Positively Yours (9 page)

‘OK, well we can set up a time to see some of my previous clients' kitchens, but in the meanwhile let's talk about that front room. I know Mark wanted to see ideas on how to maximize the space so he can turn it into a study.'

Erin opened the large folder where she kept ideas on the latest project she was working on. It held light fabric samples, paint colours, sketches and photos. She had everything covered. She was always prepared and organized.

‘I know the room is small, but since Mark only wants to use it as a home office, we can save space by taking out that large couch and replacing it with a good-sized desk and some clever shelving.'

Ciara smiled, and then took a deep breath.

‘Oh, I wasn't going to tell you yet, but I suppose I need to. You see, I'm pregnant!'

Erin's heart dropped. She couldn't help it, she was instantly jealous.

Ciara didn't notice her dismay.

‘We didn't think it would happen this soon, but it has! I'm only eight weeks, but Mark is delighted, he is so excited. I still can't believe it myself!'

Erin looked at Ciara's animated face, and could see how happy she was. She felt guilty for being so jealous, but she couldn't help it. It was as if everyone Erin knew could get pregnant at the drop of a hat except for her. She knew Ciara was waiting for her to say something, so she stood up and gave her client a hug.

‘Congratulations! I'm so happy for you both.'

‘Oh, thank you so much,' replied a very excited Ciara. ‘To be honest we haven't even told most of our friends yet. But I suppose you need to know, because now we will need to change some of the house plans. The study will now need to
be a playroom. And we'll have to talk about a nursery for the baby. Do you think you can help?'

‘Of course,' Erin replied, even though all she felt like doing was running out the door and leaving the pregnant Ciara behind. ‘So when are you due?' she went on.

‘In June,' Ciara replied. ‘It will be a summer baby!'

‘Which doctor are you going to?' enquired Erin as she started to take a new notebook from her bag.

‘A guy called Dr Kennedy. He seems nice.'

‘Dr Kennedy? Oh Ciara, you're so lucky! Everyone knows he's the best doctor. He has such a good reputation. He's the best in the business, and Holles Street is such a brilliant hospital. I wouldn't go anywhere else.'

Ciara laughed. ‘Wow, with all your baby knowledge I'm surprised you haven't thought about having kids yourself.'

Erin winced. ‘All in good time,' was all she said before pumping Ciara for more info. ‘How have you been feeling? Any idea if it's a boy or a girl?'

‘I hope it's a girl! But of course we don't mind! I've been feeling OK, but I'm exhausted. I literally can't get up without having a bottle of Lucozade first. I'm so tired I need the energy!'

Erin frowned. ‘I'm sorry you're so tired, Ciara. I remember when my sister Alison was pregnant she was exhausted the whole time too, but you should try not to take too much sugar or caffeine. It's not good for the baby.'

‘Oh,' said Ciara. ‘Well, don't worry, it's not like I'm drinking hundreds of bottles. The doctor did give me a list of foods and drinks to avoid, so I am trying to stick to that. But it's hard. I already miss prawns!'

‘But, for your child, it's worth it,' replied Erin. She knew she was beginning to sound bossy, but some people didn't know how lucky they were to get pregnant so easily, and they just didn't take the whole thing seriously enough.

‘Oh, don't worry, sure I have my mum ringing me every day demanding to know what food I've eaten. The baby will be the first grandchild in our house, and Mum is already so worried and concerned for its health. Honestly, if she could she would move in here just so she could force-feed me steak and vegetables every day! But I suppose it's because since my dad died earlier this year she's been so heartbroken. And now she is so excited about her first grandchild. It's really lifted her spirits.'

Erin felt guilty. She realized that Ciara had more important things to worry about than bottles of Lucozade and her caffeine intake. She'd dealt with the death of her father, and was now trying to enjoy bringing some happiness into her family. Erin felt she shouldn't have been so judgemental.

‘I'm sorry about your dad,' she said. ‘The baby couldn't have come at a better time for you all. What a blessing for your family!'

‘It really is. We all can't wait.'

‘Anyway, now that you have this baby on the way I will certainly revise the design plans,' said Erin. ‘The playroom should be easy: we just need to pick out some nice bright paint and ensure we have plenty of storage units in there for all the toys! But the nursery will be trickier. You and Mark have a good-sized bedroom and en suite, but the remaining three bedrooms are so tiny. What do you think about knocking two of them together? I'm sure Paula could get you some quotes to let you know how much it would cost.'

‘Why don't we go upstairs and have a look?' suggested Ciara.

Ciara proudly showed Erin into one of the sunny back bedrooms.

‘I'd like the baby to have a nice, light, happy room. I can't wait to pick out cots and baby furnishings!'

Erin swallowed hard. She didn't want to admit that for years she had been collecting ideas for baby rooms of her own: girly pink bedclothes, baby-blue wallpaper, dinosaur curtains, princess beds, wooden cots from Scandinavia, and quilts from America – she had all her ideas and hopes in a special book.

‘I think we should paint the room yellow,' said Erin, trying to focus on the work at hand. ‘It's a neutral colour, so would suit a girl or a boy, and although the wooden floors might need sanding, I think the biggest problem here will be space. I will work on some ideas, but I think if we could knock this room and the one next to it together it would create a big, bright, and nicely proportioned nursery.'

For the rest of the afternoon Erin let herself revel in doing nothing but talking about babies. Yes, she was incredibly jealous of her client, but Ciara was a sweet girl who had survived a tough year, so Erin tried to push aside her envy and instead enjoy talking about baby cots, nursery ideas and how to baby-proof the newly renovated house.

‘OK, I've taken enough of your time today,' she said eventually. ‘Email me your thoughts on the kitchen floor, and I'll look for a brochure I have somewhere at home on a Norwegian company who make the most beautiful wooden nursery furniture. Children's cots aren't something we supply, but the catalogue might be of some use to you.'

‘Thanks, Erin. And thanks for all your tips on vitamins, food and exercise. I've learnt more from you this afternoon than from any baby book!'

Erin said nothing, she just stole a quick glance at Ciara's belly. Of course there was no sign yet she was carrying a child, but still Erin couldn't believe there was a little person right there with them.

‘I hope you have a good weekend. I'll talk to you next week.'

‘Thanks,' said Ciara again as she began to close the front door. And then she added, because they'd talked about it over coffee: ‘Best of luck with that fortune-teller, too! I hope she tells you what you want to hear!'

Erin thanked her before getting back into her car and heading home. After a long day at work, focusing on someone else's good news, she couldn't wait to get ready for her night of predictions. She only hoped the fortune-teller would give her the answers she was looking for.

TONIGHT ERIN AND
her two sisters were going to meet Ula, a very well-known fortune-teller who lived in Wicklow. Earlier, Erin had told Ciara Ryan she was being dragged along by her older sisters to meet Ula, but really it was her who had made the appointment. Erin had read every pregnancy book, could relay word for word the medical advice from all the top getting-pregnant websites – but still, nothing could tell her when or if it was ever going to happen. Her doctor kept saying that medically there was no problem, and her husband kept reminding her she only had to relax, but she wanted something more definite than that. And then she had bumped into an old school friend who swore by Ula.

‘I'm telling you, everything that woman told me has come true: from finally finding a man, to getting a new job. She even told me my mum would be in an accident. Luckily Mum's OK now, but honestly, Ula has the gift.'

That was all Erin had needed to hear. She had immediately rung Ula, and booked an appointment – which had been weeks ahead. And then she had persuaded Alison and Rebecca to come with her.

‘I'll go, but please don't pin all your hopes on this one person. This lady is just some fortune-teller, not a fertility expert,' Rebecca had said.

‘I know, I know,' Erin had said, trying to get her eldest sister off her back. She knew her sisters were dying for her to become a mother, but she also knew they worried about her putting so much pressure on herself and John to become pregnant.

‘Getting pregnant will happen in time. Just enjoy being footloose and fancy free. Enjoy your time alone with John. Don't put all this pressure on him, too.'

Erin promised not to, but of course she had. John was the kindest man she knew, but at times she wondered if he was taking getting pregnant as seriously as she did. It was a bone of contention between them, but one she hoped the fortune-teller might shed some light on.

Half an hour after leaving her house, Erin was at the front door of the famous fortune-teller. Ula was younger and prettier than she had imagined. She lived in a small house, and Erin had seen two small children run up the stairs while the three sisters were being shown into the living room. Ula sat down and chatted to them all before beginning the readings.

‘There are things I can tell just from looking at a person's aura. Others the cards will tell me,' Ula told the girls, as she offered them all a cup of coffee.

‘Do you have green tea?' Erin asked. She had read that green tea was much healthier for you when you were trying to get pregnant. She hadn't had coffee, or proper tea, in weeks.

‘I'm sorry, no,' Ula said, staring at her. Erin suddenly felt very self-conscious. She was sure Ula could read her mind, and could tell why she only wanted green tea. Erin pushed back her long dark hair, and asked for water instead.

Rebecca was the most sceptical of the three sisters, but had insisted on going first. Being the eldest she always wanted to go first. So while Erin and Alison waited in the living room,
Rebecca was shown to a smaller room just off the kitchen.

‘She's very young, isn't she?' said Erin, as she looked at the framed photos of Ula and her children. The room was piled high with books.

‘I suppose it doesn't matter what age she is. She seems kind. It's whether she can honestly see into our futures that is important.'

Erin realized she was being too doubtful about Ula. She had been expecting an old, wise woman, not a young mum, to answer the door.

‘Anyway, what are you going to ask about?' Erin asked her sister.

‘Well, of course I would love to know things about baby Sophie's future! Will she get into any of the flipping schools? I mean, at two weeks old we had her down for every good school in South Dublin, but were still told we had left it very late to book her in! What are you supposed to do, book a baby into primary school the second it's conceived?'

Erin laughed. Alison had only just realized how organized other mums were, and that she and Sophie had to compete against them.

‘And to be honest,' Alison went on. ‘I'd love to see if Ula says anything about David's new job. If we knew this renewable energy company was going to work out, we could risk buying a bigger home. I can't stand living in our apartment any longer. It's not easy bringing up a baby in a two-bedroomed second-floor apartment. No matter how beautifully you decorated it for me, it is still too small. Poor little Sophie is already running out of places to crawl to.'

Erin knew how hard Alison and David had found living in the apartment since the birth of baby Sophie. Living there had never been a problem until a baby, and her cot, toys, bouncer, highchair, mounds of clothes and never-ending piles of washing, had arrived.

‘Let's hope that Ula will tell you she can see Sophie running around a huge house, after a day of being in your preferred school!'

Before long Rebecca arrived back in the room.

‘Oh my God, girls, she is amazing!'

‘What?' both sisters said, stunned. Rebecca had been so cynical the whole way down in the car. Erin had reminded her she didn't have to go, but although Rebecca had been happy just to have a night away from her two children, Lucy and Peter, she'd also been strangely insistent she had to go to the fortune-teller, even if she didn't believe in psychics, cards or crystal balls.

‘Yeah, she just knew everything! She knew all about that job interview I went for this week. She said she could see a blue aura around me, which means I was successful in the interview and that I've got the job! She even told me to look under Peter's little bed for something precious that I've lost. I misplaced my eternity ring two weeks ago, and have been avoiding telling Geoff. Luckily he is the most unobservant husband in the world, and hasn't looked at my hands in a long time. But if it is there, then I can rest easy. Peter is such a scamp, honestly how did I end up with the wildest boy in the world?'

‘Because you were the wildest child yourself,' said Alison matter-of-factly.

Rebecca huffed, but was so delighted to be told her ring would turn up, and that she might be offered a new job, that she ignored Alison's dig.

‘OK, so who wants to go in next?' asked Rebecca.

Erin pushed forward.

‘Me! Oh God, she might have answers for me too,' she said excitedly.

Alison placed her arm around her younger sister.