Marian Keyes - Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married by Marian Keyes Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Marian Keyes
scribbled on my homework, told me that I was adopted and that my real parents were in prison for robbing a bank. Then they told me they were joking about that and that my real mother was actually a
40 lucy sullivan is getting married / 41
witch. And when Mum and Dad went out to the pub they told me that they had really run away and were never coming back and that I'd be sent to an orphanage. The usual sibling playfulness.
I told all of this to Alison and when I got to the bit about Mum and Dad going to the pub she seized on it joyfully.
"Tell me about your parents' drinking," she said, settling back in her chair, making herself comfortable for the great pouring forth of revelations that she expected to follow.
"I can't really tell you anything," I said. "My mother doesn't drink."
Alison looked disappointed.
"And your father?" she asked, hopefully, realizing that all was not lost.
"Well, he drinks," I said.
She was delighted!
"Yes?" she said, in her extragentle voice. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Well, yes," I said, confused. "Except there's nothing really to talk about. When I say he drinks, I don't mean that he has a problem."
"Mmmmmm," she nodded gently, knowingly. "And what do you mean by `having a problem'?"
"I don't know," I said. "I suppose I mean being an alcoholic. And he isn't."
She said nothing.
"He's not," I laughed. "Sorry, Alison, I'd love to be able to tell you that my father was drunk throughout my childhood and we never had any money and that he hit us and shouted at us and tried to have sex with me and told my mum that he wished he'd never married her."
Alison didn't join in with my laughter and I felt slightly silly. 42 / marian keyes
"Did your father tell your mother that he wished he'd never married her?" she asked quietly and with dignity.
"No!" I said, embarrassed.
"No?" asked Alison.
"Well, hardly ever," I admitted. "And it was only when he was drunk. And that was hardly ever either."
"And did you feel that your family never had enough money?" she asked.
"We were never short of money," I said stiffly.
"Good," said Alison.
"Well, that's not really true," I felt forced to admit. "We were always short of money, but it wasn't because of Dad's drinking, it was just because we...didn't have much money."
"Why didn't you have much money?" asked Alison.
"Because my dad couldn't get a job," I explained eagerly. "You see, he didn't have any qualifications because he had to leave school when he was fourteen because his father died and he had to look after his mother."
"I see," she said.
In fact, Dad used to say an awful lot more on the subject of his unemploy- ment but I felt strangely reluctant to tell Alison.
One of the clearest memories of my childhood was Dad sitting at our kitchen table, passionately explaining the faults in the system. He used to tell me that in the English workplace the Irishman will always get "the shitty end of the stick" and that Seamus O'Hanlaoin and Michael O'Herlihy and all the rest of them were nothing but a crowd of crawlers and "arse- lickers" because they sucked up to their English bosses, but that you should hear what they said behind their backs. And that although Seamus O'Hanlaoin and Michael O'Herlihy and all the rest of them might have jobs, at least he, Jamsie Sullivan, had integrity. lucy sullivan is getting married / 43
That must have been very important to him, because he said it a lot.
He said it an awful lot the time that Saidbh O'Herlihy and Siobh�n O'Hanlaoin were going with the school to Scotland and I wasn't.
I didn't want to tell Alison because I was afraid that I might offend her, in case she took my father's condemnation of his English would-be bosses personally.
I started to tell Alison about all the jobs my father went for and didn't get, when she cut into my memories.
"We're going to have to leave it there for this week." She stood up.
"Oh, is the hour up already?" I asked, shaken by how
40 lucy sullivan is getting married / 41
witch. And when Mum and Dad went out to the pub they told me that they had really run away and were never coming back and that I'd be sent to an orphanage. The usual sibling playfulness.
I told all of this to Alison and when I got to the bit about Mum and Dad going to the pub she seized on it joyfully.
"Tell me about your parents' drinking," she said, settling back in her chair, making herself comfortable for the great pouring forth of revelations that she expected to follow.
"I can't really tell you anything," I said. "My mother doesn't drink."
Alison looked disappointed.
"And your father?" she asked, hopefully, realizing that all was not lost.
"Well, he drinks," I said.
She was delighted!
"Yes?" she said, in her extragentle voice. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Well, yes," I said, confused. "Except there's nothing really to talk about. When I say he drinks, I don't mean that he has a problem."
"Mmmmmm," she nodded gently, knowingly. "And what do you mean by `having a problem'?"
"I don't know," I said. "I suppose I mean being an alcoholic. And he isn't."
She said nothing.
"He's not," I laughed. "Sorry, Alison, I'd love to be able to tell you that my father was drunk throughout my childhood and we never had any money and that he hit us and shouted at us and tried to have sex with me and told my mum that he wished he'd never married her."
Alison didn't join in with my laughter and I felt slightly silly. 42 / marian keyes
"Did your father tell your mother that he wished he'd never married her?" she asked quietly and with dignity.
"No!" I said, embarrassed.
"No?" asked Alison.
"Well, hardly ever," I admitted. "And it was only when he was drunk. And that was hardly ever either."
"And did you feel that your family never had enough money?" she asked.
"We were never short of money," I said stiffly.
"Good," said Alison.
"Well, that's not really true," I felt forced to admit. "We were always short of money, but it wasn't because of Dad's drinking, it was just because we...didn't have much money."
"Why didn't you have much money?" asked Alison.
"Because my dad couldn't get a job," I explained eagerly. "You see, he didn't have any qualifications because he had to leave school when he was fourteen because his father died and he had to look after his mother."
"I see," she said.
In fact, Dad used to say an awful lot more on the subject of his unemploy- ment but I felt strangely reluctant to tell Alison.
One of the clearest memories of my childhood was Dad sitting at our kitchen table, passionately explaining the faults in the system. He used to tell me that in the English workplace the Irishman will always get "the shitty end of the stick" and that Seamus O'Hanlaoin and Michael O'Herlihy and all the rest of them were nothing but a crowd of crawlers and "arse- lickers" because they sucked up to their English bosses, but that you should hear what they said behind their backs. And that although Seamus O'Hanlaoin and Michael O'Herlihy and all the rest of them might have jobs, at least he, Jamsie Sullivan, had integrity. lucy sullivan is getting married / 43
That must have been very important to him, because he said it a lot.
He said it an awful lot the time that Saidbh O'Herlihy and Siobh�n O'Hanlaoin were going with the school to Scotland and I wasn't.
I didn't want to tell Alison because I was afraid that I might offend her, in case she took my father's condemnation of his English would-be bosses personally.
I started to tell Alison about all the jobs my father went for and didn't get, when she cut into my memories.
"We're going to have to leave it there for this week." She stood up.
"Oh, is the hour up already?" I asked, shaken by how
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