He’ll do all right for Mountainview.’
‘I knew it wouldn’t be a woman,’ Nell said, sniffing.
‘Now there were two women, I believe, in the running, but they gave it to the right person,’ Aidan said. He poured them another glass of wine from the bottle he had bought to celebrate his good news. Soon he would move into his room; he was going to measure it tonight for the shelves. One of the teachers at school did carpentry in his spare time, he would build the bookshelves and little racks for Italian plates.
They didn’t notice Grania getting up quietly and leaving the room.
He sat in the sitting room and waited. She would have to come, just to tell him how much she hated him. That if nothing else. The doorbell rang and she stood there, eyes red from weeping.
‘I bought a coffee machine,’ he said. ‘And some fine ground Colombian blend. Was that right?’
She walked into the room. Young but not confident, not any more. ‘You are such a bastard, such a terrible deceitful bastard.’
‘No, I’m not.’ His voice was very quiet. ‘I am an honourable man. You must believe me.’
‘Why should I believe the daylight from you? You were laughing all the time at me, laughing at my father, even at the notion of a coffee percolator. Well, laugh as much as you like. I came to tell you that you are the lowest of the low, and I hope you are the worst I meet. I hope I have a very long life and that I meet hundreds and hundreds of people and that this is the very worst that will ever happen to me, to trust someone who doesn’t give a damn about people’s feelings. If there is a God then please, please God let this be the very lowest I ever meet.’ Her hurt was so great he didn’t even dare to stretch out a hand to her.
‘This morning I didn’t know you were Aidan Dunne’s daughter. This morning I didn’t know that Aidan thought he was getting the headship,’ he began.
‘You could have told me, you could have told me,’ she cried.
Suddenly he was very tired. It had been a long day. He spoke quietly. ‘No, I could not have told you. I could not have said:
“Your father’s got it wrong, actually it’s yours truly who is getting the job.” If there was loyalty involved, mine was to him, my duty was to make sure he didn’t make a fool of himself, didn’t set himself up for disappointment, and that he got what was rightfully his—a new position of power and authority.‘
‘Oh I see.’ Her voice was scornful. ‘Give him the evening classes, a little pat on the head.’
Tony O’Brien’s voice was cold. ‘Well, of course, if that’s the way you see it I can’t hope to change your mind. If you don’t see it for what it is, a breakthrough, a challenge, possibly the beginning of something that will change people’s lives, most of all your father’s life, then I’m sorry. Sorry and surprised. I thought you would have been more understanding.’
‘I’m not in your classroom, Mr O’Brien, sir. I’m not fooled by this shaking your head more in sorrow than in anger bit. You made a fool of my father and of me.’
‘How did I do that?’
‘He doesn’t know that you slept with his daughter, heard of his hopes and ran in and took his job. That’s how.’
‘And have you told him all these things to make him feel better?’
‘You know I haven’t. But the sleeping with his daughter bit isn’t important. If ever there was a one-night stand, that was it.’
‘I hope you’ll change your mind, Grania. I am very, very fond of you, and attracted to you.’
‘Yeah.’
‘No, not “Yeah”. It’s true what I say. Odd as it may seem to you, it’s not your age and your looks that appeal to me. I have had many young attractive girlfriends and should I want company I feel sure I could find more. But you are different. If you walk out on me I’ll have lost something very important. You can believe it or not as you will, but very truthfully that’s what I feel.’
This time she was
‘I knew it wouldn’t be a woman,’ Nell said, sniffing.
‘Now there were two women, I believe, in the running, but they gave it to the right person,’ Aidan said. He poured them another glass of wine from the bottle he had bought to celebrate his good news. Soon he would move into his room; he was going to measure it tonight for the shelves. One of the teachers at school did carpentry in his spare time, he would build the bookshelves and little racks for Italian plates.
They didn’t notice Grania getting up quietly and leaving the room.
He sat in the sitting room and waited. She would have to come, just to tell him how much she hated him. That if nothing else. The doorbell rang and she stood there, eyes red from weeping.
‘I bought a coffee machine,’ he said. ‘And some fine ground Colombian blend. Was that right?’
She walked into the room. Young but not confident, not any more. ‘You are such a bastard, such a terrible deceitful bastard.’
‘No, I’m not.’ His voice was very quiet. ‘I am an honourable man. You must believe me.’
‘Why should I believe the daylight from you? You were laughing all the time at me, laughing at my father, even at the notion of a coffee percolator. Well, laugh as much as you like. I came to tell you that you are the lowest of the low, and I hope you are the worst I meet. I hope I have a very long life and that I meet hundreds and hundreds of people and that this is the very worst that will ever happen to me, to trust someone who doesn’t give a damn about people’s feelings. If there is a God then please, please God let this be the very lowest I ever meet.’ Her hurt was so great he didn’t even dare to stretch out a hand to her.
‘This morning I didn’t know you were Aidan Dunne’s daughter. This morning I didn’t know that Aidan thought he was getting the headship,’ he began.
‘You could have told me, you could have told me,’ she cried.
Suddenly he was very tired. It had been a long day. He spoke quietly. ‘No, I could not have told you. I could not have said:
“Your father’s got it wrong, actually it’s yours truly who is getting the job.” If there was loyalty involved, mine was to him, my duty was to make sure he didn’t make a fool of himself, didn’t set himself up for disappointment, and that he got what was rightfully his—a new position of power and authority.‘
‘Oh I see.’ Her voice was scornful. ‘Give him the evening classes, a little pat on the head.’
Tony O’Brien’s voice was cold. ‘Well, of course, if that’s the way you see it I can’t hope to change your mind. If you don’t see it for what it is, a breakthrough, a challenge, possibly the beginning of something that will change people’s lives, most of all your father’s life, then I’m sorry. Sorry and surprised. I thought you would have been more understanding.’
‘I’m not in your classroom, Mr O’Brien, sir. I’m not fooled by this shaking your head more in sorrow than in anger bit. You made a fool of my father and of me.’
‘How did I do that?’
‘He doesn’t know that you slept with his daughter, heard of his hopes and ran in and took his job. That’s how.’
‘And have you told him all these things to make him feel better?’
‘You know I haven’t. But the sleeping with his daughter bit isn’t important. If ever there was a one-night stand, that was it.’
‘I hope you’ll change your mind, Grania. I am very, very fond of you, and attracted to you.’
‘Yeah.’
‘No, not “Yeah”. It’s true what I say. Odd as it may seem to you, it’s not your age and your looks that appeal to me. I have had many young attractive girlfriends and should I want company I feel sure I could find more. But you are different. If you walk out on me I’ll have lost something very important. You can believe it or not as you will, but very truthfully that’s what I feel.’
This time she was
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