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Poor poor Lottie, I think to myself as I look at her lying on the bed curled up into a ball with her knees tucked tightly up to her chin. My heart went out to her. I was only just getting to know her when all of this had happened. Alec told me when they had found her in the field that she was on her knees and screaming out her sorrow at losing Ruby, her precious daughter. He also said it was necessary to deaden her senses because she realised that jasper was using his gift on her and they were afraid that she would bolt again. I was trying to read her mind but felt as if I had lost my gift. I could neither see nor hear a thing about her. Every now and again, she would moan or grunt but that was it. I heard a distant howl it was Kalib. I had to go now. I ran downstairs and bumped into Chelsea.
“Can you watch Lottie please for me I have to go?” I asked her. She nodded. I found Alec and grabbed his arm
“C’mon” I said. He followed not questioning until he saw where we were headed. He heard the howl too. I got there first and found kalib sitting next to Paddy’s body lying on the ground. He kept licking his hand and nudging him with his nose but Paddy was gone. Kalib howled again and Alec lifted his body and laid him out on his bed. I dropped to my knees and screamed, the sound echoing everywhere. The last of my family had died. In Paddy’s case, it was the only natural death. I had checked and there were no bruising or broken bones. It was his heart I think that just gave out. Poor ole Paddy was alone when he died and I felt guilty. I felt Alec’s arms reach out to me and he pulled me into his arms. I held onto him tightly and moaned my grief onto his shoulder. I could feel his sorrow emanating off him too. He understood my grief and while he did not have the same bond with Paddy that I did I think he was finally able to grieve for Sean and Mary and to understand that he needed to grieve too. We clung tightly for a long time with kalib alternating between whining and howling his own grief and when we had all quietened, I went to clean Paddy and prepare him for burial. Alec went out the back to dig a grave. We wrapped his body in one of Mary’s crocheted quilts and I wrapped his rosary beads in his hands. Alec carried him out and placed him in his grave. I had made a wreath from the flowers in his garden and placed it on top of him in the grave.
“Uh what do we do now?” said Alec, “I’ve never buried anyone before.”
“I’ll say a rosary for him and I started
“Ár nAthair atá ar neamh, (Our father who art in heaven)” I started off and said the whole rosary in Irish, Paddy’s and my native language.
“Che tu possa riposare in pace Paddy” (May you rest in peace) said Alec.
Alec covered the grave with the earth beside the grave and I carved his name, age and date of death on a cross and put it in at the head of the grave. We walked back to his house arms around each other tightly, and went and sat at the table in the kitchen, speechless and saddened. After a while Alec said
“Are you alright Faine?”
“No, I’m not really Alec. I just can’t believe he is gone. I have been looking after that fella for the past 70 odd years and just like that with a click of your fingers he is dead. I leaned down with my head in my hands. Alec reached over and rubbed my back.
“I know how you feel darling, I never really got over the loss of my parents, my real ones that Jane had them burned at the stake accused of witchcraft and then just as I was getting to know Sean and Mary she came and killed them too.” I looked up when I heard him bang the table with his fist. I heard the table groan and splinter from the force and kalib growled.
“It’s ok Alec, Jane is dead and she’ll never stop you from anything ever again ssshhhusssh now honey I’m here” I crooned to him. I soothed him and rubbed his back. I gently lifted his head by his chin and looked him in the eye. The sorrow behind them shook me to the core. I leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. He kissed me back but after a bit he began to kiss me with passion, threaded his fingers through my hair, and pulled me so that I was standing flush with his body. I threaded my fingers into his hair too feeling a need to be really really close to him. We stayed at Paddy’s house for the next few days needing to be really close to each other and private too and in our own company.
I was looking through Paddy’s few possessions and found a will he had written amongst his things. He had bequeathed his house, land and all possessions to me including Kalib, if he was still alive. I looked around his house that I had so lovingly help him keep maintained for all these years and I had many happy memories here with him in this happy little home. Paddy was always a quiet man full of enthusiasm for his work and loved his life. Kalib looked up at me mournfully from beside the hearth. Alec had thoughtfully kept a fire going for the dog. Kalib had not moved nor eaten his food for the past few days. He missed Paddy terribly.
“Poor ole Kalib, what’ll I do with you, you poor scrap. You will just have to come and live with Alec and me. I know it will be a bit strange but sure you know us.” Alec put his hand down to Kalib who licked it.
“C’mon lad, jump up here,” he said kindly pointing to his lap. And he began to rub Kalib’s fur and fondle his ears. Kalib licked his hand softly.
“Now do you think Paddy would want you to starve?” kalib barked.
“No,” said Alec, “of course not, he’d want u to take care of Faine for him wouldn’t he,” the dog looked at Alec intently as if he understood every word Alec was saying. “Go on now and eat your food laddie,” said Alec in his best Paddy accent and I smiled at him. So human I thought. Thanks Paddy, you helped me marry a good man. To my surprise Kalib jumped down, started to eat his food, and looked up at me when he was done with his tail thumping on the floor. Alec and I dissolved into fits of giggles and kalib barked and rolled over with his tongue hanging out and looked like he was laughing too.
“Alec I want to do up this house and give it to Jordan and Josh when they get their baby. It will always be our get-away house but I want to do it up with a nursery too for the baby.”
“What baby, I thought she’d given up that silly idea when Lottie lost hers.”
“No she hasn’t, you know how pig-headed she gets when she wants something. I must say I admire that quality in her.”
“Ok, have you any idea what way you want it to look?”
“Yes, I’ve been thinking that I want all the walls painted a white, soft lighting will create a soft look. Jordan loves ebony wood so I think all the furniture should be black. A modern light and airy look is the theme. I want a Jacuzzi in the bathroom and I want the nursery to be full of soft colours, oranges, reds, greens, yellows. Anything a baby would need from Moses baskets, to cribs to changing tables, to clothes, to nappies, and a rocking chair. I want it totally kitted out, again all the furniture to be in ebony but totally child friendly. I want reds, oranges, and moss green accentuating colours around the house like throw pillows on the comfortable black couch and candles, plants, kitchen accessories to be bright and cheerful. The garden remains untouched, I will keep that in order myself as I love to do that and the sheds remain untouched too as those are mine. I want to convert the front shed into a pottery room. I am going to get a potter’s wheel, a kiln, some shelves, and all the equipment I need and I am going to start to work with clay again. I miss it.
“What about Lottie?” Alec asked.
“Lottie is in hibernation at the moment and Chelsea will inform me when she wakes up.”
“What, you’re gonna start now?”
“Well yes, I want to start clearing Paddy’s belongings and put them into the back shed and store them there.”
“For what?”
“Sentimental value.”
“Oh” was his reply “let’s get to work so,” he said taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves like he had seen Sean do countless times. I grabbed him and kissed him. He kissed me back and said
“Do you want passion woman or the house cleared cause I can do both just not at the same time” with a twinkle in his eyes.
“C’mon so lover boy I’ll race you and first finished gets to dictate!!!” I replied mischievously.”
“You’re on” he said giggling and ran ahead of me into the house before wrestling the bed out of the house and balancing it on his shoulders, showing off and swaggering up to the barn, it pulled a wolf whistle from my lips and a giggle. I grabbed the table, chairs in the kitchen, and sauntered out balancing it all on my shoulders too and with an exaggerated sway of my hips passed him. I was rewarded with a low whistle from him and him biting his lower lip as his pupils widened. We cleared the house satisfactorily in record time and by that time we had teased each other unmercifully and were glad to get back to the house to return to our earlier mischief. It was like a honeymoon. We realised we had no bed but even the ground felt soft as we lay together in bliss and spent the next four days doing what newlyweds do best. I was both happy and sad when we decided to go home again. This was our little love nest, but construction needed to start as Jordan’s wedding was only 2 weeks away and I wanted it to be done before they returned from their honeymoon and found a baby. Kalib was at our heels as we went in the gate to our home.
“Can you watch Lottie please for me I have to go?” I asked her. She nodded. I found Alec and grabbed his arm
“C’mon” I said. He followed not questioning until he saw where we were headed. He heard the howl too. I got there first and found kalib sitting next to Paddy’s body lying on the ground. He kept licking his hand and nudging him with his nose but Paddy was gone. Kalib howled again and Alec lifted his body and laid him out on his bed. I dropped to my knees and screamed, the sound echoing everywhere. The last of my family had died. In Paddy’s case, it was the only natural death. I had checked and there were no bruising or broken bones. It was his heart I think that just gave out. Poor ole Paddy was alone when he died and I felt guilty. I felt Alec’s arms reach out to me and he pulled me into his arms. I held onto him tightly and moaned my grief onto his shoulder. I could feel his sorrow emanating off him too. He understood my grief and while he did not have the same bond with Paddy that I did I think he was finally able to grieve for Sean and Mary and to understand that he needed to grieve too. We clung tightly for a long time with kalib alternating between whining and howling his own grief and when we had all quietened, I went to clean Paddy and prepare him for burial. Alec went out the back to dig a grave. We wrapped his body in one of Mary’s crocheted quilts and I wrapped his rosary beads in his hands. Alec carried him out and placed him in his grave. I had made a wreath from the flowers in his garden and placed it on top of him in the grave.
“Uh what do we do now?” said Alec, “I’ve never buried anyone before.”
“I’ll say a rosary for him and I started
“Ár nAthair atá ar neamh, (Our father who art in heaven)” I started off and said the whole rosary in Irish, Paddy’s and my native language.
“Che tu possa riposare in pace Paddy” (May you rest in peace) said Alec.
Alec covered the grave with the earth beside the grave and I carved his name, age and date of death on a cross and put it in at the head of the grave. We walked back to his house arms around each other tightly, and went and sat at the table in the kitchen, speechless and saddened. After a while Alec said
“Are you alright Faine?”
“No, I’m not really Alec. I just can’t believe he is gone. I have been looking after that fella for the past 70 odd years and just like that with a click of your fingers he is dead. I leaned down with my head in my hands. Alec reached over and rubbed my back.
“I know how you feel darling, I never really got over the loss of my parents, my real ones that Jane had them burned at the stake accused of witchcraft and then just as I was getting to know Sean and Mary she came and killed them too.” I looked up when I heard him bang the table with his fist. I heard the table groan and splinter from the force and kalib growled.
“It’s ok Alec, Jane is dead and she’ll never stop you from anything ever again ssshhhusssh now honey I’m here” I crooned to him. I soothed him and rubbed his back. I gently lifted his head by his chin and looked him in the eye. The sorrow behind them shook me to the core. I leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. He kissed me back but after a bit he began to kiss me with passion, threaded his fingers through my hair, and pulled me so that I was standing flush with his body. I threaded my fingers into his hair too feeling a need to be really really close to him. We stayed at Paddy’s house for the next few days needing to be really close to each other and private too and in our own company.
I was looking through Paddy’s few possessions and found a will he had written amongst his things. He had bequeathed his house, land and all possessions to me including Kalib, if he was still alive. I looked around his house that I had so lovingly help him keep maintained for all these years and I had many happy memories here with him in this happy little home. Paddy was always a quiet man full of enthusiasm for his work and loved his life. Kalib looked up at me mournfully from beside the hearth. Alec had thoughtfully kept a fire going for the dog. Kalib had not moved nor eaten his food for the past few days. He missed Paddy terribly.
“Poor ole Kalib, what’ll I do with you, you poor scrap. You will just have to come and live with Alec and me. I know it will be a bit strange but sure you know us.” Alec put his hand down to Kalib who licked it.
“C’mon lad, jump up here,” he said kindly pointing to his lap. And he began to rub Kalib’s fur and fondle his ears. Kalib licked his hand softly.
“Now do you think Paddy would want you to starve?” kalib barked.
“No,” said Alec, “of course not, he’d want u to take care of Faine for him wouldn’t he,” the dog looked at Alec intently as if he understood every word Alec was saying. “Go on now and eat your food laddie,” said Alec in his best Paddy accent and I smiled at him. So human I thought. Thanks Paddy, you helped me marry a good man. To my surprise Kalib jumped down, started to eat his food, and looked up at me when he was done with his tail thumping on the floor. Alec and I dissolved into fits of giggles and kalib barked and rolled over with his tongue hanging out and looked like he was laughing too.
“Alec I want to do up this house and give it to Jordan and Josh when they get their baby. It will always be our get-away house but I want to do it up with a nursery too for the baby.”
“What baby, I thought she’d given up that silly idea when Lottie lost hers.”
“No she hasn’t, you know how pig-headed she gets when she wants something. I must say I admire that quality in her.”
“Ok, have you any idea what way you want it to look?”
“Yes, I’ve been thinking that I want all the walls painted a white, soft lighting will create a soft look. Jordan loves ebony wood so I think all the furniture should be black. A modern light and airy look is the theme. I want a Jacuzzi in the bathroom and I want the nursery to be full of soft colours, oranges, reds, greens, yellows. Anything a baby would need from Moses baskets, to cribs to changing tables, to clothes, to nappies, and a rocking chair. I want it totally kitted out, again all the furniture to be in ebony but totally child friendly. I want reds, oranges, and moss green accentuating colours around the house like throw pillows on the comfortable black couch and candles, plants, kitchen accessories to be bright and cheerful. The garden remains untouched, I will keep that in order myself as I love to do that and the sheds remain untouched too as those are mine. I want to convert the front shed into a pottery room. I am going to get a potter’s wheel, a kiln, some shelves, and all the equipment I need and I am going to start to work with clay again. I miss it.
“What about Lottie?” Alec asked.
“Lottie is in hibernation at the moment and Chelsea will inform me when she wakes up.”
“What, you’re gonna start now?”
“Well yes, I want to start clearing Paddy’s belongings and put them into the back shed and store them there.”
“For what?”
“Sentimental value.”
“Oh” was his reply “let’s get to work so,” he said taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves like he had seen Sean do countless times. I grabbed him and kissed him. He kissed me back and said
“Do you want passion woman or the house cleared cause I can do both just not at the same time” with a twinkle in his eyes.
“C’mon so lover boy I’ll race you and first finished gets to dictate!!!” I replied mischievously.”
“You’re on” he said giggling and ran ahead of me into the house before wrestling the bed out of the house and balancing it on his shoulders, showing off and swaggering up to the barn, it pulled a wolf whistle from my lips and a giggle. I grabbed the table, chairs in the kitchen, and sauntered out balancing it all on my shoulders too and with an exaggerated sway of my hips passed him. I was rewarded with a low whistle from him and him biting his lower lip as his pupils widened. We cleared the house satisfactorily in record time and by that time we had teased each other unmercifully and were glad to get back to the house to return to our earlier mischief. It was like a honeymoon. We realised we had no bed but even the ground felt soft as we lay together in bliss and spent the next four days doing what newlyweds do best. I was both happy and sad when we decided to go home again. This was our little love nest, but construction needed to start as Jordan’s wedding was only 2 weeks away and I wanted it to be done before they returned from their honeymoon and found a baby. Kalib was at our heels as we went in the gate to our home.
