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A relieved Dorothy attended the final appointment for laser hair removal treatments for the year. The session was virtually pain free. This was hardly surprising since apart from her head of blonde waves, she had virtually no body hair left. Despite all Joan’s initial reservations, the experiment had proven to be an unqualified success.
The bikini line was a definite triumph, and Dorothy was now the proud possessor of a neat landing strip that made her feel very bang on trend indeed. With her new veneers, her hair-free body, her defined jawline and flat abdomen, she felt confident enough to take Bel on a trip to view the rock-star mansion nearing completion on the Howth peninsula. Bel felt the Merc was a tad boring, and they agreed to give the Porsche a spin.
Bel had not been out to the Howth site since September, and was struck dumb by the almost-finished house. As mother to two teenage sons she was, naturally enough, very impressed with the basement.
However, it was the kitchen and the ground floor that really caught her attention. The kitchen was even larger than the drawing room, and was situated on the right hand side of the entrance hall. This location meant the French doors faced due east and flooded the room with light.
After much discussion, Ryanna and Dorothy had agreed to go with a high gloss monochrome look for the area. The cabinets were black on the bottom and white on the top, while slabs of black and white granite interconnected in order to create contemporary worktops and splash backs. With the exception of the front of the house where there were windows above the work surfaces, each wall had a full range of base and eye-level cabinetry.
On the day the ladies visited, the new fridge/freezer had just been plumbed in. For almost five minutes, the two women could do little more than stand and stare in amazement at the latest addition to the kitchen.
‘How wide is that thing, Dottie?’ Bel eventually managed to splutter.
‘I think it’s a shade over eight feet wide and seven feet tall. We’ve raised it up on the steel platform so we don’t have to bend down too much to reach the lower shelves and drawers. Did you know you can have them custom made? I never knew until Ryanna told me. I think she ordered it from an American company who have a branch in Germany. We toyed with the idea of having glass doors, but in the end we went for the black with the inset handles. I’m looking forward to having an ice dispenser.’
She glanced at Bel, but the other woman’s eyes remaining firmly riveted to the black leviathan and she refrained from speaking. Dorothy shrugged and kept talking.
‘We bought two tall chillers from the same company, but I asked the men to put them down in the cellar. Initially, there was talk of having one up here, or even over at the relaxation area by the pool, but I felt it would be better to keep the alcohol contained in one room. If it’s sitting within easy reach, it makes it all too tempting. If you actually have to go down to the cellar to fetch beer or fresh bottles of wine, it makes you more mindful of your alcohol consumption. What do you think?’
For a moment Bel looked blank. ‘Absolutely,’ she eventually managed to squeak, ‘you can’t put temptation in people’s way like that. Especially if the twins have their pals around. Image the havoc they could wreak if they had a chiller full of booze by the pool.’
Dorothy chucked at the expression on her friend’s face and said, ‘The hob and cooker hood will be installed tomorrow, then this room will be as good as finished. The hood is the type that descends into a slot in the worktop when it’s not in use. When I first saw the design for the kitchen, I was worried the appliances would dominate the space. Saul assured me the island would be the focal point. Now it’s all come together, I see how right he was.’ She gestured at the unit as she spoke, and Bel turned away from contemplation of the gigantic black fridge and looked around.
The island was five feet wide and nine feet in length. There were a large number of monochrome leather and chrome stools dotted around it, although these still had their plastic protective covers in place and did not look especially inviting. The cabinets underneath the unit were finished in high gloss white and lying atop these was an enormous slab of gleaming black granite.
Five magnificent, brushed nickel, pendant light fittings were suspended from the ceiling above. These had been fitted at different heights to create a more unique style statement. Bel’s jaw dropped yet again when she had time to absorb the fittings, and Dorothy silently congratulated Ryanna on her foresight.
Left to her own devices, she would have installed one large practical light above the island and nothing more. Ah, the joys of having one’s own designer. I’m feeling so smug right now.
‘There was a bit of a mix up with the top,’ Dorothy gestured at the granite as she explained. ‘I wanted the island to have its own sink and one of those instant hot and cold water taps. When the top arrived, it didn’t have a gap for the sink. Ryanna did her nut and was all set to send it back, but I persuaded her to leave it. We had the fancy tap fitted at the main sink instead. I may live to regret that decision but for now at least I think the best thing is to just suck it and see.’
‘Mmm,’ Bel mumbled, as she mentally calculated the cost of the granite slab.
Dorothy seemed oblivious to the internal arithmetic and continued to discuss the fittings. ‘I’ve never used one of those hot and cold taps before, so it’s going to take me a while to get used to it. Besides, I’m not positive the water will be hot enough for tea, although I expect it’ll be fine for coffee. I’ll have to see what Glenda thinks.’
Bel did not bother to respond to these ramblings about the faucet. She kept gaping around the room, trying to absorb as much detail as possible so she would be able to describe it as accurately as possible to her family over the dinner table.
On the far wall, there was a small screen built into its own cupboard. Dorothy explained this monitor had been wired up to the home network so the chef would be able to read recipes off the internet as easily as watch her favourite soap.
‘It’s the most magnificent room I’ve ever seen,’ Bel eventually found her voice and breathed the words almost reverently. Dorothy could not help but feel a sense of pride. Hitherto, she had never owned anything her friend had truly admired.
Bel was right, the kitchen was fantastic. It was not only the practical aspects that were appealing. The island ended twenty feet from the front windows, but the kitchen kept on going and evolved into a seating area. It was currently empty, although Ryanna had told them the new table and chairs would be delivered at any minute and would be in the same truck as the rest of the kitchen furniture. She had ordered an array of large chairs, couches, and footstools for the eastern end of the kitchen. All of these items had been chosen for their comfort levels and bright shades, and not one of them was leather.
There would also be a second television at the seating end, with the requisite keyboard and mouse so it could be used to access the internet. Even as Dorothy and Bel admired the room, two men entered through the terrace doors, carrying a monstrosity of a television. They proceeded to mount it on the wall with alarming efficiency. Bel became transfixed watching them and in an effort to distract her, Dorothy drew her attention to the floor.
The inlaid marble flooring set off the space beautifully. The knotwork pattern around the perimeter of the room merely added to the elegance. It certainly did not overshadow the space or make it look like a hotel, as Dorothy once feared. The enormous doors at the end opened on to the terrace and gave the illusion the kitchen was only yards from the sea.
As if this was not sufficient opulence, there was also something called a breakfast nook on the south side. It was accessed through an alcove and linked by a short corridor to the boot room. Dorothy insisted that Saul equip the nook with an enormous cherry-red leather booth.
This booth curved around a table large enough to accommodate eight, and was reminiscent of movies from the 1950s. It was her favourite part of the kitchen, although she was not sure why. The nook was not as elegant as the island, nor as comfortable as the family area. It had its own windows, but being somewhat tucked away, certainly lacked the spectacular views the rest of the kitchen boasted.
Dorothy had requested a shelving unit on the wall above the booth for her magazines. If she wished, she would be able to sit in the nook and read them in peace and quiet. She would be able to spread pages all over the table, which had a glossy surface yet no hint of either marble or granite.
Saul had obligingly liaised with his wife, and the pair had come up with an ingenious storage solution that blended into its surroundings, and in no way detracted from the classic good looks of the breakfast nook.
Saul also persuaded Dorothy to have a TV fitted to the opposite wall. He claimed it would be easier to do this in the early stages than retro-fitting it later. After a heated debate, she reluctantly capitulated, privately asking herself how many televisions one house needed, but too tired to argue with him any further.
Bel poked her head through the alcove and dutifully admired the cherry-red leather booth before scampering back to the kitchen. Yet more workers had entered, and were busy fitting an unusual looking contraption in what appeared to be a vacant slot near one of the two double ovens.
‘Oh my God, it’s a rotisserie,’ Bel clutched the island for support. ‘I’ve only ever seen one in a private house once before, and that was a billionaire’s pad in France. Gerald would love one of those. Oh, Dottie, I’m so excited.’
Bel became almost tearful over the rotisserie and seemed all set to stay and watch the full installation. The workmen didn’t seem to care they had an audience, and ignored the women as they went about their business.
Dorothy had no desire to hang around and listen to them swearing at each other, and virtually dragged her friend away so she could show off the remainder of the house. She was determined to give Bel a glimpse of the office Saul had reluctantly created in the original playroom. This now housed the server, hubs and other equipment necessary for the systems and home network electronics.
The room in question was located on the opposite side of the house to the kitchen and slightly to the left of the front door. This geography meant the women had to navigate their way across the hallway in order to reach it. Their progress across the marble expanse was somewhat hindered.
This was partly because the floor was a little damp and slippery due to the winter weather and the footfall through the house. The situation was not helped by Bel, who kept stopping to gaze rapturously at the knotwork design and images of mythical beasts and birds that adorned the floor.
‘Trish would love this,’ she moaned, as she snapped a picture of the floor. ‘You know she went to Art College. I’m glad you decided against having a full sized image of Jesus Christ in the front hallway, Dottie. I think that might have looked rather odd.’
‘He’s upstairs in my meditation room,’ Dorothy replied, trying hard not to feel irritated by this remark. If she wanted a life-sized mosaic of Jesus Christ in her hallway, she would damn well have him. Of the six different designs Ryanna and some hideously expensive Italian men had come up with, she had simply chosen the one that appealed to her the most.
It was only afterwards she noticed JC on one of the CDs belonging to Ryanna, and suggested he would look good on the floor of the meditation room. Once the mad Italians realised their little Irish client was not the sort of woman to quibble over expense if she really wanted something, they were happy to oblige.
When Dorothy had seen the completed design, she had been overcome with delight and emotion. She made the mad Italians very happy by hugging them all in joy and gratitude. She even pretended not to notice when one of them copped a feel of her arse. In addition to the study and breakfast nook, the meditation room was fast becoming one of her favourite spaces in the house.
In due course, the duo picked their way across the hallway and reached the office. They opened the door and peeked inside. To their disappointment, it was full of intense looking engineers who seemed to be bickering over something. Bel gently elbowed Dorothy in the ribs and pulled a face. Her friend took the hint and they quickly withdrew without drawing any attention to themselves.
As an alternative, they went to poke around the study, and also admire the glass walkway connecting the main house to the pavilion. When they eventually returned to the great outdoors, they were glad they had not delayed inside any longer. A crew of men were fitting the first set of security gates, a scene that made fascinating viewing.
After much discussion, Dorothy had agreed to having two sets of gates installed. One pair would be at the top of the laneway that opened on to Thormanby Road, while the second would be fitted at the bottom of the lane and would open on to the driveway. Both sets would have entry phone systems with viewing cameras.
In the event an intruder successfully gained admittance through the top gates, he or she would be faced with a second obstacle in the shape of the lower ones. Given recent events, both women were relieved Dorothy had conceded to the second set, even though it was adding considerably to the cost.
‘I wasn’t sure if you would be safe here, Dottie, although this house does seem highly secure. In fact, I’d go as far as to say it’s like a modern day fortress,’ Bel said admiringly. ‘I wish Gerald was here to see it all. He loves this kind of technology. Do you mind if I take a few pics to show him?’
Saul was flattered when he saw Bel wandering around taking photographs. He soon came over to flirt with her, as he had a soft spot for Dorothy’s taller and more practical pal. Bel never seemed to object to his flirting. On the contrary, she occasionally encouraged the architect in a way Dorothy felt was a tiny bit inappropriate.
She smiled to herself as she watched Saul puff out his chest and point at some features Bel had missed the first time around. She was looking suitably impressed by both the security and the house, and Saul was lapping it up.
Things were definitely starting to pick up, Dorothy decided. She wondered how she was going to separate the mutual appreciation society so they could head home before she froze her ass off.
From: Dottie8888@chatulike.ie
To: SRedmond@chatchat.com
Date: November, 30th, 2011
SUBJECT: FRIDGE AND FLOORS
Hi Si,
Bel and I have just finished a tour of the house. She is most impressed. The first pic I have attached is the completed Book of Kells design in the front hallway. The second one is of Bel standing in front of the ginormous fridge freezer. See how tiny she is compared to it! At Bel’s insistence, I am also attaching a pic of the workmen installing the rotisserie. She is mad for it. I never realised she was such a meat lover. She is chatting with Saul now, and he is flirting like crazy with her. It’s all rather embarrassing, not unlike being at a teenage disco. Love Dot xxx
