One Shots 'The nursery nurse'

Call my Name

When Sorscha opened the door to her flat, she was immediately greeted by the cold. It was a quiet evening in Dublin. The snow had covered the roofs and streets, and a light cold wind was blowing. Sorscha pulled her collar straight up to protect herself from the icy wind.

The snow slowly fell onto her black leather jacket and hat. She walked slowly towards the city centre, looking down at the ground. There was a Christmas market in the heart of Dublin today and even if Sorscha didn't feel like seeing other people at the moment. She couldn't hide in her flat forever, wallowing in self-pity.

It could all have been so perfect. She had had her own flat for a few months now and wanted to move in with Clodagh. But fate had other plans. They had kept their relationship secret from Clodagh's parents for a long time, but when Clodagh wanted to move out. The cat had to be let out of the bag. Sorscha can only describe what happened next as a bombshell.

In a very short space of time, a two-year old relationship was torn apart. Even though they were both twenty, Clodagh was financially dependent on her parents. She wanted to become a teacher and needed the money for her studies. Her part-time job couldn't even cover a fraction of the costs.

And Sorscha, she had only just finished her training as a kindergarten teacher, the money she was earning was just enough to support herself. Clodagh wanted to fight, she didn't want to give up her happiness, but Sorscha didn't want her to. She wanted her to follow her dream.

So the two reluctantly parted ways. Sorscha sighed, her breath visible in the cold. She hoped Clodagh was all right. Her family had moved away from Dublin after the truth came out. And they had lost contact.

Sorscha raised her eyes as she heard the soft Christmas music, the snow falling from the sky sparkling in the colourful lights of the Christmas market. She could smell the roasted almonds, gingerbread and other sweet treats in the air. Sorscha herself was not a great fan of Christmas. Only Clodagh brought her that joy again.

But she was gone now. The last time she had seen her was at the beginning of August, when the sun was still shining and the warmth was in the air. With Clodagh, the sun also disappeared from Sorscha's life. Her family tried to support her as best they could, but they couldn't take away the heartache.

Sorscha walked through the stalls and crowds of people. There was laughter all around her, bright-eyed children and couples walking hand in hand. But Sorscha felt cold. Even here in this joyful place, she felt nothing but emptiness mixed with sadness. Finally, she persuaded herself to buy something sweet to try and shake off her thoughts.

The man in the stall handed her the roasted almonds with a smile and wished her a happy holiday. When she thought of the Christmas holidays, the dead rose up inside her. Her family had invited her, but Sorscha toyed with the idea of staying at home. She didn't want to pretended that everything was alright, because it wasn't, her world had been destroyed.

Sorscha put the sweet in her bag and slowly made her way back home. She'd had enough for today. With every step she took away from the music and disappeared into the dark alleyways, her thoughts grew louder again. It wasn't just dark around her, she felt like she was in eternal darkness.

Finally she stood in front of her door again, she put the key in the hole and opened it. The cold find immediately blew into her flat. Sorscha was just about to take a step inside when the wind carried something other than the cold.

"Sorscha."

The voice that rang out was nearly covered by the sound of the wind. Sorscha thought her brain was playing tricks on her. She turned around, there on the small cobbled path to her front door. Stood Clodagh with a bag in her hand and a long cream-coloured coat. The cold had coloured her cheeks and the tip of her nose slightly red.

Sorscha simply stared at her in disbelief, unable to move an inch. It couldn't be true. But the longer Sorscha simply stared at her, she realised that it was real. Finally, Sorscha was able to free herself from her shock and started running.

Clodagh dropped her bag and stepped forwards too. As Sorscha fell into her arms, she was lifted up by the Irishwoman. Clodagh had Sorscha's face in her hands and stroked her cheek before their lips connected and they lost themselves in a long kiss.

After what felt like an eternity, the kiss broke and Sorscha let Clodagh back down so that her feet were on the ground again. "What are you doing here?! How did you get here?! Your parents?! Your studies..." Clodagh interrupted Sorscha with another kiss. "Sorscha... Darling, it's all right.... I've broken away from my parents... we can be together again." She smiled at the still disbelieving Irish.

"But your studies?"-"I was able to get in touch with my aunt, who is against my parents' views. She supports me."

Sorscha started to laugh and hugged her tightly. The snow fell on the couple. There were still Christmas miracle after all.