The Tie That Binds

- The Story Of How A Life Began

'The truth is not for all men, but only for those who seek it.' - Ayn Rand

“My mother worked at The Black Horse, near your old house when you were a child. She worked behind that bar six nights maybe the full seven a week to make ends meet to support my grandparents. Truth was, if she'd been anyone else – she could have been the landlord or landlady given the amount of time and effort she sank into working there, every one knew Daisy apparently blessed with the smile of an angel and the mind of the devil. Not in the context you may think but in as much as she was smart – smarter than old Daniel Crichton who ran the place and let God knows what occur under the roof.

That is of no relevance I suppose to you but I thought I'd tell you the story properly from the beginning.”

Sean merely nodded and waited for Ethan to continue, truth was, he had a vague recollection of Daisy who worked at The Black Horse, in fact he was sure she had looked after him when the adults of the Maguire family had found themselves at a party where children simply couldn’t attend – it would have been one that the Kray family attended as well otherwise he would have been put to bed by the ever watchful Violet.

“My Mother had been working there a little over two years when I guess you could say her head was turned by a man she knew it shouldn't. Yet, as we know as grown men, sometimes the heart wants what the hearts wants and there is very little we can do to stop it. The man spent long hours in The Black Horse supping his ale and declaring fancy words to her and how he had made a mistake in settling too soon into marriage and how his wife failed to love and understand him. Let me make it clear right now, my Mother did nothing to encourage him bar what was told of her to gain more shillings into the till which was to smile, and to lend an ear to the men whose heads would inevitably hit the top of the bar come closing time.

She didn't like it but, if she was to keep her wage packet coming into the house then this was what she would have to do.”

Once more Sean nodded, his suspicions now almost confirmed for he knew of the man Ethan spoke about, the man the preferred to spend his money in the local ale house on the corner of the street than provide for his family. The man that at the age of six Sean had received a belt buckle to his legs from after being sent to fetch some of the hard earned shillings from to buy food and guarantee the rent man at least something. Ma would often be found despairing with his aunts that once more they would be hiding under the stairs whilst her good for nothing husband joked and drank with his friends.

“My Mother stayed late one night drinking with the man in question. Sadly the alcohol and melancholy she had been feeling over being the only one bringing in a wage, the fact that my grandparents refused to let her spread her wings so to speak, and of course her loneliness for my Mother really had few friends, she made a mistake. My Mother finally gave into the charm of the man who had given her attention, she says now that she was weak but never regrets that one night of I guess stupidity is the correct term gave her the one thing that gave her some independence though lost her the home she had lived in since entering this world.

Me.”

There was no denying the truth really... Sean just wanted to hear it once and for all from the man sitting across from him. Then he could at least attempt to move on with his day, after all there was no point crying over spilt milk – a saying his Mother loved to say, ironically enough after Mickey in his usual careless manner would knock over the glass bottles filled with milk and would then find himself being sent to the dairy for more.

“Ethan, so far all you have done is tell me a story, I want an answer now to this question. Do we share the same father?”

The younger man swallowed the remains of the water, knowing that really he had no choice.