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It was brought to Dorothy’s attention that the Kerry Film Festival was scheduled to take place during the first week of November. She had never been to an event like it before, and did not even considered the possibility of attending until Patrick suggested it. He said it would do her good to broaden her horizons, and a good way to achieve this was to try something new and different.
Dorothy saw the piano man was keen to attend the festival himself, and did not have the heart to refuse. She told him if he was willing to make up one of her party, she would ask Rosa to handle the necessary arrangements.
The tutor was delighted at the prospect of a few days away, and hypothesised that Helen would also enjoy the experience. Helen was indeed thrilled to be invited on the proposed trip, and even treated herself to a new suit and haircut to mark the occasion. Dorothy tentatively enquired of both parties whether or not they wished to bring along a companion. Helen chortled when she realised Dorothy thought she might have a boyfriend.
‘Dottie, you know better than anybody,’ she laughed, ‘how difficult it is to find the right partner when you’re young. Never mind when you reach fifty-eight. I shall be attending the film festival solo, if that’s okay.’
Patrick was not quite so blasé about the absence of love in his life, but also assured her he would only be requiring a single bedroom in the hotel of his pupil’s choice. Dorothy assumed Bel would be able to get away, but to her disappointment her friend said family commitments did not allow for the trip.
Dorothy called Amanda and invited her along as a replacement companion. Her former neighbour was delighted to receive the call and told Dorothy she was looking forward to showing off her newly straightened teeth and line-free face in a different environment. ‘You never know,’ she said gleefully, ‘I might find that toy boy I’ve been searching for in the Kingdom.’
Dorothy was not expecting Viv to leave either Yvonne or the shop, and was pleasantly surprised when she agreed to abandon both these precious items for five full days, and toddle off to Kerry like a woman with zero commitments. When Dorothy enquired what was behind this new daredevil approach to life, Viv laughed. She assured her pal that her assistant was more than capable of holding the fort for a couple of days.
In addition to this readily available expertise in all things sweet, her mother had agreed to move into the apartment and look after Yvonne for the duration of the trip. Geraldine Moroney was looking forward to spending some time alone with her grandchild, and encouraged her daughter to confirm the plan before she found herself excluded.
When Yvonne’s opinion was sought, she told her mother to stop fussing and go to Kerry already. Consequently, Viv was delighted to be able to report that she was heading off to the southwest with a clear conscience.
Rosa was pleased to hear her boss was taking a short break from the hustle and bustle of the construction project, and happily undertook to make the necessary arrangements for the group to stay in the best hotel in Tralee. She also alerted the Loughnanes and Laceys to news of the imminent arrival of her employer in their county.
Elaine and Eddie were excited to hear Dorothy would be in Tralee, although disappointed to discover she would not be staying with them at Otter. That did not prevent them from making plans to meet the party at the festival.
Jools and Bea were equally thrilled to hear she was visiting the area, but said they had considerably less time at their disposal for the purposes of socialising. They agreed to drive to Tralee and spend a day with the gang, but insisted they had to return to Killarney the same evening, and would not be staying overnight.
Dorothy’s main regret was she would not yet have her temporary veneers. She would have dearly loved to take her new smile for a test drive in the Kingdom. Unfortunately, her visits to the dental clinic had been somewhat curtailed by the bruising left by the combined lipo and radio frequency treatment on her face and neck.
Nonetheless, she was confident she would have the real things in plenty of time for Christmas, and refused to allow the fact that her mouth was still full of her original teeth to in any way dampen her spirits.
Two days before they were due to set off on the excursion, Dorothy and Rosa were verifying the travel arrangements. They had decided to fly rather than drive, and were busy making sure all parties would be comfortably accommodated on the jet they had chartered, and a sufficient number of hotel rooms had been reserved. Lodgings were in short supply due to the festival, although Rosa had managed to bag the few still available by dint of being extremely expensive.
Dorothy was in the middle of emailing her friends with the updated agenda when she was interrupted by an unusual and unexpected call from her dad. When Rosa saw her boss sitting at the piano, staring into space without touching the keys, she experienced a twinge of concern.
‘Everything okay, Boss? Family all okay?’
Dorothy fixed her eyes upon Rosa’s narrow face for some time before replying. ‘My Aunt Eileen isn’t very well. She’s my dad’s aunt, and the oldest living member of the family. The doctors say they’re amazed she’s lasted this long, and she maybe has a few weeks left to live.’
‘That’s sad news, Boss. How old is she?’
‘One hundred and one.’
Rosa looked startled. ‘Are you very close? You seem upset by the news.’
‘I’m surprised, that’s all. She’s giving me a house.’
‘She’s what?’
Dorothy stood up. Moving to the sofa she took a seat and invited Rosa to join her. ‘Apparently, she owns a big old house out near the Navan Road. She willed it to Joey, presumably because he’s her favourite nephew. I know he and Mum visit Eileen every month. They’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember. Dad was interested in the house back in the boom years when he could have sold it to a property developer.
‘They’ve all gone bust now, which means he hasn’t given it much thought for a while. The care home contacted him last week to tell him Eileen has gone downhill. They warned him to expect the worst. Her solicitor called yesterday to confirm the news and discuss the situation.’
Dorothy unexpectedly chuckled, and a shocked Rosa stared at her, wide-eyed. ‘Sorry, Rose, it’s just my dad. You’ll understand once you get to know him better. Naturally enough, he made enquiries about the property, because by the sound of things he’s due to inherit it any day. The solicitor only goes and informs him it’s in a shocking state of neglect, and the council have been threatening to put it on the derelict housing register.
‘It means if he decides to keep it, he will very likely be fined or even prosecuted because of its condition. He could choose to spend money restoring it, but that’s not the way of the Joey. He could try to sell it, but even if he was lucky enough to find a buyer in today’s market, which is highly unlikely, he would be liable for tax on the proceeds because it’s not his family home.
‘In the meantime, while he’s waiting for the buyer to come along, the council will be chasing him to fix it up. His accountant will also be chasing him about the market value assessment for inheritance tax purposes, although I don’t know how any of us are supposed to value any property in today’s market. Whatever happens, it will end up costing money. It’s fair to say if Joey ends up paying, we all end up paying one way or the other.’
Rosa blinked. ‘So has your pops suggested Eileen make a gift of it to you while she’s still alive?’
Dorothy smiled. She loved Rosa’s brain. ‘Indeed he has, young Rosa. Now he has a few bob in the bank, courtesy of the lottery, Dad doesn’t feel he needs to worry about inheriting dodgy old houses. After discussing it with Eileen’s solicitor, he has agreed she will sign it over to me. I have the money to fix it up and maybe I can sell it on later when the market improves. Either way, it won’t bankrupt me the way it might bankrupt somebody else.’
‘What did you tell him?’
Dorothy shrugged. ‘I told him that was fine with me and to give your number to the lawyer. To be honest, I didn’t really feel I had much of a choice in the matter. Joey obviously doesn’t want the responsibility of the whole thing. Who can blame him at his age?’
Rosa had her own private thoughts on Joey Lyle and what she would have told him under similar circumstances. She kept them to herself, not wanting to bad mouth Dorothy’s family in any way. At least not yet. ‘So what’s the plan?’ she enquired. ‘Wait until the transfer is complete, then ask Saul to check it out?’
‘Correct,’ Dorothy replied cheerfully. ‘Let’s not worry about going anywhere near it until the deal is sealed. We won’t even mention it to Saul for another month. Let him focus on the last few weeks at the palace, and then we’ll see what he has to say about our rundown house on the Navan Road. I’m looking forward to Tralee. It’s such a shame I won’t have my veneers.’
From: Dottie8888@chatulike.ie
To: SRedmond@chatchat.com; ANorris@talkalot.com
Date: October 28th, 2011
SUBJECT: FASHION AND SCULPTURE
Hi Girls,
We are heading off to the Kerry Film Festival in an hour. I am raging I won’t have my veneers, although I should have them in plenty of time for Christmas. I have been invited to lots of different functions over the festive season, and want to look my best.
Do you remember the big Georgian house on Merrion Square I bought at auction? We have filled it with artisans! I know it’s a bit mad. The idea came to me one day while I was in the bank, waiting to speak with the manager. The meeting was delayed due to a banking crisis (just for a change ha ha). I was hanging around waiting to go in, and I met two young people called Meg Richards and Mo Daniels. That’s Mo as in Maurice.
They are fashion designers who had just been turned down for a start-up loan. Long story short, I arranged to see their portfolio, and now we have them installed on the ground floor of the Merrion house. I have already commissioned one dress and trouser suit as an experiment, and I have made an investment in them in order to get them started.
At around the same time, Claudia Healy asked if I would be interested in meeting her goddaughter, Gráinne Byrne, who is a sculptor. I saw Gráinne on TV the night I won the money, hence I consider her lucky. Claudia was delighted when I told her this, presumably because she was hoping I would take an interest in the girl and maybe become her sponsor.
Now the lovely Gráinne is installed in one of the rooms on the top floor. Gráinne introduced me to her friend, Jane, who is an artist. Jane introduced me to her friend, Esme, who is a photographer, and so it went on. We have a milliner, a handbag designer, a card maker, a snooker cue carver and a jewellery designer. The house is pretty full, which is good, because it seems silly to leave such a great property lying idle. I don’t intend to charge rent for at least a year, although I do expect them to keep the place clean and tidy.
I had better go and finish my last bit of packing. The limousine will be arriving any time now to take us to the airport. Patrick and Helen are already here with their bags packed. They are waiting for me in the drawing room. Patrick is playing the piano, and Helen is complimenting him on his skill and drinking wine. They would make a great couple if not for the fact that Patrick is gay, and Helen has a penchant for practical men who wear suits to work and carry briefcases. They are both very excited about the trip. They must really love the movies. Love Dot xxx
