by Gavin Green
Chapter 17
Brody drove toward Ballaghadaere under partly cloudy skies on Saturday morning, with the air brisk and breezy. A gentle smile curled his lips as he recalled the night before. After seeing selflessly to Kate's cravings and receiving her breathless appreciation, they prepared for a night out.
It was 'great craic', as some of the locals would have put it. The gathering at Gil's pub was as lively and fun as anything Brody could remember. A few local musicians played a handful of upbeat tunes (the new piano was an improvement over the old, damaged one), but the evening was otherwise spent with laughter, amusing stories, gossip, and alcohol.
It was a nice surprise to see Liam and Cora there, and even better when Kate discreetly found that her mother's memories were still intact. Brody remembered the crowd noise lowering when the Kelly brothers walked in, but the gaiety resumed after seeing them approach him with hands offered in peace. Brody was glad not to have enemies, and the Kelly brothers were more truly victims of Lorcan's schemes than his cousin Ben ever was.
Old Archie and Flinn made conversation of the new game fields and recent church-sponsored updates around the village, eyeing Brody knowingly as they did so. Brody knew they were good friends with Father Doyle, who might have let some news slip out. The two older gents didn't go beyond that, so there was little worry of it becoming general information.
Brody was introduced to a number of townsfolk through Liam, Kate, and the old-timers up at the bar. Only a few acted reservedly from the latest news of him, but most followed Liam's and the others' endorsement and greeted Brody amicably.
A large round of whiskey shots that were intended for Kate's 'early retirement' were superseded by a tipsy Cora with her own toast. "A man worth his salt, is this bloke", declared Kate's mother to Brody, which came as surprise to him as well as many others; Cora didn't openly sign off on many. Alana murmured that it only took five drinks and an attempted murder for her acceptance of him.
Near the end of their evening, Brody and Kate offered some quiet invitations for their Thanksgiving meal, all of which were happily accepted. Only a few calls were needed to complete the list of those yet to be invited.
Brody brought Kate home safely while she kept repeating that she was "deliriously happy". He barely had time to get her to take aspirins and juice, to reduce her impending hangover, before she was out like a light. Kate was nursing a small headache in the morning but asked for a long, silent hug before Brody left the cottage for his self-appointed errands.
Over coffee and toast, Liam gave Brody further education and insight of farm animals. While Liam was in a great mood and none the worse from the night before, Cora was still asleep, so their tone was hushed. Liam made some calls while Brody invited Jane to come along to go look at donkeys for sale. She happily accepted.
Time at the seller's farm was split between joining Kate's dad as he inspected animals, and following Jane's example while she offered apples to the various equines. A jenny and her nearly-grown foal were finally chosen, and extra cash was given for the farmer to deliver them. Rather than try to find the cottage, the farmer asked them to wait and he'd follow Brody back.
After the donkeys were delivered and Liam confirmed that the other big, open-faced stone shed was more than enough shelter, Brody drove them back home. With his mention that he was going to get two more, Jane asked to go. It was fine with Brody; he'd be happy for the company, and Jane's mom could take her home when the ladies returned from their shopping.
The next drive of the morning was to the animal shelter, where Brody's dogs had come from. It was a bit further out, which gave Jane time to complain about not having a car of her own, and that she was still deciding which university to choose after she finished secondary in the spring. It gave Brody more insights into the young lady, and how different she and her older sister were.
While Jane spent time with a number of animals at the shelter, Brody visited with the management and handlers. He gave updates on the dogs, and showed a few pictures of them he had on his phone. Then they all went out to get a better look at two young gelded jacks who grazed together. The donkeys were a smaller breed, like the two females at home, and they all differed enough in color that he could easily tell them apart. The jacks were quiet and friendly, and shown to be in good shape. Brody felt confident that Kate would love them.
As with the farmer, he paid extra to have employees follow him back with the donkeys in a trailer. On a whim, he bought more supplies and invited some of the staff along as well, offering them a simple lunch and to visit the dogs. Since Jane already had her permit, Brody let her drive them back to his cottage. On two different occasions, he almost regretted that choice.
Sandwiches were enjoyed by the handful of shelter employees, who took Brody up on his offer. They watched the four donkeys mingle and inspect their new home, and then said their farewells. Brody sent a few pictures of the donkeys to his friend Jamal and his cousin Simon, just to let them know he was happily becoming a hick.
In a phone conversation with Kate just after, Brody learned that she, her mother, and Alana might be a bit late from their shopping excursion. After some logistic planning and more phone calls, all of the women were invited to stay for dinner when they got in.
Brody left Jane in care of the cottage while he saw to his other major task of the day. In the church parking lot as planned, he met with Father Doyle and the surveyor from McMillan Construction, Keenan Moore. The aging priest said he had a few paid hands to help unload the truckload of toys that would be arriving soon, so Brody was free of that chore.
Keenan was a capable man in his late thirties who knew his business well. Brody knew just enough about construction from working in a related field to know that Keenan was being honest as they went from property to property and made assessments. For the homes that were in better repair or already visited by the church labor crew, Brody took numerous pictures. They got back to the church parking lot and made arrangements for a McMillan crew to begin work first thing Monday, and Keenan promised to send updates of progress.
There was enough time when Brody returned home to begin dinner, with Jane as a willing assistant. After chicken was seasoned and set to bake, they pulled some hearty vegetables from the garden to accompany it. With all the side dishes cleaned, prepared, and set to a simmer, Brody and Jane spent more time in the fields with the donkeys, and discussed names for the new animals.
Only a few minutes after they stepped into the paddocks, Alana's car pulled into the drive. Followed by Cora and Alana, Kate ventured into the fields to greet her new pets and her man, in that order.
They all went inside to escape any more of the blustery day, and didn't have to wait long for dinner. In Brody's mind, the 'Great November Chinwag' commenced as soon as Kate's shopping bags were unloaded. He attempted to see to the meal, but the women took over, all the while in conversation. The topics went from sights seen in Castlebar while they shopped, to the upcoming Thanksgiving meal, to events of the night before at the pub. Brody wondered what the women chatted about while they were out, or if they saved up conversational energy to release it over dinner.
He found himself surrounded by estrogen-fueled banter; even Honey and Pearl were in attendance. Keller took a pass and escaped for a nap in one of the bedrooms. That dog was wise beyond his young age. Brody wasn't sure if his own escape would appear rude, so he endured.
While Jane passed out plates of store-bought Irish coffee cake for dessert, she had a good idea for naming the donkeys. Inspired by items seen in the pantry, she suggested names that correlated to the animals' coloring. For the mostly-white jenny, the name 'Sugar' was given, and her bay dun foal was 'Cinnamon'. One of the two jacks from the animal shelter was a black with white points, and the other was full brown, so the names 'Pepper' and 'Cocoa' were proposed.
Kate loved the names, and Brody thought they were clever and easy to remember, so the donkeys were saved from possibly ridiculous monikers.
Cora and Jane
left soon after dessert; the elder demurely thanked Brody for the meal, and the younger cheerfully thanked him for the fun day. On the way out, Brody teased Jane that she was welcome to bring a date to his Thursday meal. One thing Jane did have in common with Kate was her blush. Alana was welcomed to stay a bit longer; there were obviously further topics to be discussed between her and Kate.
Brody left them to their continued chat to edit newly-purchased house pictures on the computer. After burning a disc and putting it in his travel case, he heard the two friends still in animated conversation, and so Alana was invited to make an evening of it and stay over.
By the end of that long day, both Brody and Kate were ready for sleep. They made sure Alana was comfortable, and promised her a breakfast before she left in the morning. Finally snug under their own bedcovers, Kate thanked Brody once more for the donkeys. She then admitted to making extensive use of her new bank card, but then used that as an excuse to lightly admonish Brody for not giving her a Christmas list.
After Brody reminded Kate of their trip to Sligo town early Monday morning, they quietly discussed any other upcoming plans before they both eased into sleep in a warm embrace.
