I sat in my seat for the rest of the day, feeling confident that my speech was persuasive. On my way out the door at the end of the day, I heard Kate call after me.
“I’m sorry for overreacting,” she said.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you,” I said. We smiled at each other, and walked together until she reached her bus and I continued on my way.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
“Can I get you anything to drink?” I asked the party of five I had just seated.
“No, thank you,” one man responded for all five of them.
“Okay, well, just so you know tonight’s soup is tomato and basil,” I said, realizing I had pronounced the two words as any native Irish would say them.
“Um, excuse me miss,” the man said getting my attention. “What type of basil is it?” he said snickering to the other four. I had no idea what was funny and told him I would ask the chef. Aiden was also confused but told me to tell the man it was fresh basil. When I relayed the information back to the man and the other four guests, he continued to confound me.
“So it’s not faulty, is it?” he replied slapping his knee in a fit of hysteria.
“No Sir, it is not,” I responded, now walking away and feeling dense for not knowing what his mockery meant. He had obviously realized that I was American and sensed a need to make me feel small for that simple fact. After I took their orders and brought them to their seats, I delivered the soup. He continued to make comments all through the course and I knew soon I wouldn’t be able to handle him. Carolyn and Catriona sensed my frustration and sent me into the kitchen to have a break. I tried my best to explain to Aiden what the man had been saying to me.
He began laughing and looked tremendously amused. “He was joking with you!” Aiden explained while still laughing at my naiveté for not knowing. “Fawlty Towers is an English program on the telly. The main character is named is Basil.” He continued laughing as he tried to imagine my confused facial expression when the man asked me such an absurd question. I felt embarrassed for the rest of the night and purposely avoided their table.
Toward the end of the evening Eugene came into the restaurant to make sure things was running smoothly.
“All is well,” I assured him.
“Good to hear,” he said. I was standing behind the bar polishing glasses and silverware that was freshly washed.
“You missed a spot,” he said observing one of the glasses I had just finished.
“Thanks,” I said getting annoyed that he was still watching over me. “You remember that I can’t work on Saturday night or Sunday afternoon right?”
“And why not?” he asked, as if it was an outrageous request.
“I’m going to Dublin. That’s the whole reason I started working here in the first place,” I reminded him.
“Oh! Right. Don’t forget, I’m getting old. That’s fine, have a good time and be safe.”
“Thanks,” I said once again as he disappeared through the door and back into the kitchen.
At eight a.m. Saturday morning, I had already packed my bag and was ready to meet the girls at the train station to catch the nine o’clock to Dublin. However, something didn’t feel right. I was missing something. A part of me felt naked, but I couldn’t figure out what exactly was gone. Finally I realized. The claddagh ring my father had bought me for my twelfth birthday was missing from my right hand ring finger. I searched under the beds, inside all the drawers, in the sitting room, in the kitchen, and even in the bathroom but couldn’t find the ring anywhere. It was reaching eight-thirty and I was on the verge of having a panic attack. I considered the one last place it could possibly be: the restaurant. Maybe it fell off while I was washing the dishes the night before. I said goodbye to Jack and Una and raced out the door lugging my bag of clothes along with me. I searched the restaurant high and low, but left without my ring. I went up to the house to ask Biddy if she had seen it. After that I would have to give up. She sat in her usual spot, still in her nightgown, sipping a cup of tea and eating a slice of toast. I thrust open the door, startling Biddy.
“Jesus Christ. You scared the living daylights out of me, child!” she said holding her hand to her heart, making sure it was still beating.
“Sorry, I just… I lost my ring,” I said as I hustled through the kitchen looking on the windowsills, in the cupboards, and on the floor.
“What are you looking for?” she asked in utter confusion.
“My claddagh ring. I lost it. Have you seen it? I love it and I never take it off and I don’t see how it is possible that it’s missing from my finger,” I explained with rising hysteria in my voice. She started mumbling to herself.
“You didn’t lose it my dear. I betcha the fairies took it,” she said.
“And you accused Jack of being off his knob?” I said under my breath in response to the absurd idea she had conjured from her head.
“You asked for help and it’s a greater force that’s come to help you through your complicated time. The fairies will help you. I know it. They just needed something in return until the deed is done my dear.”
“So they took something this important to me?” I asked amazed that I was starting to believe the illogical as a logical explanation for the missing ring.
I looked up and noticed the time.
“Oh no! I’m going to miss my train!” I shouted. “Bye Biddy. Thanks for your help.” I raced out the door and back towards the train station that I had passed on my way to the restaurant.
I ran the entire way there. The girls stood with their moms, impatiently waiting for me.
“Sorry I’m late!” I said, running toward them. They kissed their moms goodbye and we boarded the train. Their mothers stood and waved to us as the train started the two-hour journey to Dublin. For the first time in a while, I missed my mother. I missed the kiss she gave me every night before I went to bed, and the smile she gave me every morning when I woke up. The girls soon took my mind off home when they began to delight me with the image of Dublin.
“This is going to be so much fun!” Kate yelped. The woman reading the newspaper across the aisle gave her a disgruntled look and then continued reading.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
I stepped off the train last, following behind Deirdre. The train station was alive. It was in full commotion as all sorts of people moved on and off the multitude of trains. We continued through the station and out the doors where Kiara’s aunt would be waiting to collect us. I walked through the automatic doors and the sun shone brightly in my eyes, blinding me from my first vision of the city. I could hear horns honking, taxis weaving in and out of traffic, and a bus engine starting up, ready to take its passengers to different locations. Finally, I could see where I walked as we entered the shadow of a tall building. Kiara had already run over to where her aunt was standing, leaning against her car.
“Hello! You must be Sarah. It’s great to meet you. Welcome to Dublin,” she said, holding out her arms as if she was inviting me into her home and allowing me to embrace the spectacular place. We drove through terrible traffic for about twenty minutes and didn’t get very far. Finally we left the noise and hustle behind and arrived at a little area with endless rows of quaint townhouses. Kiara’s Aunt Peggy showed the four of us inside and we set our bags in the room she provided.
“It’s not much, but it’s home, right?” Peggy said, looking around her house.
“It’s very nice,” I replied.
“Would you like some tea, girls?”
“No, we’re all right,” Kiara, said answering for all of us. “We really want to show Sarah the town. Can we go out for a while?”
“Oh go ahead. Be careful and don’t get lost. Be home around four because your uncle and cousin will be back then and I’m making a dinner,” she said as we raced to get our purses, step out into the sun and welcome the day ahead of us.
We were headed toward the center of Dublin: St. Stephen’s Green, a twenty-seven acre park in the heart of D
ublin. People were hustling about through the streets, heading to work, shopping, and eating. I couldn’t believe the difference between Thurles and Dublin, and I had only been there twenty minutes. We soon arrived on Grafton Street, where the excitement really began.
“This is amazing,” I said as I slowly walked down the street with them, taking in every sight. It was like the New York City of Ireland. There were people from many different countries, which was different from the solely Irish population that made up the overwhelming majority of Thurles. The street was blocked off and cars could not drive on it. The girls told me that thousands of people walked Grafton Street every day. There were musicians playing instruments for money, and they greeted you with kindness and appreciated all that anyone cared to donate. There were people doing tricks from juggling to magic and showing off their various talents. The street was also filled with dozens of clothing stores. The four of us were definitely prepared to browse and buy.
“I love Dublin,” Kate exclaimed elatedly. The rest of us agreed. It was like being in another land. Even the accent was different from Thurles. I was the foreigner in Thurles, but here in Dublin, we all felt different. I had been to large cities before, but there was something extra about the experience; the possibilities seemed endless.
We entered a store called Penneys. It is similar to a department store, like H&M, filled with everything you would need, from sunglasses, to underwear, to jeans. We eagerly went inside and began trying on clothes. Whenever we each had an outfit on we shouted, “out” and came out of our dressing rooms dancing and acting like models in front of the three-way mirrors, bopping to the upbeat pop music that was being played throughout the store. I bought a skirt as the weather was getting warmer, and a couple of shirts. We shopped for a while more and then stopped at a coffee shop to sit and take a break. Afterward we walked a couple of blocks over to Nassau Street to look around in the many Irish craft shops. I found presents to bring home to my family and a present for both Jack and Una. I also found presents for each of my friends back home in America. I bought Sophie a beautiful wool scarf that I knew she would appreciate during the cold and snowy Syracuse winters. I bought Hailey an Irish T-shirt that had an inappropriate saying on it, and for Taylor a necklace with a Celtic symbol on it. I had spent nearly all of the previous week’s pay check.
It was reaching three o’clock when we entered Stephen’s Green to sit down and relax for a bit.
“Thanks so much for asking me to come. I’m having so much fun already,” I told Kiara. “It feels like all my confusion is gone since I arrived.”
“I’m glad,” she said. We sat in the Green for a while, keeping our eyes peeled for good-looking Dubliners.
On our way back to Peggy’s house, we passed a neat little jewelry shop. In the window were various claddagh rings. I stopped to look, thinking again about what had happened to mine.
“They are gorgeous, aren’t they,” Deirdre said noticing me eyeing the rings in the window. “Loads of people wear them here, you should get one.”
“I had one that my father gave me, but it’s gone missing,” I said sounding distressed.
“Go in and buy one!” Kate suggested. I opened the door to the shop and asked to try one on. I chose a simple sterling silver one, almost identical to the one I had lost, or maybe misplaced.
“It’s lovely,” Kate crooned. With the ring back on my finger, my hand felt much better. “Oops,” she said.
“What?” She took the ring off my finger and turned it right side up so the hands were pointing toward me.
“Your heart’s taken, remember?” she said, smiling at me.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
“Table for one please,” I said walking back into the restaurant around three o’clock the next day. The restaurant was near closing, but I wanted to find Aisling and Grainne before going home.
“Oh, Hey!” Grainne said. “How was Dublin?”
“It was a blast. I loved it.”
“Good, good. Do you want some dinner? I’ll have Aiden make you something.”
“Yea, actually I’m starved, thanks.” As Grainne went through one door into the kitchen to put my order in, Aisling came out the other.
“Hey sweetie pie!” she said giving me a big hug. “We missed you. How was Dublin?”
“It was great. We went shopping and Kiara’s aunt was very nice and everything.”
I sat alone and ate my Sunday lunch of turkey, mashed potatoes, and carrots in peace, watching the horses graze in the field behind the restaurant. Grainne or Aisling frequently swung by the table to talk to me. After the restaurant closed I helped them finish cleaning up and we walked home together.
That night Grainne and Aisling headed out on the town. I rented a movie and watched it while I lay in bed, trying to fall asleep. It had been two days since I had seen Liam, but it had felt much longer than that. I couldn’t stop thinking about him and I wanted to fall asleep instantly so I could see him in my dreams.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
“Is everyone getting prepared to go camping?” Miss Dwyer said immediately after we finished saying our morning prayer. “It’s coming up, you know?” Each of us responded with a nod of our heads. “We aren’t going to be sleeping in tents, so you’ll need a sleeping bag of some sort. If you don’t have one, borrow one from a friend. If you don’t have any of those, then you’re out of luck! I’ve written up an itinerary and a list of items each of you should bring. Look over the lists and if you have any questions throughout the week, I’ll be in my office.” She left the room and a substitute came in. She advised us to review the papers Miss Dwyer had provided and then said we could do anything as long as we kept quiet. I put my papers in my bag to look at later at home. I went and sat in the vacant desk next to Kiara. We re-capped on the events of the weekend and talked about the upcoming class camping trip.
At the end of the day I sat under the tree and read over the camping trip itinerary while I waited for Liam to arrive.
Trip Itinerary
9:00 a.m. – Meet outside school to board bus
9:30 a.m. – Arrive at the Devil’s Bit
10:00 a.m. – Hike up the Devil’s Bit
12:30 p.m. – Stop to eat lunch
3:00 p.m. – Arrive at the top
4:00 p.m. – Head down to the camp site
5:00 p.m. – Swim
6:00 p.m. – Dinner
7:30 p.m. – Games
9:00 p.m. – Stories by the campfire
10:30 p.m. – Bed
Don’t forget to bring:
Flashlight, sleeping bag, pillow, sweatshirt, bathing suit, change of clothes, towel, toothbrush, lots of water and good hiking shoes!
Before I even read “what not to forget to bring”, someone snatched the paper right from my hands. I turned around and Liam was standing there reading it over, with a giant smile on his face.
“Hey you! Give me that!” I said, snatching it back from him. He scooped me up into his arms.
“I missed you,” he said with excitement in his voice. “I’m never letting you go.”
“Do you want to walk down to my granny’s with me? I’ll introduce you to everyone?”
He hesitated. A nervous look flashed over his face. “I won’t be offended if you say no,” I assured him.
“Sure, why not?,” he said after a couple minutes of thought. “Your family couldn’t be much worse than my own.”
I laughed and grabbed his hand. As we walked toward Biddy’s house other kids who had just gotten out of school were in and out of shops. About a hundred yards away I saw a man riding his bike toward Liam and I. As he came closer I realized it was Jack. I quickly grabbed Liam’s hand and pulled him around the the shop we were walking past.
“Did he see us?” I asked nervously.
“Did who see us?” Liam asked.
“Jack. Did Jack see us?” I verified. “He just rode past us on his bike.”
“Oh, I didn’t even see him. Who cares if he saw us?” Liam a
sked.
“I do!” I exclaimed. “Remember we aren’t supposed to see each other.”
“You actually agreed not to see me?” Liam asked sounding extremely offended.
I realized that I made him feel bad.
“I’m sorry. It’s just.”
“It’s just what Sarah?” he asked getting frustrated with me. I wasn’t prepared to get in a fight with him.
“I’m sorry. I’ll talk to him. I promise,” I assured him. “Don’t be mad at me, please,” I said giving him sincere puppy eyes. He smiled and we held hands the rest of the way to Biddy’s. Nonetheless, I kept a good eye out for men zooming past on their bikes.
We walked up the driveway and Paul, James, Eoghan, and Bill were passing the rugby ball around. Mary was in the arena with Nora, Eimear and Joe were in the sitting room, and Biddy was sitting contented, sipping a cup of tea, in her corner seat at the kitchen table. James threw the ball at me and I caught it and watched it spiral through the air as I quickly passed it to Liam, just as Paul had taught me. We played an extreme session of passing the ball around before I became exhausted, much sooner than the five of them. I walked, panting into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water.
“Hey, Biddy,” I said in between breaths.
“Well, Sarah?,” she said.
“I was just outside passing around the rugby ball with the lads. Liam is out there as well,” I told her sitting down to catch my breath.
“You tell him he better not skip off before I get a chance to meet him,” she said sarcastically, although I sensed some sincerity in her voice. I laughed and assured her he would come in and introduce himself. After they were finished playing rugby, Mary and Nora also came up from the arena and into the house. Biddy went into cupboard and took out a cake she had made that morning. Bill, James, Paul, Eoghan, and Liam came in and sat down.
“Mary, Biddy. This is Liam,” I said. He shook Mary and Biddy’s hands. There was an awkward silence before everyone started babbling away again.
Celtic Night Page 12
