Uncle Paddy,’ she sniffed. She glanced up, playing with the buttons of her cardigan. ‘I have to ask you something. Well, it’s about ma. It’ll drive me mad until I know the truth.’

Paddy frowned and glanced at Bead. ‘Well, ask away, love.’

‘Did my ma have another child? A son… I mean before she married my da, or afterwards?’

Paddy straightened up and blew out his lips. ‘Where has this come from, love?’

‘From this!’ She took the note from her bag. ‘Ma wanted me to know. Why else would she have left it where she knew I’d find it?’

Paddy read the note and passed it to Bead. ‘What do you make of it?’

‘I can’t see her writing something like that down if it didn’t mean something.’

‘Has Jonny seen this?’ asked Paddy.

Aileen nodded. ‘He won’t talk about it. Says Ma was hallucinating.’

‘Well, it’s the first we’ve heard of it.’ He shook his head. ‘There can’t be an ounce of truth in it, Aileen love. Sure, I wouldn’t lie to you. We would have known. Jessie couldn’t have kept it secret.’ He clasped his hands in front of him and twirled one thumb over the other. ‘Does Lizzy know about this?’

‘No, she’d be the last person I’d speak to about my ma.’

‘I wish I knew what to suggest.’

‘I can’t leave it like this, Uncle Paddy. I have to know.’

‘Call in at Joyce House,’ Bead said. ‘See what they can dig up. It might help you feel better.’ She got up and sat on the arm of the sofa next to Aileen. ‘Assuming it was true, and the child was born in Dublin, his birth would have to be recorded. Isn’t that so, Paddy?’

‘Yes, all Dublin births are registered there, but I doubt you’ll find anything. Have another word with your da. See if he thinks it’s worth following up. After all, he knew Jessie better than anyone.’

Aileen leaned back against the cream cushion. If her da did know, he was staying tight-lipped. ‘What about Aunt Lizzy? If anything, she’s made things worse.’

‘What about her?’

‘I wish she would go home now and leave us alone.’ Aileen’s eyes misted again.

‘What’s Lizzy doing at the shop?’ her aunt asked.

‘Hang on a minute.’ Paddy folded his arms. ‘Are you saying that Lizzy has been at the shop for three weeks then?’

‘I am, Uncle Paddy.’

He sat back scratching his chin. ‘You’d better tell me what’s going on, love.’

Aileen couldn’t contain her emotions as she told them how she felt. ‘I don’t know what to do anymore.’

‘You poor child.’ Bead leaned across to comfort her.

‘Well, I’m glad you’ve come to us, love,’ Paddy said. ‘We’re your family.’ He stood up and dug his hands deep into the pockets of his trousers. ‘Do you want me to have a word with Jonny? See if I can get to the bottom of this?’

‘He won’t take kindly to interference, Paddy,’ Bead told him. Then she turned back to Aileen. ‘Oh, Aileen love! We had no idea Jonny wasn’t coping. He loved your mother, you know that. There’s got to be a simple explanation for the way he’s acting.’

‘What am I to do? You should have heard him. I don’t recognise my da anymore.’

Paddy walked over to the window. Droplets of rain raced down the windowpane. His sigh was audible, and then he turned back to face them. ‘You say Lizzy’s coming back on Monday?’

Aileen nodded. He came back and sat next to her, lowering his head.

‘What is it, Uncle Paddy?’ Aileen hooked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

He glanced up. ‘Did Jessie ever talk to you about your aunt?’

Aileen shook her head and sat forward. ‘Why?’

‘I’m not sure if you know this, but my mother—your gran—adopted Lizzy. I can’t remember the circumstances. As far back as I can remember, Lizzy was always a strange one.’

Aileen’s head shot up. ‘So, she’s not, not Ma’s real sister?’

Bead sighed. ‘You didn’t know that then?’

‘No. Please, carry on, Uncle Paddy.’

‘She wasn’t your ma’s favourite person. Your gran made a lot of Lizzy, felt pity for her, I think, and your ma felt pushed out.’

‘Well, I can understand how ma must have felt. Lizzy’s doing the same to me.’

Paddy got up and paced the small room, his hands behind his back. ‘You’ve got to stand up to her, Aileen. Lizzy will take advantage, and Jonny’s vulnerable right now.’

‘Yes, but why does he let her dictate to him? It’s not like him at all. I don’t understand.’

Bead said, ‘Happen, she’ll go home soon.’

‘I’m not sure,’ Paddy said.

The whole situation was ridiculous and left Aileen with a sinking feeling in her stomach. She glanced up at her aunt and uncle, her eyes large with fear. ‘Don’t you see? If she stays, I’ll have to leave.’

‘Sure, that’s a bit drastic, love.’ Paddy sat down beside her. ‘Where would you live?’

‘She can stay here, can’t she, Paddy? We have a spare room upstairs.’

Her uncle looked up. ‘I think that’s a grand idea, as long as it doesn’t cause any trouble with Jonny. Do you think he’ll make a fuss?’

‘I don’t think he will care one way or the other.’

‘You could be wrong about that, Aileen. And another thing, if Jonny knew anything about a baby that Jessie had kept secret from him, he wouldn’t have tolerated it all these years.’

‘Da may or may not know, Uncle Paddy, but I’ll not rest until I find my brother and ask his forgiveness, for Ma’s sake.’