work in progress

Meanwhile

Meanwhile, back in Dublin, Cait had had enough. the children would not go to sleep, the husband was out playing chess and the dog had chewed her favourite shoes. There was now no way she could go out tomorrow night to Sarah's leaving do. She had just about had a nice outfit to wear but with no shoes it was useless. It was all very well to think she would get more shoes tomorrow, but there was no time and anyway she needed every penny of that money to pay for the meal, buy rounds, and get a taxi home. There was no way she was going in a pair of scruffy sandals or winter boots looking like the poor downtrodden mammy when all the others would be beautiful and glamorous. Bad enough that they were all going to get their hair done and get spray fake tans while she made meatballs in gravy!

And on Saturday, she had to meet Kim. Kim would be looking eligibly single and tall and blonde and would probably have a file and maybe even a clipboard and nicely typed reports. She would certainly have a pen and a notebook and would smile kindly at Cait and say "Did you manage to get anything done, Cait?". It was maddenning. After all Cait was the only person who really wanted to find Niamh, the others were only humouring Maeve. Still, they would all produce lists of websearches, phonebook trawls and possible leads and what could she say?

What had she done all week except unfaily accuse 1D of lying to her thus antagonising the whole form for the rest of their six year school careers? She had managed to find Darth Vadar under Liam's bed which had been the highlight of his, (and, if she was honest, her) week. Kim would not think that was funny. "Oh Niamh where are you?" she whined, not for the first time.

"Now let's start at the beginning," Kim had said decisively at the first meeting. "Our friend Maeve is dying". Cait had shudddered. "Well, she is Cait," Kim had reprimanded her. "Maeve wants to gather together her ten key people for a little goodbye party." Kim said "ten key people"in a tone that implied this was a regrettable phrase. "We are five of that ten and we have promised to find the others. We will start with Niamh Logan. Maeve Cait and Niamh went together to live in a squat in London." (It was Kim's turn to shudder) "This was in May 1985. The last time Maeve saw Niamh was in September 1985. She was in your company, Cait. Kim leaned forward, Cait how did you come to lose her?"