Star Sullivan (6 page)

As she meekly left the supermarket, the woman looked drained and empty, as if all the life had been sucked out of her.

Everyone congratulated Star.

‘I did nothing,’ Star said. ‘Nothing, except tell her lies.’

‘You stopped her breaking up the shop,’ Kenny said with admiration.

‘That’s not important,’ Star said. ‘Declan’s not coming back to her, is he? He doesn’t love her like he once did.’

‘Do you know them?’ Kenny asked.

‘No, I don’t, but you heard her, didn’t you, and you saw her daughter? She says that he’s not coming back.’

And from where she sat at the till Molly looked on and worried about her youngest child.

That evening Owen Hale called in at number 24.

‘It’s Biddy’s birthday on Saturday. Don’t ask how old she is or she’ll go mad, but I thought we’d have a few people in for a barbecue in the afternoon, and you’re all very welcome.’

In the old days Shay Sullivan would have been busy choosing winners and standing in a booth at the bookies, watching all his money disappear. In the old days Molly would have been too tired to go out, Lilly would have been afraid to go anywhere where there might be food, Kevin wouldn’t have wanted to be in the same space as his father, and Michael would have said he hated neighbours and couldn’t be bothered.

But these were not the old days any more so the Sullivans said they would love to come. Star said nothing. Molly noticed, but knew better than to ask a direct question.

‘What will you wear, Star?’ she asked later.

‘Wear? When?’

‘To the barbecue next door, on Saturday,’ her mother said.

‘Oh, I’m not going. I’ve got a date that afternoon. With Kenny.’

‘You are? When did he ask you?’

‘I’m asking him. Tomorrow,’ Star said.

Kenny said that he would be delighted to go on a picnic with Star. He would bring a bottle of wine and some crab claws and a dipping sauce. He would pick her up at three, which was when the barbecue next door was due to start.

Star wore a blue cotton dress with a pattern of little white flowers. She had a big copper-coloured belt that matched her hair exactly. Even Lilly, not known for compliments, said she thought Star looked terrific.

‘He must be special, this Kenny,’ she said.

‘He’s a nice fellow,’ Star shrugged.

‘More than nice if you’re bringing him home to meet the family
and
missing a barbecue at Lovely Laddy’s place,’ Lilly said.

‘I’m not bringing him to meet the family. Mam knows him already from work.’

‘You can’t fool me,’ Lilly said.

Lilly said she was bringing a friend to the party. His name was Nick, he was a journalist, and no mention of Lilly’s time in hospital was to be mentioned by anyone, was that understood?

Gemma and Kevin would be there, and Michael had been spending the morning
hammering and getting the barbecue pit ready.

Various neighbours from Chestnut Street were coming. Even Miss Mack was being helped across because she had said she loved sausages cooked in the open air better than any other food on earth. Mrs Ryan in number 14, who had an ‘understanding’ with the builder next door in number 15, had said she would come. Lillian, the hairdresser in number 5, wouldn’t be able to come because she was busy, but she had been over in the morning to invite Biddy for a free hairdo as a birthday present. Bucket Maguire, who cleaned windows and operated from number 11, gave the downstairs windows of the Hale household a quick shine and polish in honour of the day.

While Biddy was having her hair done, the men made a big sign and hung it out the window:
Happy Birthday, Biddy
.

Normally it would have been the kind of gathering that Star Sullivan would have loved with all her heart. The sight of neighbours getting together to celebrate a birthday. But this was not normal, far from it. She hadn’t been able to look at Laddy since she had seen him drawing the curtains that day. His own father’s
girlfriend! The woman living in the same house as him, like his stepmother! It was disgusting. And even if Biddy was nearer to Laddy’s age than to Owen’s,
that
didn’t change anything.

When Kenny arrived, Shay Sullivan offered him a beer.

‘No, thank you, Mr Sullivan, I’m driving.’ Kenny was reliable, responsible.

Just then Laddy Hale, who had never been reliable or responsible in his life, came in to borrow a couple of chairs.

‘Hey, Star, don’t you look just gorgeous!’ he said.

‘Thank you, Laddy.’ Her voice was flat.

Laddy looked at Kenny. Just looked him up and down.

‘Hi, I’m Kenny.’ The smile was open and honest.

Laddy didn’t smile. ‘Sure you are,’ he said. ‘Kenny the Fish, isn’t it?’

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘And so you
should
beg my pardon, taking the attention of the best-looking girl in Chestnut Street.’

‘Let’s go now, Kenny,’ Star begged.

‘But you
can’t
go. The party hasn’t started yet. Come on, Kenny, use your influence with her, tell her she can’t leave now.’

Kenny looked helpless. ‘Well, if you’d like to stay for a bit, Star, we’re in no hurry. I didn’t know there was going to be a party to drag you away from.’

‘Star knew, she’s known for two weeks,’ Laddy said.

‘So what about –?’ Kenny began, eager to please, to be polite.

‘What about leaving now, Kenny?’ Star said, in a voice so unlike her usual tones that everyone looked up. And they went out to the car, carrying her picnic basket and looking just like a picture.

Laddy stood at the gate, holding the two chairs, and watched them drive off. Kenny could see him in the driving mirror, still watching.

‘That’s the boy next door, then,’ he said eventually.

‘Laddy Hale,’ Star said.

‘Yes, well, he didn’t introduce himself. Nice guy, is he?’

‘Not really.’ Star spoke slowly. ‘No, not a nice guy, unreliable as anything.’

‘But very keen on you,’ Kenny said.

Star laughed aloud. ‘If only you knew! Not keen on me at all. Hardly notices me in fact, but very keen on himself and the effect he has on people. That’s Laddy for you!’

‘Sorry to disagree with you, Star, but he hated seeing you come away with me. Hated it, I tell you.’

‘Good,’ said Star, pleased, and settled back in her seat.

T
HE PICNIC HAD SEEMED
endless. Star thought that it would never be time to go home.

Kenny had been so nice. He asked nothing more about Laddy, instead he talked about the supermarket and how wonderful Star had been with the disturbed customer. Even the General Manager had heard, Kenny reported back. Much praise had been directed towards Miss Sullivan in bakery and confectionery. If Star wanted to move on within the supermarket, or to go on a training course, she would find the management very willing to say yes.

Kenny seemed to love the whole supermarket world and was always absorbed in all its comings and goings. Star was more interested in the woman who had had a breakdown. Her family had written to the supermarket, saying how grateful they were for the way it had all been handled.

‘That’s all down to you, Star,’ Kenny had said proudly, over and over.

He didn’t know where the woman lived or anything about the man Declan who didn’t love her any more. The woman’s daughters were in their thirties and well heeled, he said, they had offered compensation for the smashed goods but it had been refused. The supermarket had behaved well, everyone had behaved well. The poor woman was on some medication, he said, which she hadn’t taken that day. It wasn’t her fault. It was good to be in a situation where everyone had done the right thing.

‘Declan didn’t,’ Star said. ‘Declan promised that he would love her always, but he stopped loving her, that’s what it was all about.’

Kenny looked troubled by this. Star was reliving the woman’s agony too much. She should be glad that, thanks to her own quick thinking, it had all been tidied away.

He produced a folding table and two little chairs. He told her he had bought them at a staff discount in the leisure section of the supermarket when Star had first suggested a picnic. He had even brought a checked tablecloth and a little vase with one flower in it.

They ate their picnic meal together, the crab claws he had brought, the dainty tomato sandwiches and some little currant buns she had baked. They sipped their wine and drank the flask of coffee Star had made.

Kenny searched for more subjects to entertain her but she was miles away. Star tried to listen and be interested but they seemed to be talking round in circles.

‘I hope your father likes me,’ he said suddenly.

‘Why wouldn’t he like you?’

‘Well, I hope to be coming round to 24 Chestnut Street quite often, taking his beautiful daughter out. It would be better if he liked me. You say he works in a hotel kitchen. Is he a chef?’

‘No, he’s just a helper really. He used to have a big gambling problem, you see, but he got over it.’

‘He must be a strong man, then.’

‘Not really, someone sort of helped him. Now he’s much more interested in the family, not the horses, so it’s a lot better.’

‘Does he like your sister’s boyfriend, do you think?’

‘Lilly? Oh, I don’t think that Nick is a boyfriend, I think he’s only a journalist,’ Star said.

Kenny laughed. ‘He could be both, you know, there isn’t a law against it.’

He looked so nice and normal when he laughed she felt a wave of anger that she couldn’t like him more.

‘You’re so good, Kenny,’ she said, laying her hand on his on the tablecloth. ‘You deserve someone much better than me.’

‘There
is
no one better than you,’ he said, and he meant it. ‘Star, you are the very, very best person I have ever met. I
love
being in your company, I just hope you like me, that’s all.’

‘I
do
like you, Kenny. It’s just that . . . it’s just that . . .’ Her voice trailed away.

‘It’s just that you are too young to get involved with anyone yet, is that it?’ His face was full of hope.

‘Not really,’ she began.

‘No, don’t say anything. I
know
. You are very young, but I’ll wait, Star, I won’t put pressure on you, I’ll look out for you at work, but I won’t nag at you to come out with me. I didn’t before,
remember, it’s only that you suggested this picnic and I wondered . . . I hoped . . .’

Star said nothing.

‘I think you are wonderful,’ he said simply.

‘You don’t know. You don’t know anything.’

‘No, but you’ll tell me what you want me to know.’

‘I can’t, Kenny, it’s too complicated. Everyone thinks I’ve slept with Laddy. That’s just for starters.’

‘Why do they think that?’ He was calm.

‘Because I
said
that I did, in order to cover up for him and my brother who were moving stolen goods.’

‘And why did you say that, Star?’

‘It seemed the easiest thing to do, and Laddy was very pleased with me.’

‘I bet he was,’ Kenny said.

‘And he was very nice to me for a while afterwards, but then he kept bringing in lots of girlfriends, parading them past me. And it’s very hard, you see, very upsetting.’

‘Because you like him?’

‘I don’t like him at all, that’s the point. I
really
don’t like him, specially now. Now that he’s sleeping with his stepmother.’

‘
What?
’

‘Well, Biddy who lives with Laddy’s father, she’s about thirty. Yes, that’s what she must be today, I didn’t think. Laddy’s twenty-two, and his father is about fifty. It’s so sick and awful. It shouldn’t have happened between them. It’s so wrong.’ She spoke fast now, just like the woman in the supermarket, in a great wail.

‘But you don’t
know
if any of this is true. Maybe it’s a mistake,’ Kenny said.

‘I do know it’s true.’

‘But he couldn’t be having all that party for her, together with his father, if he had . . . if they . . . you know.’

‘They did, believe me, they did.’

‘Listen, you say you don’t like him, so what does it matter? What does he matter? Put him out of your mind.’

‘I can’t, I really can’t. You see, all day and all night I don’t think of anything or anyone else. Nothing but Laddy. It’s driving me mad.’

‘You
love
him!’ Kenny was astonished.

‘I have no idea what love is any more, but all I can tell you is that I think about him night and day and wish that I
had
gone to bed with him in the big shed like I said I did. Then he
might not find it so easy to ignore me and hurt me so much.’

‘Oh poor little Star,’ Kenny said. ‘You poor, lovely thing.’

And she laid her head on his shoulder while he patted her beautiful, shiny hair and her shaking shoulders under the blue and white dress as she sobbed her heart out to him.