Patrick Forty Years Ago
Dia , God, this was another wasted trip. I knew I should put my foot down and tell my mother that I wasn’t going to have her go to another quack healer to see if they could help with her pain. Why she refused to forego modern doctors and seek out these supposed Irish healers, who were supposedly descendants of the ancient Druids, was beyond me. I guess no matter how much she tried to acclimate to being American. She was still a believer in the old ways. She put her faith in them rather than doctors.
She insisted I go with her to see this newest healer her friends told her about. It angered me that people filled her head with this nonsense. All I saw was that they gave her worthless charms, potions, and promises that she had paid handsomely for; however, her pain never got better, and she was soon off to find the next one. If I had my way, I’d ruin every last one of them. In fact, this would be the last one. I was going to make it clear to her that she and her charlatan associates would be feeling the wrath of the O’Sheeran family if a single one of them ever pretended to treat my mother again. After all, most people were afraid to go up against the most powerful Irish mobster family in the country.
The only reason I agreed to go with my mam was to have this confrontation. She’d begged me to come with her to see what the bean leighis , healer, could do. I’d grudgingly agreed. I could be out drinking with my brothers and sampling a beautiful woman for the night. Instead, I was doing this to protect my mother.
The house our driver pulled up to was small and simple. It was in a quiet, unassuming neighborhood. Either this bean leighis wasn’t doing well with her scams, or she was smart enough to hide her ill-gotten gains. I clenched my fist at the anger that was building inside of me. The desire to go in with my verbal guns blazing was rising.
After our driver, Brian brought the car to a halt, he got out and opened my door. I eased out and went around to open the car door for my mam . She smiled at me as she slowly and stiffly got out with my help. I hated to see her in so much pain. Her joints were stiff and painful every day. She could no longer enjoy the gardening she loved so much because of it. If only these fakes could really help her. If they could, I’d pay them a fortune.
She held onto the crook of my arm as we made our way slowly to the door. Brian came with us. He was not only my driver, but tonight, he was my bodyguard. You couldn’t be too careful when you were the ceannaire of the Gaeilge Mafia, leader of the Irish Mafia—a position I took over upon my father’s death two years ago. Dia , I missed him every day.
I knocked hard and impatiently, then waited. It was only maybe a minute before the door opened, and the smiling face that greeted us took my breath away and sent my body into a heated frenzy. Standing there was a woman like no other—a woman I wanted with every fiber of my being in an instant. My mind, body, and soul all shouted she’s mine . The knowledge that she was my anamchara, my soulmate, was instantaneous and unshakeable. The shock of it being a woman like her was almost too much.
Her eyes widened as she softly said, “ Céad mile failte , a hundred thousand welcomes. Please, come in. Welcome to my home. I’m Maeve Kelly.”