These days she was happy to leave the cooking and baking to her boy. He was a quiet lad who adored his mother and hero-worshipped Andrzej. And it was a relief for Maureen tosave her energy for the things she loved to do with both of them, and not to fret about cooking meals and baking cakes.
Maureen handed her coat to her husband, slowly took off her hat and sat down in one of Kate’s comfy armchairs.
“Oh Maureen, you’ve had your hair done. I love the curls,” said Freya.
“Well, it’s nothing like my old hairstyle. It’s a bit wiry, don’t you think,” she said worriedly.
“Patsy said I look a bit like Brian and Peter when she saw me yesterday.” Kate burst out laughing.
Patsy just grinned. She adored Brian and Peter, two giant hairy Hungarian pigs who were as happy as clams rolling about in their field by the road out of Kirkwall Airport.
Tourists stopped to have their photos taken with them and there was a little ‘Pig Sty’ honesty shop where you could buy fridge magnets and tiny Brian and Peter piggie souvenirs.
“The cheek of her,” said Andrzej. “You are a whole lot bonnier than the piggies, my love.” Andrzej always stopped to give Brian and Peter an apple when he drove past and have a quick chat with them in Polish. He would tell them seriously: “I know you can’t understand a word, you being Hungarian and all, but it’s kind of you both to indulge me.”
He looked at his beloved Maureen. “I like your hair even better this way. You look so sophisticated, like Helen Mirren.”
“Oh Andrzej, you are daft,” said Maureen, but she looked so pleased and happy that everyone felt the glow of their joy. Seeing them so contented made Evie think again about Ross. She kept on telling herself she didn’t want a man in her life, so why did she keep on thinking about him?
She also couldn’t believe how nervous she was waiting for Amelia to arrive. They all jumped as the door burst open,but instead of Amelia, it was Sophia looking windswept and dishevelled. Evie flung her arms around her friend.
“Come away in!” She noticed Sophia’s eyes were red and raw, and her mascara had run down her cheeks. Her friend had been crying, which was completely out of character. Sophia was one of life’s optimists, with her glass overflowing.
Evie whispered, “Are you OK?”
“I could use a drink,” said Sophia, looking round at the room as her friends greeted her with smiles, delighted to have her back with them. Evie passed her a large glass of red wine.
Sophia knocked back half a glass in one large glug, all before announcing: “I’ve had another fight with that arsehole Finn. He’s doing my head in. I decided to leave his flat before he could drag me into bed. He’s not using sex to get round me like that again.”
Sophia wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, exhaled loudly and then looked alarmed. “Oh Christ, the girls aren’t down here are they?”
Kate rolled her eyes. “No, you are fine. They are upstairs, which is just as well, Sophia. You are as bad as Patsy.”
“That’s not fair, I always watch what I say around the girls,” said Patsy indignantly.
“So that’s why Louise called Claire a bugger after you came round to put shelves up for their books then is it?” said Kate darkly. “I hit my thumb with the hammer because the girls were making me laugh. I don’t remember saying that exact word,” mumbled Patsy.
Sophia had already refilled her glass. She sighed, “He’s going to be the death of me. You see the thing is I can’t live with him …”
“But you can’t live without him” they all chorused together, before dissolving in giggles. Sophia looked round at the roomand smiled. Her shoulders relaxed. It was good to be back amongst her friends on Orkney.
Her voice was calmer as she went on. “Exactly. It’s just the same arguments over and over again.” She took another big gulp of wine.
“He won’t move south, and as much as I love it here, I can’t just quit my job and spend my time looking at seagulls. And I do know there’s actually no such bird. I got a lecture on that from Finn. He says people are lazy to call them seagulls and that there are loads of different species of gulls and they have specific names.”
She looked at Evie in despair. “That’s what my life has become. Arguing with Finn about effing sea birds.”
But before Evie could reply, there was the sound of a taxi pulling up and then a knock on the door. “That has to be Amelia now,” said Evie. “Anyone else would have just walked in. She mustn’t know doors here are always open.”
Sophia added, “It took me a while to get my head around it. It’s so different from back home.”
“Come away in,” yelled Kate. When no one came through the door, Kate shrugged her shoulders and got up to answer it.
Amelia stood there with two enormous bags full of toys for the girls and half a dozen bottles of wine. “You must be Kate?” she said tentatively.
“Jeez, you’ve brought the whole shop with you,” said Kate. “Here, let me help you with that. You didn’t have to bring all this you know.”
With all the skills gained as a mother of two, Kate expertly took the bags in one hand and put the booze under her arm.
