Chapter 2
Peter slept soundly, exhausted from the flight and bus journey before Michael woke him at six. He showered quickly and changed clothes on autopilot. Walking into the kitchen he found Michael sat drinking coffee with his wife and cleared his throat awkwardly. Two heads turned towards him.
"Hello Mary," Peter said.
Mary smiled at him as she rose from her chair and gave him a hug.
"Hello Fath..Peter," she corrected herself and chuckled. "Sorry, that's going to take a little getting used to. It's good to see you again."
"And you. Thanks for putting me up."
"Don't be daft. You're welcome here for as long as you like," she said then looked at the clock. "Oh would you look at the time, I've got to get to work. I'll see you both later," she said as she grabbed her coat and kissed the top of Michael's head.
Michael watched her go. "I hate her working nights at the hospital," he said before turning to face Peter. "So you hungry?"
Peter nodded. "Famished actually," he said.
"Shall we do it then?"
Peter nodded and they left the house. When they reached Fitzgerald's Peter hesitated. Michael looked at him.
"Just like a sticking plaster remember – best done quickly," the doctor said.
"Yeah – doesn't stop it hurting like hell though," Peter said and smiled slightly, though he made no motion to move.
"Want me to scope it out first?" Michael offered.
Peter took a deep breath and shook his head so Michael nodded and opened the door stepping into the warm light. Peter followed.
"Michael," Brendan called out loudly from the far end of the bar. He waved a hand which froze in mid air as he saw Peter step from behind the door.
"I don't believe it! As I live and breathe - Peter? Is that you?" Brendan said. A hush fell over the bar and several familiar faces turned towards the door.
"Look who I found hanging around outside," Michael said lamely in an attempt to break the silence.
"Hiya Brendan, in fact hi everyone," Peter said tentatively looking around the bar. Liam and Donal waved, Brian recovered quickly and nodded keeping his expression neutral. Then the door to the kitchen opened and Assumpta stepped through carrying a tray of clean glasses.
"Somebody die or something," she said. "Why the sudden hush?"
She followed everyone's gaze to the door and promptly dropped the tray, the glasses shattering into pieces.
Peter's head whipped round and he found himself staring at Assumpta, just as beautiful as he remembered.
"Peter?" she gasped.
"Hi." He gave a little wave and smiled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he said gesturing to the broken glass.
"No need to be sorry; you're paying," she said.
He shrugged nonchalantly. Not his best comeback he thought.
"Peter you scoundrel, get yourself over here and tell me where you've been! Pint of lager there Assumpta, and the docs usual," Brendan demanded.
"You can wait until I've cleaned this up," Assumpta snapped.
Peter shook proffered hands from some of the regulars as he made his way over.
"What's with the limp?" Brendan asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Hurt my leg," he said accepting Brendan's hand. "How are you?"
"A father," Brendan said proudly pulling out a picture of his little girl. "She's at home with her mum who's not going to be impressed she missed your little entrance. You have some explaining to do old friend."
"She's beautiful Brendan. What's she called?" Peter said handing back the photo.
"Aisling and yes she is. Now don't change the subject," Brendan said looking at Peter expectantly.
A pint of lager slammed down on the bar beside him, some of the contents spilling over the sides. "Your pint father," Assumpta said staring coolly at Peter. He turned to take it and locked eyes with her. They were burning bright with emotion conveying a multitude of emotions – the obvious one being anger.
"Thanks. And for the record it's just plain old Peter now. I left the priesthood over a year ago." He watched her eyes widen with surprise before she schooled her expression back to seething.
"What! Why?" Brendan demanded.
"Oh, lot's of things," Peter said sitting down gratefully on a stool Michael had procured for him. He nodded his thanks.
The doors opened again and Niamh entered. She spotted her dad and walked over wearing a smile but stopped suddenly as Peter rose to say hello.
"Hello Niamh," he said.
"Father Clifford? You're back!" she said and threw herself at him knocking him back into the stool.
"So you missed me then?" he said laughing.
"Yes and don't you even think of disappearing like that again father," she said.
"It's just plain old Peter now, Niamh" Assumpta sneered. "Saw the light and joined the rest of us mere mortals – that right Peter?"
"Assumpta," Brendan warned.
"What?!" she snapped.
"Behave," he said.
She rolled her eyes and went to serve at the other end of the bar.
"Is that true?" Niamh asked.
Peter nodded.
"But," Niamh began only to be interrupted by Brian.
"Why don't we all let Peter here tell us what he's been up to?"
Peter nodded to Brian and took a deep breath. He explained how the sweating statue had been the catalyst to his struggles with being a priest. Liam and Donal looked sufficiently sheepish. He omitted certain details of feelings he held for the local landlady. He talked about how going on retreat didn't really resolve anything and that his new posting had not fulfilled him. So he'd made the painful decision to leave the priesthood and soon after his mother had died. How in a bid to make sense of his life he'd gone to work in Kosovo helping with the human fallout of the civil war. He kept the details of his brush with death deliberately vague; merely saying he'd been caught up in an explosion and hurt his leg.
"Jeez," Brendan whispered.
"That just about trumps my year," Brian said.
"You poor thing," Niamh said and hugged him again.
"Does it hurt?" Donal asked staring at Peter's leg. Liam whacked the back of his head and muttered, "Eejit."
Peter chanced a glance at Assumpta. She was watching and listening while pretending to show disinterest with wiping the bar. She averted her gaze when she caught him looking.
"So Peter, where are you staying?" Brendan asked.
"Michael's putting me up."
"Ah. Knew he was coming did ya Michael?" Brendan said and Michael looked uncomfortable.
Peter spoke up. "Look I'm sorry everyone. I'm sorry about the way I left, I'm sorry about the way I came back. I just wasn't sure what sort of welcome I'd get and I asked Michael not to say anything."
"What? You didn't think you'd be welcome?" Brendan asked.
Peter smiled weakly and shrugged his shoulders. Brendan laughed and patted him heavily on his back making him spill some of his beer.
"Never were a bright boy was you Peter?" he scoffed. "So have you made any plans?"
"No not really."
"Good. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning at eight then."
"What? Why, where are we going?"
"Fishing Peter – we're going fishing."
"I don't fish."
"I know. Be just like old times. I fish – you talk." Brendan said and winked.
The evening drew on and Peter ate and drank plenty with his old friends. He was brought up to speed and was invited to Niamh's wedding.
Eventually Assumpta called last orders and slowly the pub began to empty.
"You ready Peter?" Michael asked.
Peter glanced at Assumpta and then to Michael. "Can you give me a moment?"
Michael glanced at Assumpta cleaning the bar and then back to Peter. "I'll be outside," he said and patted him on the shoulder as he left.
"Assumpta do you have a minute?" Peter asked.
"Twenty-four hours of them every day," she sniped.
Peter sighed and put his elbows on the bar cradling his face in his hands while the last customers left.
Eventually Assumpta closed the door and leant back against it.
Peter rose from the stool and started to move towards her, but she hurried back and put the distance of the bar between them and fixed him with a glare.
"You have a lot of nerve Peter," she said.
Peter ignored her and began collecting glasses. "You want some help cleaning up?"
She watched him limp back to the bar.
"No I can manage – look are you in pain?" she asked trying not to sound concerned.
"Nothing to worry about," he said.
"Who's worried?"
Peter smiled and placed the glasses on the bar looking directly at her.
"What do you want Peter?" Assumpta said coolly.
"To talk."
"Bit late for that isn't it?"
"In my experience it's never too late to talk."
"Hah! What would you know of talking?"
At his raised eyebrow she slammed her hands down on the bar. "Fine! So talk then."
"How are you?"
"Grand."
He tried another tack. "Okay. How have you been?"
"I've been here Peter."
"Assumpta please," he said shuffling uncomfortably.
She shrugged. "I'm not the one who ran away."
"No?"
"No."
They stared at each other, neither wanting to back down until Assumpta sighed and shook her head. Peter watched as she filled two glasses with wine. She handed him one and he took it.
"Cheers," he said.
"Yeah," she said slowly before taking a drink. He followed suit.
"So did you find what you were looking for Peter?"
"Sorry?"
"When you were talking to everyone earlier – you said you'd gone to Kosovo to try and make sense of your life. So did you?"
"No," he said sadly and shook his head. "I don't think anyone can make sense of anything out there. God, Assumpta it's such a mess!" He ran a hand over his tired face and closed his eyes seeing images of fear stricken faces. Faces he knew no longer belonged to the living and unconsciously he shuddered. Assumpta watched him then hesitantly raised her hand resting it on his shoulder.
"I know you Peter - you'd have made a difference," she said softly.
He met her eyes and was rewarded by a brief smile from her.
"Assumpta," he whispered. He reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand and she closed her eyes. He felt her lean into his touch, but then suddenly her eyes opened and she stepped back throwing him a dirty look.
"God, how do you do that?!" she snapped angrily.
"What?" he asked.
"Don't play games with me Peter," she accused. She took his glass from him and tipped the wine into a drip tray then stared at him. "Why did you come back?"
"I wanted to come home."
"Home? Here?"
"Feels like home," he shrugged. "I care about..."
"For how long Peter?" Assumpta said cutting him off. At his blank expression she continued. "Didn't you have people you cared about in Kosovo? People who might have grown to depend on you? How long was that home before you left them?" she said oozing hostility.
He flinched at her words and tone and couldn't help but react. "Yes I did. But the whole getting blown up and nearly dying thing sort of took that decision away from me!" he said angrily.
He watched her eyes dart to his leg before looking him in the eye.
"Nearly dy…what happened exactly?" she said slowly her anger suddenly deflated.
"I left with a bang," he said sarcastically.
"That's not funny Peter."
"It wasn't supposed to be," he said. "Assumpta, why don't you say what's really on your mind?"
"Okay, fine - You left Peter. Just like that," she said and clicked her fingers for emphasis. "How could you do that? Just up and leave like that? You stood in my kitchen and told me you were going on retreat! Never once did you mention it was a one way trip! How could you do that to me?" she accused.
"How could I do that to you?" he laughed bitterly. "What exactly was I supposed to have come back to Assumpta? You playing happy families with Leo?"
Assumpta stared at him like she'd just been slapped. "Oh don't you dare try and turn this on me Peter!"
"No really I want to know - what exactly was I supposed to think?"
"You weren't supposed to think anything Peter because you didn't know. You'd already gone!"
"Well I did know – Father Mac took great pleasure in telling me!"
"Oh."
"Yes, 'oh' - and as you just so eloquently pointed out you thought I was coming back. So I ask you again Assumpta – what was I supposed to think? Was I supposed to come back and watch you with Leo? Was that the plan? I hurt you so you'd hurt me? Well congratulations Assumpta, if that was your intention you succeeded!" He heard his voice rising with the pent up anger he held within him.
"What?! My intention to hurt you?!" she spluttered. "God you arrogant, stupid man – are you that thick?! Even now you still can't see it can you?!"
"See what?"
"Oh I don't' know! How 'bout perhaps this whole sorry mess from my side instead of Peter Perfects!"
"Go on then tell me," he said coldly. "Tell me about this whirlwind romance and wedding. Where was the venue again, London or was it Vegas?! Tell me about how I meant so little to you that after five minutes of me leaving, you went off and fell in love!" he said angrily.
"Don't!" she warned.
He leaned over the bar his face inches from hers. "Tell me Assumpta!"
"Stop it Peter!"
"Tell me," he growled.
"I didn't love him you idiot!" she yelled and pushed Peter backwards. He stumbled but caught himself on a stool and they stood staring at each other breathing heavily.
"God, Peter would you sit down before you fall down," she pleaded.
He scowled at her but sat nonetheless.
"We," she said gesturing between Peter and herself. "We had feelings for each over. God knows why, but there you have it. You knew it and I knew it and we danced around that fact for nearly three years. I didn't imagine it Peter; you played your part and you flirted with me! You held my hand, you played with my emotions and when it got too real you ran off and left me to deal with it! Well, I dealt with it okay? It might not have been the cleverest way, and God knows I screwed up big time, but I did it with the best intentions and hurt a good man in the process!"
Peter opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off by jabbing him in the chest.
"And just in case your giant ego thinks that's you, it's not. I'm ashamed of myself because I used Leo. And I'm bloody furious with you for forcing me into making that decision - I knew I didn't love him but I married him hoping he'd drive you from my head and I lost a good friend because of it! So cheers for that Peter! Now thanks for the chat we really should do it again sometime but could you please close the door on your way out!" she said and stormed into the kitchen slamming the door.
Peter sat stunned and stared at the closed door. After a minute he slowly got up and walked around the bar. He knocked on the glass pane of the kitchen door.
"Assumpta?" he called out but was met with silence.
"Assumpta? Please," he tried again.
The light in the kitchen went out in response...
TBC
