A Thousand Roads Home

by Carmel Harrington

  ‘Thank the bleeding stars we’re getting out of here, love,’ Kian said. ‘We’d be on the streets.’ Then he turned to Ruth and added, ‘Jaysus, sorry, love. Listen, if they don’t put you anywhere decent you can come and bunk in with us. We won’t let you down.’

  ‘Absolutely,’ Aisling said, squeezing her hand.

  Ruth could not speak. All she could do was pull at her hands nervously, pop, pop, popping her knuckles some more. She couldn’t breathe.

  DJ asked, ‘Does this mean we have to leave here, Mam?’

  Odd whispered to her, It will be OK.

  No it won’t, Odd. All my hoping and persevering has been for nothing.

  But she was wrong because then the next thing Tom uttered changed her world for ever.

  ‘I’ve bought The Silver Sands Lodge. The solicitor was acting on my behalf.’

  Gasps of shock came from every part of the room.

  ‘You bought this place?’ Ruth eventually squeaked. She never in a million years could have dreamed this. ‘With what? How?’

  ‘Contrary to popular belief, I never lost my money gambling.’ Tom gave a pointed look to Kian, who started to study the carpet intently.

  ‘I had a house, flat and surgery once. Which each sold for a nice sum. The money has been sitting in an account since then. I’ve had no use for it. Didn’t want it. Until now.’

  ‘You’ve been sleeping on a park bench with all that money just sitting in a bank? You are one crazy dude.’ Kian was incredulous.

  Tom spoke softly, trying to make them understand. ‘Ten years ago I walked out of my home, with only a rucksack on my back. Home had become a living hell for me. Every cup and plate, every soft furnishing, every scuff on the floors from the wear and tear of life, every scent and smell of Cathy and Mikey infused into the very fabric of the bricks and mortar, tortured me. I didn’t know how to live any more. The new normal that had been thrust upon me was intolerable. And I knew that if I stayed one more day it would be the end of me.’

  Ruth said, ‘When I get upset or scared, I have to put my headphones on, to switch off the white noise. Living outside was that for you. A pair of headphones.’

  ‘But then I met you and DJ again. And day by day, I began to realise that I didn’t need headphones any more,’ Tom said.

  ‘You really can’t judge a book by its cover,’ Aisling said, shaking her head in disbelief.

  ‘I knew there was something about Dr O’Grady the moment I met him. I said that to my Billy. There’s something about that man.’

  Ruth replied, ‘You said he was a tramp.’

  ‘Not in those words. No,’ Erica blustered.

  Kian walked over to Tom and said, ‘Well, if you are looking for some staff, Doc, I’m on the lookout for a job. I could be a deadly porter. I did loads around here when herself was in hospital.’

  ‘You need to discuss that with the new owner. Not me.’ Tom placed his hands over Ruth’s and said, ‘I asked you what your wish was a few months ago. I’m making it come true. You have your own home that nobody can take away from you. For Christmas. For ever. The Silver Sands Lodge is yours, Ruth Wilde.’

  Ruth was not sure who was screaming but the noise in the room was at fever-pitch level.

  ‘Things like this do not happen in real life,’ Ruth said, feeling her hands begin to fly.

  Tom said with great tenderness, ‘I told you your mother was wrong. You do get to have a happy-ever-after. Just not the one you thought you were going to get.’

  ‘As I said to my Billy, if anyone can run this place after we go, it’s Ruth Wilde,’ Erica said. ‘You might be as odd as dishwater sometimes, but you are a right little worker. And I’ve never seen anyone take to a set of rules as much as you. A lot to be said for that.’

  Ruth remained silent.

  Aisling said, ‘You changed us all, Ruth. You made a difference in all of our lives. One room at a time. And now it’s your turn. Tell her, Kian.’ She looked over to her boyfriend, who had his head in his hands. ‘Kian, are you crying?’

  Kian had not had many exceptional days in his life. Most were average, with the occasional good one thrown in. But today was beyond exceptional. And it had quite undone him. ‘That’s three bleeding Christmas miracles.’

  While everyone began chatting excitedly about this news, DJ watched his mam panic. He rummaged through her handbag and pulled out her headphones, ready to switch on Westlife to help calm her down.

  Tom put a hand on his shoulder and said, ‘Wait a moment, kid.’ He turned to the room and said quietly, ‘Everyone, bring it down a notch. Give Ruth a minute to take this in.’ He laid his two weathered hands on top of hers. Then DJ placed his two hands on top of Tom’s. A tower of love in that pile of hands. The room fell silent and waited until Ruth’s breathing normalised.

  ‘I am not dreaming?’ Ruth eventually asked.

  ‘It’s all true. I promise. If you would prefer to sell up, that is perfectly fine. But I think The Lodge suits you,’ Tom said.

  Ruth closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Odd whispered in her ear, jubilant that he was right. Remember what I’ve told you for years. Be happy, perservere.

  Ruth wanted to say so much but, as always, her mind got tangled up and she could not get the words out. She looked at her family and friends, all watching her with love.

  ‘Say something, Ruthie,’ Kian said.

  ‘I suppose if I am the owner here, this is one job I cannot be sacked from!’ Ruth joked.

  Be happy. Persevere. Yes, she rather thought she would.

  EPILOGUE

  Six months later

  As is often the way, one good deed sets off a chain reaction of further good deeds. Tom’s gift to Ruth and DJ made changes for all the residents of the first floor in The Silver Sands Lodge, past, present and future.

  With a fixed address that nobody could take away, Ruth called Mr O’Dowd, DJ’s teacher, to ask for help in selecting a new school. He began his first term after the Christmas break. Once again DJ could walk to and from his school. But now he did so with Tom and Bette Davis by his side.

  Ruth said goodbye to the Queen Bee Denise and her mean girlfriends, happy never to see them again. She still laughed when she remembered their faces as they learned she was the new owner of a boutique hotel.

  Ruth discovered that she was very good at being a hotel landlady. Her first official act of management was to cut up the laminated rules. Social housing residents were now allowed to access the hotel in any way they wanted. And they were welcome in the bar and restaurant, too. The homework club continued in the Library and an unofficial buddy system grew where parents took turns to supervise the children, so that they could have a break if they needed one.

  Raising a child took a village. Simple as.

  Ruth did introduce a couple of rules, though, which were non-negotiable. She formalised her No Food Waste policy. Some leftovers went to Fairview Park, to Mr Bones and anyone else that needed it. And some went to the Peter McVerry Trust and Focus Ireland, who made sure it made its way into the hands of rough sleepers, courtesy of their volunteers. Tom held unofficial consultations on his park bench and made ‘house’ calls to those that needed him.

  The second rule Ruth set was to keep her old hotel room vacant. She filled the wardrobe with a range of clothes she acquired from the St Vincent de Paul charity shop. She kept the bathroom stocked with shampoo and soap. And when Tom came across someone who needed a bed for the night, they were invited in. No questions asked.

  Erica and ‘my Billy’ moved to America, as they said they would. They got to Maryland just in time to spend Christmas with their daughter and grandchildren. Erica stayed in touch and sent regular instructions on how Ruth should run the hotel. And more often than not, her advice was helpful.

  Ruth and DJ moved into the mews that sat at the back of the hotel. Tom listened to them both list all the reasons why he should unpack his rucksack for one final time and move in with them. He didn’t need persuading, though.
Because now when he closed his eyes he saw not only Cathy and Mikey, he saw Ruth and DJ, too. Being inside did not hurt or torment him. And when he walked into his new bedroom, sitting on top of the bed was a pair of navy Converse runners. He took his boots off and threw them into the bin as DJ cheered behind him.

  For Ruth, having a kitchen of her own once more eliminated a lot of stress from her day. It was exactly as she liked it. Everything in its place. She got to eat mashed potatoes any time she liked. And most evenings, while she prepared dinner, she watched Dr O’Grady and DJ do their homework together. She did not take any of this for granted. She knew how lucky they were, that they found each other, just at the right time. Odd Thomas still spoke to her, but his visits were infrequent. And that was OK, too.

  Tom never did find Cathy’s old cushion, but maybe that was how it was meant to be. There were a lot of things he had to let go of, and that was one of them. But Ruth and DJ surprised him at Christmas with a wonderful gift. They bought him a new stethoscope, with a new engraving on the silver chest-piece.

  A fine doctor but an even finer man. With love from your family, Ruth and DJ

  And that’s what they were. A family. Maybe an unlikely one, who found each other in the most extraordinary of ways. But one that worked so very well.

  DJ loved having his own room again, but every now and then he climbed into Ruth’s bed during the night and wrapped his arms around her. He still had those unanswered questions about his father, but he reconciled himself to the fact that he would probably never know what happened to Dean. And that was not his mother’s fault. His Christmas present to Ruth was to frame his father’s fortune from the day Ruth and Dean first met. Tom helped him. And it now sat behind reception. Ruth and DJ both liked this. It was as if Dean was with them in some small way.

  Ava and Brian had a little girl, who looked a lot like her mama. And Ava got her wish too, because she got to bring her baby home to a crib in their new flat. They were offered this four months before they became a family of three. Every week, Ava called in to see Ruth and Aisling, and they would laugh and giggle as only friends can, who have seen both good and bad times together.

  Aisling and Kian were on the payroll now. Aisling worked mornings on reception. And Kian worked weekends as the night porter and did odd jobs during the week, as their maintenance man. Their bright smiling faces and quick banter made all new residents feel welcome when they walked through the front door. Then when they took the train home to Donabate, they continued smiling, knowing they were going home to each other and their children.

  Ruth got used to having her photo taken too. And when Aisling posted a selfie on Instagram of Ruth, DJ, Tom and Bette Davis, standing in front of their newly painted hotel, with a correctly hung sign, the photo went viral.

  This Aspie mum, young boy and doctor may have been homeless, but together they changed their world and are now the owners of the The Silver Sands Lodge! #miracle #changetheworld #findyourtribe #family #friends #love #homelessness

  It was the exact feel-good story that the world needed. Within weeks it had been shared on social media nearly a thousand times. Then the Irish Daily Mail sent their journalist Linda Maher to interview Ruth and Tom. She sensitively teased their story from them, layer by layer.

  Three homeless people and a dog have found their tribe in the most unusual of places.

  Homelessness does not have one face. Most assume it means a rough sleeper with dirty fingernails and clothes, living in a cardboard box with nothing but a bottle of Jameson for company. And yes, it can be that. But it can also be a well-dressed woman who leaves her hostel early every morning to teach our children in school. It can be the teenage boy who flees a dangerous family home, preferring his luck on the streets rather than that with his abusive family. Or it can be an average family, just like mine or yours, who have found themselves with no place to call home.

  Yes, homelessness has many faces.

  I’d like to introduce you to three of them.

  Rough sleeper Dr Tom O’Grady who called a park bench his home. Aspie mother Ruth Wilde and her young son, DJ, who found themselves living in emergency housing in The Silver Sands Lodge Hotel. Homelessness changed each of them. It gave them something that they had been missing from their lives for a long time. A family. A tribe. A place to call Home.

  Together these three ordinary people continue to do extraordinary things in The Silver Sands Lodge Hotel, that they now own and run together. This is their story …

  The feature along with a photograph of them standing proudly side by side, made the front page of the Irish Daily Mail’s weekend magazine, YOU.

  And that’s when the biggest chain reaction of all happened. One afternoon, as the sun was just setting, a man with navy-blue trainers walked into reception. ‘Hello, I’m looking for Ruth Wilde.’

  Ruth had never been one for ‘feelings’, but she was suddenly aware that something important was about to happen.

  Dean?

  Ruth stood up and walked out from behind the reception desk, as if in a trance.

  ‘You’ve grown,’ Ruth said, her heart hammering so loudly she thought the whole hotel could hear it. He was taller by several inches than she remembered.

  ‘And you are thinner, too,’ she continued, puzzled, because he was the same but he was different.

  Could it really be him? Ruth raised her eyes to look at her soul mate. The disappointment was crushing.

  ‘I thought you were someone else.’

  ‘I’ve been mistaken for my brother many times,’ the man replied. ‘I’m Finn. It’s very nice to meet you, Ruth.’

  Ruth had dozens of questions running around her head. The room began to spin as she tried to understand what was happening. Why was Dean’s brother here? Where was Dean?

  ‘Dean talked about you incessantly. He came home after that weekend in Curracloe a changed man. He said he was going to marry you.’

  Ruth watched the door, waiting for her soul mate to return.

  ‘Every day he told me something else about you and your lost weekend, as he called it. He read out every text message you sent him.’

  Ruth walked past Finn, out onto the street, looking for him. Had Dean sent Finn in to check out her reaction? She ran through the many scenarios that had kept her awake at night over the years, as to why Dean went missing. Amnesia, illness, kidnapping.

  ‘He’s not out there,’ Finn said, standing behind her.

  Ruth knew bad news was coming her way. She supposed she always knew it had to be like this. Because despite what her mother said, if it were anything other than bad news, Dean would have found her.

  ‘Dean is dead. I’m so sorry, Ruth. I really am.’

  When she’d watched Dean leave her driveway in Wexford all those years ago, she began counting the hours until he came back. And she had been counting ever since. All these wasted hours, weeks, months and years, counting, waiting, for a man who was dead.

  She felt her arms start to fly, her breath getting heavier.

  Finn led her back inside to the brown leather chairs that sat in the lobby. She wanted Tom. And, as if by magic, he appeared. Tom took one look at her face and walked over to sit beside the girl who had become his daughter. ‘Take a moment. It’s OK.’ He placed his hands over hers and the warmth of them calmed her until she found her voice once more.

  ‘This is Dean’s brother,’ Ruth said. The questions she had lived with, unanswered for a decade, were finally getting their reply.

  ‘Where is he?’ Tom asked Finn, hovering his arm around the back of Ruth, ready to protect her from whatever was coming her way.

  ‘He died in a car crash on his way home from work, ten years ago. They said he was killed instantly, which is something. The other driver was on his phone. A split second, that’s all it was. A split second of inattention on the road to take my brother’s life.’

  A split second to change everything.

  Tom watched Ruth process the news and wished he could find
a way to make it easier.

  Emotion floored her as the abandonment and loss of over a decade crashed down.

  Finn pulled out a folded magazine page from his pocket. ‘A friend saw this magazine article and phoned me up saying there was a kid in the paper who looked just like me and Dean. It stunned me when he showed it to me. It was like looking at a photograph of my brother when he was DJ’s age. I’m not mistaken, am I? Your son, DJ, is Dean’s son, too?’

  Ruth whispered, ‘I named him after his father. Dean Junior. Or DJ, as he is to us.’

  Finn had hoped for confirmation but now that it was here he was overwhelmed. ‘I’d like to meet him. And so would his grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins.’

  Ruth began to rock back and forth as the shock hit her.

  ‘Ruth has spent years trying to find your brother,’ Tom said, unable to keep the accusation out of his voice. ‘She never knew his second name. It was a hopeless task.’

  ‘And we didn’t know Ruth’s full name either. My family and I were just reeling from Dean’s death and, to be honest, we just didn’t put much thought into the girl he had only spent one weekend with.’

  Ruth stiffened at this and said, ‘It was not just one weekend. It was everything. To me. To us.’

  ‘I am so sorry, Ruth. I had no idea you had a child. Had we known …’

  ‘How will I tell DJ?’ Ruth asked Tom.

  ‘We’ll tell him together. It will be OK,’ Tom said, and she believed him.

  When DJ walked into the lobby with Bette Davis, Ruth called him over and said, ‘DJ, I’d like you to meet your uncle …’

  And later that night, when DJ went to bed, his head full of the promise of reunions with a big noisy family, his dad’s family, Ruth sat beside Tom on their couch and felt at peace. There are a thousand ways and a thousand roads to take, when searching for home. For Ruth, DJ, Tom, Bette Davis and now Dean too, the search was over.

  At last they had found the right road home.

  A Note from the Author

  Hello my lovely readers,