“See you next week,” Danny said, then he hugged Colin again before taking Shayleen’s arm. “We’re off home, Missus!”
Colin stared after Danny’s car as it pulled away, tears welling in his eyes.
“We’ll see them soon,” Joshua told him.
Colin said nothing but nodded and blew a soft breath before turning toward the house.
* * *
The Ringof Kerry is a three-and-a-half-hour drive through some of Ireland’s most spectacular scenery, and when David saw Colin’s spirits drooping, it seemed the perfect way to lift them. “C’mon, buddy,” he told Colin. “Let’s go see the Ring. I’ll do the driving. You fill your eyes with the beauty of your ancestral home. Perk you right up.”
“Besides,” Aileen told him, patting his arm, “you’ll be seeing them in a few days. Now’s not the time to grieve.”
“Come with us, Ahn-tee!” David begged, shoving several maps into his travel bag.
“No, thank you,” Aileen told him. “Nora and I have been ‘round that ring a hundred times. You boys go and enjoy yourselves.” She nudged David’s arm. “Good idea, this. Get his chin off the floor.”
“That’s my goal.”
Nate linked his arm with Colin’s as they walked to the van. “You OK, big guy?”
“I am, and I’m not,” Colin told him. “But I’m glad we’re doing this.”
“You’ve probably made this drive before.”
“Not all at once,” Colin told him. “Seen it in chunks. This will be my first time going ‘round the whole thing.” He opened the door and stood aside to let Joshua enter.
“No making out in the back seat!” Nate warned as he climbed in beside David.
Colin stood next to the van momentarily, gazing into the distance. He drew a long breath, taking the cool morning air deep into his lungs, then climbed in beside Joshua. “And why the hellnot?”
* * *
They leftAileen’s house shortly after nine to begin their one-hundred-and-eleven-mile trek around the famous Ring of Kerry. Even Colin, who had lived in Ireland for extended periods ever since he was a boy, was struck speechless by the magnificent vistas they drove through. They paused in Sneem village for lunch and a stroll along the river.
“Can I tell you a secret?” Colin asked as they walked, hand in hand, next to the swiftly moving waters.
“Please.”
Colin leaned close to Joshua and whispered. “Don’t get me wrong. I love being here. But I miss our home.”
Surprised, Joshua reared back. “Iknow! I was feeling guilty because I feel the same way!”
“I miss our house, and our bed, and just—you know—the comfort of being there.”
“We’re two people who love being in their home. Makes sense that we’d miss it.” Joshua touched Colin’s cheek and kissed him. “But you’re not ready to head back just yet, are you?”
Colin laughed and drew him forward. “Hell, no! We haven’t even finished the Ring yet!”
Their favorite stop along the circular Ring of Kerry route was at Kells, a picturesque fishing village. From its peaceful shoreline, they could look across the water to Dingle Bay, where they had spent their honeymoon.
“God, I loved walking those beaches,” Joshua mused as they gazed across the restless water to where their honeymoon cabin stood.
“We’ll go back to Dingle one day.”
It was almost eight o’clock that evening when they returned to Killarney. The four friends grabbed a quick dinner and then collapsed at Aileen’s house, exhausted from their long day.
After saying their good nights, Colin and Joshua climbed the stairs to their room, undressed, and stretched out on the bed. “Driving the Ring was a great idea,” Colin said. “David deserves a standing ovation for that one.”
