OUT

Chapter 30

Saturday, January 17th 2015

'And did you hear, Cathleen, a Catholic priest up in Dublin came out as gay last week after fifteen years of preaching to them.'

Jack's mother's jaw dropped, 'I don't believe it!'

The woman standing in her doorway nodded at the pair, 'and he was telling them in his mass to vote yes.'

'Are ya jokin' me? Ah, that's not right.' Jack stood beside his mother in the cold. Of all the things he'd like to be doing on a drizzly Sunday morning in early January, canvassing door-to-door was certainly not it. It was bitterly cold, the sky was dull even though it was the middle of the day, and while he had a large puffer jacket on, his hands felt frostbitten. There were about ten of them doing the canvassing for their parish 'NO' branch. Jack had to have been the youngest there by about twenty years. It was mostly his mother's friends that had come out in numbers. Most of them were canvassing alone, but he was accompanying his mother to learn how to do it and what to say. Surprisingly, he found most people weren't very interested in hearing what they had to say. 'Jack, will you go do a house on your own? You can't shadow me all day.'

He left his mam and reluctantly headed towards the next house in the row, walking up the cobbled drive alone with the 'Vote No' leaflet folded into his pocket. This was his first house to canvas by himself, without the guidance of his mother. He felt sick with nerves. It felt weird questioning his own sexuality while canvassing against the right for gay people to marry. He had been listening to his mother and the others however, who talked about civil partnerships a lot. Marriage was in fact between a man and woman. Gay people had civil partnerships instead, so there was no need to rewrite or redefine what marriage was. He had read online that there were a number of gay people speaking out against the 'Yes' side of the campaign too. That said, something still felt weird about what he was doing. But he didn't really have a choice.

As he walked towards the door, he found himself judging the houses as he approached, and tried to figure out who lived there and what their life story was. The weeds that poked up in between the cracks of the cobblestone suggested an elderly person. It reminded him of his grandmother's driveway after the passing of his grandfather. He had always kept the garden immaculate, and after he died, it had become so overgrown it looked like nobody lived there. Jack's father had tried to keep it in line for a few months afterwards, but the farm took priority and his grandmother's garden became messy and unkempt until she died and they sold the house.

Jack took a deep breath and rapped on the red door, the paint faded and flakey. There was a little wooden bench beside the door that looked so rotted Jack was sure it would collapse under his weight. Moss was growing all over it. The door gently creaked open, and an elderly woman stood before him. She must have been about eighty years of age.

'Hi, how are you? Sorry to disturb you on a Saturday, but I'm just out canvassing for the marriage referendum. Do you have a moment to chat about it?'

She smiled at Jack, and opened the door fully.

'Of course dear, come on in. You'll catch a cold out there.' Jack stepped into the porch and she shut the door behind him. It wasn't unusual to be invited inside from what he had seen so far, especially in this weather. 'Come into the kitchen, dear.'

Jack welcomed the burst of heat into his bones as he stepped inside. The woman hobbled into the kitchen and gestured for him to sit down. The kettle was already boiling, and without asking, she set out a cup for him as he pulled out a chair.

The walls were covered in knick-knacks and photographs - most of which were in black and white. The fridge was plastered in magnets of various landmarks from dozens of countries, so much so that the white of the fridge itself was barely visible, evidence of a life well lived. In a quick glance, Jack spotted the Eiffel Tower, The Golden Gate Bridge, The Sydney Opera House, The Giant's Causeway, and Big Ben.