Sweet as honey • James Maguire

2,6•Derrys Idiot.

We were sitting in the kitchen, eating breakfast. "We better hit the Guildhall." Erin said to everyone. "A bit early, are you not?" Mary asked her daughter. "Clares been there since five this morning, Mammy. It's gonna be jammed." Erin replied. "Anything from Chelsea, girls?" Sarah then interrupted. "Not a sickie bird, Mammy." Orla told her mam. "It's her loss. That wave machine is absolutely cracker." Erin said, making me now want to go in the wave machine. "Can we go to the wave machine again soon?" I asked, only for Erin to glare at me, obviously hurt by Chelsea Clinton ignoring her. I huffed and slumped in my seat. "Ach well, at least yous were given the day off, sure, that's something." Sarah tried to Lighten the mood. "We weren't given the day off, Mammy. We're playing truant." Orla said, way too honestly. My eyes went wide at her confession. "Very good, Orla" Mary laughed off. "Truant. What is she not, Mary?" Sarah asked her sister. She was interrupted by the doorbell ringing, and shortly opening.

"Alright?"  Michelle questioned as she walked through to our kitchen. "I hope you don't mind, Mrs Quinn, but..." James started, before pointing behind his shoulder to where Cathy was following him. "Ach, Cathy it's yourself." Sarah was the first to speak. "Long time, Girls." Cathy greeted. James stood next to his mum, oddly not greeting me. "It is indeed." Mary said, unwelcoming. "And fair play to you, Cathy, you've kept them eyebrow as shipshape, so you have. Credit where credits due." Sarah told the girl, making her sister glare at her. "Ach, You're too kind, Sarah." Cathy told the women. "I'm serious, they're in great nick. That must be some comfort to you." Sarah said, strangely. "I'm sorry?" Cathy asked, not following along. "We hears about your wee divorce. Nightmare." Sarah replied. "Yeah, it was a difficult decision, but Paul, my ex, well, he just became so controlling." Cathy admitted. "Jesus, really?" Mary asked, sympathetically. "He was unbearable towards the end, it was always, 'Oh, Cathy, why did you stay out all night?' Or 'who as that man you were having dinner with, Cathy?' He was very insecure." Cathy told us all. "Wonder Why?" Mary mumbled under her breath. "James' father was the same. I just seem to attract the possessive, jealous types. I don't know what it is." Cathy said. "The eyebrows." Sarah mumbled, before I turned to The Girls at the table. "It's a good thing James didn't turn out like that then, aye?" I told them, not knowing Cathy could hear me. "What did you say, girl?" She directly asked me. "Oh um... I just said that it was a good thing James didn't turn out like that, you know? All jealous and possessive." I told her truthfully. "And what would you know about my son?" She asked me. I then realised that, she didn't in fact know that we were dating. I didn't know whether to tell her, I was stuck for words, looking between Cathy, Mary, James and the girls. "I-uh-I'm-" I stumbled for words. "She's James Girlfriend. She's Emma's daughter." Mary replied for me. I let out a sigh of relief before looking at James, who seemed indifferent to the fact his mum now knew about us. "Ohh, Emmas daughter. Where is Emma? She always was my favourite out of you three sisters." Cathy asked, making me cringe. "Emma abandoned her here years ago. If you were here, you would've known." Mary said bluntly. "Aye I would've, but alas I wasn't so.. who cares." Cathy said, bored. I looked at James before I sat down at the table again, trying to find out why he hadn't told his mum. He didn't even look at me. Strange.

"Anyway, moving on. I hate to impose on you, but I need to make a quick call, and unbelievably, my sister doesn't have a phone." Cathy told us. "She got rid of it when we racked up that massive bill ringing Russel Grants horoscope hotline. He didn't see that coming!" Michelle told us before being interrupted by her aunt. "James said you wouldn't mind if I-" she started to say, before being interrupted by Mary. "Of course not. Work away." Mary said, unimpressed. "You're a brick. Let me just find my Filofax" Cathy giggled as the two sisters whispered to each other.
"Are you staying with your Deirdre then?" Mary asked the women on the sofa. "Yes, I am. It's a bloody nightmare, if I'm being honest. I'd forgotten just how small these little houses are. I really don't know how you do it." Cathy said, offensively. I scoffed. "I told you she thought the houses were small." I whispered to the girls. "Oh, we struggle through, Cathy. In our teeny-tiny house." Mary lightly made fun of the women. "But it's worth it I'd j get to see my big, handsome boy! He's going to be the only man in my life from now on. I've just missed him so much." Cathy told us. "Well, you did dump him here quite a long time ago." Mary reminded the women. "Mums had a lot going on." James stuck up for his mother. I rolled my eyes. "Aye, so's mine" I whispered to Erin, making her laugh silently. "Yeah. I've actually just started my own business. It's been a real passion project. A real labour of love! And it's really starting to take off now, so.. and plus, you can hardly pull me up for 'abandoning children' look at that wein. She's been here so long she's adopted the accent." Cathy said pointing at me. I stood up from the table in outrage. "It's a SCOTTISH ACCENT! My mum never went to England, like you! Being from here I thought you'd be able to tell the difference. And plus, my mam may have abandoned me but at least she never gave me false hope like you're doing to James. I said before grabbing my jacket and storming out. Heading to the Guildhall. How dare she bring my mam Into this. I mean, I hate my mam, but that doesn't mean she can use her against me, not when she's done the exact same thing.