BooksBarbecue
Back Again, Rachel
Chapters (98)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. 77
  81. 78
  82. 79
  83. 80
  84. 81
  85. 82
  86. 83
  87. 84
  88. 85
  89. 86
  90. 87
  91. 88
  92. 89
  93. 90
  94. 91
  95. 92
  96. 93
  97. 94
  98. Acknowledgements

‘With the woman he was “giving driving lessons” to. Her name is Maudie Letter.’

‘That woman is an absolute lunatic! I helped her to fill out the forms for her mother’s home help and she turned into a bunny-boiler lunatic. She had me pestered.’

‘A bunny-boiler lunatic?’ I repeated back to him and waited for him to nod. Then I got to my feet and opened the door. Standing outside were Murdo and a blonde-haired woman, whom I invited into the room.

Maudie belied her homely name; she had a very cute Reese Witherspoon look about her.

Dennis was dumbfounded. When he could speak, he looked at me and yelled, ‘Rachel! Why did you bring them in on the same day?’

‘You think this is a coincidence?’ Juliet said. ‘The three of us came in the car together, we’re going to Harvey Nichols in Dundrum after this. By the way.’ She took Maudie’s left hand and demonstrated it to the room. ‘Congratulations are in order. Dennis is engaged!’

*

As soon as they were gone, Dennis began to wail, ‘She’s making it up. They’re all making it up.’

‘Ah, you’re grand,’ Chalkie patted him. ‘Come for a cup of tea.’

‘Tea,’ Giles said. ‘And biscuits.’

‘But she’s ruined my good name!’

‘I know, I know…’

As soon as they got Dennis back into group, they’d hit him with the truth, but for the moment they were his friends, his comrades, they understood his shame and fear and all they wanted to do was mind him.

…with the exception of Ella, who, right now, was watching him with contempt.

34

After lunch, when I led Chalkie’s partner Skye into group, Ella had to suppress a squeak of distress—because Skye was gorgeous: a mixed-race beauty oozing charm and intelligence.

Bronte, by contrast, barely blinked, just let her eyes glance over Skye in a careless, uninterested way. Very impressive. Because no matter how cool she played it, no matter how much Chalkie appeared to disapprove of her, there was a spark there, potent enough to power Dublin for a week.

This was Skye’s second visit to group because I was fast running out of ideas to break Chalkie. Rixer, the young man whose bail money Chalkie had stolen, had sat in this room and detailed the ways Chalkie’s theft had derailed his life. It should have been devastating, but Rixer was too fond of Chalkie to really put the boot in.

The route to breaking an addict’s denial was usually via the testimony of a person they loved. Chalkie cared about dozens of people—most of them members of disadvantaged communities—but from what I could see, there were only three people he actually loved: Skye and his two children.

‘Chalkie,’ Skye was saying. ‘If you relapse, you’ll die. I don’t think you’re getting that.’

My fear was that Chalkie was getting it and didn’t care.