Page 60 of Marley

1989

When I got back to Ireland, Maca was waiting to meet me at the airport with Milo and a car. He had a baseball cap on backwards over his long hair and a pair of aviator glasses.

“Rock star much?” I asked, totally taking the piss out of the quintessential band member outfit of the white T-shirt, jeans, leather jacket, and beads around his neck.

“Fuck you.” Came his reply.

It was the first time he had spoken directly to me since the disastrous Sunday afternoon visit to my parents’ place.

“Yeah, and I missed your smiling face too, brother... a whole lot.” I said, holding my hand out to shake his as I did. He stared at my hand for a few moments, taking it, but then pulled me in so we bumped chests and he slapped me on the back a few times. You know, the wayrealmen do.

“How is she? Did she get my flowers? Is she feeling better? Did she talk to you?” He fired his questions at me one after the other.

“Ladies.” Milo called from the other side of the bonnet of the big four wheel drive he was leaning on. “You have to be at the television studios for this lunchtime chat show you’re scheduled to appear on by eleven. Can you have your shag and make up session in the back of the vehicle while I drive, please? I have to get back to the hotel and pick up the rest of the girls.”

We both flipped him the middle finger, but climbed into the back of the SUV anyway.

“So?” Maca asked as soon as we were in. He took off his hat and glasses and raked his hand through his hair. I was instantly distracted by the new ink I could see below the V-neck of his T-shirt.

“You get a new tat?” I asked.

“Yeah.” He pulled his T-shirt away from his skin to give me a better view.

“I’ve been thinking about it for ages and someone had recommended a bloke in Dublin, so I called him when we got here Monday and he fit me in yesterday afternoon.”

I took in the lettering around his neck and recognised the words instantly.

‘There’s no one else. There never was. It’s still only ever you.’

It was taken from our biggest selling single to date,‘With You,’and he had written it for Georgia. Obviously he was still totally unaware that she was seeing someone else and there was no way I was gonna be the one to cause him any more heartache. My thoughtlessness had done plenty damage over the years, and I wasn’t about to add to that.

“Cool. Looks good.”

“Cheers. Now answer my questions ... how’s she doing?”

“You gonna cover your whole body in tats dedicated to my sister?”

He already had a G over his heart that matched the necklace he had given her one Christmas, years ago. I’d noticed last night that she still wore that necklace, but there was no way I was gonna tell him that and give him any kind of hope that she still cared.

“Maybe. What’s it to you?”

“I couldn’t give a fuck, but a future Mrs. McCarthy might have a problem with it.”

He turned and looked at me, biting down on the corner of his bottom lip as he did. “You just don’t get it, do you? Read what’s written on my neck, mate. The only Mrs. Maca there will ever be isher. Wewillget back together. One of these days, it’ll happen.” He let out a long breath and shook his head.

“Now answer my questions. How the fuck is she?”

I let out a long breath of my own and looked out the window at the passing traffic for a few seconds.

“She’s doing better. She’s been a mess all week, but she was happy to see me and we had a bit of a talk and agreed to put an end to all the shit that’s gone on.”

His eyes widened at that news.

“Yeah?” he asked with a smile. “I’m pleased for ya, dude, I really am.”

My stomach felt a little uneasy. I really didn’t want to fill him with false hope. I knew that he would think that if George could bring herself to talk to me, then she might be on her way to talking to him.

“Did she say anything ... ya know? Did she mention me at all?” He asked quietly and I caught Milo’s eyes looking at me through the rear view mirror. I shook my head slowly.