War and Ruin

Ireland

"Welcome to Ireland, Evie!" O'Riley steps off the boat and thinks Evie is trailing behind him...he is mistaken. Instead he sees her zooming past him with her bags clanging against her legs as she runs to take in the scenery.

"This port is amazing!" Evie peers over her shoulders and examines every direction possible to remember the Dublin Port. "This is similar to the ones we saw in the Mediterranean."  Evie's eyes fill with wonder. "Everything is so green and fresh!"

"The air is better in Ireland. We don't have as many factories as England does. Less smoke in the air." O'Riley points to the clear skies. "It also rains a little less on this side of Irish Sea."  O'Riley hails a taxi for the two of them to load their luggage and head home. "Eileen can hardly wait to see you. I wrote her a few days before we sailed over."

"I'm excited to meet her too." Evie looked out the side of the car to watch the scenery pass her by. Trees filled with green leaves. Bushes with flowers of all colors blooming. The air filled with perfume from the shops as they passed down busy streets with ladies shopping their early afternoon away. Evie could hear a language being spoken among some of the not-so well dressed people walking down the cobblestone streets. "Cap'n, what's that language they're speaking?"

"It's the old language of the Irish called Gaelic. Most of the wealthy or upper class don't speak it, but the workers and what ya might call 'commoners' speak it fluently to each other."

"Do you speak it?" Evie's eyes filled with curiosity to see if her new found parents were snobs or not.

"I can speak Gaelic as well as I can English. I usually speak it with Eileen. It's a part of our heritage. As historians, we preserve the past to encourage the future and to provide windows into the world of old." O'Riley cracks a grin, "Besides, all the best pub owners give ya half off a pint if you order in Gaelic." He winks and nudges her arm with his elbow. Evie gives a nasal puff of a chuckle. "By the way...you don't need to call me Cap'n."

"Well, what do I call you?"

"Well, erm-"

"I can't call you O'Riley." Evie states as if she's mulling over what other options there could be.

"You can call me, Papa or Father or something like that..." O'Riley looks away towards the sidewalks to shift the uncomfortable energy out of the taxi. Fear of rejection setting in, slightly.

"I like Papa." Evie leans her head on his shoulder. "Can I call Eileen Mother? Or Mom? Mama?"

"Whichever you like." O'Riley leans his head on top of Evie's. "She will just be glad to see you."

The taxi ride was no more than thirty minutes. The taxi pulls into a cemented pathway leading towards this three-story house. It had ivy growing along the sides and beautiful windows with colored glass. Evie saw the archways covering the small corridor to a central courtyard. She could just hear the sound of falling water indicating a fountain nearby. The house is made with alternating shades of grey stone. The stones seem to have been cut from a quarry. Evie learned this from one of the many books O'Riley gave her while they traveled. There were people in comfortable looking clothes walking around the house carrying crates with something hidden inside. Evie seemed to be staring at everything at once, trying to take every sight in for her mind to process what she's seeing. She was getting a bit dizzy.

"It's nothing compared to the opulence you're accustomed to seeing in London. But, Eileen and I built it with the help of our families when we got married. It's nothing short of paradise for me."

'Opulence? I was a broke fucking orphan?!' Evie concealed this thought considering this would not be very wholesome to just blurt out...'although my new dad is a sailor.'

 O'Riley smiles fondly at his home. "Ah, Brian!" O'Riley rushes over to greet an older man dressed in black and white with a long grey beard and a pipe sticking out of his mouth. "Brian! Tell me, what shipments are these?"

The older man puffs his pipe before answering with a thick Irish brogue. "Aye, ye see tose two crates ov'r tar? Tey arrived from Tripoli yesterdee. An' tose 6 crates are from te West Indies." The old man takes another drag from his pipe. "Te West Indies are yieldin' quite a lot of artifacts." He points in the direction of the crates heading into the house, "An' Lord Sheffield wants yer ter look at some artifacts from Easter Island."

"Ah, Lord Sheffield." O'Riley shakes his head. "Fella gettin' involved in the academic world because of all the riches being pilfered off the indigenous populations Britain invades."

"Aye, an' he is now te prime stakeholder of te British Museum."

O'Riley's jaw drops. "No, say it ain't so!"

"Aye, tis true, sir." The old man named Brian frowns as he takes a long puff off his pipe. "So, is dis te lil' lass I been hearin' so much abou'?"

"Forgettin' my manners!" O'Riley smacks his own forehead and turns to see Evie gazing at the two of them. "Brian, this is Evangeline Grant. She will be our new member of the family!" He scrunches her into his side like an accordion for a hug. Evie smiles up at O'Riley brightly.

"Aye, welcome home lass. Yer in good hands now!" Brian shakes her hand till a shrill squeal is heard.

"Ah!!" The squeal is made again. "Is it she?!" A woman dressed in a long brown skirt with a white button-up blouse and an apron pull-over covering the majority of her person rushes down a flight of stairs wiping her hands on her apron. A big grin spread across her face as she spies Evie with O'Riley at the foot of the cemented pathway. O'Riley smiles and nods excitedly which beckons the woman over even quicker than before. The woman stops just in front of the two of them and opens her arms wide and wraps them around Evie's small frame and squeezes any and all affection at one time into this greeting embrace.

"Careful, Lee! You'll break the poor lass!" O'Riley lets out a hearty laugh.

"Oh, my apologies dear one!" The woman steps back and examines Evie's features just as Evie studies hers. The woman has dark brown hair with streaks of grey flowing in and out of her braids woven into an updo like a crown on top of her head. She was tall and sturdy. Not too thin and not too stocky. Her eyes were deep brown and brightly sparkling in the sunlight. Her cheeks were rosy red and only the smallest wrinkles were seen by the temples near her eyes. 'Must be from smiling so much,' Evie thought. "I'm Eileen, yer new mum!" Another massive grin painted her face.

Evie smiled back and decided the only fitting response was another hug. This time, there were tears coming from her eyes. "I'm so grateful to be your new member of the family." Evie sniffles, leaving O'Riley and Eileen scrambling for a handkerchief. "So many of us orphans never get a second chance at family like this. So, it just- its so-" Evie sighs, "It's so nice and such a happy relief to have this chance."

The new family embrace each other and walk towards the house. Eileen drapes her hand over Evie's shoulder and guides her towards the entrance. O'Riley bids farewell to the shipping crew and follows his wife and new daughter into the house. The O'Rileys have a daughter and Evie has parents. All seems well in the Emerald Isle.