Theresa Murphy was a good woman. Ask anyone in her parish they would tell you so. She never did anything worse then yell at her husband and children until one fateful day in October, the year she turned forty.
I think there is something about turning forty that makes a woman look at her life and wonder what happened. Where are all the glamour, the excitement, and the joy she had expected? Where is the sexual excitement she reads about but never gets when the drunken but loveable lout she married decides he wants to knock off a quick piece and she doesn't have the sexual makeup for quick?
This particular birthday came and went and no one not her husband or her children, not even her mother remembered to wish her Happy Birthday. She looked in the mirror and saw wrinkles that she swore weren't there the day before and she cried.
Now Theresa Murphy wasn't a crier she was a doer. First thing she did was make an appointment at the beauty parlor. It was time to cut the long lovely red hair with gray streaks and to dye it back to her original, day she was born color. While she was there, she even had them redo her makeup. Theresa was now a modern woman.
Next on her list was shopping. If no one would bring her birthday presents, she would buy her own. She raided their joint savings account, and went and bought new clothes. When she was done, she had new everything from top to bottom and underneath. Sexy shoes, frilly under garments, and sexy clothes no more mother of the children wardrobe for Theresa. A whole new Theresa came walking out of that store. One that drew your eye and made you want to stop and make her acquaintance.
She stopped at the local pub before heading home for a beer and some lunch. Paddy O'Neil, who had grown up with her, had to look at her twice to make sure it was the same woman. He was mesmerized.
He drew her usual pint and without asking, brought her the special of the day. It was corn beef and cabbage and he knew she loved it. He called one of the waitress's to tend bar and making himself a drink sat with her in her booth to talk.
"Now my darlin' one, I have time to hear your story. For it's certain you, have one.
Theresa looked at him, one of her best friends, a man she had secretly had a crush on for years and cried. He moved to her side of the booth and tenderly held her until she was done and then furnished her with a silken handkerchief to blow her nose. Paddy liked the finer things in life.
"Ready now to talk? He asked. She nodded.
"Yesterday was my fortieth birthday, and not one person remembered. I looked at myself and I saw I was getting old, wrinkled, and faded." I cannot be like my mom was, old before her time. Frail and used up by life and so today I took out most of our money from the account and did this.
She stood and turned around showing Paddy her outfit, her hair and her manicure and her beautiful legs encased in the sexiest shoes he had ever seen her wear. He whistled at her softly and told her it had been money well spent she was twice as beautiful as usual.
He asked to see her other purchases. Theresa usually shy and quiet showed him everything even the underwear. He thought her husband a very foolish man when she said, "Like it will matter, these days its a quick one in the dark or nothing, and quick ones only make me feel worse."
