Chapter 13: Dublin Summer

Kaitlin walked in to the Celt one evening and was just faintly surprised not to see David there.

"New boyfriend not here tonight, Kaitlin?" said Noel, who owned the Celt.

"Who is your man?" Kaitlin asked.

"Sure and I don't know," he answered, "There's various stories about him. He sounds English but an Arab who works on Dublin Bus and comes in here says his Arabic is perfect also, though he sounds Kobekistani he says, whatever that might be when it's at home. The thing I do know is he's not short of a few bob. He buys drinks like there's no tomorrow, but nice with it, not pushy. And he comes and goes in a Rolls-Royce with a chauffeur. Someone did say he was an oil man who was half English and half Arab. One fellow said he had seen his picture in a book somewhere and that he is really the Emir travelling incognito."

They both laughed at this preposterous idea.

"One thing I do know," said Noel, "He paid a lot more for his suit than I do, and I dress better than most people in this town. Tis a pity that English fellow with the camera isn't here any more. He could photo him with me and when we find out who he is we could frame it and put it up."

Just as he said that, the Rolls-Royce drew up outside and the topic of their conversation made his appearance.

Kaitlin sat down with him and he bought her a drink. Later, when she was singing her first set of the evening, Tom and Dee came in and joined the Emir, or David as they knew him, at his table. When the second set was over, David set up drinks for the band and Kaitlin joined them at the table in the corner.

"Would you care to join Tom and Dee and I for dinner tomorrow?" he asked.

Since there would be four of them it seemed fine to her, if it was somewhere decent.

"Where were you thinking of going?" she asked.

"I'm staying at the Shelbourne; I thought we might eat there."

"Yes thanks. I'd like that," she said.

"Seven o'clock then?"

"Fine, I'll see you there," she said and then added, "In the bar I expect?"

David smiled, and she rushed off for supper with the band.

When she arrived at the Shelbourne the following evening the other three were waiting for her in a little private room off the restaurant, which had been set up as a bar and private dining room. The food was excellent and the conversation revolved around the music in the Celt and some of the odder denizens of Talbot Street. When she gently steered the conversation round to David's background and reasons for his visit to Dublin, Kaitlin received only vague but reassuring generalisations, though she did elicit the fact that Kobekistan was one of the Emirates on the Gulf of Arabia.

After dinner, David said, "Shall we have coffee in somewhere a little more comfortable?"

They all trooped up to the top floor and into a suite which had a bedroom, bathroom and a comfortable sitting room which overlooked St. Stephen's Green where coffee and liqueurs were served in an atmosphere of general conviviality.

A couple of evenings later David took Kaitlin to Rolys Bistro in Ballsbridge, but he wasn't so pleased with the food there, she thought. Actually his objection was the way they had crowded the tables in, and the way they rushed you through the meal, rather than the actual food. She quite enjoyed the stir it caused among the neighbours when she was brought home in the Rolls. As it drew up she leaned over and kissed him to say thank you.