“I moved ta one of the open beds, right in the middle of everythin', where I couldn't hide away, an' I spent, my time tryin' ta burn holes in this odd Luce girl with my good eye. It didna work.”
Bri's brow furrowed. “When I didn't join the others fer activities an' tha like. Luce would come over an' sit on tha corner of my bed an' explain what they were doin' an' the rules for participatin' in tha activities like I were some sort of slow-minded eejit. An' when girls had birthdays down in tha commissary, this bed stealin' girl would bring up pieces o' cake ta me on a plate. Explainin' ta me about birthdays. I came ta the conclusion that she wasn't right in tha head.”
“I lashed out at her all tha time, yellin' at her to get out of my space, throwin' the cake on tha floor. But she wouldn't blink. She'd just get on her knees and start cleanin' every single crumb away, explainin' ta me how it wasn't cleanly nor polite ta be breakin' plates and getting' cake on tha ground. She described all tha germs and tha like as she got cleanin' supplies ta scrub tha floor while pullin' at her own hair.”
“I would yell at her, scream at her, an' she never flinched. Reach out ta push her and she would fall onto tha floor ta avoid my touch.”
The girl smiled. “An' she started readin' to tha girls at night, even tha older girls would come ta listen after a while, even though they teased her relentlessly. The younger ones her age started callin' her Sissy. And I secretly found myself looking forward ta it every night.”
Then she shrugged. “One night I was cryin', I don't even remember why. I think it was tha third anniversary of my parent's death. But I heard little footsteps approach an' then Luce, my mortal enemy, crawled inta my bed. An' this girl who I hated that past year, who wasn't right in tha head... she put a blanket over my shoulders, pulled her sleeves over her hands, and hugged onto me an' simply just said, 'I know... I'm scared too. Sometimes tha world is too big, but it's going ta be ok, you'll see.' An' it broke me, and I sobbed with that odd little girl as she held me, hummin' a lullaby.”
I wiped a tear from my cheek and swallowed, my throat was closing up as I worried the hem of my skirt. She yanked their linked fingers. “That was it fer me I guess. She encouraged me ta get involved more an' more and as she got more comfortable with me, she insulted me more an' more and I saw that that was just her way.”
Then she wiggled their pinkies again to get Luce's attention, and when she looked over Bri said, “Now I can't get rid of tha overbearing, bossy little twit.”
They shared toothy grins and Luce shared, “And I still can't get this one trained up. She's no sense at all, and Calvin is smarter.”
Bri smirked as she stated, “Love ya, pinky sis.”
For the first time, Luce made a self-deprecating joke. “And to my shame, I love you too, pinky sis. Even if you prattle on all the time about nonsense. I should get my head examined, what was I thinking?”
Jane had been splitting her attention between the road and the rearview mirror as she watched the girls intently. Then she said, “And here we are, Belfast Castle.”
Chapter 9 – Hound
I don't think I've ever had so much fun as I did that day with Jane and the girls. We were shameless tourists in the girls' city. The two uncivilized ruffians with Luce and I, rolled their eyes at us every time Luce and I would stop to read the plaques or histories of the exhibits at the various stops while they rushed to the next sights.
Impatient duo if ever there was. But I watched Jane and Bri closely as they seemed to bond, blathered on about pirates and whatnot near a cannon in a park, feigning a sword fight with each other. Luce was whispering to me, “No sense whatsoever.” I winked at her and we watched the two overgrown kids play out the fantasy rolling around in their heads. It did look sort of fun. Calvin was Blackbeard in their delusions as he bounded around them, barking happily, making me smile.
I called out, “Ok, you two, we should stop for lunch before hitting the Botanic Gardens.”
Luce brightened at that and pointed at her best friend, “See? This is where a book on horticulture would come in handy. I told you.”
Bri just whirled her finger in a whoop-dee-doo gesture as she grinned like a fool.
Then she nodded more seriously when Luce started saying in a tone laced in excitement, “The Botanic Gardens were designed in the nineteenth century by Sir Charles Lanyon, who also designed parts of Queen’s University. It is home to a rare hornbeam-leafed oak which was planted there in the late eighteen hundreds.”
She looked up at me, wide-eyed, as she held her cell in my face. “I looked some stuff up on the internet this morning to prepare.”
I nodded and winked. “I did too.”
Jane whispered something to Bri, who giggled and said, “Aren't they just?” I noted how she was more lax about keeping her face covered the more we interacted with her. One day she was going to realize it just didn't matter and her smile was going to win over everyone she met.
When we stopped for lunch at a really cute outdoor cafe near the Museum of Arts and Culture, and after we ordered I checked the time and smirked at our group. “Ok ladies, arm yourselves.” I held up my cell and they all furrowed their brows as I turned it back on and dialed. Then they were all digging their phones out and looked at me funny as they turned theirs back on too, and a moment later they accepted my Facetime Request.
Luce shoved her phone at my face and whispered behind her hand, “I'm right here, Finnegan, you don't need to...” She trailed off when first Jane then Bri joined the group chat and then mom with Jess, Kerry, Garrett, Becky in the background... Alyx on mom's hip as she called out, “There you all are.”
Luce pulled her cell to her face like she was trying to peer into the camera lens itself as she asked in surprise, “Mrs. May.” Then she quickly added, “Jessie, Kerry. I don't know you or you or you.” She pointed at her screen like they could tell who she was pointing at.
I made the introductions. “The tall suave looking guy is my twin brother, Garrett, and that is his wife, Rebecca, and my super niece extraordinaire, Alyx, is on mom's hip there.”
She nodded and said, “Good morning... afternoon... this is problematic, what is the greeting for noontime?” She continued, “Garrett, Rebecca, and Alyx.”
I shared, “Gar, Bek, this is Luce, and the other girl on your screen is her best friend at the girls home, Bri.”
My brother waved like a loon and Becky gushed, “It is a pleasure to finally meet you Luce, and hello Bri, Fin has told us all about you.”
Brianne looked out of place as she shrugged and said, “Hello everyone, I don't know why I'm intruding on this call.”
Jane said to her, “Deal with it, lady.” She gave Bri a silly face and the girl just smiled and tried to make herself small on the screen as Luce pointed at a still waving Gar and asked me in a loud whisper, “Is the man slow? Are you sure he's your brother?”
I snorted out loud and had to cover my mouth in embarrassment. “No, he's usually the cool one in the room, but he doesn't know how to act around girls. It's a wonder he has a wife.”
My brother stopped waving and grumped at me, “Hey, watch it, Flea.”
Then we played let's ask Luce a million questions, international version. She would take time out of some answers to explain things to Alyx. And I watched everyone's faces carefully... our girl had a habit of explaining things to babies, toddlers, and canines who wouldn't understand her like they were adults. Nobody blinked, though I was sure mom was just on the cusp of exploding into rainbows, glitter, and unicorns at any moment.
I gave a super toothy grin when she stopped at one point to chastise, “Is this the proper time to be kissing? Jessie? Kerry? You do know that we can see you... hasn't Finnegan taught you any sense?” Jane's grin was possibly toothier than mine as she prompted, “Yeah, hasn't she?” I've never seen Kerry turn that particular shade of red, nor Jess look more embarrassed as she buried her face in Ker's back.
My anxiety was spiking as the conversation went on until our foo
d arrived, I couldn't tell what everyone thought of the red-headed spitfire I hoped to call my daughter soon, and it had me organizing everything on the table and straightening out the tablecloth and smoothing down my skirt. But mom seemed to hang on every word she said, and like us, tried to include Brianne at every juncture so she didn't feel like a third wheel or ninth wheel in this case.
I had to smirk at one point when Bri laid down some grade A snark and Jessie perked up. “You, I like! You're positively wicked, lady.”
I told everyone, “We have to scoot, our food has arrived and I did my civic duty to get out of all your nagging... love you and see you when we get home.”
Luce said goodbye to each and every person and told Alyx to, “Try not to pick up on the bad habits of the incorrigible and inappropriate twosome back there,” about my best friends.
Brianne shared as we turned to the food, “Your family is quite entertaining, ladies. I'm a little confused, is Jess or Kerry one of your sisters or something?”
Luce shared, “Finnegan says they are strays she took in off the street. They live with Jane and Finnegan on the lower level of their apartment.”
I sighed and tried not to smile. “I may have exaggerated a bit. Kerry is my oldest friend, she sort of protected me when I was a kid, and Jess is my current best friend, who coincidentally used to date, Jane. Don't ask, it is a long story. But they're my sisters in all but blood.”
Luce nodded sagely. “I understand.” Then she turned to Bri. “Like pinky sisters. And you can't kick pinky sisters out, even if they lack anything resembling common sense.”
Bri squinted one eye at her and said, “No, you can't. I don't know if you were slamming them or me.”
And I giggled when Luce deadpanned, “Yes.” It was the second actual joke I had heard her say, and she was funny as heck.
The girls kept bumping each other's shoulders until Jane cleared her throat and said, “Shall we eat?”
They nodded and Luce lowered her head, and Bri followed. I exchanged a look with Jane and we did as well. Our girl said, “We give thanks for this meal and bless Finnegan, Jane, and Sir Calvin... even this lout.” She winged a thumb at a smug-looking Bri.
We all said amen when she didn't add anything else, and Jane and Brianne dug in. Luce studied me intently as I placed some of my pasta and sliced sausage links on a small bread plate and set it down for Cal to dive on. The fuzzy boy was barely eating his kibble at the hotel since we and everyone else was spoiling him. Shameless.
She followed my lead and put another bread plate down and poured some water in it for the big guy with the bandit's mask and waggy tail. I thought on that a moment as we ate. Was she trying to emulate me? The dress, taking care of Cal...?
When we finished our meal I made a show of pulling out the list Luce and me had compiled and asked almost coyly as I bounced in my seat. “Zoo?”
As Luce and Jane nodded, Luce deadpanned as she held up her hand to hide her face from Bri as she pointed at her, “We bringin' this one back to where she belongs?” Then she was gleeping as she almost laid across the table to avoid the poking fingers of her best friend who retaliated with tickles. Cal ran in a circle, tail swishing, tongue lolling as he gave a single bark.
Bri relented and pointed out, “You've a sharp tongue there, for such a shortie.”
I was trying to remember the last time I smiled so much. Was it my wedding day, or the day out at the paintball range? This was definitely up in the top three on my list.
By the end of the day, the girls were exhausted, Calvin and I were ready for more adventures, and Jane... she was Jane. All coppish and cool, but I'm sure she had to have been getting a bit tired too. By my estimation, we had walked at least eight miles that day. A drop in the bucket for me and my fuzzy lieutenant on any given day.
We were just a few blocks from the girls home when Jane's arm slung out across my chest as she slammed on the brakes when a huge dog pranced across the road with what looked like a big bone in its mouth. I spun back to look at the girls to make sure they were ok. I saw that Luce's lightning-fast reflexes had saved Calvin from bumps and bruises, as she had a death grip on him.
Her eyes were wide but were trained on the dog outside who was disappearing between two houses. She whispered in awe “Canis lupus familiaris, Irish Wolfhound, sighthound...”
Jane and I asked at the same time as Jane pulled over to the side of the road, “Is everyone alright?”
Bri gave an affirmative, and Luce just kept staring in the direction the dog went. I prompted, “Luce?” She tore her eyes from the window and looked at me before nodding.
Jane was getting out of the car as she said, “That thing was as big as a horse. It had to be bigger than Tinkerbell.”
I chuckled as the rest of us piled out to get a look at where the dog went. “Irish Wolfhounds are the tallest dog breed. Great Danes may out-mass them, but it is rare for a Dane to be taller, though it happens on rare occasions.”
We saw on a hill behind the houses, the dog trotting up between another row of houses. And I looked down at Luce when I realized she was holding onto the hem of my skirt as she whispered, “That's the color of Irish Wolfhound I see in my dream.”
I looked back to where the dog had disappeared again, to see if I could catch sight of the mottled brown coat with dark streaks again. Luce was talking about the dream where she can hear her mother singing a lullaby to her, and she says she keeps seeing flashes of a Wolfhound during it. I kissed the top of her head and asked, “Brindle? That's the rarest in the breed.”
She nodded and Jane said, “It's long gone. We need to get going. I know your instinct is to catch it and get it safely back to its owner, Fin, but we'd be driving the maze of streets long after the girls are supposed to get home.”
I stuck my tongue out at her. It was like she was reading my mind. I sighed heavily and smiled when Luce followed my lead and did the same. We loaded up and drove the last few blocks to the home. Luce's and my attention was on the back window most of the ride.
When we returned the girls, I reiterated what they all knew, “Tomorrow it will just be me. Jane has business with the local police.” I hesitated then prompted, “You're more than welcome to tag along Bri. You're a joy to have around and I'm sure Luce wouldn't mind having another familiar face along.”
Bri looked from me to Luce, to a devious looking Mrs. Doyle. What was she on about? When she nodded Brianne brightened and then tried Jess-ing out, acting all cool though she was obviously excited. “Sure, I guess.”
Some redhead we all knew deadpanned, “A ringing endorsement.” Then she was pulling back in avoidance of being touched, squealing and hiding behind me when Bri made a show of reaching out to grab her face. Jane just rolled her eyes, but her little half-smirk betrayed her amusement.
I nodded then said, “Tomorrow then?” And we said our goodbyes.
My heart ached a little leaving Luce behind, and I was deep in thought all the way to the hotel. Jane was silent the whole trip, indicating she had something on her mind too.
Chapter 10 – Adventure
It was a rough night, I was tossing and turning, guilt plaguing me. I remember how devastated I was when Kerry's father had been given a new duty station half a country away and separated me from my best friend. And here I was going to be the instrument of separating two young friends in the same manner.
I woke to Jane watching me as I lay on her arm. She gave a sad smile. “Bad night? You were all over the place, even Calvin abandoned us for the fluffy rug at the end of the bed.”
I nodded as she pulled me to her, Calvin rejoining us at the mention of his name. He whined once and laid across my feet. I smiled at him and reached down to scrub his ears in apology. “Are we... are we doing the right thing? I mean, pulling Luce away from... well. I don't know.”
She sighed, and proved she must be paying rent in my headspace by responding with, “Bri?” Then she chuckled and prompted, “She isn't Kerry, you know that don't you Fi
n?”
I grumped at her, “I know that. I mean, I just remember how it tore out my heart when she moved away. Do we have a right to put Luce through that kind of trauma.”
She said quickly, “You don't want...”
I snapped before she could finish the thought. “I want to adopt Luce more than anything. I'm just... worried about her and Bri too. Brianne reminds me more of Jess than Kerry, and I know she is strong as heck. I'm worried about what effect separating the two will have on Luce, losing her best friend. God, I love them both already.”
Jane turned me to face her and said slowly and carefully, enunciating her words, “I love them both too. Do you remember what you did when Kerry moved away? Did it scar you emotionally for life?”
I shook my head and shared, “At first it sure felt that way, but we promised each other we would stay in touch.”
I looked at my hands as I started wringing them in guilt. “At first we did, we wrote back and forth every week. And as the pain of separation faded, so did our contact... by all that's fluffy and good in the world, I was such a bad friend... we started growing apart, by not seeing each other every day. Eventually, it was just cards on birthdays and Christmas... then less than that.”
She nodded and said, “But when she showed up at your mom's after all those years apart?”
I smiled fondly, remembering the surprise of my old friend moving back to New York and I admitted, “It was like we had never been apart.”
She nodded and said, “So it was emotionally trying, but it hadn't scarred you for life, you found other best friends. Like my wayward ex... just how the hell had you two become such good friends still baffles me. Well, I guess I can see it since you have a habit of either endearing yourself to someone or making them want to kill you, there's no in-between with you.”
She booped my nose to keep me from blurting out a defense and made her point. “So, what do you think is worse, and could emotionally scar Luce more? Us bringing her into a loving, and admittedly strange and unorthodox family, or rejecting her again like that other couple did, making her feel like nobody wants her?”
Unleashed- Case of the Hound About Town Page 9
