While Tom and Gerry were busy playing Lords of the Manor down in Wexford, Abby was anxiously waiting for her date. She was with Sean and Tara having a quick Dutch-courage drink first. Tonight she was meeting Richard, one of the South Africans, for a drink and she was really nervous. She’d been out with Fergus already and it had been an absolute disaster. He didn’t drink and had sat there all night sipping a glass of water. He was the single most boring man Abby had ever dated. He was obsessed with Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and spent the whole night discussing every episode he’d ever seen. At the end of the first hour she’d been ready to split, but her inbuilt sense of decency and politeness stopped her from running out the door on him. However, it had been the longest night of her life, and without alcohol to anaesthetise her pain it had been unbearable!
‘Why didn’t you get yourself a drink? I would have.’ Tara declared when Abby told them about her disastrous date.
‘I did have two drinks, but as he was sipping his water, I felt like a bleeding alcoholic every time I had a sip of my red wine,’ Abby moaned.
‘So I take it this Fergus bloke won’t be the next Mr Abby Nolan so?’ Sean asked.
‘Over my dead body! Bloody typical though. He’s called three times already since Tuesday night. It’s always the same. The guys I don’t want keep calling and those I want to go out with dump me by text!’
‘Oh come on, that was only one guy!’ Tara laughed.
‘I know. Still stings though! Right I’d better go across to the bar. Remember ring me in an hour, okay?’ They had devised a plan so that Abby didn’t have a repeat of the last disaster. If the date was going badly, she could get the guys to come and rescue her. With a last gulp of wine and wishes of good luck from Tara and Sean, Abby ran out of McDaids.
‘God, I’m glad I’ve got you,’ Tara said to her husband. ‘I don’t think I’d have the energy to be on the dating scene anymore!’
‘Oh you did well snaring me for sure, Tara,’ Sean replied, laughing and dodging the beer mat his wife threw at him.
Abby did a quick scan of the place. No sign of Richard yet. She walked up to the bar and ordered a drink for herself. It wasn’t too busy so she got a seat at the bar fairly easily. With the smoking ban in force, nearly everybody was standing outside. She’d just paid for her drink when Richard arrived. He recognised her at least, Abby thought with relief. She was terrified he’d have forgotten what she looked like because it had been a couple of weeks since the speed-dating event. He was quite good looking too in a kind of scruffy way. She felt a bit overdressed in her tea dress from Topshop. Gerry had left strict instructions that she was to wear this outfit, and once again he’d excelled himself, it was gorgeous. Richard, however, was just in faded denims with a t-shirt. He got himself a pint of Guinness and took a seat beside her.
‘So Abby, how’s things?’ he asked casually.
‘Great, Richard. How about you?’
‘Fanfuckingtastic! You’re looking gorgeous,’ he said with a wink.
Abby was thrilled. It had been so long since a guy had given her a compliment, she basked in it.
‘So tell me all about yourself?’ Richard asked.
They chatted away easily for fifteen minutes or so. Abby had finished her drink and there was no sign of him ordering. But to be fair Richard was only halfway through his pint. So Abby caught the barman’s attention and ordered a drink for her and another pint for Richard.
She couldn’t believe it when her mobile rang; the time had passed so quickly. It was Tara.
She excused herself and took the call.
‘Well is he a studly or what?’ Tara demanded.
‘What kind of a word is studly, you mad thing!’ Abby giggled. ‘He’s all right actually. Seems to be pretty laid-back, easy to talk to.’
‘Why don’t you bring him over here to join us? Go on Abby I’d love to meet him. We can make sure he’s a suitable date for our mate!’ Tara broke, in peals of laughter. She’d obviously had a few drinks and was in great form, delighted with herself for rhyming!
‘I’ll ask him, one sec!’ Abby replied. ‘Why not!’
Richard thought it was a great idea to join her mates, so they grabbed their stuff, finished their drinks and walked back over to McDaids. Introductions were made, with Tara giving the thumbs up behind Richard’s back. Sean jumped up and went to the bar to get the drinks in.
‘So tell me Richard. Where do you live?’ Tara asked.
‘I’m in a flat at the moment with a couple of mates in Rathgar. I’m on the sofa till I get myself sorted.’
‘That must play havoc on your back, mate,’ Sean said as he passed the drinks around.
‘What do you do?’ Tara continued her inquisition.
Abby was delighted; she hadn’t wanted to ask loads of personal questions earlier. Now Tara was doing it for her!
‘This and that,’ Richard replied nonchalantly.
Abby was surprised at this answer. She was sure at the speed-dating event he’d told her he was working in finance. Maybe he didn’t like talking about work.
‘Very mysterious,’ Tara murmured.
Sean could see that his wife was beginning to go a bit cold with Richard, so thought he’d better change the subject quickly. He started to tell them about a woman who came into the surgery that day claiming she was pregnant, by an alien! When he finished his story, Tara waved her glass in the air.
‘I take it you’re ready for another drink?’ Sean asked with a laugh. He jumped up to go to the bar, half expecting Richard to stop him. But he was in the middle of what looked like a deep conversation with Abby. Maybe he wasn’t paying attention.
Drinks refilled for everyone, they carried on chatting. Tara whispered to Sean after a while.
‘He’s a tight arse that one.’
‘Shush, he’ll hear you,’ Sean reprimanded with a laugh.
‘Don’t care. He hasn’t bought a round yet. God, I hope Abby doesn’t like him!’
Richard got up to go to the toilet so Tara had her chance to ask her. ‘He seems nice. Just one thing bothering me though, Abs…’
But before she had a chance to tell Abby what was bothering her, Abby interrupted, ‘I might be being too hard on him, but he hasn’t bought a drink yet.’
‘Not even over in Bruxelles?’ Sean asked incredulously.
Abby told them what had happened.
‘Look it could just be the way the night has turned out. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. He’s probably buying a round now,’ Sean said a bit dubiously.
But Richard returned empty-handed a few minutes later and they all raised their eyebrows knowingly at one another.
After a while the drinks were getting low again, so Abby thought she’d better broach the subject with Richard. ‘Looks like we’re all ready for another drink!’ she said brightly.
To which everyone murmured their assent, including Richard, but there was no move on his behalf.
Sean decided to take matters into his own hands. The softly-softly approach wasn’t working.
‘Right, Richard. Mine’s a pint. The girls are on the vino. Good man.’
Everyone went quiet. Richard looked slightly uncomfortable then turned to Abby. ‘I thought we’d go for a walk now and call it a night. Are you ready?’ he whispered.
‘What?’ Abby replied confused. There had been no talk about walks a few minutes ago.
‘I’ve had enough jars. I’d like to go for a walk with a beautiful girl. You!’ he said with his most charming smile.
‘I bet you wouldn’t have had enough if Sean was buying again!’ Tara said sarcastically.
Richard shot her a look of annoyance and stood up and put his jacket on. ‘Abby are you coming?’
‘Actually I’d like another drink. Would you go to the bar and buy me a drink please?’ Abby said bravely.
‘That’s a bit tricky. I’m a bit short at the moment.’
‘What do you mean exactly by a bit short?’ Abby asked quietly.
‘I’m between jobs. You know what it’s like,’ he answered with a shrug.
‘No actually, I don’t,’ Abby said coldly. ‘Do you mean to tell me you asked me out on a date when you didn’t have a bean to your name?’
Richard nodded silently.
‘Asshole,’ Tara helpfully contributed.
‘Way out of line, dude,’ Sean added.
‘Weren’t we all having a laugh?’ Richard seemed to think this was a satisfactory defence for being a miser!
‘Yes we were. I hate to break it to you though, but your company isn’t that great that you can get away with freeloading all evening. That’s all the laughs you’ll be having with my friends and me. Goodbye Richard,’ Abby said firmly.
‘I’ll be off then. Will I give you a call?’
‘Yeah, some Sunday there’s no mass!’ Abby responded before he turned away and left.
‘God, he’s a neck like a jockey’s bollocks!’ Sean stated, causing the girls to break into hysterical laughter. He jumped up to get the drinks. Abby looked like she needed one badly.
‘Why me?’ Abby moaned. Tara gave her a hug and told her it was just bad luck.
‘God Almighty. I’ve had months of bad luck. I must have been some bitch in a previous life! It’s doing my head in, Tara. What is it with the guys of Ireland?’ She took a huge gulp of her drink.
‘They’re all blind, my love. They don’t know what they’re missing. But to be fair, that eejit wasn’t Irish,’ Tara consoled her.
‘That’s true. Think I’ll stick to the locals in future. At least you know what you’re getting with them,’ Abby declared.
‘Only one thing to do when something like this happens,’ Sean stated as he sat down. ‘Tequila!’
‘Now I know why you love this man, Tara! He always knows what to do in a crisis!’ Abby laughed.