The English Boy

Chapter 34

On Christmas Eve, Uncle Rob's 10-year old son Luigi, will have a Christmas Concert at his school, and of course, we all have to go. 

So, other than touring Ireland, there were times when we just had to stay home, and Callum gets to walk Toby at a nearby park. JL, Ralph and Simon are very familiar with the place, probably because Uncle Tom's been telling them a lot about it so, they basically go out everyday. Dad, Uncle Tom, Uncle Rob along with their other cousins have some stuff to settle regarding the house. Most of the time, I just go with Samantha, mostly because she's just my age and I could relate to her a lot. At times often, we would just hear Luigi singing, rehearsing for his concert on Christmas Eve. At first, I thought Samantha or Hattie would just go to him to shut him up, because that's what siblings would normally do, but they would do the exact opposite. 

"Luigi, come down here, will you?" Samantha called for her little brother to come downstairs when we were watching TV while he was rehearsing.

"Bring your pieces with you down here," Hattie said. 

Luigi came down and gave his pieces to his sisters.

"May I have a look?" I asked, and then Hattie gave me one of the pieces.

"Good people all, this Christmas time, Consider well and bear in mind what our good God for us has done in sending his beloved son-" I turned to my cousins "This song is very familiar."

"Really?" Hattie asked.

"This is The Wexford Carol, isn't it?" I asked "A traditional religious Irish Christmas carol."

Sam gave a small laugh.

"Hattie, we've got a smart cousin right here!!!" Sam said.

"I just listen to a lot of choral songs-" I said

"In Irish?" Luigi asked

"Some are in Irish," I said

"So, what other Irish songs do you know?" Hattie asked

"I know another Irish ballad, which is Danny Boy, and when I arrived in Yorkshire, dad kept on singing the song Down By the Sally Gardens to me." I said

There was silence afterwards.

"I have to be honest with you, cousin Johanna," Luigi spoke "You're amazing!"

"Yeah!" Hattie agreed. 

I smiled.

"Thanks," I said.

***

That afternoon, I went up the balcony to have a good view of the neighbourhood, and of course, Cabra. It was raining a bit, but I kinda got used to all of the rain and less shine in my 8-month stay in England. Callum went up the balcony to join me a couple of minutes later...

"Hi," he said to me.

"Hey," I said "How many days left 'til we go back to England?"

He gave a small laugh.

"It's getting boring here lately for you?" he asked.

"Kind of," I replied "I mean, Ireland is amazing, but somehow, I just don't feel like I fit in, you know?"

"What?! Why?" Callum asked "It's funny, because I'm the one who doesn't fit in here. These people are your family-"

"Because I'm meeting all of them for the first time?" I said "I still couldn't get Uncle Rob's reaction the first time he saw me out of my mind! It's like he didn't want me to be here or something."