Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Maeve sensed it wasn’t going to be a good day when her mother slapped a bowl of porridge in front of her on the breakfast table Monday morning.
She was wearing a new pink robe trimmed in lace and Maeve knew the silent treatment was truly over.
Oh, she’d spoken quite nicely to her husband and daughter yesterday, but that was for appearances.
Many times over the years she’d smiled and acted like she had the perfect family only to revert to a frozen woman with pinched lips when they returned home.
“I hope you’re plannin’ on goin’ to confession this week, Maeve Donahue. Mrs. Riley already called this mornin’ to tell me O’Malley had you out on the stoop last night stickin’ his tongue down your throat for all the world to see. What, by all that’s holy, do you think you’re doin’?”
“We’re goin’ to be married, Ma,” she replied picking up her spoon and adding sugar to her bowl.
“So you say, but he wouldn’t be the first man to change his mind once he gets what he wants. The days when a woman’s da could poke a man in the back with a shotgun all the way to the priest are long gone,” she warned.
“Sean wouldn’t do that,” she insisted vehemently. It surprised her how sure she was. “Sean’s a good man and he loves me.”
“They all love you till they’ve crawled between your thighs,” her mother scoffed before taking a sip of her tea.
“Well he hasn’t, at least not yet, so I guess the weddin’ is still on,” Maeve snapped, getting to her feet.
“Oh sit down and don’t be so dramatic. I’m only tryin’ to tell you the way of things. Are you happy with the weddin’ plans?” she continued when Maeve sat.
“You’re askin’ me now? You and Sean’s ma seemed to have it all figured out. Neither one of you gave a lick for my opinions yesterday. I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Maybe the both of you would like to come along on our honeymoon so you can orchestrate that too?”
Her mother actually laughed.
“Somehow I don’t think that t’will be necessary.
I’ve a feelin’ Sean O’Malley knows a thing or two in that department.
He won’t be nearly as malleable as your father; you should know that,” she said, suddenly serious.
“Have a care with that temper of yours and your sassy mouth. He doesn’t seem the type to put up with much of that,” she continued reaching out and patting her daughter’s hand for a moment.
Getting up, she moved to the sink and rinsed her cup out.
She stood there in her pretty robe and spoke without turning around.
“You may not believe this, but I do want you to be happy. You’re my only child.”
Suddenly Maeve felt much older than her years. For the first time ever, she saw her mother in a different light. She pictured her young, full of hopes and dreams, dreams that were long gone now.
“Happier than you, Ma?” she asked softly.
“Aye, much happier than me.”
Walking to the sink, she put her arms around her mother and rested her head on her back.
Standing on tiptoe, she kissed her cheek.
The pink robe and other baubles no longer seemed like such a high price for her father to pay.
He’d failed in some way. Maeve wasn’t sure how, as he was a good man, but he’d let her mother down.
“There’s a real pretty brooch in the window at Gallagher’s,” she said softly. “You might want to have a peek at it, you know, before next time.”
“Thank you,” her mother replied, reaching to pat Maeve’s hand. “Hurry along now, you’ll be late.”
* * *
School was even worse than she’d expected, and by lunch time, she wanted to go find Sean and ask him to elope. To hell with it, she’d tell him. They all think the worst of me anyway, so why wait.
Nearly the entire senior class made a point of checking her out.
Six girls asked her when she was ‘due’ and three more wanted to know what kind of lover O’Malley was.
The nuns weren’t much better. Depending on their personalities and what they thought of Sean, they treated her like she was the town’s biggest slut, or the birth of another holy child… hers, was imminent.
She committed a litany of sins in thought, if not in deed, well before 10:00 a.m. Her first class after lunch was biology, and unfortunately, they were dissecting toads.
For some reason, the smell of the lab seemed worse than ever and she decided she’d had enough for one day.
Walking to the huge desk at the front of the classroom, she spoke with Sister Magdalena.
“I’m really not feelin’ well,” she whispered. “I’d like to go home.”
“What?”
Of all the times to have a teacher who was nearly deaf, this was the worst.
“I said I’m not feelin’ well,” she repeated, leaning closer.
“Speak up, Maeve. I can’t hear you,” Sister yelled.
“I said I don’t feel well,” Maeve shouted, putting her hand on her forehead as though she had a fever. In fact, she thought she might have a fever, her face was so hot.
“Oh, I see,” Sister Magdalena replied at full volume. “Well, that’s perfectly understandable,” she continued not hearing Maeve groan. “You go on home now, dear,” she said walking Maeve to the door.
Escaping into the hall, Maeve ignored the snickers behind her and heaved a sigh of relief as she walked away. Then Sister Magdalena opened the door and called loudly down the hall. “Put your feet up, child.”
“Lord have mercy,” Maeve mumbled.
* * *
She found Sean tinkering with his car in his parents’ drive. His upper body was under the hood, and he was swearing like a sailor.
“I want to get married now,” she stated sharply, dropping her bag on the ground. His swearing increased in volume when startled, he rapped his head on the hood and turned to stare at her.
“Maeve, what are you doin’ here? Why aren’t you in school?”
“I’m never goin’ back to school, and I’m here because I want you to marry me, right now.”
“Now?”
“Aye, right this minute, yesterday in fact. Go and get cleaned up, we’re goin’ to see Father Fitzgerald,” she ordered, watching him wipe off his hands.
“What about the grand weddin’ our folks have planned? Don’t you want that?” he asked, walking toward her.
“I never wanted it, they did. I just want to get married and get out of this town,” she insisted. “Hurry up.”
“I think we need to talk about this,” he began. “You haven’t even—”
“What’s to talk about?” she interrupted, pacing back and forth across the drive. “You asked me to marry you, well actually you got my da drunk and trapped me, but that’s neither here nor there at this point. I would have said yes, eventually. Anyway, you asked, I said yes, so let’s do it.”
“I’m thinkin’ you’d better come inside,” he said, taking her arm. “You seem very agitated.”
“No. I can’t listen to another word about what your ma thinks I should wear,” she snapped, yanking her arm away and stepping back.
“She’s not home, won’t be for hours,” he said with a frown. “Now come inside and we’ll talk about what’s botherin’ you.”
“Oh, sure. Take me into your parents’ house when they’re not home. How sweet. All alone, just the happy couple. Haven’t you shamed me enough?” she demanded.
“Are you ashamed of me, ashamed to be marryin’ me?”
“Of course not, I’m ashamed folks think I have to,” she cried. “You’ve ruined my reputation as surely as if you’d been the one to take advantage of me that night behind the school, and succeeded,” she bellowed.
“I see,” he replied. “Well, in that case, since you’re good name is already tarnished,” he said approaching her with an angry gleam in his eye.
“You stay away from me, Sean O’Malley,” she ordered, backing up. “I’ll scream,” she warned when he tossed her over his shoulder and headed for the house.
“Aye, you will if you pinch me again.”
Maeve quickly pulled her hand back from his butt.
“Are you goin’ to marry me or not?” she asked incensed as he carried her up the steps and through the door.
“I am,” he replied firmly.
“Then what are you waitin’ for? Let’s go.” Her hair was blinding her, but not so much she couldn’t tell he was taking her to his bedroom.
“We have a few matters to get straightened out between us,” he answered, kicking his door open.
“Does that have a dirty connotation?” she asked suspiciously just before she was tossed onto his bed where she bounced several times.
“Not the way I meant it, but as I’ve already ‘ruined’ you, ’tis a possibility,” he replied rolling up his sleeves.
“Why are you doin’ that?” she questioned, her eyes widening as she popped to a sitting position and shoved her hair back.
“Just in case you refuse to be reasonable or need a little convincin’,” he replied calmly.
“Convincin’ of what?”
“Convincin’ that you’re actin’ a mite crazy, lass,” he said, leaning over her with one arm on each side of her body as she fell back. “You’re going off the deep end, lettin’ your imagination run away with you, losin’ your marbles, whatever you want to call it.”
Maeve looked up at him. His eyes were pinning her as surely as his arms. She’d thought he understood her, but he didn’t. He had no idea what she was going through.
“Everyone thinks we’re ‘doin’ it’,” she hissed. Sean smiled. Smiled for God’s sake!
“Why wouldn’t they?” he asked, grinning. “Look at you. No man in his right mind could keep his hands off you, and I swear I don’t know how I have.”
Maeve reached out, picked up a book off his bedside stand and whacked him in the head with it…three times. Finally, he backed up and she scrambled off the other side of the bed while he stood there rubbing his head.
“Are you sure ’tis not all in your head? Maybe ’tis your own nasty little thoughts that have you confused. Maybe ’tis you, thinkin’ about ‘doin’ it’ that’s cloudin’ your judgment?” he asked, somehow still grinning. “Are you wonderin’ what t’will be like, darlin’?”
Maeve froze but for her hands twisting her pleated skirt. He sat on the bed watching her puzzle it out while she glared at him.