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holding him tighter. It seemed like a lifetime before Ciaran broke
the embrace.
Straightening, Ciaran wiped his eyes with the back of his
hands. He gazed into his face and leaned forward, closing the
gap between their lips. He halted and pulled back, feigning a
nervous cough into his hand. He turned around to his father.
Da, can I go back now?
Mr. O Kelly gave his son a quick hug and stepped back. Yes,
you can go. He glanced at Shannon, nodding his head.
He reached out to take Ciaran s hand. Don t, Shannon. He
jerked his hand back. Striding beside Ciaran, he left the gravesite
with his head down. He looked ahead, strolling with his hands
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clasped behind his back. Ciaran s house loomed off in the near
distance.
I m worried, Shannon.
A tug of anxiousness rushed his heart. He stopped. About
what? He held his breath, studying Ciaran while he waited for an
answer. Did Mr. O Kelly say something about how they left the
bedroom after all?
Ciaran stood next to him. About my da, he s drinking a lot.
His brows tensed with concern.
He relaxed, letting his breath out. Shite, Ciaran, you scared
the crap out of me. His arms fell loosely to his sides and he gave
him a faint smile.
What the hell did you think I was going to say? Irritation
filled Ciaran s voice and he stepped closer to him.
Well, that maybe your da saw the mineral oil and messy bed
in your room. That maybe your da suspected something. How s
that? We shouldn t have left it like that. He went in there, you
know, to look for his watch. His smile faded, taken away by
frustration.
Oh, relax. He wouldn t think anything of it. He probably
thinks we were in there fixing something.
With mineral oil? His voice rose in pitch. Ciaran wasn t the
least bit concerned about it?
Well, I don t know, maybe we needed to& oil something
up.
Like what? My willy? Laughter rose out of his chest. This
conversation was ridiculous.
Ciaran let out a strained chuckle. Yeah, your willy and my
arse. Turning, he started toward the house again. Christ sake,
Shannon, what a thing to say.
He jogged to catch up to Ciaran and followed him back into
the house and to the kitchen table. Noticing Ciaran taking a seat,
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he did the same, at a chair right next to him.
Looking directly at him, Ciaran leaned toward him and rested
his arm across the table. I m telling you, Shannon, my da is
drinking way too much. I m worried about him.
Maybe there s just something he has to sort through. He
really loved your ma, you know. It might just take some time for
him to get over losing her. Reaching his hand out, he caressed
Ciaran s arm on the table.
What if he doesn t get over it? What if he turns into one of
those drunks, like Mr. Doherty or something? Ciaran s face
scrunched up in worry.
He won t end up like that. Your da is bloody better than that.
He ll pull out of it. Just give him time. His stomach growled. It
must be getting late. What ll we do about supper tonight?
Ciaran looked at him like he had worms crawling out of his
mouth. Supper? Is that all you think about?
A devious grin spread over his lips. No.
Sitting back, Ciaran slapped him in the shoulder. Quit
thinking about the mineral oil. You wicked boy. He let out a soft
chuckle.
The young men made boiled potatoes and cabbage and
heated some corned beef. He looked up while setting a few bowls
filled with food on the table and sat down.
Mr. O Kelly came in through the front door and shut it. Oh
my, what a pleasant surprise.
Beaming, Ciaran placed the final dish on the table and took a
seat beside Shannon.
Mr. O Kelly stepped to the table and sat beside his son. With a
faint smile, he looked over the food for a moment, tilted his head
forward and lifted his hands in prayer.
Shannon and Ciaran prepared for grace.
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Mr. O Kelly let out a faint cough. Bless us O Lord, and these
Thy gifts, for which we are about to receive, from Thy bounty,
through Christ, our Lord, Amen.
Amen, the young men said in unison.
Ciaran dished out food onto his plate and dug into it.
Shannon, want to go fishing tomorrow?
He looked up from his plate, his mouth brimming with
cabbage. He gulped it down. Uh, yeah. We haven t done that
since last summer, have we?
Nope. Wouldn t it be good to have fresh fish for supper
tomorrow, Da? Ciaran glanced at his father.
Sounds wonderful. Mr. O Kelly pushed a fork of boiled
potato into his mouth.
Want to go with us? Ciaran stopped eating and focused on
his father. Anxiety knitted his brows and tensed his face.
Uh, not tomorrow, son. I have some business to attend to at
the pub. Mr. O Kelly ate his food as if unaware of the tension
filtering off his son.
Ciaran glared at his father.
He watched the scene before him. He d never seen Ciaran get
angry with his father. That s okay, there ll be more fish for us
then. His attention returned to his plate of food.
Shannon rolled over. He squinted as the sun shone in
through his bedroom window. Morning already? His mind drifted
back to the previous evening. He remembered sitting in the
comfortable chairs by Ciaran s hearth and reminiscing over too
much tea with Ciaran and his father. It was pleasant enough. At
least Ciaran s father wasn t drinking. And for once he came home
to a dark house. No one to bother him, he just went to bed. He
was so tired last night. The eventful day wore him out. A soft
knock broke through his memories.
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Shannon, dear, are you awake? Mrs. Sullivan called out
from the hallway.
Yes, Ma. I ll be out in a minute. He slid to the edge of his
bed and dropped his legs over it. He stopped to wipe the sleep
from his eyes and rose to dress.
He entered the main room and focused on his mother.
Mrs. Sullivan wore another dull housedress and sat at the
kitchen table, looking up at Shannon. Do you have anything else
to wear besides black? She tipped a red and green flowered
teacup to her lips.
What? What could she be getting at so early in the morning?
He lifted his legs over the bench and sat across from her. Her
stare crept over his skin.
You re going into Johnstown Bridge today with your da and I
want you to look your best. She set the teacup down on its
saucer, in front of her.
He leaned forward as if then he would understand better.
What are you talking about? I m supposed to go fishing with
Ciaran today.
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