Page 74 of A Second Chance Summer in Dublin

‘Nice to meet you.’ I extend my hand and he takes it warmly.

‘And you. I’ve heard a lot about you,’ Noko tells me.

‘When ya know, ya know, right?’ The sisters part and Belinda steps in to face me.

‘Congratulations .?.?. and this venue is beautiful.’ I raise my glass and circle it to indicate the architecture of the room.

Belinda eyeballs me.

‘Class, right?’

‘Yeah.’ I nod, rapidly, holding her eye, because that might have a double meaning. I know I have to face what she has to sayto me, and I will take it on the chin, so I look her straight in the eye. ‘I’m so sorry what I said about Donal. It was shit and I didn’t mean it. Not one word.’

‘Sure I called him a wet fish! But now you see what I said was true? There doesn’t have to be fireworks or ba-ba-boom heart-stopping nonsense! I hope I wasn’t too rude to you at the church. I’m just very protective of him. But I apologise for jumpin’ to conclusions – it’s the one thing we donotdo in this family. We were brought up the hard way and truth and loyalty and facts are our backbones.’ Belinda holds her head up high.

‘I get that,’ I tell her.

‘He’s amazin’, hun.’ Now Belinda’s eyes are glittered with tears. ‘But then again, so are you. I knew it from the very first day I met ya. You’re real, Grace Algar, of that I’ve no doubt. There’s not a trace of bullshit about you. You’re one of us. You look like a total knockout by the way. Yer like Cinderfuckinrella!’

We fall into a warm hug.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

‘B’lin? B’lin? B’linnnnnnnnn!!’ a strong Dublin accent shouts, and we uncurl ourselves from our embrace and spin around to see a man running across the reception hallway.

‘Whaaaa!?’ Belinda roars at him and I have to step back.

Donal’s left palm covers his ear, his cocktail raised in the other. ‘Christ B, that foghorn of yours.’

The groom I saw earlier, Stevo, reaches out for his new wife’s hand.

‘The weddin’ song is about to be played. The one we nearly broke up tryin’ to agree over.’ He laughs and his huge shoulders bounce up and down.

‘Fuck a duck, gotta go, see you later. Enjoy our celebrations.’ Belinda heaves up her dress and follows Stevo at an impressive fast pace in those heels.

‘Get the disposable camera! And do not let her see you taking photos. She hates photos, but she won’t when she sees herself today in the wedding album I’m going to put together!’ Amanda tells Denise who scurries away.

‘Shall we?’ Donal, always the gentleman, hand propped on his hip, asks me as I link my arm through the gap.

‘Oh. And welcome to the family, hun!’ Belinda roars back at me as Shane MacGowan growls out the first line of ‘A Rainy Night in Soho’.

Donal, smiling at guests, throws ahope-you’re-having-a-good-night-great-to-see-you-thanks-so-much-for-cominggreeting to each table as we walk through the reception room. He leads me to a round table at the top of the room with a white tablecloth, white roses and dozens of tiny candles in bright pink holders, flickering brightly.

‘Hey, Unc!’ A smart young man in a neon-green suit with pink bow tie high-fives Donal. ‘Thanks for the cocktail!’

‘Yer welcome, this is Grace by the way. Grace, this is Belinda and Stevo’s son, Max.’ Donal introduces us and Max takes my hand and bows then kisses it gently.

‘Pleasure, you’re a vision, darling. Much like myself.’ He spins and skips away.

Donal laughs and pulls out a chair for me and I sit on the soft, raised patterned fabric. We watch the happy couple on the floor and sip our sweet cocktails.

‘Do you believe what she said?’ I lean into him, nod to Belinda, dancing in the middle of the room with the measure of her dreams, the crystals on her lace dress twinkling under the disco ball.

‘What? That she forgives you?’ Donal’s legs splay out in front of him; he crosses one shoe over the other.

‘No. That when you know, you know? Kathleen said it to me earlier, too.’ I put my hand over his, resting on his thighs. His green eyes are caught on the spinning coloured lights from the DJ, making them seem otherworldly. And he is otherworldly. He’s just so lovely.

‘Well you’ve taught me so much so quickly.’ He looks at me with surprise on his illuminated face.