Marian Keyes - Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married by Marian Keyes Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Marian Keyes
abruptly the session had ended.
"Yes," said Alison.
A wave of guilty fear overwhelmed me. I hoped that I hadn't sounded disloyal about Dad.
"Look, I don't want you to think that my dad wasn't a nice man or any- thing," I said desperately. "He's lovely and I really love him."
Alison gave me her Mona Lisa smile, giving nothing away and said, "See you next week, Lucy."
"Honestly, he's great," I insisted.
"Yes, Lucy," she smiled, not showing her teeth. "See you next week."
And the next week was worse. Somehow Alison got it out of me about not going on the school trip to Scotland.
"Didn't you mind?" she asked.
"No," I said again.
"But why not?" She had sounded quite despairing at that point--the first time I'd ever seen her show any emotion.
"Because I just didn't," I said simply. 44 / marian keyes
"How did your father react when it became clear that you couldn't go?" she asked. "Can you remember?"
"Of course I can remember," I said in surprise. "He told me that his conscience was clear."
In fact, "My conscience is clear" was something Dad often said. And, "I can sleep easy in my bed at night" was another. And he was right. Very often he would sleep easy even before he got to his bed. That usually happened on the nights when he had a few drinks.
Somehow I ended up telling all of this to Alison also.
"Tell me about the nights when he...er...had a few drinks," she gently demanded.
"Oh, you make it sound so bad," I complained. "It wasn't bad at all, it was nice. He just kind of sang and cried a bit."
Alison looked at me without saying anything and to fill the silence I blurted out, "But it wasn't sad when he cried because I knew that in a funny way he was glad to be sad, if you know what I mean?"
Alison obviously didn't.
"We'll talk about it next week," she said. "Our hour is up."
But we didn't talk about it next week because I never went back to Alison.
I had felt manipulated by her into being mean about Dad and the guilt was awful. Besides, I was the one who was depressed so I couldn't under- stand why two whole sessions had been devoted to my father and how much he did or didn't drink.
In the same way that dieting makes you fat, I felt that analysis gives you problems. So I sincerely hoped that Mrs. Nolan hadn't been suggesting that I go and see another Alison because I really didn't want to.
lucy sullivan is getting married / 45
7 We would have all forgotten about Mrs. Nolan--the whole experience would have been consigned to some dark and dusty room somewhere in the attic of our memories--if a couple of things hadn't occurred.
The first thing that happened was that Meredia's prediction came true. Well, sort of...
The day after we had had our fortunes told, Meredia arrived into work waving something above her tie-dyed head in a triumphant fashion.
"Look," she commanded. "Look, look, look."
Hetty, Megan and I hopped up from our desks and went over to Mere- dia's to have a look. The thing that she had been waving above her head was a check.
"She said I'd come into money and I have," shouted Meredia excitedly as she attempted to do an ill-advised little dance, knocking nine or ten files off her desk and sending shudders throughout the entire building.
"Show me, show me," I begged, trying to grab it from her. But, for such a large woman, she was surprisingly deft.
"Do you know how long I've waited for this money?" she demanded, looking from one of us to the other. "Have you any idea how long?"
Mutely, the three of us shook our heads. Meredia certainly knew how to create a captive audience. 46 / marian keyes
"Well, I've waited months!" she bellowed, throwing her head back. "Literally months!"
"Wonderful," I said. "Isn't that amazing?"
"Who's it from?" asked Hetty.
"How much is it for?" asked Megan, asking the only truly important question.
"It's a refund from my book club," sang Meredia joyfully. "And you simply cannot imagine the number of letters I've had to
"Yes," said Alison.
A wave of guilty fear overwhelmed me. I hoped that I hadn't sounded disloyal about Dad.
"Look, I don't want you to think that my dad wasn't a nice man or any- thing," I said desperately. "He's lovely and I really love him."
Alison gave me her Mona Lisa smile, giving nothing away and said, "See you next week, Lucy."
"Honestly, he's great," I insisted.
"Yes, Lucy," she smiled, not showing her teeth. "See you next week."
And the next week was worse. Somehow Alison got it out of me about not going on the school trip to Scotland.
"Didn't you mind?" she asked.
"No," I said again.
"But why not?" She had sounded quite despairing at that point--the first time I'd ever seen her show any emotion.
"Because I just didn't," I said simply. 44 / marian keyes
"How did your father react when it became clear that you couldn't go?" she asked. "Can you remember?"
"Of course I can remember," I said in surprise. "He told me that his conscience was clear."
In fact, "My conscience is clear" was something Dad often said. And, "I can sleep easy in my bed at night" was another. And he was right. Very often he would sleep easy even before he got to his bed. That usually happened on the nights when he had a few drinks.
Somehow I ended up telling all of this to Alison also.
"Tell me about the nights when he...er...had a few drinks," she gently demanded.
"Oh, you make it sound so bad," I complained. "It wasn't bad at all, it was nice. He just kind of sang and cried a bit."
Alison looked at me without saying anything and to fill the silence I blurted out, "But it wasn't sad when he cried because I knew that in a funny way he was glad to be sad, if you know what I mean?"
Alison obviously didn't.
"We'll talk about it next week," she said. "Our hour is up."
But we didn't talk about it next week because I never went back to Alison.
I had felt manipulated by her into being mean about Dad and the guilt was awful. Besides, I was the one who was depressed so I couldn't under- stand why two whole sessions had been devoted to my father and how much he did or didn't drink.
In the same way that dieting makes you fat, I felt that analysis gives you problems. So I sincerely hoped that Mrs. Nolan hadn't been suggesting that I go and see another Alison because I really didn't want to.
lucy sullivan is getting married / 45
7 We would have all forgotten about Mrs. Nolan--the whole experience would have been consigned to some dark and dusty room somewhere in the attic of our memories--if a couple of things hadn't occurred.
The first thing that happened was that Meredia's prediction came true. Well, sort of...
The day after we had had our fortunes told, Meredia arrived into work waving something above her tie-dyed head in a triumphant fashion.
"Look," she commanded. "Look, look, look."
Hetty, Megan and I hopped up from our desks and went over to Mere- dia's to have a look. The thing that she had been waving above her head was a check.
"She said I'd come into money and I have," shouted Meredia excitedly as she attempted to do an ill-advised little dance, knocking nine or ten files off her desk and sending shudders throughout the entire building.
"Show me, show me," I begged, trying to grab it from her. But, for such a large woman, she was surprisingly deft.
"Do you know how long I've waited for this money?" she demanded, looking from one of us to the other. "Have you any idea how long?"
Mutely, the three of us shook our heads. Meredia certainly knew how to create a captive audience. 46 / marian keyes
"Well, I've waited months!" she bellowed, throwing her head back. "Literally months!"
"Wonderful," I said. "Isn't that amazing?"
"Who's it from?" asked Hetty.
"How much is it for?" asked Megan, asking the only truly important question.
"It's a refund from my book club," sang Meredia joyfully. "And you simply cannot imagine the number of letters I've had to
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