Hope from the Ocean: 65

Walking along together, Aiden and Todd barely spoke, except for Aiden's directions: left here, watch out for that rocky place, we're going right up here, almost there, and more.  The conversation lagged mostly because Todd, in his efforts to keep strong, was still reeling from the realization; Aman and Lily, who had taken care of him in Ireland years before, were the adoptive parents who took in Aiden. 

On their walk to the O'Farrell home, Todd could only run through the few memories he had of them; the caring and strong hands of Lily, the brusque but compassionate words of Aman, the pain and torment of his injuries as the two of them attempted to help him recover, in secret, as to protect him.  He wished more than life that they had brought Blair along, to steady him, and calm him, but they hadn't, and it was too late for that kind of regret.  He forced himself to focus on the task of helping Aiden, and push forward, though it was difficult to do.

Finally, on the other side of a grand patch of hills, lay the cottage, singular in it's grayness against the deep greens of the Emerald Isle.  They stopped, momentarily, and Aiden, studied the scene.  The sheep, grazing here and there, seemed to take no notice.  Next to the modest house was Aman's cart.  Ragged and somewhat dilapidated, Todd felt nausea interrupt his posture upon seeing it; he knew he had been in that cart, at least once, during his time in Ireland when Blair was pregnant with Starr.  And, here he was, when Blair was pregnant with Jewel, standing in the same place, looking . . .

Aiden broke the silence, "Todd, ya've been quiet."

"We're here, right?  That's half the battle.  Time to reunite you and your parents, and figure out your past.  It's a red letter day."

"Y'ar acting quite strange, Todd, not sure how to put my finger on it."

Todd waited.  It wasn't the time to bring everything out in the open.  He could be mistaken.  They might be a different Aman and Lily.  And after all the years apart from his family, hadn't he learned that his selfishness and pigheaded actions had cost him time with them, and almost his life?  

"I'm always strange.  You just don't know me."

Aiden laughed it off, and led the way down the hill toward the cottage.

***

Blair, who had gone back to napping, sat up with a loud suck of air through her mouth.  Her gasp startled Tina, who dropped her book, and went to her sister-in-law's side.  Blair looked up and said, "He needs me."

"Of course he does."

"No, he needs me now.  I made a terrible mistake, Tina."

***

Jack and Jenna frolicked in the waters of the indoor pool, and Shaun, sitting poolside, sipped a soda and was playing Subway Surfer on his android phone.  Jack got out, took his towel to dry himself a bit, and wrapped in it, finding a lounge chair.  "Team iPhone."

"Whatever, kid."  Shaun said, ignoring Jack a bit to continue his game.

"I've got higher scores than you.  The game is for both operating systems."

"Sure you do."  Shaun looked up momentarily, as if being challenged.

"Wanna bet?"

Shaun finished the round, then said, "What do you want to bet that I can kick your behind in Subway Surfer?"

"Fifteen minutes alone with Jenna, without you staring at us every second.  I feel like I'm in jail."

"Hmm, not a bet I'd take.  You're a teenager, probably have a lot more motivation to win that round than I do.  Nothing in it for me, Buddy."

Jack went quiet for a minute.  Then, "Seriously, I just want to be with her, without you watching our every move.  Even Mom and Dad don't do that."

Shaun said, "Why do you need to be alone with her?  Is there something going on we should know about?"

Jack looked to the pool, and Jenna was still doing laps of the backstroke.  "No.  It's not like that.  Is that what you all are afraid of?  Sex?"

Shaun thought of the irony of the sentence, and said, "Not sure it's necessarily that.  Maybe just a fear of you getting into something that you're not ready for, not prepared for.  It's an emotional time for both of you.  Feelings lead places."

"Not there.  Jenna's not that type of person.  She's different.  She's not that type of girl, and I'm not into pushing her or anything.  I like her too much, shit, I think I love her."

For a moment, Shaun found himself speechless, and then smiled.  "You're all right, you know that, Jack?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Shaun stood up, "Well, I'm going to go into the house to get some lunch.  I want you and Jenna to dry off and get yourselves together and get back to the house in about ten minutes so we can all eat together.  I'm making tacos."

"Dad's tacos?"

"My tacos."

"Dad's are better."

"Dad's everything is better.  And this, I know."  He said, walking off.

Jenna got out of the pool as Shaun walked off.  She said, "Jack, what was all that about with Shaun?  Your faces looked serious."

"Nothing.  I just told him he doesn't have to watch us every second."

"Oh.  Yeah, parents are like that."

"I guess."

"They probably have to be.  They don't know what we're really like when we're by ourselves.  They're just making sure."

"Yeah, I guess.  He's just . . . looking out for me."  He stood up.  "I'm going to change, he wants us at the house in ten minutes to have lunch.  Okay?"

"Sure.  I'll be there in a minute," she said, drying off, and toweling her hair.  She was careful to put it up into a bun to stop the wetness from continuing to drip onto her shoulders, and then took out her phone.  She scrolled through a few messages, answered one from Lynnette, who she knew would be worried, and went across the pool to the women's changing area.

***

"Call him, again.  I'm telling you, he's all right."  Tina said, putting her hand on Blair's shoulder.

"Look at me.  I'm a mess without him.  He's not even out of my sight for a morning."

"It's noon.  Give yourself a break, you made it through the morning.  I mean, I can't say much about what went on in 1995, but I can tell you that if it were me, I'd be feeling exactly like you are."

Blair's eyes were filled with bitter tears.  "I wish I had my baby, to hold.  My baby boy.  That little piece of Todd and me."

"There's one, right there," she pointed to Blair's middle.

"I know," Blair said, hugging herself across her abdomen, "I know."  After a few minutes, she said, "Damn it, where's that phone?"

"Right here," Tina said, handing it to her.  She hoped that this time, Blair would get an answer.  She was worried what the stress might do if it went on much longer.

***

Aiden approached the cottage, and all was quiet.  He said to Todd, "It's almost noon, time is perfect.  Aman is back from fishing, Lily is preparing lunch."

Todd knew he was right.  It was his Aman and Lily.

"I'll be certain to catch them both here.  It's been a while," he said, wistfully, "It's been a little more than 20 years."

He knocked.  Todd stood back from the entrance to the bungalow, and from Aiden.  This was Aiden's moment, not his.  He hung back quite a way, as the door opened, and a woman's face appeared.  Even from the distance, Todd recognized her instantly.  Lily.  My God.

"Mam.  Bet ya never expected me," Aiden said, and she threw her arms around him before he had time to react.  A door knock, Todd knew, was big news in the O'Farrell house.  He could picture Aman, standing right behind her with the shotgun raised, and as she hung on Aiden, crying and laughing, the door pulled open to reveal he was right.  He saw Aman put the gun down, and put his arms around both his wife and Aiden, and all of them poured their emotions into the air and onto each other.  He swallowed, and looked down at his feet.  Blair.  He closed his eyes.  I wish . . . Blair, I wish you were with me for this.

After a few minutes of harried questions, declarations of missing and of love, and Aiden's emotion-filled responses, the three of them went silent, as Lily caught sight of Todd, behind Aiden.  Her eyes darted to his face, her expression drained from elation and rejoicing to blank puzzlement.  Aman, followed suit, and Aiden, finally, turned over his shoulder to see what they were looking at.  He realized shortly after, that they were looking at his travel companion. 

Before Aiden could actually introduce Todd, he looked back to his parents, and recognized their expressions.  He stepped very slightly away from them, and Lily finally said, "My God.  Todd?" in a hushed tone that could only be described as a mother's voice in sincerity and tenderness.

Aiden's eyes became large, and he looked from his adoptive mother back to Todd.  Aman had stepped past both of them, putting himself closer to the scarred stranger.  "Tá súil agam ón Aigéan?"

Hope from the Ocean.

Todd just stood, he was unable to move.  He had lifted his head, to meet Aman's gaze.  Lily pushed through the men and ran directly to him, saying, "Todd!" and threw her arms around him.  As was customary with Todd, it took a few minutes for his hands to find her back, and his eyes closed as she embraced him.

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