That engagement party, though…
Since we’ve already caught up with Laura and Owen, we’ll chat with some of our other favorite couples, beginning with Dan and Kara…
Dan: (laughing) One of the crazier days we’ve had, that’s for sure. But it got Kara out of the party she never wanted.
Kara: Still not funny.
Dan: Yes, it is. Every so often, she admits that I’m funny, but I have to really work for it.
Seems to us that you had to work for everything where Kara is concerned.
Dan: She led me on a merry chase, but it was well worth the effort.
Kara: I didn’t trip over myself falling into his arms the way every other woman he ever met did, so apparently that counts as a merry chase.
Dan: Point of order, it wasn’t all of them. Just most of them.
Kara: Shut it, counselor.
So, nothing much has changed with you two, I see.
Dan: We’re still having fun driving each other crazy.
Kara: Speak for yourself.
LOL, I love it. How’s Dylan doing?
Kara: She’s delightful, even if she’s just like her father with an argument for everything.
Dan: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. She’s going to be a lawyer like Daddy.
Kara: She’s ready to argue cases in court at nine.
What else has happened since we last saw you?
Dan: We had a son named Noah, who we’re crazy about, and another daughter named Alicia, who’s hilarious like me.
Wow, three kids. How old are Noah and Alicia?
Dan: He’s eight, and she’s seven.
Kara: Dan was getting up there in years, so we had to act fast so they wouldn’t be raised by a senior citizen.
Dan: VERY funny, love. You’re hilarious.
Kara: (grinning) I know. Everyone says so.
Are you still running the launch service?
Kara: I am, and I work two shifts a week during the summer to keep my license.
Dan: And it gives me time to be in charge around here for once.
Kara: Which is usually an unmitigated disaster with cereal for dinner and s’mores for dessert.
Dan: I’m the fun dad.
Kara: It’s a very good thing I love you so much.
Dan: It’s a very good thing indeed. It’s made my whole life worth living.
Kara: See how he saves himself when he’s venturing into trouble?
Again, not much has changed. Dan, are you still practicing?
Dan: I have a very busy practice here on Gansett that I share with Kendall James. And I still work with the Innocence Project on occasion, mostly as a consultant these days.
Do you spend time in Maine and California?
Kara: We get to both places at least once a year. And they come to us.
Kara, I wanted to ask after your grandmother, Bertha…
Kara: She’s ninety-seven and still lobstering as often as she can. She’s unstoppable.
Dan: Thank goodness for that, because she’s essential to all of us.
Kara: I’m so thankful for her good, long life and for the fact that she continues to enjoy excellent health. She’s still my best friend, along with Dan, of course.
Dan: (smirking) Of course.
I hope all the other Ballards and Torringtons are doing well.
Dan: Everyone is great, which is such a blessing. We’re very lucky, and we know it.
An interview with Ned and Francine…
I loved re-reading the story of your surprise wedding.
Ned: Best day o’ my life. Bar none.
Francine: Mine, too. It was so sweet of Mac and Maddie to solve that problem for us the way they did. The wedding was perfect, and the best part was that we didn’t have to do a thing. The kids thought of everything.
Ned: They sure did.
Ned, you went from being a lifelong bachelor to having two daughters and eight grandchildren. What’s that been like?
Ned: Nothin’ but pure joy.
Francine: He’s a wonderful husband, father and grandfather. We’re all blessed to have him in our lives.
Ned: Aw, doll, I’m the one who’s blessed.
Are you still driving your cab?
Ned: A coupla days a week in the summer, but I take winters off these days so that we can travel. We finally got to Paris, and we’re hopin’ for London next year.
Francine: We’re having the time of our lives!
An interview with Sarah and Charlie…
We loved your story so much! If any two people deserve a beautiful second-chance romance, it was you.
Charlie: I couldn’t agree more. Sarah and her family have been such a gift to me—and to my Stephanie, who always wanted siblings. Now she has seven of them.
Sarah: My former life feels like a long-ago bad dream now that I’ve had almost a decade with Charlie.
There must be a lot of grandchildren by now…
Sarah: We lose count!
Charlie: I think it’s around seventeen, but don’t quote me on that.
Wow, that must make for some fun family get-togethers.
Charlie: It’s total chaos, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
I want to ask about Adele and Russ…
Sarah: We lost them six months apart about four years ago.
That was a tough time for all of us, but we’re comforted to know they’re together and that they enjoyed a wonderful life.
We have such fond memories of them and all the good times we had, especially in the last few years when they lived with us. We loved that.
Charlie: We miss them, and the kids do, too. They were very special people.
Any big plans for you guys?
Sarah: We’re doing an African safari next year with several couples from the island, including Big Mac and Linda McCarthy, Frank and Betsy McCarthy, Ned and Francine Saunders and Allan and Mary Alice Donovan. We’re looking forward to that.
Charlie: We have such incredible friends here and have so much fun playing cards, cooking together and traveling. Life is good!
An interview with Frank and Betsy…
How’s life treating you guys these days?
Frank: We’re having a great time being grandparents, traveling and hanging out with family and friends.
I hear there’s an African safari in the works…
Betsy: Thankfully, Big Mac and Ned, the travel agents, planned the whole thing. We’re just along for the ride, but we can’t wait. It’s a dream come true, even if we’ll be missing the kids the whole time we’re gone.
Frank: We love doing school pickups, going to soccer and baseball games and weekend sleepovers. We hear those come to an end once the teenage years kick in, so we’re enjoying them while we can.
Betsy: Holden is about a year away from wanting nothing to do with us for a while. We know they come back around later, but we’re holding on to all the time we can get with him while he still likes hanging out with us.
Frank: I think he’ll surprise us and keep coming around, even when he’s too cool for us.
Betsy: He’s already too cool for us.
Frank: Haha, that’s true.
Betsy: We also oversee an annual Race Week fundraiser in Steve’s honor, with the proceeds going to summer sailing camps throughout New England.
That’s a great way to honor him.
Betsy: He’d be proud of it. He loved sailing more than anything and would want to share that love with kids who might not otherwise have access to it.
Frank, are you still presiding over weddings?
Frank: I do at least a dozen every year.
Betsy: He’s in hot demand as always.
I love that! Nice to catch up with you guys.
An interview with Seamus and Carolina…
We so enjoyed your fun—and often funny—romance! What are some of your favorite memories from those early days together?
Seamus: Oh, well… She led me on a merry chase, my Caro, but thankfully, she finally let me catch her.
Carolina: As if you gave me any choice in the matter.
Seamus: The choice was all yours, love.
Carolina: When I look back, it almost seems silly to me that I was ever worried about our age difference. It has no bearing on our daily lives.
Seamus: Except for when you complain about keeping up with your young stud of a husband.
Carolina: When have I ever referred to you as a young stud?
Seamus: (laughter)
Carolina: In your dreams, O’Grady.
I see that nothing much has changed with you guys.
Seamus: We’re still deliriously happy.
We were so touched by your generosity toward Kyle and Jackson after they lost their mother. How’re the boys doing?
Seamus: They’ve gone and become men on us in recent years. Kyle is a freshman at the University of Rhode Island. It was a tough transition for us to move him to the mainland.
Carolina: I cried for weeks!
Seamus: We both did. But he’s enjoying school and planning to major in marine biology. We’re very proud of him and Jackson, who’s a senior in high school and soon to make his own college plans.
Are you ready to be empty nesters?
Seamus: Not at all. We can’t imagine not having them at home, but they’ll be back in the summers. They’re pursuing Coast Guard licenses to work on the ferries while they’re in college.
Carolina: We’re keeping the business in the family. Joe’s son, PJ, is interested in following in his father’s footsteps.
Seamus: That boy is a natural like his dad. Vi has taken an interest in Carolina’s jewelry making. They spend hours creating masterpieces together.
Carolina: She’s my buddy.
Do you get to Ireland at all?
Seamus: We try to get home at least once a year. The boys love it there, and last year we took Joe and Janey and the kids with us. That was the best.
How are all the O’Gradys?
Seamus: As crazy as ever. My Mam and Da still bicker the day away as always, and I’m a great-uncle many times over. Everyone is healthy and happy, which is all that matters.
Seamus, when you first came to Gansett to manage the ferry company while Joe was in Ohio, did you ever imagine the life you have today?
Seamus: Not in my wildest dreams. I’m the luckiest guy who ever lived to have this life, this family and my beautiful wife, who makes it all possible.
Carolina: We’re lucky to have you, too.