43
After a few hours it’s time to open presents. Everyone gathers in the pub area where the tables are more plentiful.
Hughie’s friends had chipped in and bought him two games. “We can play together after school!” Clayton, his friend, says as Hughie opens the games.
Irene, unsurprisingly, writes Hughie a check. A hefty check, at that, but Irene lives in her own bubble so we should just be happy she’s here.
The Trinity kids offer to take all of us camping over the summer, on them.
“Can I go next?” John has a box in his hands that, very suspiciously…has holes gouged all over.
“Did he…”
Hughie opens the top of the box and lets out a little squeal. He reaches in, pulling out a small tabby cat. He turns and holds it out to show Niall and I. We smile and, as Hughie turns, I lean into Niall’s shoulder. “Did you get a heads up on this?”
“No,” he whispers back, “but I think it’s fine, right?”
“I like cats.”
“Does he, or she, have a name Uncle John?”
John reaches over and scratches the top of the cat’s head. “Well, the lady called her Fran but I’m sure you can change it.”
Hughie shakes his head. “Nope. Her name’s Fran. I don’t want to confuse her.”
When Hughie opens his gift from Leo and Anders, he holds up a small statue of the Eiffel Tower. “Erm…thanks?” Hughie says, looking inside the box for something else.
“Did you forget to put the note in there?” Leo pokes Anders.
“I thought you were doing that? You have the better handwriting!”
Leo sighs. “Hughie, we’re taking you to Paris for the weekend, whenever works for you and Niall and Danny. But just the three of us. Those two will just drag us down.”
I turn to Niall. “Did they at least run this one by you?”
“Yes, they did. Anders’s parents have a small apartment in Paris that they’ll use. I’ve been there. It’s in a nice area. Maybe we should check it out.”
“I’d like that,” I say, watching Hughie grab the pile of gifts from us. “We’re up.”
Hughie takes the first box, which is a Peyton Manning Indianapolis Colts jersey.
Dublin became part of the international NFL series this year, and the Colts played the Packers last fall.
Manning had tagged along with the team and had done a meet and greet with fans after the game, and he had signed Hughie’s hat.
Ever since that day Hughie wants to watch as many Colts games as he can.
The second box is a new iPad and keyboard.
Niall had been promising him one for ages, but kept putting it off.
After Hughie saw us writing and finishing Michael’s book, it had inspired him to start writing more.
I had suggested finally getting him the iPad so he could write on the go, like when he came to Trinity and sat in my classes after he got out of school.
Although, with Hughie turning twelve, it’s hard to imagine how long that will continue.
The final gift, I reach out and grab Niall’s hand. Hughie takes an excruciating amount of time tearing the paper, finally lifting the lid. He pulls out a stack of papers, along with a framed photo of the three of us.
Hughie looks back and forth from the photo, to the papers, flipping through the pages. He looks up, tears in his eyes. “I’m going to have two dads?”
* * *
It took a while, but about two months ago we were able to find Nora. She had disappeared after Hughie came into Niall’s care, and looks like she had gone on the bender of all benders. When we found her, we contacted Irene and the three of us went down to meet her.
She was in a desperate way. She had track marks going up both arms, her face sunken in and lips chapped to hell. She looked like she hadn’t bathed in weeks.
I could see the anger bubbling up in Niall.
He had many times went off on tangents about how irresponsible his sister had been with her life, how she has a child she doesn’t care about.
I explained to him that yes, Nora’s initially to blame by getting involved in the wrong crowds and starting to use.
But, the end result, is out of her control.
Some people are born with more addictive personalities and, while some people can control their urges to use drugs or drink alcohol, Nora is someone that doesn’t have that same control.
She’s stuck in an endless loop if she’s left to her own devices.
I pull him to the side. “We need to get her somewhere for help, get her in the right state of mind.”
Ultimately, after some resistance, we get Nora admitted to the local hospital.
They start her on a course of drugs and IVs to start her detox, with Irene footing the bill.
Irene spends most of the time with Nora in the room, while Niall and I split the remaining time, while also covering my classes and the book pub hours.
We have Leo and John helping cover shifts, but also implemented limited opening hours until we get this figured out.
And Hughie is with Anders, and with Leo by default. When asked what we’re doing, we tell him we have some meetings with booksellers in London.
Niall didn’t want to tell Hughie where we were going, or the reason behind it, yet. That we wanted Nora to sign off Hughie’s parental rights to Niall and, hopefully, me.
After a couple of days, Irene tells us Nora requested Niall to be in the room with Irene present. I come in the room as well because, according to Niall, ‘I have every right’ to be there.
“Who’s this?” Nora asks, pointing in my direction.
“This is Daniel. He and I have been dating for quite some time, and he also plays a pretty pivotal role in raising your child.”
“I didn’t know you’d gone and settled down Niall.”
“Well, that happens when you disappear for years at a time.”
“Niall,” Irene’s tone cuts deep, “that’s enough.”
“That’s right baby brother. I’ve got some news to share.
Turns out I’ve got liver cancer real bad.
Looks like I picked up Hep C somewhere along the way, and now I’m Stage 4.
Doc seems to think I only have a year, maybe two to live.
I also have a pretty nasty infection in my lungs they’re trying to clear up that hasn’t seen much improvement. ”
“They’ll get it,” Irene says, “this hospital is the best.”
“Maybe,” Nora turns back to Niall. “I know I’ve been a right shit to you my whole life. When I was clean and even more so when high. I do want to say I appreciate all you’ve done for Hughie over the years, especially lately. I know it probably wasn’t easy taking on the responsibility.”
“He’s a good kid,” I say, before Niall can respond. “He’s really kind, and also very smart. He often outshines the students in my classes.”
“You’re his teacher?” Nora asks.
“Oh, no. I teach at Trinity College. He just often sits in my classes after school and reads the materials. He loves all the attention he gets from the girls in class. He also ‘became friends’ with a couple of the rugby players for the school, and often gets special treatment at home matches.”
Nora smiles. “That sounds so nice.”
Niall takes a step forward. “And that’s why we spent the last few months trying to track you down. I…we. We would like you to sign over Hughie’s parental rights to us.”
Nora looks from Niall, then to me. “Is this,” she gestures between us, “serious? Serious enough to want to both be the parents to my child?”
“More than you’ve been,” Niall says, “and—”
“I think what Niall is trying to say is that, I love Hughie. I never thought kids were in my future, but since meeting this kid it’s…
well, Hughie’s changed my mind. I don’t think of just Niall.
I think of Niall and Hughie. So, if anything were ever to falter here,” I point to Niall, “I would still be active in Hughie’s life.
I have a life here in Dublin now, and Hughie is a part of that life.
Whether he likes it or not. But, between you and me, I think he likes me more than Niall. ”
“That’s pretty easy to do.”
Irene clears her throat. “What about the father? Do we need to worry about him?”
Nora laughs. “Guess it wasn’t polite to laugh at that, but Hughie’s father was the one who got me hooked on heroin.
He died a few years back when a drug deal went bad.
He always had a way of getting messed up with the wrong people.
But even if he was alive, he wouldn’t have wanted to know Hughie.
Never did before.” Nora pauses, taking a deep labored breath before looking at Niall.
“Knowing you, you’ve drafted the documents already? ”
Niall grabs his backpack off the ground, zips it open, and hands a stack of documents to Nora. Her eyes graze over them quickly. “I don’t think I need to read these. Do you have a pen?”
* * *
When we left that room, it was the last time we would see Nora.
The infection went south the next day. The doctors had said this, combined with Nora’s body fighting the liver cancer, was too much for her to handle after the years of abuse her body endured.
Nora died three days after signing the parental rights over to us.
Niall and I were, and still are, torn on telling Hughie the truth of what happened. We know we need to at some point, but it might be something to address when he’s a bit older. Or, at least, not at his birthday party.
I am almost knocked over by the force of Hughie’s hug. Hughie has tears streaming down his face, dripping onto my shoulder.
I see Irene staring at us from across the room, where something unfamiliar meets my eyes. A smile and, shockingly, a tear running down her cheek. So, she does have a heart after all.
“Did you figure out the ring on your own?” Hughie asks, pulling away.
“I, erm…what are you talking about?”
“Oh no!” A shocked expression crosses Hughie’s face. “I spoiled it, didn’t I? I thought maybe you had gone and just figured it out yourself, even though Uncle Danny and I were going to the jewelers tomorrow.”
“WHAT.” Niall looks at me.
“Listen. The kid had a ring sizing paper and I just said it’d be easier if we went and confirmed the size by an actual shop.”
Niall covers his face with his palm. “This is not how I anticipated this going.”
I tousle Niall’s hair. “If it’s any consolation, I’ll say yes. Whenever you want to actually propose.”
Niall’s face relaxes. “Really?” Then looks at Hughie. “And you. I literally told you not to say anything.”
“You can’t get mad at me. It’s my birthday. It’s in the rules.”
Leo comes from behind the bar and brings over a tray of, what I can only assume are, whiskey shots. “A toast to the new dads!”
“Sláinte!”