By this time, Lilian was just about due. She went to bed not feeling too well and woke up feeling even worse. Her mother advised her to phone in sick, which she did. Timothy did the same. Two hours later, all hell broke out; the mid-wife and Dr Fitzgerald and all the other ladies were called. They assembled themselves around the bed as a group of officers around a map before an attack. Next to enter the fray were the holy father and his nuns. Was that a bad omen? Were they expecting to officiate the last rites to the poor girl? Well, the circus got underway. Lilian pushed and shoved to no avail. Tim, sensing the anguish in the bedroom, rushed in, but the ladies ran across the room to chase him out,
“Timothy, get out,” they shouted.
“Get out my arse, this is my Lilian,” he roared.
He pushed the ladies aside and ran over to the edge of the bed, nestled Lilian’s head on his knee, and said.
“I love you, honey!”
“I know you do, Dad.”
Well, I’ll be damned, the next instant there was a cry of victory. From Fort Knox, the battle had been fought and won, and a new Lieutenant marched proudly onto the earth plain, a boy just like his father.
When the ladies had dried the little bundle of joy, they took him over to his mom and Timothy. When Tim saw his grandson, he cried,
“A miracle.”
The next miracle was when the holy father and his consorts blessed the little bambino. When that was accomplished, the host disappeared, and in a few minutes returned with a bottle of brandy and glasses, to drink the child’s health. Lilian named the child Sean. She still carried the torch for him and knew one day he would return. Weeks turned into years, and still she looked for Sean’s mail. Mother and father were getting worried; was their daughter going to end up an old maid? A young man at the library had asked Lilian out on several dates, and she went gladly. Mother really liked him, and had invited him over for Sunday dinner - hoping to cultivate a little romance between them. He often joined them on a Saturday night at the pub.
Chapter Four.
It’s Sunday afternoon. The O’Sullivans are busy at their respective chores: mother baking, father out back attending to the pigs and hen, Lilian in the living room reading. There’s a knock at the door. Betty cleaned her hands and answered. She opens the door and is confronted by a very prosperous young man, who exudes nothing but wealth.
“Mrs O’Sullivan, does Lilian still live here?” he asks.
“Yes, she does.”
“May I come in and visit her?” he says with an American accent.
She ushers him into the kitchen and fetches Lilian. She walks into the kitchen, and the two of them stand and face one another. There is a moment of absolute silence. Lilian realizes it’s the prodigal son returned. Is this real, or an apparition? Mom still doesn’t realize who it is. The first thing Sean did was look at Lilian’s finger. It was still bereft of a wedding band.
“Mrs O’Sullivan, is Dad around?”
“Yes, he’s out back.”
“Will you fetch him?
“Yes, of course,” and off she goes.
Lilian and Sean’s eyes never break company. She grabs Sean’s arm, leads him into the living room,
sets him down, and sits beside him. But never a word is spoken. Eventually, Betty and Tim enter, and sit down. A deadly silence permeates the room. Sean breaks the silence.
“Do you know who I am, Dad?” He had always called him that.
“I’m not sure,” replies Dad.
“I’m Sean, back from the dead.”
Lilian was white-faced. This can’t be real.
“But dad, before you order me out of the house, hear my tale of woe.”
“When I left here, it was for Lilian. For her and the baby. I swore to myself that I would provide a life they were worthy of. I travelled to America. The only work I could find was down the coal mines. It paid good money, but it was gruelling work. Most of the guys work in the mines during the day, and go to the pub or bad houses at night. I swore that wasn’t going to happen to me; I saved every penny. Then what do you know, one day I was sitting in a pub in Boston. A gentleman walked in and sat beside me. We got talking. He told me he had a ranch in Wyoming, with a large cattle herd. Foot and mouth disease had overrun all the ranches, and he had lost all his herd. He was bankrupt. He had come to Boston to see if any of his friends could help him.”
“I told him I had my savings from the mines, which were considerable. I was willing to invest it in his ranch. His eyes lit up. I was his salvation. With that amount in the bank, the bank would be more than willing to finance the rest. Within the week, we were heading back to Wyoming. To make a long story short, we went to the market and bought a new herd of cattle. I was up every morning at five. He had a thousand acres of land; we went everywhere by horseback. If foot and mouth disease struck a second time, I was finished.” Sean stopped to nervously lick his lips. He cleared his throat before continuing.
“Well, these last few years have been great. All the cattle we have sold have been at a great profit, so I’ve had time to think of other things.”
“So why are you here, Sean?” inquired Lilian.
“I’ll tell you why I’m here. I’m here to ask you to marry me if you will have me, and take you back to Wyoming with me.”
There was absolute silence in the room. In the end, it was Betty who broke it.
“Lilian, you have to marry Sean; he’s your husband.”
“Mom, I’m going to marry Sean. Give me a chance to digest all this. Sean, where are we going to get married?”
“We’ll get married this week. And have the reception at the pub, if that suits you. How do you feel, Dad?”
