None of this mattered to Johnny Jr. He was on a journey toward his future.
It was a brilliant fall day when the ship departed the Liverpool docks, sun-glinting and clear, blinding to the eyes. Johnny breathed the air deeply and turned back for one last look at the docks. For a moment, he thought he saw his father leaning against a column, but after squinting and glancing back, he saw that the figure was gone.
He spent the next three weeks at sea, working in the galley, swabbing the deck and whatever other tasks were asked of him. When he finally arrived in Montreal, he was 10 pounds lighter, sea sickness and hard work having taken their toll. As they tied up, the captain pointed to someone on the dock, indicating that he was waiting for Johnny Jr. It was his father’s friend Nissen, whom Johnny Jr had heard a great deal about. Before disembarking, the captain gave him the family shillelagh and it was then Johnny Jr knew for certain that his father had been aware of and given his blessing to his leaving.
Johnny Jr lived with Nissen and his family for three years, working in the garment industry at jobs that Nissen provided. Evenings, he moonlighted as ‘security’ in nightclubs managed by Nissen’s son. He was treated as a member of their family and fell into an extremely comfortable lifestyle.
One Saturday night at the local church dance, he met Colleen Blake (of the Blakes in Killharen), a beautiful girl with mesmerizing green eyes and abundant red hair that flowed over her shoulders. Johnny Jr was immediately smitten. Within six months, after receiving permission from her father, he asked her to marry him. Before accepting, Colleen had three requests.
The first was for him to stop fighting. It had been a way of life for him and his friends. Johnny Jr said he would try. As he was one of the most formidable fighters in Mile End, it was rare for anyone to challenge him, and when they did, they soon regretted it. The fight was usually over quickly.
The second was that he regularly attend church on Sundays. Johnny Jr was initially reticent, but finally agreed. While he wasn’t particularly interested in prayer, he did like seeing heads turn when he walked into church with Colleen, certain they were not looking at him!
The third was that he give up drinking. Colleen had never touched a drop of liquor, calling it the “devil in a bottle”. This would be the most difficult of the three, but Johnny agreed to not even take a “wee nip”. Alcohol, in one form or another, had been a part of his life from the time he was a child in Northern Ireland. It was expected for adults to have a wee nip in the morning just to get their aching bodies moving. Another nip during the day to keep going, and more than a nip at night to try and forget the hardships of the day. It was a deadly cycle, and no surprise that Johnny Jr had become enmeshed in it.
Their wedding took place at St. Viateur Catholic Church in Mile End with Johnny Sr, Margaret and their five daughters in attendance. Groomsmen walked down the aisle carrying a shillelagh, and Johnny Sr proudly carried the black family one. Both families agreed it would serve as the family heirloom. Neither of them ever spoke about how it came to be that Johnny Sr knew Johnny Jr was going to leave Liverpool.
