Celtic Night

by Bridget O'Dwyer

  “Okay,” I said. “I go to the Presentation School and I don’t play any sports. I like to read, and I like to write. My favorite colors are orange, green, and pink. I love chocolate, especially Cadbury. I now love to travel. I have three best friends at home and I do everything with them. I have one older sister Morgan who is already off in college, and I was incredibly bored in Syracuse, New York, where I’m from and decided that I needed a change. So, here I am. Oh, and by the way, I don’t care for Brussels sprouts either,” I said laughing. I looked up and he was smiling at me. “And there, Declan, is my life in a nut shell. It’s extremely boring and dull. Ta da!”

  “No, no, no. Not at all. You’re far from dull,” he said. I looked up and studied his face. I had no idea what time it was, but I did know it was late.

  “Oh crap! I’ve got to go. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m going to go out with Aisling and Grainne tomorrow night. Maybe I’ll see you,” I said as I started running across the fields. Declan watched out for me as I reached the wall, hopped over and made it to the house. I decided to catch my breath before I went inside so that Jack wouldn’t question me. He was in his chair in the sitting room. I knew, because I could hear the television. I walked by the door and tried to bolt upstairs to the bedroom.

  “Sarah? Is that you?” I heard Jack call out to me before I even made it to the second step. I went into the sitting room and plopped down on the couch.

  “Hi, Jack! What are you watching?”

  “Oh, just some special on The History Channel. So... what do you think of Declan. He’s a nice chap, isn’t he? He plays hurling for the team I coach. He’s like a son to me,” he said, pretending to be just making basic conversation. I decided that I would play along.

  “Oh, um, sure! I guess. He’s nice.”

  “Well, do you like him?” I guess he gave up quickly on the basic conversation and decided to jump right in and be forward with me.

  “I mean he’s nice,” I said. “I hardly know him.”

  “Well, I think you should get to know him. He came to talk to me tonight after you girls went down to Biddy’s. He asked me about you and I told him you would go to the cinema with him sometime or something. I told him you were a bit shy but he should chat you up a bit.”

  “Oh, okay. Thanks Jack,” I said feeling completely unthankful.

  “Well that’s all I wanted to say,” he said. I left the room confused by what had just happened. Did my uncle honestly get me a date? Not to sound ungrateful, but why would he do that? I wondered. That night I couldn’t sleep because my head was filled with thoughts. I was thinking about Biddy’s story and what Jack had done. I knew that if I fell asleep, my dreams would not be pleasant.

  When I woke up the next morning, I remembered that my dreams were in fact unpleasant. I ignored my terrifying dream about the banshee and my dream of having an awkward date to the movies with Declan. As the day went on I was more and more excited for the night because I would be going out with Aisling and Grainne to see real Thurles nightlife. Around six o’clock the room was filled with commotion. Clothes flew from dresser drawers and the wardrobe, blow dryers wailed, and eyelashes were curled. Aisling, Grainne, and I were getting ready for a night on the town. After convincing Aisling to take a risk and wear a red shirt, we allowed a compromise and let her wear black pants. She wore flat, tan, suede boots. She had straightened her hair and was wearing it down with a side part. Grainne had chosen a pair of jeans and a dark turquoise top, along with turquoise earrings and black pointed toe boots. She also had her hair straightened and in a side part. I chose to wear my favorite pair of jeans, the ones that always made me feel fabulous, a pair of black pointed toe boots, and a simple long sleeved black top. Once we were finally ready to leave, after pampering and beautifying ourselves, we went downstairs to say goodbye to Jack and Una.

  “You take care of her, girls,” he sternly told Aisling and Grainne.

  “Geez Da, what do you think we’d do with her? Let her off downtown and tell her good luck?” Grainne cried.

  “All right. Well! we’re off,” Aisling said.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said to Jack and Una.

  “Be safe!” Una shouted as we were on our way out the door.

  We walked through the town, past the many pubs that were already filled with music. Outside many of the fast food restaurants, younger kids hung out with friends, munching on chips and burgers. We made our way down to a pub called the County, where Aisling and Grainne’s friends were, including James and Paul. The place was packed. You couldn’t move a muscle without knocking someone’s drink or stepping on someone’s toes. We made our way to the back of the pub, right next to the bathrooms. Paul and James stood chatting with three other guys. Grainne and Aisling each grabbed a seat and I began to introduce myself to all the people staring at me like I had two heads. The boys talking to Paul and James were named Larry, Emmit, and Gary. All three of them were extremely cute; tall, rugged, and with accents that no American female could resist. However, they were much older than me, but a girl can dream, right? At the table, in order of introduction sat many of Aisling and Grainne’s girlfriends, but I couldn’t hear their names over the loud music. Bad luck for me. Two of the girls were Declans’ older sisters, who tried giving me the third degree. I kept my mouth shut for fear of anything getting back to Declan. While Grainne and Aisling chatted with their friends I stood with James and we talked.

  “So, any news? How was your first week at school?” he asked.

  “No, not really. It was good…” I said trying to contribute to the conversation the best I could. “Do you know Declan O’Neil?”

  “Yup. I know him. He goes to school with Eoghan. He lives in the park. Why, do you fancy him?”

  “Shhhhh,” I warned him so Declan’s sisters wouldn’t hear us talking. “No, I don’t fancy him, but Uncle Jack likes him and set me up on a date with him!”

  “Give him a chance,” James said, laughing at me. He turned to Paul to tell him the story. Of course, Paul instantly joined in the laughter and the two of them started to make fun of me.

  Seeing that Aisling and Grainne weren’t doing the best job of “watching” over me, I went to the bathroom without telling them. After I had used the bathroom and washed my hands, I stood in front of the sink for at least five minutes. I thought about Declan. He was a really nice person but what if it turned out I didn’t like him as more than a friend in the end? How would I tell him? And for that matter, how would I tell Jack? I decided to head back out into the crowd. I opened the bathroom door and standing, with his back to me, was the one and only Declan. He was talking to Aisling, Grainne, and his two sisters, and as soon as they spotted me, they started screaming.

  “Oh look! There she is, Declan! We’ve been looking for you Sarah!” Aisling screamed over the music. Declan turned around and flashed me a smile. I looked over and saw James pointing at me laughing. He knew I was uncomfortable, but he wanted to torture me. I decided that I had to be polite and talk with Declan because everyone was expecting me to be in love with him. I grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the opposite side of the bar where there were two empty stools. I assured Aisling and Grainne that I wouldn’t leave the pub to run off with Declan; it was just that I needed to sit down. He politely asked me if I wanted something to drink, but I declined. I had finished my Diet Coke a while ago and was refreshed. He scooted his chair closer to mine so we could hear each other clearly. In the beginning it was awkward, while we worked through the normal small talk, but after a while we drifted into deep conversation. I found it so easy to talk to him because there was something so comforting and laid back. “I miss my friends back home,” I said. “It’s not that there’s no one to talk to here, but I miss people who have known me for a long time. I even miss my parents.”

  “That’s one of the great things about living in Thurles. Everyone knows you and most have know you since you were born. They might know your father or even your grandfather. I think if
I had to move or travel to a new place I’d feel invisible. I could never do what you’ve done, Sarah,” Declan responded.

  Apparently we were so caught up in conversation that time had flown by. It was midnight already and the pub was closing. Crowds of people were heading across the street to the nightclub. I lost Declan in the crowd but luckily I walked in with Paul and his friend Gary, and we were not carded. I technically didn’t feel I was doing anything wrong. Yes, I was under age but I wasn’t drinking. I was just having a good time. When we were inside, Paul, who had already had a few pints of Guinness, whisked me onto the dance floor. This place was also packed. There was a huge dance floor surrounded by three different bars and some places to sit. Paul and I were lost in the crowd. I laughed at his goofy dance moves. We looked like complete lunatics, but neither of us cared.

  Three dances later I needed a break. I grabbed some random girl and forced her to take over my position. Of course, Paul barely noticed. I ventured over to where Aisling was talking with some guy.

  “Hey Hun!” she yelled excitedly. When she spoke she came extremely close to my face and I could practically taste the alcohol off her breath. I waved my hand in front of my face in hopes that she would get the hint.

  “Are you having a good time?” she asked backing slightly away from me.

  “Yea, I am. Paul can really dance,” I said sarcastically.

  She started laughing, “I know isn’t he a hoot!” Just then I felt a hand on my shoulder and a voice whisper into my ear.

  “Dance with me?” I spun around to see who it was. Declan of course. Aisling lost her balance and fell into me, leading to a domino effect. Declan caught me in his arms and then dragged me back onto the dance floor. We danced very close to one another and I could feel his heart beating against my chest. I flirted with him while we danced, just for fun. He was cute but there was something missing. I didn’t feel the “zing”. We danced for multiple songs, with slow and fast beats. He looked into my eyes. He told me he saw something in me that he had never seen in anyone before. During a slower song I rested my head on his shoulder and he rocked me back and forth. I wanted this to be special. Could wanting something make it happen?

  Straight ahead, I noticed a familiar face. I looked closer. It was the mystery boy, and he was talking to my cousin James. I caught myself staring at him and quickly turned away, but I wasn’t fast enough. He saw me and gave me a slight smile. I wished I could have gone to him to find out his name, but I couldn’t do that to Declan. I felt something so strange and unusual for him, and I didn’t even know his name.

  At three o’clock in the morning, on our way back to Childers Park, Grainne and Aisling acted like drunken fools, laughing at everything they saw. Around each corner and in front of each pub stood little, old, drunk men, talking nonsense of wealth and money. Every time I saw one of these men, whether they were having a smoke, or stumbling home, or wandering aimlessly around the town, I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, they were Leprechauns.

  Chapter 8

  February was a cold month in Thurles. One extremely frosty day, when we were sitting in class, it began to snow. I noticed the first flakes falling as I gazed out the window, but it didn’t mean anything to me. In Syracuse, we get an intense amount of snow each winter, but in Ireland, even one snowfall is rare. The excitement on the girls’ faces made me smile inside and, even though the snow only stuck for a few hours, we had a lot of fun during break and lunch, collecting enough snow for one or two snowballs to throw at each other and catching flakes with our mouths and feeling them melt on our tounges.

  After school was out that day the square was filled with excited children and teens having snowball fights and enjoying the unexpected snow flakes. As snowballs were flying overhead, Kate, Deirdre, and I walked around the square, weaving in and out of stores. We finally decided to get a cup of tea and warm up a bit, before facing the cold again. On our way inside, I spotted the boy.

  “There he is! There he is!” I shouted, grabbing Kate and Deirdre’s arms.

  “There who is?” Deirdre asked, scamming the crowded square for whoever I was pointing at.

  “Oh, your guy! The mystery boy!” Kate exclaimed. I had my eyes on him as if I was a lion and he was my prey so I wouldn’t lose him in the crowd. Just as I was pointing again to show the girls, a snowball hit me smack in the face. I wiped the snow off my face and turned around to see Eoghan and Declan standing there and fully prepared to strike again.

  “Damn! I lost him.” I said, extremely disappointed. I was so frustrated with Eoghan and Declan who distracted me from the beautiful boy whose name I didn’t even know, I knelt down on the ground, grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at Declan. When they both began to attack, I ducked, forcing the snowballs to hit Kate and Deirdre. The girls had the most shocked looks on their faces. Soon the five of us were in a snowball war, running, screaming, and falling all over the place dodging a hit to the head or getting a good aim at someone else. When we finally called it quits almost all the snow in the square had melted away. I properly introduced Kate and Deirdre to Eoghan and Declan and they joined us for a cup of tea. Two cups of tea and a scone later Kate leaned in close to me and whispered. “Declan is so cute. Find out if he’s interested, will you?” I wasn’t surprised that she liked him.

  A couple of minutes later, Kate and Deirdre left to go and catch their bus and Eoghan headed off home. Declan and I started walking back to the Park in the piercing cold. We were just outside of his house when I finally decided to ask him about Kate.

  “So, what do you think of Kate?”

  “She’s nice. Why?”

  “No, what do you think of her? Do you think she’s pretty? Would you meet her?” I asked, hoping he would catch on this time.

  “Oh, I get it. Um, I don’t think so, Sarah,” he said turning to walk towards his front door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  As I walked the rest of the way to my house I wondered whether he honestly had no interest in Kate or whether he still hadn’t moved on from me. I secretly hoped it was that he had no interest in Kate although I would never tell her that. I didn’t know what I would say to her to explain why Declan didn’t like her.

  I came home to find Jack and Una both gone and my dinner on a plate on the stove. Una arrived home about twenty minutes after I did and Jack followed another half hour later. Una said that she had had to work late, and I realized that so far I had had no idea what she did. To my surprise she worked at the convent down at the church and took care of many of the nuns, mostly cooking their meals. I told her that a couple of the nuns worked at my school but none of them was my teacher.

  That night I called home to talk with my parents. My mother answered the phone and sounded thrilled to talk to me.

  “Mom you would love my favorite class! It’s all about mythological creatures of Ireland. I’m more and more interested each week!”

  “That’s great, Honey!” she said. “Oh, I almost forgot. I saw your girlfriends the other night at the video store. They all say hello and they miss you very much, as do your father and I.”

  “I miss all of you, too! Wow! I’d completely forgotten to tell you how much I miss girls’ night,” I said, suddenly realizing that I missed my friends terribly. As I finished talking to my mom, my dad came on the phone.

  “I can’t believe I waited this long to meet this family. They’re all amazing, Dad,” I told him trying not to make him too jealous that he wasn’t here. “I’ve become really close with Biddy. She tells me all about the myths that she knows from the past.”

  “That’s great that she tells you. She hardly ever shares deep secrets with anyone,” he said sounding surprised. “I hope she’s not telling you any lies about me!”

  “Oh, she’s told me plenty about you and your brothers’ mischievous behavior as kids,” I said laughing. After chatting for just a short while, I heard my mother yelling in the background, “International calls aren’t cheap!”

  A
fter I hung up,I went into the sitting room where Jack was already in his usual spot watching some program on wild animals in Africa. I sat down on the couch next to his chair. He quickly reached down and passed me a tin of biscuits he was eating. I smiled at him because he always had little nighttime treats somewhere in the room. I took a couple of chocolate-covered ones and handed the tin back. Every other day I would join him in the sitting room to have an update of our lives and we would do this same biscuit ritual over again, although the television program varied. He asked me about school, my friends, how I liked living in Thurles. Then he would try to sneak in a little comment about Declan. He always hoped he could trick me into answering and then continue on with the conversation.

  “So, how are things going?” he asked, keeping his eyes on the T.V.

  “Fine, everything’s fine.”

  “That’s good. How’s Declan? Are you two getting on okay? How’s school?”

  “School is fine as well,” I said, laughing inside because I had pretended I didn’t hear the two middle comments. But, of course, he would not back down. He was determined to talk about Declan, and because I eventually gave in he had exactly what he wanted.

  “I was talking to him the other day while I was out in the garden. He told me you didn’t seem very interested in him, but of course you are, right? So anyways, you’re going to the movies on Friday night. It’ll be fun. He’s a nice chap.”

  I rolled my eyes out of complete annoyance for what Jack had done. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in a place with Jack yet where I could go off in a ranting rage about how angry I was at him for doing such a stupid thing. He looked at me blankly hoping I would respond to his statement in some way. I smiled politely and rose up from the couch to leave. I stopped short, turned around to give him a piece of my mind but then I sighed and decided I didn’t have the courage. I grabbed a handful of biscuits and quietly, but not contentedly, I left the room.