A Rainy Saturday

Tony and Marie lay there that Saturday morning, as the wind howled outside their window and the rain
lashed against the window pane. It was a normal, regular day and neither could have forseen the
horrific events of the day, and how quickly their lives could change so dramatically.

A few years ago, this was the type of morning they both would have loved, but now the intimacy and
romance of the moment was lost to them. Neither of them could remember those languorously lazy
Saturdays when the inclement weather outside heralded a day in bed, snuggled up, making love and
eating cheese toasties. These days, their moments of intimacy were reduced to discussing their joint
account and the ever increasing pressures their two children put on the finances.

Just before they were forced to acknowledge the awkward silence between them, Jack and Owen came
rushing through the door each claiming righteousness and indignation about the ownership of a
particular wrestler figure and seeking parental justification of their stance. Marie threw her eyes to
heaven, and scowled at Tony, sure that his indulgence of the boys had led to this unruly behaviour. She
slid out of bed and as she grabbed a towel from the hot press and made her way to the shower, she
informed the disappointed trio, that she would have to show a house today and would be gone for the
best part of the day. As she noticed their glances and the attempt to guilt her into staying home, she
quickly retaliated with the fact that if the children wanted to keep buying the newest PS3 and Wii
games on release, that they had become accustomed to, they would have to accept that this was the
sacrifice that had to be made. She added, purposely directing one of her many meaningful glances
towards Tony, “ as Daddy has decided to reduce his hours to spend time with you boys and has
seemingly forgotten about all our bills, Mammy has to make sure we keep a roof over our heads.”

The trio, looked suitably chastised, and Jack and Owen’s natural exuberance was suddenly kept in
check. Seven year old Jack was the first to speak, as he had two years on Owen, he always took this
responsibility quite seriously.

“Dad, is Mammy annoyed with us all.”

“Guys, I promise you, Mam loves you both she’s just busy with work. Honestly, she loves us all, maybe
we just need to help her a bit more? Who’s on for helping me cook a special dinner for this evening?”

Jack and Owen made all the right encouraging noises, but even Tony, insensitive unseeing Tony, as
Marie had called him, could see that as young as they were, they knew that this wasn’t going to be
enough to heal Marie’s unhappiness. He lay there in bed, as he watched the boys wrestle, argue, play
and be brothers. He enjoyed the interaction, but was not, as he was fully aware, truly engaged with
them. He had tried to figure this out for a while. He knew he loved the boys with all his heart, but he
had started to disengage from them. He had questioned himself, was this a sign he was suffering
depression, or as he suspected, was this a method of self preservation? He was subconsciously aware
that his marriage was over and that he may at the bequest of Marie, be relegated to a weekend Dad at
any stage. For the moment he blundered along hoping to maintain the status quo, despite the fact that
the status quo seemed to make none of the family happy.

Soon Marie emerged from the shower and Tony couldn’t help put sneak appreciative glances at Marie
as she expertly applied her makeup and straightened her hair. She carefully dressed herself and then
offered their two boys a perfunctory kiss. She then asked Tony to take the rib roast from the freezer, so
she could prepare the Sunday Roast when she returned that evening. With a spray of perfume, Marie
quickly left the boys, with an instruction to strip the sheets from the bed and dress the bed with a clean
set. She walked slowly to her vw golf and once she settled in the car, she phoned Barry to let him know
she was on her way and had managed to escape for a few hours. She went straight through to his
voicemail and decided with a smile not to leave a message, but to instead surprise him with these extra
few hours. She drove expectantly towards Barry’s penthouse and smiled as she visualised what Barry
would shortly be doing to her. She had initially felt guilt at her affair, but as time went on, she became
expert at justifying her actions. By this stage she had rationalised her actions and had now almost felt
obliged to pursue her extramarital fun in order to save her marriage. If she had a few hours of fun each
week, she could just about tolerate the rest of the week and her humdrum marriage. Mind you, she
needed to ignore the fact, that her few hours a week had increased to two or three times a week. Lately,
she had even caught herself fantasising about how life could be if she moved in with Barry and left
Tony with the two boys. Poor Tony, how can he compete with the sophisticated, witty and urbane
Barry, she mused. Yes, she could have a life with Barry and all the excitement that entailed, or she
could stay in her semi with Barry and the two boys and the drudgery of domesticity. She had even
started thinking that surely quality time with a happy Mother a couple of times a week was better for
the boys, than living with an unhappy shell of a Mother.

As she arrived close to Barry’s apartment complex, she drove down a side street to discreetly park her
car just as Barry had previously suggested. Once her car was parked, she smoothed down her clothes
and gave a final check to her makeup. The weather had not improved at all and as she left the car she
pulled her mac tighter around her. She tried to run quickly through the rain sodden streets as the wind
battered against her and the rain turned her hair into a dripping frizzy mass and her makeup ran steaked
down her face. She cursed her vanity that put her into her six inch Christian Laboutin shoes today, as
she tried to negotiate the huge puddles while being blinded by the lashing rain. Just as she reached the
front door of Barry’s block, the inevitable happened and she tripped and landed on her hands and knees
in a freezing muddy puddle. As fate would almost always seem to have it at times like this, a car filled
with young boy racer types happened to be passing just in time to witness her undignified pose. Their
hollerings and wolf whistles echoed through her ears as she quickly tried to get up and hobble towards
the main door of the block. She punched in the security code and entered the mercifully empty foyer .
She made her way to the stairwell and reviewed her condition. She took off her bloodied and laddered
tights and threw them in the bin. She momentarily considered fixing her hair and makeup but quickly
decided against it. Her streaked makeup and frizzy hair would take more than a quick repair job and
she reasoned this way Barry was bound to overload her with sympathy when he witnessed her sad
sorry state. In a few minutes, she would be under Barry’s steaming shower while Barry would no doubt
prepare a mug of freshly brewed coffee and the angst of the day and her miserable morning would be
quickly forgotten.

She entered the high-tech lift and quickly ascended the six floors. Marie crossed the corridor to outside
Barry’s and took a moment to compose herself. The familiar butterflies fluttering in her tummy left her
almost breathless and she let the wave of anticipation sweep over her. Through the thick door, she
thought she could smell rashers grilling and she could definitely make out one of his favourite cd’s
playing. She adjusted her clothes, revealing a little more cleavage than earlier, and with what she
thought was her most seductive pose and flirtatious smile, she knocked confidently at the door.

Tony listened as he heard Marie leave the house and her car reverse down the driveway. Despite his
earlier disappointment at finding out she had to work today, he had realised that actually it was
probably for the best. Recently, Marie’s almost tangible lack of interest in family time filtered down
through them all and left them all feeling unworthy of her presence and walking on eggshells around
her. He had taken to taking the boys out for most of the day at weekends, giving her the space she
wanted and the boys the fun they deserved. Today, Tony couldn’t have managed that and now at least
they’d be able to stay in the house without getting on Marie’s nerves. He would put on a DVD for the
boys while he tidied up and then he could make the airfix model he’d been promising to do with them.
Marie would never allow them to make it up in the kitchen when she was home, so this was the perfect
chance. He had a quick pillow fight with the two lads and then shooed them out of the room while he
got dressed and changed the bed. He listened distractedly as he heard the normal sounds of their
boisterous playing and wondered for the umpteenth time how he could make Marie happy and keep
their fractured family together.

Tony’s reverie was suddenly broken by a piercing shriek followed by the distinctive sound of
splintering glass and then…... the hysterical screams of Jack mobilised Tony and he instinctively darted
down the stairs towards the source of the commotion. His heart beat rapidly but his growing panic and
hysteria were quelled by the stronger urge to protect his family. At the bottom of the stairs Jack’s body
lay in an unnatural pose and his feet prodded through the now shattered pane of the front door. He lay
unmoving and unresponsive as Owen’s hysterical sobbing rang heartbreakingly through the hall. Tony
rallied his thoughts and as he checked for Jack’s pulse, he made appropriate soothing sounds to Owen.
He reached quickly for his mobile and calmly called the emergency service robotically giving concise
accurate directions to their home while also quickly imparting the gravity of the situation in a manner
that would not terrify the now trembling Owen. He stayed on the phone with the operator and followed
her instructions carefully which were designed as much to keep Tony calm as ensuring Jack’s condition
was stabilised.

Marie stood expectantly at the door and although she could hear definite sounds of occupation inside,
the door resolutely stayed shut. Perplexed, she rapped louder. “Barry, I’m cold and lonely, any idea
how to warm me up,” she purred seductively. The music volume was raised and the door was suddenly
yanked opened and Barry stood glowering in front of her. He quietly closed the door behind him and
roughly pulled Marie away from his home. “What the hell are you doing here”, he hissed at her, “my
girlfriend could have seen you”. She went to speak, but her throat was too dry and her tears were too
close to the surface. She eventually stammered out that she was his girlfriend. He laughed
disparagingly as his eyes condescendingly ran from the top of her dripping hair down the whole way
down her dishevelled body. He looked at her disdainfully.

“ For God’s sake Marie, you WERE a bit of fun, Jesus you’re married with two kids, you couldn’t try
to compete with Serena. Now run back to your little life in suburbia and forget about Us. Oh and I
don’t think we can work together anymore. Andrea will have your p45 ready for you. I’ll arrange for
you to be paid up until the end of the month with an extra month thrown in for goodwill. No need to
work your notice, probably it’s best not to come back into the office. Again now go, leave before you
make matters worse.”

Without a backward glance, Barry went back into the apartment were a sated Serena lay in the king size
bed, ignorantly blissful about the man she had planned to marry. Marie stood dripping in the corridor,
paralysed by shock. Her fantasy life shattered painfully as she realised this great romance was all in her
head, just as she had been warned. She had known Barry had office romances regularly, but she knew
theirs was different. They had never actually spoken about it, but Barry made it clear from the start of
his seduction campaign that he was crazy about her and that he couldn’t get enough of her. None of it
made sense, he had seemed as madly in love as she was about him. The normal alarm bells that would
have rang when he had wanted to keep their relationship private, she put down to respect for her
current situation and believed they would be more public once she resolved things with Tony. How
could he be with her if he was so in love with this Serena. She thought back to when she and Tony had
just married and knew with complete certainty that Tony had been so crazy about her, he couldn’t have
even looked at another woman. Barry wasn’t truly in love with this other woman, not the way she and
Tony had been. This gave her a little hope in her despair as she thought, maybe she could win Barry
back, if she had tempted him once, maybe she could tempt him again. She trudged slowly back to the
car and made no attempt to stifle the tears as they ran freely down her face mixing with the lashing
rain. Once in her car, she started aimlessly driving. She needed to get away from Barry, Tony, Jack and
Owen. She wallowed in self pity as she drove the near empty streets of Dublin.

On the way to the hospital, the paramedic administered fluids and monitored Jack’s condition closely.
He had bandaged Jack’s leg, stemming the unrelenting flow of blood. His blood pressure, although
dangerously low had started to rise again but the situation was still perilous. The ambulance siren
blared it’s urgent passageway and nearly drove into the back of a vw golf being driven erratically by a
decidedly distracted woman. Marie swerved quickly into the kerb as the ambulance carrying her
family raced unknowingly past her. She bowed her head onto the steering wheel and tried to steady her
nerves. The day felt surreal and her brain grappled with anything that could use to try to make sense of
it all. This morning she woke up, a confident woman with a choice to make and now this. She wouldn’t
even have her job now but that wouldn’t stop her mind conjuring the images of all those smug know it
alls relishing her comeuppance. It’s not she realised, as if they hadn’t predicted the outcome when they
first noticed their extended lunch hours. She had taken their dire warnings as a sign of jealousy and her
cavalier disregard of their advice had not endeared her to many of the girls in the office.

The doors of the ambulance were thrown open the second they pulled up outside the A&E and the
waiting team rushed Jack into the crash room. A nurse tactfully stepped in to prevent Tony following
the team and instead skilfully directed Tony and Owen into a relatives room. She sat with them and
quickly extracted a brief synopsis of Jack’s relevant medical history and Jack’s condition since the fall.
She then hurriedly left promising to return as soon as there was any update. Tony sat with Owen in the
stark room and in the relative calmness phoned Marie. Her phone went unanswered so he left her a
quick message telling her not to panic but that Jack had been in an accident and to meet him at the
hospital as soon as she could. He then started the horrible task of calling his and Marie’s parents to let
them know.
Marie stayed sitting numbly in her wet clothes for hours, still parked on the kerb. She eventually
decided she would have to return home and wondered how she could get back into the house without
the three boys seeing her like this. “I’ll call Tony and send him to get a DVD and a takeout pizza and
then I’ll run in and shower while they’re out”, she mused. It was only as she took her phone from her
bag that she realised she had her phone still on silent. She was shocked to see twenty three missed calls
and instinctively knew something was seriously wrong and as her mind ran through the possibilities,
she automatically assumed Tony had somehow found out about Barry. Her mind had already started to
think of suitable excuses and denials as she waited to listen to the first of her many voicemails. The
colour drained from Marie’s face as each voicemail revealed more. By the time she reached the end,
she still didn’t know enough about Jack’s condition but had heard enough to know that while she was
missing, the hunt for her had unearthed her illicit affair as her family had tried to trace her steps.
Andrea had been forced to reveal Marie’s affair to help the search party. She didn’t care anymore, she
just needed to get to Jack and hold her baby safe. She cursed herself for not spending every moment
possible with her precious babies and promised God If he could spare Jack that she would become the
best Mother ever and never complain about her lot in life again. “Oh God, it’s all my fault, I should
have been with him”, she thought as she drove the torturous journey to the hospital.

The family waited anxiously in the waiting room. Owen had already been taken home by Marie’s sister
but both sets of grand parents and a revolving door of Aunts and Uncles from both sides sat side by
side. Jack had caused serious damage to an artery in his leg, but the real worry was the swelling in his
brain. They needed to perform surgery on his leg but they also needed to insert a stent in his brain to
relieve the intercranial pressure and to rest the brain and hopefully avoid brain damage. Tony, had
never considered himself religious but he had never prayed harder or more intensely in his life. He had
only had couple of moments to consider the ramifications of Marie’s affair, but he realised he wasn’t
that shocked. At some level he had know all along and at least it was tangible now and therefore they
could deal with it one way or another. He wished Marie was with him now, she alone could understand
the cold chill that gripped his heart as he waited for his son to stabilise. He was surprised to feel pity
for Marie, he knew that she loved the boys and the guilt she would feel missing this. The waiting room
was full of high emotion and in everyone’s attempt to blame someone for the disaster, their anger was
firmly directed at Marie. Tony could feel this and although at another time he might try to pacify the
situation, he was too focussed on Jack to worry about this now. Marie hurtled down the corridor to the
waiting room unaware of her completely bedraggled appearance. Her face was streaked with mascara,
her hair had dried into a tangled mass and her crumpled clothes were crowned off by her bare tightless
legs. She ran through the waiting room without a thought to her appearance or the shame she should
feel for her sordid affair. Her mind was clearly on Jack and his condition now, and so although she
wouldn’t normally have been surprised, she was stealthily ambushed by the hostility she felt on
entering the room. She ran towards Tony seeking solace from the man who loved Jack as much as she
and his arms automatically embraced her and brushed away her tears.

Before anyone had time to react to this scene, the door opened and the lead surgeon walked in with an
update. The operation was successful and Jack’s condition was stabilised and although he had been
transferred to the Intensive Care ward this was mainly precautionary. Only time would tell a more
definite prognosis. The doctor couldn’t give them any guarantees but things were as good as good be
expected. Relief washed over the eclectic gathering. The doctor was paged and hurriedly left, but told
them that Jack could have two visitors for now and advised them all to go home and rest. Tony stood
up to go to his son, and Marie, by now sensing the feeling in the room stayed hesitantly back. Eileen,
Tony’s Mother stood to accompany her son to see her grandson, but Tony kissed his Mother and then
quickly turned to Marie. “Jack needs his Mom right now and whatever else happens, Marie is his
Mom.” He held out his hand and Marie gratefully accepted it.

The two parents walked towards intensive care to visit their child. The day had changed them
irreversibly. It would take a lot of work for them to become a family again, but for now the one thing
they both knew was they were and would always be parents. That was more than enough for now.