Who's Your Paddy?

Chapter 19

On Tuesday, after spending two days finishing up the new outline and most of the due reviews, I left the office in a tizzy to get home to do laundry. I needed to go to Boston after all. I hadn't expected to have only two days to get ready for both trips.

The emotional highs and lows of deciding what was appropriate for all occasions was exhausting. I stared at my new luggage gaping open and empty on the floor and felt excited. It was as if the bags were beckoning me to fill them with the same sense of adventure my spirit burst to embrace.

But the other side of the coin was the bittersweet realization that my first time traveling to The Land of Dreams would also be to accompany the body of a man who was as much like a father to me as my own.

Solace came in a very long and teary telephone conversation with Michelle. Over several hours and a bottle of wine each, we bared our souls and made a plan.

Her lucid perspective was amazing, especially for someone so fresh in mourning. It blew me away. There was a certain peace accompanying her guilty sense of relief over his death happening so quickly. After admitting how the indignities of his two year old diagnosis of Alzheimer's had effected the entire family, I completely understood how she could see the swiftness of his ultimate demise as merciful.

Nearing the bottom of the bottle, we giggled at the irony of traveling to Ireland to bury the man that gave us both our very first lessons in Irish love.

For Michelle the irony was obvious. For me that remained to be seen.

Later, I grabbed the ringing telephone while trying to balance a full laundry basket with one hand and ended up dropping both on the tile kitchen floor. "Hang on a sec," I shouted. "Sorry, dropped the phone. What ya say?"

"We need ta pick up tickets today," Liam said.

"Oh shit, yeah. Did you give him all the information I emailed you?"

"Aye, all set. We just gotta go pay fer 'em."

"You going now?"

"Was headin' there now, yeah. It's right near the Harp, so I can meet ya there if ya want."

"Ok, gimme like, twenty or so?"

"That'll work."

I picked him up and we drove all of a few blocks to Glynn's Travel. We were greeted by a young man who looked to be in his mid thirties.

"There's the Paddy I know an' luv," he said, jumping from behind his desk to embrace Liam with a quick man-hug and pat on the back.

"Michael, this is Annie. The one I'm after tellin' ya 'bout."

"Lovely ta meet ya, Annie."

I stretched my hand out to shake. He ignored it and pulled me into a polite hug instead. "You guys know each other from home I take it?"

They exchanged glances and with a playful smirk Liam answered. "Michael found me in the gutter an' took pity."

"Right so," Michael rubbed his hands together and moved back behind his desk. "Let's get her out of the way first."

Liam nodded and I took a seat so I could pull out my day planner and open it on his desk. I had big red circles around two dates.

"Boston first, aye?"

"Yeah, and it's sort of last minute."

"Aye, sorry ta hear, that's not a bother. Last minute fer this bloke is me specialty."

Liam pulled a chair over and sat beside me.

"Right. Got ya a nice direct from Phoenix, leaves this Friday jest before nine. It should put you inta Boston 'round five local time. That work fer ya?"