Second Time Around (24 page)

‘Jess would be fascinated; you two have to meet. You could make money anywhere, couldn’t you?’ Suzie was lost in admiration. ‘You’re a true entrepreneur.’

He shrugged. ‘I don’t know about that. It was all accidental. I was trying to escape the past, and stumbled upon opportunities to help finance my travels.’

‘But you didn’t need to work, surely? You were loaded.’

He laughed. ‘Not really. In Ireland I still had a lot of bills to pay, and the mortgage on the house and the lease on the CML office premises were enormous. That’s the downside of
good locations: no matter how tough times get, the cost of owning or leasing property doesn’t change much. Then there was the banking crisis and by 2010 we had lost two-thirds of our clients
and the ones that remained had tightened their belts considerably. I didn’t want to close CML but I knew the sooner I did it the better the severance package I could put together for Gina,
Jack and Mal, and poor old Noreen too, of course.’

She frowned. ‘What about Greg?’ she said, remembering Doug’s younger, cocky brother whom Gina had drooled over for months before she saw sense and started dating Jack.

Doug’s expression darkened at the mention of his younger brother. ‘I haven’t set eyes on him since I left Ireland and I don’t want to. He took advantage of my grief and
got me to sign a few papers that I thought were invoices relating to the services and maintenance of our mother’s house. It was a relief to hand over the responsibility to someone else but,
it turns out, I basically signed over some bonds to him. He conned my poor mother, too. Then he fucked off to Melbourne.’

‘Bloody hell!’ Suzie looked at him, stunned. ‘I have to be honest, I was never a fan, but I didn’t think he’d sink that low. I take it your mum’s passed
on?’ Suzie remembered that the woman was quite old when she first met Doug.

‘Would you believe that she only died three years ago at the tender age of ninety-three?’ he said with a whimsical smile. ‘I felt bad for leaving her, letting her down, but I
was with her when she died at least.’

‘You didn’t let her down: Greg did.’

‘He wouldn’t have been able to if I’d had my wits about me and stayed in Ireland.’

She stared into space. ‘We all have regrets, Doug, but there’s no point in beating yourself up about things you can’t change.’

‘Wise words.’ Doug smiled at her as their main course was served. ‘Enough sad stories. Eat up, you’ll need the energy. We’re going to get some exercise
today.’

They were on a bus heading north of the city but Douglas still wouldn’t tell her where they were going. Finally he jumped up and grabbed her by the hand. ‘Come on, this is our
stop.’

She got off the bus and blinked. ‘You’ve brought me to a graveyard? Seriously?’

‘Glasnevin is not just a graveyard: it’s where all the famous figures from Irish history are buried.’

‘Fascinating.’ She rolled her eyes as he led her across the road to the main entrance.

He grinned. ‘It will be, I promise.’

And it was. Their tour guide was entertaining and made her country’s history sound a lot more interesting than she remembered from her school days. But she was even more spellbound by his
anecdotes about the various liaisons, particularly that of William Butler Yeats and Maud Gonne.

‘The years come and go but people don’t change much, do they?’ she said as they sat over a coffee afterwards. ‘Do you think Maud loved him?’

‘Who, Yeats? Who knows?’

‘She packed a hell of a lot into her life. That’s what I want to do, Doug.’

‘Have you made a bucket list?’ he teased.

‘I have.’ She saw his look of surprise. ‘No, it’s more of a to-do list about things I need to put right before I die, family stuff.’

‘Your family are adults, Suzie. Let them get on with their lives and concentrate on your own.’

‘There speaks a man with no kids,’ she retorted. ‘They may be adults but they’ll always be my babies.’

‘You’ll turn into an interfering old bat that they’ll only invite round once a year out of duty if you don’t loosen those apron strings,’ he warned. ‘What
about you, Suzie? You said you wanted to travel, try new things, meet new people, so where exactly is it you want to go, what do you want to do? And, more to the point, when are you going to
start?’

Suzie shrugged. ‘I have Bobby to look after now, not to mention Percy, so I’m no longer free to take off whenever I choose.’

‘You won’t be looking after Bobby for ever and you can put the dog in a kennel or take him with you. Turn your dreams into a reality while you’re still young, Suzie.’

‘You told me that I should be careful with my money,’ she protested.

‘You don’t have to spend a fortune to see the world,’ he assured her. ‘Just be smart. If you are happy and fulfilled, you will be better able to cope with anything that
life throws at you.’

She raised her eyebrows. ‘Easy, Doug. You’re beginning to sound like some kind of bible-basher.’

He chuckled. ‘I suppose I am but I don’t think I’d have got through that first year after Pam’s death if I hadn’t left the country. Going somewhere that no one
knows you is liberating. In Dublin I was pitied for months because my wife was dying of cancer. Then I was the poor widower that people whispered about but were afraid to approach. In Chicago I was
just a guy in a bar.’

‘I can see the attraction,’ Suzie admitted. Her own experiences when John was killed and since waking from the coma hadn’t been that different. ‘I’m not like you,
though, Doug. I love my home. And, while I’d like to take holidays in faraway places – some of the ones you’ve written about – I’d always want to come home.’

‘I’m happy for you,’ he said and she could see a wistfulness in his eyes.

‘Set up a night with the gang, Doug,’ she said on impulse.

He looked taken aback. ‘We have a deal.’

‘We do, and I’ll keep my end of it, but it will be at least a couple of months before I could go to Croatia with you. A night out with old friends would do us both some good right
now.’

‘All right, then.’ He sighed, but he was smiling. ‘I suppose Doug Hamilton has to reappear at some stage.’

Jess gave her little flat a whirlwind tidy and had just brushed her hair and slicked on some lip gloss when the doorbell rang. She hurried down to answer it and smiled at the
sight of her brother bearing a massive pizza box.

‘Oh, well done, bro. I’m just in the door and never got a chance to stop by the supermarket.’

‘Like you were going to cook for us,’ Noel jeered, climbing the stairs.

‘Hi, Cal. Thanks for coming.’ She smiled up at him and he surprised her, yet again, by bending to press his cheek to hers. It was gentle and not in the least intimate, and yet it
felt good. She inhaled his spicy aftershave and stepped back, blushing. He seemed to fill her small hallway. ‘Come on up,’ she said and led him up to the flat and into the tiny kitchen,
where Noel had left the pizza on the table and was hunting in the fridge for beers.

‘Plates?’ she asked.

‘No need,’ Noel said, pulling up a chair, opening the box and taking a slice.

‘How are things, Jess?’ Cal asked, folding himself into one of the chairs.

‘Fine, busy. You?’ Jess pushed the box towards him.

‘Yeah, I’m good.’

Jess poured herself a glass of wine and then helped herself to a slice of pizza. ‘Mmm, this is delish.’ She closed her eyes, nodding her appreciation.

‘So, I’ve been telling Cal about our weird nephew,’ Noel said, washing down his pizza with a mouthful of beer. ‘He had some thoughts.’ He nodded to his friend
before stuffing a huge chunk of pizza into his mouth.

‘Noel, you have the manners of a pig.’ Jess looked at Cal. ‘I’d appreciate any advice you can give us, Cal. We’re completely out of our depth. Nora added to my
worries today. I’ll fill you in on that later,’ she said when her brother looked up, eyebrows raised.

Cal sat back and twisted his body sideways in an effort to get more comfortable. ‘I’m no expert and I haven’t met the child so I’m just throwing some things out there.
Can you tell me more about him first?’

Jess tried to give Cal a balanced and fair description of her nephew and a few examples of his behaviour.

Cal listened carefully, asking the odd question. When she’d finished he leaned forward on the table and looked at her. ‘When did he start behaving like this?’

Jess frowned. ‘I think he’s always been like this. When he was younger, it seemed cute. He’s always been shy and clung to Sharon, though.’

‘He’s never bothered playing with other kids,’ Noel said between mouthfuls.

Cal nodded. ‘What makes him happy? What relaxes him?’

‘Playing video games, watching TV or playing with his toys,’ Noel said.

‘And he likes to colour, although he’s not very good at it.’

‘Does he do these things alone?’ Cal asked.

‘Pretty much,’ Jess said. ‘Once he’s engrossed in something, he’s oblivious of everyone.’

‘I never thought about that before, but you’re right,’ Noel said. ‘If I try to discuss a movie or game with him, he doesn’t have much to say.’

Jess looked at Cal. ‘What do you think?’

‘I think he should be assessed for ASD. From what you’ve told me, I’m surprised he hasn’t been already. If you’ve noticed these things, his parents must
have.’

‘ASD?’ Jess frowned.

‘Autism spectrum disorder,’ Cal explained. ‘In the old days it was just called autism, but now they know there are many different types and levels, some worse than
others.’

Jess shook her head. ‘Bobby isn’t autistic.’

‘Note the word “spectrum”, Jess,’ Cal said gently. ‘From what you’ve said I’d say Bobby has a mild version. Doctors are wary of labelling any child
until tests have been carried out, but the sooner they get started, the sooner Bobby can get the help he needs.’

‘I still don’t think he has it.’

Noel stared at Jess in disbelief. ‘Seriously? Are we talking about the same kid? The one who lines up his food, has no real friends and throws tantrums almost daily?’

‘I know that he’s difficult but he’s smart. He’s good at reading and writing and he’s great at maths,’ Jess argued.

‘Do you honestly think that he’s a little devil everywhere except in school?’

‘But they would have said something to Sharon.’

‘They probably have.’ Noel sounded weary.

Cal looked from one to the other. ‘She may be finding it hard to face.’

Jess met his gaze. His eyes were warm and kind, nothing like— She shivered and forced herself to concentrate on the subject at hand.

‘Does he hate loud noises or bright or flashing lights?’ Cal asked.

Jess remembered Bobby, cowering in a corner, his hands over his ears last Hallowe’en, and how her mum refused to take him to the cinema anymore because he always threw a tantrum. She gave
a reluctant nod.

‘Does he only play with a couple of toys and seem almost obsessed with them?’ Cal went on.

Noel groaned. ‘Mum’s snow globe and a couple of his cars.’

‘Does he talk, or hum, or rock himself?’

Jess swallowed hard and looked at her brother. ‘How could we have been so blind?’

‘Hey, don’t beat yourself up.’ Cal touched her arm. ‘All little kids have habits, some stranger than others. When you’re around someone all the time, you stop
seeing them or think it’s just that child’s quirk. Do you know, many parents, mostly dads, only recognise that they also have ASD after their child is diagnosed? It’s a relatively
new condition. When we were kids, autistic children were either naughty or thought of as slow or simple. These days we know different and are better able to help those affected live full and happy
lives.

‘ASD kids aren’t good at interacting with other people or understanding social cues, but those things can be learned. Many of them are quite smart. They may be poor at sport or
interacting yet excel at maths, music or art. Can Bobby walk okay? Dress himself? Use the bathroom?’

Jess nodded. ‘He’s only been fully toilet-trained a few months and he’s a bit clumsy and awkward, but he’s relatively independent.’

‘And he can talk?’ Cal asked.

‘He doesn’t say much but, when he does, he speaks quite well,’ Jess told him.

‘That’s great.’ Cal gave her a reassuring smile. ‘It sounds, unless I’m completely off track, as if he might have quite a benign form of autism.’

Noel looked at him. ‘Wouldn’t his teachers have noticed?’

‘He only started school last September, right?’

Jess nodded.

Cal shook his head. ‘Then it’s much too early to make a judgement. I don’t believe any teacher would say anything until they had a chance to observe him for longer. If his
parents brought it up, though, that would be a different matter.’

Noel met her eyes, his expression grim. ‘I’ll bet some conversation has taken place, Jess. Think about Sharon’s folder. After what Cal’s told us, don’t you think
that she knows more than she’s letting on?’

Jess thought about the incredible amount of work Sharon had put into ensuring her family had all the information they needed to mind her son. She looked at Cal. ‘Whenever he’s upset,
she holds him really tight around his middle until he calms down. He hates his skin to be touched and only lets Sharon kiss him, and then only on his forehead or hand.’

Cal nodded. ‘That would fit in with an ASD profile, but he needs to be assessed. Then he can start working with the special-needs team in his school.’

Jess rested her chin on her hands and sighed. ‘I feel dreadful now. I’ve been so angry with him at times, and Mum’s going to feel so guilty.’

‘I wouldn’t bet on it,’ Noel muttered. ‘Even if Bobby’s diagnosed she probably won’t believe it.’

‘How is your mum?’ Cal asked, watching Noel carefully. ‘I haven’t seen her since she came home.’

Noel gave a weary sigh. ‘She’s made a full recovery, physically, but she’s like a different person. She’s completely insensitive, loses her temper at the drop of a hat
and swears all the time.’

‘You never mentioned that before.’

Noel bent his head and shrugged. ‘What’s the point? It is what it is.’