Page 50 of Prudence
“They did get the train. Are they not home yet?” Mina asked. “Maybe it was delayed.”
“Yes, maybe. We’ll check the station. Thank you, Mina. We’ll have Gigi contact you to collect her phone.”
Derek looked like he wanted to say more, but I hung up before he had the chance. Mina sounded around the same age as the girls, and I was certain Derek’s low, grumpy dad voice had her half terrified. I watched as he made a sharp U-turn then headed back in the direction of the train station. The drive was silent, and when we got there, the display told us the next train would be arriving in ten minutes.
“If they’re on this train, let’s just be glad they’re okay and not be too hard on them, yeah?” I ventured while Derek stood next to me on the platform, a flat scowl on his face as he quietly fumed.
“I’ll parent my daughter how I see fit,” he replied all surly, and even though I was mad at Deirdre for going off to Sutton without telling me, I didn’t appreciate how testy he was being. Maybe getting close to him the last few days was a mistake. I certainly didn’t need to be navigating his unpredictable moods.
We stood in silence until the train arrived, and when I spotted the girls emerge from a carriage, I felt such intense relief I could barely even be mad anymore.
“What the hell were the two of you thinking?” Derek demanded as he stomped forward.
Gigi blinked at her dad’s harsh tone, while Deirdre shot me a questioning look. “We left a note on the dresser in the hotel suite,” she said. “Didn’t you see it?”
Just like that, Derek’s dark, accusing gaze flashed to me. I swallowed thickly. “No, I didn’t see any note.”
“I used the hotel stationary. I thought you’d see it. We just went to hang out with some girls we met at the concert the other night. We were supposed to be back earlier than this, but there was a problem with the train signal, and we were stuck between stations for over an hour. I was going to call you, but my battery died, and Gigi left her phone—”
“We know about the phone. We spoke to your friend, Mina, when we called Gigi’s number. She explained the situation.”
“It’s my fault,” Gigi put in. “Deirdre didn’t want to go because it’s a school night, but I convinced her.”
“It’s okay. You left a note. I should’ve seen it,” I said, silently reprimanding myself. I got the feeling Derek wanted to reprimand me, too, from the hard look he sent my way. Still, it was an honest mistake, and I didn’t deserve his attitude. I mean, surely, he’d made some silly parenting mistakes over the years. It happened to the best of us, and if he thought he could just act like a dick to me over a simple error, then he had another thing coming. I’d allow him some grace since the relief of the girls being okay probably hadn’t fully sunk in yet, but it still got my back up, not to mention frustrated me, since there’d been a closeness between us earlier at the school.
“Let’s get home. It’s already late,” he said, ushering Gigi toward his car. “We can discuss this in the morning.”
“You’re not going to cancel my birthday party at Granny and Granddad’s house, are you?” Gigi begged. “Because I’ve been so looking forward to it, and I really didn’t mean to—”
“Relax, no one’s cancelling anyone’s birthday party,” Derek told her, his tone softening a touch.
“Okay, well, I’m prepared to clean my room like you’ve been asking me to, and I’ll do the dishes twice a week.” Derek cast her a cynical glance. “All right, three times a week, plus I’ll vacuum the entire apartment on weekends.”
“Enough,” Derek said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I told you we’d discuss it tomorrow.”
Gigi blew out a heavy sigh, exchanging a woe begotten look with Deirdre before we all climbed into Derek’s car. The drive was tense and silent, and when he dropped us off at the hotel, we said goodnight to one another, but it felt hollow. I could tell he was fuming over me not seeing that note and thus creating a whole lot of unnecessary drama. I couldn’t understand how I’d missed it until we got back to the suite, and I saw I’d placed a room service tray directly on top of the hotel stationary pad. I’d been starving when I’d gotten back from the parent teacher evening and called down for a sandwich, not once glancing at the very clear message my daughter had left for me right there on the desk.
Giving Deirdre a tight hug, we agreed she would always text or call me before going anywhere I might not be able to reach her in future, and then we turned in for the night.
***
The next morning, I dropped Deirdre off at school then headed over to the house to see how the repair work was proceeding. With the fresh tension between Derek and me, I needed to check out of the hotel and get back under my own roof as soon as possible. I allowed myself to lean on him far too much, and it was a bad habit I needed to quit.
I introduced myself to one of the workmen, whose name was Davey, and he explained that it would be five or six more days before everything was completed. I’d been hoping the finish line was a little bit closer, but he showed me everything they’d done so far, and it looked like it was at least coming along nicely.The water leak had caused a weakening in the structure of the bathroom floor and ceiling, so it all needed to be completely pulled out and replaced. It gave me a nervous wobble in my stomach to see the gaping hole in the ceiling, but at least it was well on its way to being mended.
After visiting the house, I was due to meet with Tara and Nuala for lunch. We still kept in touch with Celine online, but she’d moved to Galway a couple years ago with her family, so we didn’t see her in person as much anymore. As I entered Christine’s, I spotted Nuala sitting by the window with Tara, the two of them already deep in conversation.
“Well, you two look very serious,” I said as I pulled out a seat to join them.
“We’re discussing the cupcakes Tara’s making for Gigi’s birthday party at my parents’ house this weekend,” Nuala replied with a grin. “So, yes, very serious business.”
“Oh, you’re catering the party?” I asked. Deirdre had been pestering me about taking her to buy a gift for Gigi all week.
“Just the sweet treats,” Tara said, while Nuala put in. “Mam is taking care of the savouries.”
“I’ll look forward to that. Your mam is an amazing cook.”
“So, how have you both been?” I asked before lifting the cup of coffee Tara slid in front of me as soon as I arrived.
