Again, Rachel
Marian Keyes
About the Author
Marian Keyes is a phenomenon. The multi-million copy, internationally bestselling author of some of the most widely loved, genre-defying novels of the past thirty years – such as Rachel’s Holiday, Anybody Out There and Grown Ups – has millions of fans around the world. They are irresistibly drawn by her warmth and wit, fearless honesty, relatable characters and relationships, and sheer storytelling magic. Not only has Marian inspired and entertained countless readers, but also the next generation of writers too.
As a beloved author herself, Marian is a passionate champion of storytellers everywhere, playing an active role in encouraging new voices. She has been the chair of judges for the Comedy Women in Print prize, a sponsor of the Curtis Brown Creative Marian Keyes scholarship, and most recently ran her own hugely popular Instagram Live series bringing free creative writing courses to thousands of viewers. Marian also uses her position to raise some of the most challenging issues of our time, including addiction, immigration, depression, domestic violence and the Repeal the Eighth campaign.
Both critically acclaimed and commercially unstoppable, Marian’s fourteenth novel Grown Ups went straight to No.1 in hardback and paperback in four global territories: UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards Audiobook of the Year. In addition to her novels, Marian has written two collections of journalism, as well as been the star of the second series of her hit show Between Ourselves aired on BBC Radio 4 at the start of 2021.
Again Rachel, the sequel to her ground-breaking novel Rachel’s Holiday, will be Marian’s fifteenth novel.
Marian is based in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin.
For my mother,
with gratitude and love
The Truth must dazzle gradually,
Or every man be blind –
Emily Dickinson
Forgive yourself for the many ways you hurt yourself, when all you were doing was trying to survive.
Anonymous
The Walsh Family Tree
1
The touch of his hand, lightly circling my belly button, woke me. Still half-asleep, I enjoyed the feel of his fingers tracing lower.
But before we could go any further, I needed to know the time.
‘Ten past seven.’ His voice was thick.
The relief of sleeping through a whole night! I smiled straight into his face. ‘Now you have my full attention.’
Afterwards, we lay together in a rosy glow. But time was passing. ‘I’ve to go, sweetie.’
‘Already?’
‘Have to drop in home, feed Crunchie, pick up a couple of things before work.’
‘Uh.’ There was that meaningful little pause. ‘Okay.’
We weren’t going there, not now. ‘Have a great trip.’
He kissed me. ‘I’ll call when I can. But it’s unpredictable.’
‘Don’t worry.’ I slid from the bed. ‘I hope it goes well. See you Sunday.’
He held my wrist. ‘I’ll miss you.’
‘I’ll miss you too.’
In the kitchen, I gulped a quick glass of water.
Finley wandered in, scratching his head. ‘Hey, Rachel.’
‘Hey. I’m off now. See you Sunday?’
‘Nah, I’ll be with Mum.’
‘Say hi from me. And if you felt like doing an act of kindness, I’m guessing your dad’ – I pointed a finger to the ceiling – ‘would kill for a coffee.’
Finley looked doubtful and I had to laugh. ‘Go on, you lazy brat.’
‘Okaaay.’
I gave him a quick hug, then darted away into the bright spring morning.
As soon as I pushed my front door open, Crunchie hurled herself at me in ecstatic welcome. I dropped to my knees, rubbed her ears and spoke in my special Crunchie voice. ‘Hello, you good girl, hello!’
‘That you, Rachel?’ Kate stuck her head over the banister, streels of wet hair tumbling down. A round brush and a hairdryer were in her hands.
I dashed up the stairs and into the bathroom. ‘I ran out of contact lenses.’ I rooted around in the drawer.
‘How’s Quin?’ she asked.
‘Grand. Off to New Mexico until Sunday.’
‘Lucky him!’
Kate was my niece, the daughter of my eldest sister Claire. She’d been living with me for the past few months because the brutal commute from Claire’s house in West Dublin to her job in a care home in Wicklow was breaking her. These days, she spent a scant twelve minutes travelling to work instead of the two-and-a-half-hour round trip which had been the norm.