Celtic Night

by Bridget O'Dwyer

  “The icing is gorgeous,” Grainne said.

  I looked down at my piece. It was a heavy dark brown cake with raisins, currants, and other little pieces of fruit with thick white icing. It was neither soft nor fluffy and it tasted as though there was some alcohol in it. It was nothing like an American cake. I handed my piece off to Aisling who gladly took it.

  It was only eight o’clock and the restaurant probably wouldn’t be fully emptied until eleven, but at least our workload had slightly calmed down. The rest of the night consisted of drinks being poured and people having a good time. Various people at the wedding had brought instruments that they played and others sang songs. They played Irish folksongs for hours, and occasionally different people showed their talents or “party piece”. It was ‘ceol ‘n craic’ as the Irish say, which is music and good times. It was exciting to watch men and women get up to step dance as old men sang in their strong Irish brogues. The rest of the guests sat in their seats clapping their hands and tapping their feet along with the beat of the bodhran and the fiddle.

  Grainne, Aisling, Carolyn, Catriona, and I took turns washing and drying dishes while the others had a chance to sit down. During my turn I cut myself another piece of cake, wrapped it in foil and put it in my purse while nobody was watching. I didn’t want the girls to see because they knew I didn’t like the taste and would wonder why I was taking some home. Really, I don’t know why I took a piece; I guess I just had a little more faith in myths by the end of the night.

  By eleven thirty everyone was out the door. Some walked out, some stumbled out, and some were even carried out. By twelve, we were ready to go home and sleep. Unfortunately, Grainne, Aisling, and I were working in the morning for Sunday lunch. Thankfully though, I didn’t have school on Monday for an Irish bank holiday so I would have plenty of time to rest before school on Tuesday. Or so I thought.

  We made our way home and collapsed into bed. As soon as the light went out, so did Grainne and Aisling. I had one last thing to do. I leaned over and took the cake out of my purse, which was sitting on the floor and lightly placed it under my pillow. I felt even more ridiculous doing this when I felt the squish of the icing mush down under me, but I thought it was worth a try.

  ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

  I woke the next morning in shock. I had had my recurring dream about the boy and the girl in the forest; only the boys face was perfectly clear this time. It was definitely the mystery boy. Biddy had told me I would dream about my future husband. I was pretty sure he wasn’t my future husband, but my dream was close enough to the myth to be true! Grainne and Aisling were out of bed already so I could grab the flattened cake out from under my pillow and put it back in my purse until I had a chance to dump it in another bin.

  Work was much easier because it was pouring down with rain and most people wanted to stay inside all day. Grainne, Aisling, and I had to walk to work mid-shower, but it was worth it to be drenched and have no customers. On our way home from work, the sun was beating down on us and people were out and about around Childers Park. And yet one more thankful event of my Sunday: tips! I had eighty euro in tips and one hundred and fifty euro for working five days straight. I was delighted with my accomplishment and myself. To my surprise, when we arrived home Jack informed me that Kiara had rung. I found her number on a piece of paper next to the phone in the hallway.

  “Hello?” a woman’s voice answered on the other end.

  “Hi, may I speak to Kiara please?”

  “One moment,” said the woman.

  “Hello?” a voice I recognized as Kiara’s said.

  “Hey, it’s Sarah!”

  “Oh, hey! I was just calling to tell you that Kate, Deirdre and I are going out tonight in Thurles, so you should come meet us!”

  “I might, I’m wrecked from work but I might come down!” I said. “Call me from your mobile when you get to town and I’ll see how I feel.”

  “All right. So maybe I’ll see you later.”

  “Bye,” I said hanging up the phone.

  “What was that all about?,” Aisling asked coming out of the room at the top of the stairs.

  “Oh nothing,” I said. “Some of the girls are going out tonight and they want me to meet them but I’m tired.”

  “What do you mean you’re not going out?” she asked as though it was a ridiculous thought that I was tired and wanted to stay in. “Grainne and I will just have to drag you out then!”

  “I don’t know…” I began, but she cut me off.

  “Nonsense, it will be great crack! Have a cup of coffee or something.” I laughed at her effort and ability to persuade me, so I eventually agreed. For the next few hours we relaxed and recharged our batteries for the night. I was informed that a Monday bank holiday called for a fairly big Sunday night out because nobody works on a Monday bank holiday. I thought to myself, let’s hope that includes all mysterious and handsome boys (wink! wink!). I decided it was time to tell Grainne and Aisling about the boy I might love. I first made them promise not to say a word to Jack, who still had his heart set on me marrying Declan. They were intrigued by my story and my deep interest in the boy.

  “I think he’s a friend of James because I saw them chatting the other night.”

  “What does he look like?” Grainne asked.

  “We may know him!” Aisling added.

  “I’m pretty sure he goes to the Christian Brothers with James and he’s about the same height as him as well. He has short brown hair and the brightest blue eyes I’ve ever seen,” I said beginning to daze off with a picture of him in my head.

  “That doesn’t really shorten the list,” Aisling said. Most people in this town have brown hair and blue eyes.”

  “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see tonight,” Grainne said as she jumped off the bed and ran to the bathroom. “I call first shower!” While she was in the shower, Aisling and I decided what we were going to wear. Aisling chose a black skirt with black tights, a red long-sleeved V-neck top, and a pair of black boots. I, on the other hand, couldn’t decide. I wanted to look hot, pretty, and casual - all at the same time. I wanted to catch his eye but not try too hard. Oh, the difficult job of picking out an outfit. I didn’t have very many nicer looking, ‘going out tops’, but thankfully Grainne and Aisling had plenty. Grainne let me wear an emerald green loose top that showed the perfect amount of skin on my back. I paired it with a pair of dark jeans and black pointy toe boots. Aisling went into the shower next, and while I waited, I wrote an e-mail to Sophie.

  To: Polarbear99@aol.com

  From: Sarbear15@hotmail.com

  Hey girl,

  Don’t kill me but it’s been almost two weeks since I wrote in the journal. A lot is going on with me! Okay well, my friends Kiara, Kate, Deirdre, and I are going to Dublin (Ireland’s capital and largest city) in two weeks to shop. We’re going to stay with Kiara’s aunt there and the girls may even show me a couple of different things around the city. We’re taking the train and everything. It’s going to be great! At first there was a problem though. I didn’t have any money for the train or to shop so now I have a job waitressing in the restaurant my uncle owns. It’s a lot of fun and some ridiculous characters come in to dine. I’m going out with my cousins and my friends tonight and I hope to see the boy I was telling you about. Hopefully I’ll actually get to talk to him! I really miss you and I wish you were here!

  Lots of love. Your busy friend, Sarah

  Finally it was my turn to take a shower. I went in and started scrubbing my hair and body. After working all day yesterday and today, the hot water felt great.

  “EEEkkkk!” I screamed nearly falling out of the shower and pulling the curtain down with me. Grainne and Aisling came running toward the bathroom door.

  “What, what?” Grainne screamed though the door.

  “Are you all right?” Aisling said.

  “Yes, I’m fine! Just the two of you hogged all the hot water and now I’m freezing!” I screamed back. I heard them laughing
from inside the bathroom. I finished up quickly so I wouldn’t freeze to death. I walked into the bedroom where Grainne stood naked rubbing fake tan all over her legs and Aisling had her hair flipped over for the blow-dryer. They looked up at me and smiled innocently. Grainne wasn’t nearly as open with me when I first arrived but the three of us had grown to a certain comfort level with one another. It was especially nice because I felt like they were my sisters; they certainly acted like my sisters.

  “Oh shut up!” I said to them going to sit down next to the heater before I dressed. They laughed again but kept on doing their own thing. “What time do you think we’re going to leave to go out tonight?” I called over the roar of the blow dryer.

  “I’d say we’ll head out around seven,” she hollered back at me. I looked over to the little clock that sat on the stand next to my bed. It said ten after five. Since I had plenty of time and my stomach was growling, I threw on a bathrobe and went downstairs to eat. Jack and Una both were in the kitchen. Una was sitting on the couch watching T.V. and Jack was making a cup of tea.

  “Hello dear!” Una shouted. “I haven’t seen you in ages. How’s working in the restaurant?”

  “It’s great. I like it a lot.”

  “Are you wrecked, pet?” she asked.

  “No, I’m fine. So far anyway,” I assured her. I opened the fridge and grabbed a variety of things, a yogurt, a bag of ham, a block of cheese, and a jar of mayonnaise. I grabbed a knife, a spoon, two slices of bread, and a bag of crisps. I made a sandwich and headed into the sitting room to watch television as I ate. Jack followed after me.

  “So, how are things with Declan?” he of course asked.

  “Fine,” I said lying.

  “That’s good. Be careful not to overwork yourself,” he said, thankfully changing the subject.

  “I won’t,” I told him, hoping to end the conversation. I wasn’t in the mood to chat. I wanted to sit and enjoy my sandwich with his silent company.

  At ten after seven, the three of us walked down the road toward the pub. People stood outside smoking and chatting with their beer in hand, and inside the doorway stood crowds of people. I followed Aisling and Grainne through the crowd as we made our way to the far corner of the bar to our ‘gang’. There were some people who I recognized from previous nights out and some who I didn’t know at all. They were all happily drinking and chatting. I whispered in Grainne’s ear that I was going to the bathroom. As I weaved through the crowds of people, I searched though my purse for my lip-gloss. Carelessly, my head was down and I walked straight into someone who had just come out of the men’s bathroom. I looked up, about to apologize. Standing right in front of me, looking at me, smiling at me, it was him. I stood there silent, a victim of panic and disorientation, hoping he would say something. Silence. We just looked at each other and at the same time we stuck out our hands and began to introduce ourselves.

  “Hi, I’m Sar-“

  “Hi, I’m Liam.”

  “Hi,” I said, not knowing what to say next.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you,” he said laughing. We were reading each other’s minds. We had seen each other, we had noticed each other, but we had never spoken. I was blushing now and was staring at the floor fiddling with the lip-gloss that was still in my hand. He grabbed my hand and my attention. “Can I buy you a drink?” I went to sit down at a small table in the corner where there were two vacant stools. I made eye contact with Grainne from across the room and pointed at Liam. She gave me a big smile and a thumb up.

  “Your cousin is James, right?” Liam asked sitting down across from me.

  “Yea,” I said. “Do you know him?”

  “We go to school together.”

  We went over the basics, age, school, siblings etc. James had already told him a little about me because, to my surprise, Liam had asked. Liam had lots of questions about America, where I was from, what it was like to live there, and how it was different from Thurles. Neither of us could stop smiling, it was actually quite humorous. After a while James walked by, he was heading to the bathroom.

  “Hey you. You better be nice to my cousin or I’ll bust ya,” James said to Liam half jokingly but a little serious. I laughed but gave him a look that told him to be on his way. Up close Liam was just as good looking as he was from a distance. He had about as much facial hair as any seventeen-year-old male might get, and when he laughed I noticed he had the cutest little dimples. He was shy but mysterious and I liked that about him. As friends of his passed by he was a complete gentleman and introduced me. In a bit, I glanced towards the pub door as Declan entered. I made a face, which Liam quickly noticed.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked. “Is that your boyfriend or something?” he added and I could tell he secretly hoped it wasn’t my boyfriend. I stood up from the table and grabbed Liam’s hand, pulling him up with me.

  “Far from it,” I said, dragging him with me. “Can we go outside for a minute? I need some fresh air.” I walked a little ways down the sidewalk away from people who were outside surrounded by clouds of smoke and sat down on a ledge in front of a shop. He followed and sat down with me.

  “Sorry about that,” I said. “It’s just that guy, Declan, he likes me and my Uncle tries to set us up because my Uncle likes him, but I don’t want to meet Declan.”

  “Oh right,” he said. “Why would your Uncle make you go out with someone?”

  “Well my Uncle is his hurling coach, and has looked out for him since Declan was young. He’s almost like a son to him. It really unfair but I’m living with Jack and am sometimes forced to see Declan.” Just as we were getting back into conversation Kiara, Kate, and Deirdre walked past without noticing me.

  “Hey ladies!” I shouted. They slowly turned around.

  “Oh hey!” they all shouted back, realizing it was me.

  “I didn’t even see you sitting there,” Kate said. “I’m glad you decided to come out.”

  “This is Liam. Liam, this is Kate, Kiara, and Deirdre,” I said giving the girls a look to hint that he was the one I had been telling them about. They stood silent for a minute and then finally understood.

  “Oh, um, Liam! Right. Hi Liam,” Kiara said.

  “I’ll be back inside in a minute guys,” I said hoping they would understand and go into the pub. “Oh by the way Declan’s in there Kate,” I said giving her a wink. “And Kiara, James is in there as well, and Deirdre, he’s got a couple cute friends.” The three of them smiled excitedly and headed toward the door. I laughed and explained to Liam that Kate liked Declan and Kiara liked James.

  “Well, then who’s left for you to like?” he said smiling slightly. I started blushing again and stared at the ground. He laughed lightly, and so did I. He gently lifted my chin with his hand and looked into my eyes. He moved closer to my face and as my eyes were naturally closing because he was obviously about to kiss me I saw Declan leave the pub and see me. He looked shocked and extremely let down. My eyes opened wide as he walked toward us. I feared what he might say to Liam and me. I coughed so Liam would know to stop and he turned around to see Declan’s angry face. Declan appeared to be drunk by the way he was stumbling toward us. He lifted his hand to punch Liam and completely missed, hitting the wall and hurting himself.

  “Declan, just go home. You really should leave,” I said looking away from him in shame. Kate ran out of the pub after him and of course offered to walk him home. I let her only because he wouldn’t make it himself.

  “I am so sorry Liam. I’ve never seen him like that.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said putting his hand on my shoulder to comfort me. It was close to twelve now and people were pouring out of the pub to go to the nightclub. Grainne and her boyfriend came out followed by Paul and Aisling, James, Kiara, and Deirdre, and some random guy I didn’t recognize. I guess Kiara caught James’ eye and one of his friends noticed Deirdre. Aisling called to me to come along. Liam put his arm around me and we walked to the nightclub together. He immedia
tely whisked me onto the dance floor. The way he held me and looked at me made me melt inside. He was so sweet and I hoped I would see him again. We danced for hours as if we were the only two people in the room. It felt amazing. He leaned in to whisper something into my ear.

  “I have a confession to make,” he began. “I know I only met you tonight, but-” before he could finish Kate appeared back from out of nowhere.

  “Sarah, I need you. Deirdre left. She’s outside,” she said to me in a deep panic. “She must have eaten or drunk something bad that made her sick. I don’t know. Just we have to go.” I had to leave no matter how badly I wanted to stay.

  “When am I going to see you?” he asked with concern in his eyes.

  “After school on Tuesday. I’ll meet you in the square!” I said as our hands slowly tore apart. I had to run off with Kate to find Kiara and pull her away from James. I looked back one last time. Liam stood there in the middle of the crowd of chaotic dancers, watching me as if he couldn’t take his eyes off me and if he did, even for one second, he would never see me again. I disappeared through the doorway and out of his sight.

  Chapter 11

  When I woke up Monday morning, I lay in bed for a long time just staring at the sky and remembering the previous night. Aisling and Grainne were still passed out in the bed next to me; they had arrived home much later than me. Moments later, Grainne pried open one eye and noticed me smiling from ear to ear.

  “Hmm, I wonder why you’re smiling?” she said sarcastically. I turned, looked at her, and continued smiling.

  “He’s lovely, Sarah,” Aisling added still face down with her head ensconced between two pillows.

  “I know!”

  “Are you going to meet him?” Grainne asked.

  “Well, I want to but I don’t know what to do about Declan. I feel so horrible and I don’t want to hurt him, not to mention that I would have to hide it from Jack. He’s in love with the chap,” I said, surprised at how Irish I had just sounded. I certainly had to figure something out if I wanted to keep seeing Liam.