Page 65 of The Girl with the Irish Secret
‘That’s amazing,’ the reporter said, looking at Vi with respect.
‘So whatwasthe Irish girl’s secret?’ another reporter asked.
‘You’ll find out when you see the movie,’ Vi replied with a broad smile.
Jack came to Vi’s side and put his arm around her waist. ‘And that is all we’re going to say. Now, please come into the cinema and watch the story with us. I’m sure you’ll be just as amazed as we were when we found out.’ He gently pushed Vi forward. ‘Come on, enough questions,’ he mumbled into her ear. ‘It’s freezing and you’ll catch your death standing here.’
Vi pulled back. ‘Just a minute. I thought my mum would be here by now. She was supposed to come early but there is no sign of her.’
Jack looked across the crowded street. ‘I don’t see anyone. Oh wait, there’s a taxi coming this way. Could it be her?’
Vi looked on as the taxi came closer and then pulled up just past the barrier. Then she brightened as someone opened the door and got out. A tall blonde woman in a black padded coat with a hood. ‘That’s her.’ She started to wave frantically. ‘Mum, over here!’
The woman hurried towards them and Jack nodded at a security guard to let her through the barrier. Then he beamed a smile at her, holding out his hand. ‘Hello there, you must be Patricia. I’m Jack.’
Patricia looked at Jack and then at Vi and smiled, still breathless. ‘Yes, I am. Hello, Jack. Please call me Tricia. All my friends do.’ She kissed Vi on the cheek. ‘Hello, sweetheart. Sorry I’m late but I couldn’t get a taxi. The weather, the traffic…’
Vi hugged her mother. ‘But you’re here now and I’m so happy. Rose and Lily have just gone in with Granny. You’re sitting with us.’
‘Wonderful.’ Patricia started to walk towards the entrance while she eased off her coat.
Jack rushed to her side and helped her. ‘Let me. I’ll get someone to take care of it while we watch the movie.’
‘Thank you,’ Patricia said and handed her coat to Jack. She was wearing a simple white wool dress and pearl earrings: an outfit that was elegant in all its simplicity.
‘Mum, you look amazing,’ Vi whispered into her mother’s ear.
Patricia took her daughter’s arm. ‘So do you, my darling. I’m so proud of you.’
‘So am I,’ Jack said quietly as he escorted the two ladies into the cinema where they quickly found their seats. Patricia kissed both Rose and Lily and nodded at Sylvia. Then they sat down while the lights dimmed and the movie started.
Patricia took Vi’s hand as the credits rolled. ‘I’m so excited to see your name at the top,’ she whispered.
‘I can’t believe it’s happening,’ Vi said, looking at her name on the screen. Despite the long months of preparation and then the many weeks of acting – ofbeingKathleen – it still felt unreal to see herself up there. She hadn’t seen the rushes, knowing it would make her feel too self-conscious. But here it was, thefinished product, the story of Kathleen, revealing who she really was.
There was silence in the cinema as the movie continued, with an odd gasp here and there during the scene where Kathleen reveals her true identity to Don. It had been a difficult scene full of emotion and sadness. Vi had truly felt Kathleen’s fear that she would lose the only man she had ever loved and had acted out those emotions as if they were her own. In a way they were, as she kept thinking about her feelings for Jack. It had been a little strange to say those lines to Peter Black instead of Jack, but in the end she felt it was better to not mix up her private life with her acting career, even if her experiences played a big part in her work.
As Vi watched she suddenly felt as if Kathleen herself was on the screen and wondered if this was the way it had actually happened. She felt tears well up at Kathleen’s despair when Don left her without a word to consider what he had just learned. She had felt sad when she was acting it out but on the screen all the feelings seemed so much stronger and more intense.
‘Spooky,’ Jack whispered beside Vi and took her hand. ‘It’s you and her rolled into one. How did you do it?’
‘I don’t know,’ Vi whispered back. ‘I just used all my senses.’
‘Amazing.’
Vi didn’t reply as the movie ended with Kathleen and Don united at last and everyone in the audience applauded and congratulated the actors, producers and directors. There was a buzz in the cinema as Vi, Peter, Jack and Liz were mobbed by well-wishers who hugged and kissed and shook hands with them all, praising the movie, the scriptwriters, the actors, and Leo, who had done an amazing job with hair, makeup and some of the costumes. It was a true success story and the after-party in the five-star Gresham Hotel lasted until the early hours of thefollowing morning when the morning papers with the reviews were brought in and read out by Jack and Liz in turn.
‘Nothing but rave reviews,’ Jack said as he and Vi managed a quiet moment together in the bar. ‘Congratulations, sweetheart. You’re on the way to bigger things.’
‘What could be bigger or better than this?’ Vi asked. ‘The movie was a huge success and everyone is happy. You were a huge hit in the play in London. And then… there’s – us.’
Jack looked at her and kissed her hand. ‘That’s the best part, isn’t it? Us. When do you think we should tell them?’
‘Not yet,’ Vi protested. ‘Not here, anyway. Can we wait until we’re in Kerry for the weekend? Isn’t that what we agreed? I want to have all the family around us when we tell them our plans.’
Jack squeezed Vi’s hand and nodded. ‘Yes, I think you’re right. Your family must hear the news first.’
‘They will be your family too,’ Vi countered.
