Celtic Night

by Bridget O'Dwyer

  I went upstairs to get ready for bed. I was worn out but decided to write three letters before going to sleep. I wrote one to Sophie, one to Hailey, and one to Taylor because I hadn’t spoken to any of them in what seemed like an eternity. I desperately needed to fill them in and hear all the gossip from back home in return. Sophie would be curious to hear about what everything looked like and what was really different from home. Taylor would be completely engrossed in my Declan and my mystery man dilemma, and she would definitely have advice for me. Hailey would be most concerned with my home life, making sure that living with Jack and Una was all right. She would also be concerned about my new friends, making sure I had made some, that they were nice, and that they weren’t as good as my three best ones on the other side of the ocean. After I finished filling them in on my life, my hand hurt. Plus, I could barely keep my eyes open.

  The next day I woke up late and didn’t get to the square early enough to meet the girls. I did get to school just in time to beat the first teacher to the classroom. Kiara passed a note over to me during first period that read:

  All of us girls are going to sleep at my house on Friday night! I’ll fill you in on the details later!

  I looked up to see all of them smiling with excitement; however, my expression stayed dull and apathetic. Friday night was my “date” with Declan, and I didn’t know how I was going to explain that I couldn’t sleep at Kiara’s, especially to Kate, who was going to be devastated. Just as I was caught up in my moment of distress, I received another note. It was from Kate.

  So, what did he say? Does he fancy me? Give him my number!

  087 534267

  I didn’t respond to either of the notes and I waited until break to reply to both. During the next two classes I concocted the best lie I could think of as my excuse for not being able to go to Kiara’s on Friday night. Then I would do my best to persuade Declan to go to the movies on Saturday night instead. I decided to say I had to mind my two little cousins for my aunt. As for my excuse for why Declan didn’t like Kate, I was absolutely doomed.

  Kate ran over to me quickly the minute break began and started throwing questions all over the place. I waited while she calmed down and said the first thing that came to mind.

  “He likes someone else, but he wouldn’t tell me who,” I blurted out feeling horrible for Kate and for lying. “I’m really sorry, Kate.” I think she was more shocked than anything, and before she could respond Kiara came over to talk about Friday night.

  “Okay so I’m going to buy loads of sweets and crisps. Deirdre is getting videos, and you can just bring your gorgeous little self!” she yapped eagerly.

  “I’m really sorry Kiara, but I already told my aunt I’d mind my two little cousins for her Friday night.”

  “Damn! Well, we can’t have it Saturday because Sinead and Amy both have to work. Aw, well. Maybe next time.” I felt overwhelmed with guilt and desperately needed chocolate. I grabbed Colleen’s arm and we went into the cafeteria to get doughnuts. I indulged and ate two!

  We had gym class next. I was glad because I needed to run off some steam, not to mention my need to leave behind the hefty number of calories I consumed during break. After gym, we had mythology. Miss Dwyer introduced us to a very interesting fairy.

  “This particular fairy is called a Puck, and he is extremely different from the other ones I have told you about,” she began to explain. “I guess you could consider him a trickster, although his actions are accidental.” She passed around some pictures. It was a simple looking fairy; pretty much what one would assume a fairy to look like, a small man with wings that glowed in the light of the moon.

  “They usually try to help make situations better, but mostly end up making them worse,” Miss Dwyer continued. “They are often servants of other important mythological creatures,who order their Puck to make something happen. In the end, it plays out in a confusing and mixed up way.”

  For the rest of the class we read different stories and scenarios aloud. These included one where a puck was ordered to turn a criminal into a pig and bring endless happiness to a man the criminal had harmed. The Puck found the two men; however, from a distance he confused them and the criminal was granted eternal happiness, while the other man was turned into a pig. The Puck’s master scorned him for making such a mess. The Puck righted everything in the end by using more magic.

  After school, I decided to avoid the girls and head straight home. As I walked through the square, en route to Childers Park, I spotted Declan walking alone. I starting running toward him shouting his name until I finally drew his attention.

  “Declan, I need to talk to you! Wait up!” I yelled looking like a lunatic running through the streets. He heard me and turned around. He let me catch my breath before we started talking.

  “Look, Sarah. If it’s about Kate again-” he began. “I’m just really not interested.”

  “Actually it’s not about Kate. It’s about the cinema Friday night.”

  “Oh, okay? Are you going to give me some excuse-?”

  “No, actually,” I said interrupting him. “I was wondering if we could go on Saturday night.”

  “Sure, that’s fine.”

  “Great!” We walked together the rest of the way home ,and although there was a slight chill, the sun was peeking out from behind a cloud, warming our faces. We both went to change out of our uniforms and agreed to meet back outside at four o’clock. I put on a pair of jeans and a green wool sweater. It was sunny, but it was still the middle of February. I sat down with Jack to eat dinner and then told him I was going to embrace the nice weather while I could. Declan was walking toward my house right as I walked out the door.

  “Perfect timing,” I said. He smiled and we walked over to where Regina and some other people were sitting. I noticed that Declan was holding two hurling sticks, and I asked him why he had brought them both out.

  “To teach you how to play!” he said, tossing the ball up in the air and hitting it across the green to where another boy was standing with a stick. It bounced off his stick and into the air a couple times before he caught it in his hand and prepared to hit it back toward Declan and me. It landed a couple of feet in front of me. Declan picked it up and showed me how to bounce it on the stick.

  “It’s all about balance. Then when you get the hang of that, you toss the ball in the air and hit it.”

  “Oh, yea, I get it. It just that simple,” I said sarcastically. He handed me one of the sticks and the ball. I tossed the ball into the air and swung the stick. I completely missed the ball and swung the stick around. Luckily, Declan was expecting me to do that so he had prepared to duck and avoid a head injury. I turned around. Regina and three other girls were hysterically laughing, as well as Declan himself. I dropped the stick and proclaimed, “I give up!”

  I went over and sat down on the wall next to Regina and she introduced me to her friends.

  “That’s Marie, Lesley, and Carrie,” she said, pointing to them one by one.

  “Hey, I’m Sarah.”

  After hours of chatting and a couple of more tries at hurling, it started getting dark and I headed inside.

  “See you tomorrow, lads,” I said opening the gate to my yard and realizing that I had just sounded totally Irish by saying lads!

  The next morning, Kiara and the rest of the girls were thrilled when I informed them that I could come on Friday night.

  The rest of the week went by fast and Friday came before we knew it. I convinced Paul to give me a ride out to Kiara’s house that night and Kate said her mom would give me a ride home in the morning. I packed a bag of things before Paul came to pick me up – two photo albums of my friends and family back home, some CDs, some American candy my mom had sent over in a package for me, and my two full bags of make-up.

  I was the last to arrive because I lived the farthest from Kiara’s house. I was really excited because this is exactly what my friends and I did at home, and I was beginning to really miss it.
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br />   “Hey, everybody!” I said excitedly when I entered the room where everyone was awaiting my arrival.

  “Hey, Sarah!” they shouted at the same time.

  We ate, watched movies, did makeovers, and talked about school, friends, and boys all night long. We talked about embarrassing moments, sad moments and all the memorable moments in our lives.

  “So what’s so special about this guy, Sarah?” Amy asked.

  “I have no idea! I have only seen him from a distance and I don’t even know his name but I feel like I’m in love with him.”

  “That’s utterly impossible. You’re just completely infatuated with him!” Sinead exclaimed.

  “I don’t know. There’s something else. I have to meet him.” All night long, we asked each other questions. The next morning, when we finally rose from our beds, we knew so much more about each other. I had confessed my love for a boy I didn’t even know and now we were determined to find out his name. I promised Kate I would do my best to work on Declan for her and I told Kiara I would talk to my cousin James for her. We learned, we laughed, and I think we even may have cried.

  As soon as I arrived home on Saturday afternoon, I immediately went back to bed. We had stayed up so late, or early, that I was extremely tired and decided I had to take a nap so I didn’t fall asleep during the movie later that night. I woke up from my nap at five o’clock and went downstairs for dinner. I had left to go to Kiara’s early the previous day and hadn’t seen Grainne or Aisling, and they were in the kitchen. I joined in the cooking and the steak and potatoes was ready that little bit faster. After dinner, I showered and the girls insisted on helping me get ready for my “big date”. Yea, right!

  I decided on a pair of jeans, a pair of brown pointy toe flats, and a brown sweater. It was cold and yet nice out, but I figured I’d better bring a jacket, just in case. Grainne and Aisling piled on the make-up, insisted on straightening my hair, and drenched me in perfume. Finally, at seven thirty, Declan arrived at that house so we could walk down to the movie theater. I snuck out before Jack insisted on taking a picture or giving Declan the If anything happens to her I’ve got a gun in the back speech. Declan wore a pair of brown corduroy pants, a navy blue long sleeved shirt and a pair of boat shoes. At the theater, he insisted on buying my ticket, so I bought the popcorn and the sweets. He picked two seats in the middle of the theater where nobody was sitting.

  “So, just to get things straight. Is this a date?” he asked ,seeming embarrassed but eager to hear my answer.

  “Um, Yea, I guess. I mean we’re friends, but we’re at the movies together, so yea, I guess it’s a date.”

  “Oh,” he said, sounding completely shut down and disappointed by the word “friend.” He continued eating his popcorn and stared at the blank movie screen while we silently waited for Troy to begin. I felt horrible, but I had to make it clear to him that we were friends. During the movie, there were couples cuddling and kissing all around us, which just made our situation worse. All the same, I felt extremely comfortable with him. After the movie, we walked down to the square where Regina, Marie, Carrie, Lesley and a bunch of other people from the Park were hanging out. Regina and the girls questioned me about my date with Declan but I assured them we were just friends. I explained that “the feeling” was missing and, of course, they understood completely. If I tried to explain that to Declan, he would probably turn his head like a confused puppy, but all girls understood what I meant.

  Two sodas and two burgers later, Declan walked me home. He held my hand, and I let him. In front of my gate, I kissed him goodnight on the cheek and went inside. I would eventually explain that all I wanted was a friendship, but now was not the time, especially if Jack was watching. Jack practically had our wedding date picked out. I tiptoed upstairs, brushed my teeth and quietly went to bed.

  Chapter 9

  As another month passed, the weather grew less harsh and the sun began to shine quite a bit more. It was the first day in April, and as I walked to school, the sun was beginning to peek out from behind one of the only clouds in sight. Kiara ran up to me as I entered the school and started jumping up and down. “My aunty in Dublin invited me up for a weekend! She said I could bring my friends as well! You have to come! Will you? Please! Please!”

  “Oh, my god! That would be great!” I said, just as excited.

  “I know! Me, You, Kate, and Deirdre are going in three weeks! We’re pretty much just gonna shop and then we can show you around Dublin a bit! It’ll be right crack!” She grabbed my hand and dragged me into the classroom where Kate and Deirdre sat together talking and awaiting my answer.

  “She’s coming, lads!” Kiara shouted as the two of them jumped up elatedly.

  “Well, I have to make sure it’s all right with my Uncle Jack but I’m sure it’ll be fine!” I said, thrilled that they had even thought to invite me. “Oh crap. I just realized, I have no money to buy a train ticket or go shopping up there,” I told them, feeling slightly embarrassed and very disappointed.

  They looked embarrassed and disappointed too, but before they could respond, a nun entered the room.

  “All right girls, chat time is over! Get to your seats! Miss McCormick is out for the day so I’m watching over the class. You can either read or work quietly for first period.”

  I chose to sit silently and pretend to work. I thought about my options to earn some quick cash. Unfortunately, nothing instantly popped into my head, because basically I had no ideas. I couldn’t call home and ask for money because my mother probably wouldn’t even want me to go, not to mention they didn’t have any money to send to me; it was enough to save up the money for the ticket over here. The girls passed me notes with various options throughout the class period.

  To: Sarah

  From: Kiara

  What about getting a job at one of the shops in town or something?

  To: Kiara

  From: Sarah

  No one will hire me. I’m not a citizen.

  To: Sarah

  From: Deirdre

  What about if you mind your cousins for your aunty?

  To: Deirdre

  From: Sarah

  I can’t do that. They’ve been so nice to me! I couldn’t ask her to pay me.

  To: Sarah

  From: Kate

  Would your Uncle lend you the money? You could do work around the house to pay him back.

  To: Kate

  From: Sarah

  I don’t know. I mean I should be doing work around the house anyway. He is letting me live there after all.

  To: Kiara, Deirdre, and Kate

  From: Sarah

  Thanks for the suggestions girls but I think it’s a lost cause. L

  For the rest of the day, the four of us acted slightly depressed. I desperately wanted to go and they desperately wanted me to go as well. After school I went home and moped in my room. It would be so much fun to go to Dublin with the girls. I would get to shop and see the sights. After a long sulking session in my room, and after missing dinner, I decided to walk down to Biddy’s. Thankfully, when I left the house, nobody was around the green. I was in no mood to speak to Declan right now or to explain to him why I seemed upset. I knew he would ask. When I strolled up the driveway, no one was in the yard, but I did see Nora up on her horse trotting around the arena. She looked so graceful when she rode. She was so in sync with the horse and they moved in motion together. I opened the door to the kitchen where Biddy, Eugene, Mary, Bill, and Eimear all sat at the table eating their supper. They casually looked up, greeted me, and continued eating. Biddy, however, noticed something was wrong by the look on my face. I insisted that nothing was wrong but I apparently couldn’t fool her.

  “Well, I guess there is this one thing,” I began.

  “Ah ha! I knew it!” she exclaimed happily.

  “A girl in my class invited me up to Dublin for a night to stay with her aunt and I really want to go.”

  “You should go. There’s loads to do up in Dublin
,” Mary chimed in.

  “Well you see, I would love to go, but… I have no money for a train ticket, or for anything else I would do up there,” I explained. “And I can’t get a job here because I’m not a citizen, and I can’t call home for any money because, well, we simply don’t have any.” Biddy and Mary stared at me with consideration for a moment, and Eugene continued to enjoy his meal. After a couple of more minutes of silence Biddy was sure she had come up with the best idea.

  “Eugene will give you a job!” she loudly proclaimed. Eugene lifted one eye up toward Biddy and me. He smiled slightly. “You were just telling me how you were short of staff for that big wedding coming up!”

  I smiled widely as he thought about the idea.

  “I’m a really hard worker. I won’t let you down!” I yelped. “I promise.”

  “Well, I don’t know,” Eugene, said, still pondering the idea.

  “Oh come on Eug, give her the job,” Mary insisted.

  “All right,” he said continuing his meal.

  “Yes! Thank you so so much!” I exclaimed. “You don’t know how much this means to me!”

  “Great. Well that settles that,” Biddy said smacking her hand down on the table as though she was completely satisfied with herself. She got up to head toward the sitting room where she could have peace and quiet and watch the telly.

  After he had finished eating Eugene said, “Come down on Wednesday night so the other girls can show you how everything is done. If you can handle it, you can work the rest of the week and then the wedding is this weekend.”

  “Oh, shut up Eugene. The girl can handle it. She’s a Ryan for Christ’s sake!” Biddy called out on her way down the hallway to the sitting room.

  Since I knew the money part was covered, I next had to make sure that the trip was okay with Jack. I thanked Eugene numerous times before rushing out the door to get home. I waved to Biddy as I passed the sitting room window. As I approached the green, I passed Declan who was sitting in front of his house with two girls I didn’t recognize but I ran right past them. At the house Una was in her spot in the kitchen and Jack in his spot in the sitting room. I went in to sit down with Jack to beg him to let me go to Dublin.