His aunt rolled her eyes. “Praise the lord!”
While waiting for the pizza, Nate drew Aileen onto the porch for a long chat, enthralled by the stories she told about her life during the time of the Troubles. And while they talked, the rest of the group dragged out their suitcases and began gathering their belongings.
* * *
The following morning,the travelers packed their bags in preparation for their two-and-a-half-hour drive to Galway, the final leg of their journey. Joshua sat on their bed, watching Colin toss clothing articles into his suitcase. Nothing was folded, and almost everything landed in a disorganized pile near the case’s center. Finally, unable to take it anymore, Joshua rose and moved to his side. “Listen,” he said. “Why don’t you go talk to Ahn-tee for a while and let me do this.”
Colin turned to look at him, his face etched with sorrow. “Go on, baby,” Joshua murmured, resting a comforting hand on Colin’s arm. “Spend a little time with her before we have to go.”
Colin drew in and exhaled a long breath through his nose, then bent to kiss Joshua’s cheek. “Thank you.”
Joshua’s eyes followed him as he walked from the bedroom. “Damn!” he muttered, then began repacking Colin’s suitcase.
“Hey, Josh,” Nate said, passing Colin as he entered the room.
“Hi, Nate. You sleep OK last night?”
“I did!” He hitched his thumb toward the hallway. “I just saw Colin, but I don’t think he sawme.He walked right past me without saying a word. Is he OK?”
“He’s sad,” Joshua replied, folding one of Colin’s T-shirts. “He loves Killarney. He loves this house. He loves Aileen. Leaving here is hard on him.” He glanced at Nate and sighed.
“From what Aileen said, this house will be yours someday. Then he’ll never have to leave.”
“That time is alongway off,” Joshua said. He arranged Colin’s clothes in three neat stacks, tucking them into the suitcase with care, and then he leaned over the open bag, his heart aching. “God, I hate to see him unhappy.”
“Tonight, he’ll be with Danny, and he’ll be smiling again.”
“Maybe. But he won’t stop missing his Ahn-tee. He adores her.” He closed Colin’s suitcase and set it next to his own, then peeked into the closet and all the drawers. “That’s it,” he muttered. “We’re packed.”
“I’ll miss her too,” Nate murmured. “We spent a lot of time talking, and she’s an amazing lady.”
Joshua carried their two suitcases downstairs and found Colin drinking tea at the kitchen table with David and Aileen. He embraced his husband from behind and nuzzled against his hair. “We’re all packed, sweetie.”
“Really?” Colin said, then drew Joshua to his side. “Thank you, baby. I know I wasn’t doing such a great job.”
“You were doing alousyjob,” Joshua laughed, then kissed his cheek. “You had other things on your mind.”
David finished his tea and then turned to Aileen. “God, I’m gonna miss you,” he told her, then moved to her side and embraced her.
“And I’ll missyou, ye handsome devil. My kitchen will be a lonely place once you’re on your way.”
David moved to Colin’s side while Nate wrapped his arm around Aileen’s shoulders and kissed her cheek. “You are a great lady,” he said, his voice thick with tears.
“I’ll miss our chats, Nathaniel,” she told him. “You are a true delight.”
“It’s been wonderful, Aileen,” David told her. “I can’t thank you enough. We’ve truly felt we were with family.” He laid a hand on Colin’s shoulder. “I hate to say it, buddy, but it’s time we hit the road.”
Colin sighed and got to his feet. He moved to his aunt’s side and embraced her. “Goddammit, Ahn-tee, I don’t want to go.”
“And I don’twantyou to go, boy. The house is too quiet and lifeless once you’re left. But…,” she patted his shoulder and kissed his cheek. “Your life isn’t here, my Collie. It’s in the United States with that dear, sweet boy you married. Don’t grieve. Killarney will be here when you and Joshua return.”
“I love you, Ahn-tee,” Colin whispered, swiping at his damp face.
“And I love you, my sunshine.” She grabbed both his arms. “Be good to each other.”
“Believe me, Ahn-tee, we will.”
Joshua moved to embrace her, and she walked to the driveway between himself and Colin. Nate was loading their bags into the back of the van, rearranging everything to accommodate their many souvenir purchases. “What the hell will wedowith all this stuff?”
