Mrs. O'Shea was on her knees in the church. The rosary beads clacking softly as she slipped it on through her fingers. She had let Mrs. Leinihan go a little early, her shift began at midnight and should have finished at 4.00am but she minded her grandchildren in the mornings before school and would have to be up and ready for them at 7.30.
Mrs. O'Shea settled into the seat.
Best to get comfortable. She'd be here until 8.00am and would be relieved then, Sean had two hours left.
Sean who, sitting in the pew across from her and up a little, was dozing peacefully. She knew by the tilt of his head by the slow and steady rise of his back. But no matter, he was company all the same and she wasn't alone anyway. They'd made sure of it when they arranged the rota, staggering the times so that if one was delayed for some reason the other would still be there.
The church would remain open at all times while the president was staying at the cottage, that was the agreement and that's what would happen come hell or highwater.
She thought of him now; President Biden.
He was surely fast asleep in his bed. Warm and cozy with his lovely wife beside him. She'd seen him in Ballina. At the speech.
He was taller than she expected.
She was close to the front, had thought to bring a folding stool on the bus that day and she had picked her spot early and sat for hours waiting, chatting and exchanging conversation with others around. By the time he came out it was dark and cold but she got to have a good enough look at him and, as she always thought from the telly but she had properly confirmed when she saw him in the flesh, he did have a look of Old Kitty Blewitt. He shared some of her mannerisms too, like the way he held his hands out towards the crowd and the way his thumb curved back.
She recalled the speech. Could recite some parts of it. They were the pride of the county, the people who shared his home parish. And within the parish those who remembered Old Kitty were held in even higher esteem.
A howl of wind caught her attention. It was a rough night out there. She hoped there wouldn't be any damage done.
She returned to her beads, giving one final thought to the fact that she'd love to see Dr. Biden in the flesh. It was a pity she couldn't be in Ireland on the official trip with him but the children and teacher all raved about how lovely she was when they met at the Castle and the parishioners were content enough to know that she was in their midst.
She even shopped in the village.
Exotic and so down to earth at the same time. They're a gorgeous couple, Mary Rafter had told her when she was buying apples to make a tart yesterday.
The said tart was safely wrapped up in the bag at her feet, along with two flasks of tea. Four hours was a long time to go without anything and Fr. Stephen had told them to bring something with them to eat on their shift.
'The Good Lord won't mind anyone having a bite to eat in his house', he said at the final meeting, allaying their fears about eating in the church.
She usually brought extra in case any of the security fellas wanted a bit to eat too. All lovely, they were. Kind to an old woman but they took their jobs seriously, doing their checks and partols on a near constant round, the dogs were familiar to her now too and she knew not to pet them while they were about their work. But when she blessed herself and stood up to leave the agents would be at the door and she could pet them then for a few minutes, they said it was so that the dogs would know her the next time but she knew it was just a kindness to an old woman who loved dogs and she was grateful to them for their thoughtfulness.
