The Last Rose of Summer

by Kenna Gordon

  Katelin went home alone, and as she lay in the darkness of her bedroom the events of the night played over and over in her head. Kate heard the sound of Myles jeep pull into the driveway; his keys made a jingling noise as he got out of the vehicle. She suddenly heard the dull, repetitive thumping sound of his boots on the wooden steps as he climbed the stairs to the apartment.

  There was a momentary pause before he softly knocked on the door and said, “Katie, are you awake? I just need to know you’re okay.”

  Katelin held her breath until she heard Myles make his way back down the stairs. Warm tears ran down her face soaking the pillow beneath her—why did it have to be this way?

  Morning came too quickly, and as Katelin awoke she began to ponder the events from the night before. She felt guilty for having hurt Noah and was confused by her feelings for Myles, the rainy and overcast morning only intensified her melancholy mood. Hoping to shake the feeling, Kate put on her running clothes, slammed down a glass of orange juice and went for a soggy morning run.

  When she arrived back home, she found Kasey sitting on the stairs waiting for her.

  “Bryan told me that Noah went back to New York last night,” she said as Katelin sat down next to her.

  “He was the first one to make me feel like I could move on without Nick, and I let him go. What have I done Kasey?”

  “Do you love him?”

  “What woman wouldn't love Noah, he's handsome, intelligent, sexy...”

  “But he's not Myles,” Kasey said finishing her sisters sentence.

  Kate paused and looked over at Kasey.

  As tears filled her eyes, she said, “You know I thought I would never get over Nick; it turns out that Myles is the one I can't forget.”

  “Maybe you should tell him,” Kasey suggested.

  “Why would I do that, he’s with Rachael now.”

  “Kate, you know you’re not the only one trying to deal with Nick’s death,” her sister said.

  That simple truth startled Katelin; she hadn’t stopped to think about the feelings Myles had been dealing with. Maybe Kasey was right, maybe it was time to tell Myles how she really felt about him.

  Chapter Seven

  Katelin stood in the attic doorway as the musty smell of faded memories and family heirlooms drifted by. Unlike most attics that were neglected, and used only to store a collection of things that had gone out of style long ago, this attic was well kept. Meggie made it a point to visit the lofty room once a month to knock down the cobwebs and run the feather duster over the family’s most cherished items.

  A small circular window in the attic gable revealed a large oak tree in the backyard as it swayed gently in the morning breeze. Kate fondly remembered the summer Bryan, Nick, and Myles built the tree house perched between its large branches.

  Katelin turned on the light and began to scan the attic for her mother's belongings. As she searched, Kate noticed a pair of ballet shoes hanging from the exposed rafters. At age six Kasey had wanted to be a ballerina, but the whim had only lasted eight months. There was a torn lampshade, a dining room chair in disrepair, and a full length mirror that was propped up against a Victorian dresser in the center of the room. Katelin recalled playing dress up with her sister. They would spend hours in front of the mirror trying on floppy hats, oversized dresses, and their mother’s unwanted high heels. After deciding on their favorite outfits, they would make their way downstairs for a cup of tea with Meggie. The memory made her smile as she placed a wide brimmed blue hat, which had been faded by the sun, on top of her head, cocking it slightly while she looked in the mirror.

  As Kate continued scanning the contents of the attic her eyes landed on a cedar hope chest that sat in a corner space underneath the narrowly slanted roof. Kathleen's grandmother had given a young Kathleen Murphy the trunk on her eighteenth birthday. Kneeling down next to a large wooden trunk Katelin slowly lifted the lid revealing the treasures inside. Rummaging through photos, articles of clothing, and souvenirs' from Kathleen’s travels, Kate thought about how much she missed her mother. After removing most of the items from the antique chest, Katelin noticed a stack of letters tied together with a pink satin ribbon, in the corner of the large travel box.

  Katelin had been so caught up in her search that she hadn’t heard her sister come up the attic stairs.

  “Kasey, you startled me!” She exclaimed.

  “Meggie told me that you were up here—nice hat.”

  Kate smiled and removed the hat placing it on the floor next to her.

  “Are you okay?” Kasey asked.

  “I’m missing mom.”

  “I know, I miss her too.” Kasey knelt down next Katelin and began to look through her mother’s things.

  “I saw her,” Kate announced.

  “Saw who?”

  “Mom, I saw her, after the accident.”

  “What do you mean, after the accident?” Kasey asked.

  Kate paused; tears filled her eyes as the words caught in her throat. “While I was in a coma,” she said choking back the tears.

  Kasey took her sister's hand to comfort her; she didn’t seem surprised by Katelin’s revelation, and asked, “Did she say anything?”

  “She told me I had to go back and find him.”

  “Find who?”

  “I don’t know, maybe she was talking about Myles,” Katelin surmised.

  Looking at her sister, and back at the items spread out over the attic floor, Kasey responded, “Maybe.”

  “Go to The Celtic Rose with me tonight, we’ll have a couple of drinks, play pool, and flirt with Kevin,” Kate insisted as she continued looking through her mother’s things.

  Kasey smiled, “sounds like fun, but I can’t, I have a date.”

  “A date!?”

  “Some guy from work asked me out for a drink to celebrate my first day.”

  “What’s his name? What’s he like? Is he handsome? Tell your sister everything,” Kate laughed, leaning in as she waited for the answers.

  Kasey hesitated for a moment and said, “His name is Cole; he’s handsome, and he seems nice enough...”

  “But he’s not Sean?” Katelin asked finishing her sister’s sentence.

  “I love it when you use my words against me,” Kasey chuckled.

  “I’m serious Kasey, why did you move back home? You should be in Ireland having babies with Sean and painting beautiful landscapes by the Sea."

  “Sean doesn't want children,” Kasey responded abruptly. “He says the world is filled with violence and uncertainty—he doesn't want to bring a child into that. I don’t know how we could have a future together.”

  Kasey nervously twirled a strand of hair around her finger. Looking down at the stack of letters bound by a satin ribbon, she asked, “What’s that?”

  The uneasy habit and the subject avoidance told Kate that her sister wasn’t telling her everything, and the feeling that Kasey wanted to run and hide was always a tell-tale sign that she wasn’t going to say anything more. Respecting her sister's desire to change the subject; Katelin retrieved the stack of discolored letters from her mother’s trunk and handed the collection of correspondence to Kasey.

  As Kasey untied the bundle of letters she noticed a postcard dated May 15th, 1970. On the front was a picture of Glengarriff, a small village in County Cork Ireland that sat at the northern head of Bantry Bay. Kasey knew this place; she and Sean had holidayed in a cottage not far from the Bay. Turning the card over she began to read;

  My Dearest Kathleen,

  I walked along Glengarriff Harbour today. It is unusually sunny, and my thoughts are of you and your warm smile. Oh, how I long to see you again.

  My love for you always,

  Patrick

  As Kasey thumbed through the envelopes, she noticed that most of the letters were from a Patrick O’Connor in Dublin, Ireland.

  “Who’s Patrick?” Kate asked.

  “I don’t know. Mom never mentioned him.” As Kasey leaned over to plac
e the letters back in the cedar chest, two photos fell to the floor; one was the image of a handsome man, the other, a group of people standing on the beach. Katelin picked up the photo of a handsome man, and with amazement she said, “I’ve seen this man before.”

  “So have I!”

  “You first,” Kate said, wondering how her sister knew the man.

  “I’ve seen him with Sean,” Kasey replied.

  “And...?”

  “Sean didn’t introduce us; he told me the man was a professor at the University.”

  “Kasey...” Katelin paused, and with an excited tone said, “This is the man who came to visit me in the hospital.”

  Stunned, Kasey asked, “You mean the stranger, who brought the white roses?”

  “Yes.”

  Turning the photo over Kate read, “For Kathleen...Love, Patrick.”

  The two sisters looked at each other puzzled by their inexplicable encounters with the same stranger, the man they now knew as Patrick O’Connor.

  Picking up the second picture Kasey examined the black and white photo. The image had faded over time and it was hard to make out the faces, but inscribed on the back was a date and a list of names; June 1963, Seamus, Liam, Kathleen, Patrick, Aidan.

  Now in detective mode, Kasey said, “Liam was mom’s older brother; Aidan was her childhood friend; Patrick is our stranger, who is Seamus?”

  “Well Nancy Drew, I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Kate said laughing quietly.

  Kasey smiled and placed the photo in her pocket.

  “We’d better pick this up before Meggie discovers we’ve made a mess in the attic,” Kasey said, carefully placing the items back into the hope chest.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to ditch Cole and go to The Celtic Rose with me?”

  “I’m sure.”

  “Okay, I’ll say hi to Kevin for you,” Katelin laughed.

  “Hey, Kate.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Don’t get into any trouble.”

  “Trouble? ...Me?” Kate smiled as she stood to leave.

  On her way to The Celtic Rose Katelin decided to ask Myles to join her, maybe a couple of drinks would give her the courage she needed to reveal her feeling for him.

  As she approached the house, she noticed Bryan getting into his truck.

  Pulling in behind him, she stopped, and called out to her brother, “Hey, is Myles here?”

  “No, I think he’s with Rachael,” Bryan replied.

  The words cut like a knife. Without saying a word, she shifted her father’s Volvo into gear and drove off. Bryan watched mystified as his sister roared down the street toward The Celtic Rose.

  As his cell phone began to ring, Myles struggled to get it out of his pocket. “Hello,” he answered.

  “Myles, its Kevin.”

  “What’s up Kevin?”

  “I can’t find Bryan for the life of me. Kate is shit faced and can’t tell her arse from her elbow.”

  “What?” Myles asked.

  “Get down here man!”

  Kevin had come from Ireland four years earlier, and even though he had adapted to their way of speaking, every now and then, especially when he was angry the thick Irish accent he was a custom to would cloud his words making it hard to understand him. “I'll be right there,” Myles said as he grabbed his keys and ran out the door to his jeep.

  When Myles arrived at The Celtic Rose, he saw Kate propped up against the pool table with Cameron an old boyfriend, and another man whom he didn't recognize. Her inhibitions had vanished, and she was shamelessly flirting with Cameron and his friend.

  Myles walked over to the bar to assess the situation before rescuing Katie.

  “She was fine ‘til the morons started buyin her shots of Jameson.”

  “Thanks Kevin,” Myles said as he headed toward the pool table to save Kate.

  He placed his hand on the small of Katelin's back, “Come on Katie lets go home.”

  “Listen Myles we're having a party and you're not invited,” Cameron said grabbing Katelin's hand.

  “Out of respect for Kevin I won't knock the shit out of you right here and now, but if you don't let go of her I might reconsider that decision,” Myles said stepping between Katelin and Cameron.

  Cameron's friend pushed up his sleeves and moved toward Myles. Concerned the escalating situation would get out of hand; Kevin took a bat from behind the bar and walked over to the pool table.

  “Ah for the love of Jesus. Are you startin are you?” Kevin asked placing the bat firmly against the man’s chest. “The two of you fuck off, or I’ll kick your arses me self.”

  “Okay, Okay,” Cameron said backing away from Kate.

  As he turned to leave the bar he muttered under his breath, “Your brother couldn't make her happy and neither can you.”

  Myles could feel the tidal wave of anger that rippled through him as he took a step toward Cameron.

  Placing his hand on Myles chest, Kevin said, “Not now man.”

  “Stay away from her Cameron, or I will find you and finish this,” Myles warned, pushing toward him.

  “Come on you bleedin’ idiots,” Kevin said escorting the two men out of the bar.

  Myles took Katelin’s hand, “Let's go home Katie.”

  “You're no fun Myles,” Katelin said is a playful tone. Her words slurred, and her breath smelled of whisky as she leaned toward Myles, running her hand over the muscular curve of his ass. If he hadn't been so angry, Myles might have been aroused by her advances.

  “Katelin stop it!” He said taking her by the hand and leading her out of the bar.

  Myles helped Kate into his jeep and fastened her seat belt, “God Katie, what were you thinking?”

  What had she been thinking? She was thinking that Myles was with Rachael now. Katelin had gone to The Celtic Rose angry, hurt, and confused, all she wanted was to make the pain of his rejection go away.

  When they arrived home, Myles noticed that the apartment upstairs was dark. He was sure Kasey would be asleep by now, and it was clear that Katelin would not be able to make her way up the stairs by herself. Deciding that it might be better to have Katie where he could keep an eye on her, he carried her to his room. Myles turned down the covers on his bed and sat Kate down to remove her shoes. Katelin ran her fingers through his long brown hair, humming a tune he didn't recognize. Myles liked it when Katie would mindlessly play with his hair; it was one of those familiar gestures he loved. Wanting to make her more comfortable Myles began to remove the jeans and blouse Kate was wearing. As she stood in front of him in nothing but a red lace bra and panties, Katelin began to nuzzle his neck softly whispering his name. He could feel her warm moist breath against his neck, and if Myles had been less than honorable, he might have taken advantage of a moment like this one.

  Instead, he tucked Kate into his bed and kissed her on the forehead. “Get some sleep Katie, you'll feel better in the morning.”

  Myles turned to leave the room, and had every intention of sleeping on the couch until Katelin took his hand and said, “Myles.”

  “Yes?”

  “Please don't leave me.” Kate’s playful teasing was gone; she sounded vulnerable, afraid of being left alone.

  Touched by her words, Myles remembered the promise he had made to watch over her. Removing his boots and t-shirt, Myles slid under the sheets next to Katelin.

  Gently pulling her body next to his, Myles said, “I won’t leave you Katie.”

  Chapter Eight

  Through the open window, Katelin could feel the morning sun on her face. The crack between the curtains revealed the leaves of a lilac bush gently brushing against the window screen; its sweet fragrance mingled with the warm sunlight that filled the room. As Katelin became aware of her surroundings, she struggled to remember the details from the night before. Kate noticed a large stuffed chair in the corner of the room; a Led Zeppelin poster hanging on the wall in front of her, and a pair of construction boots with a weeks’ worth of mud
caked on the soles, lying next to the dresser. Her surroundings seemed vaguely familiar to her, but where could she be? The sudden realization that she was wrapped in someone's arms concerned her. They weren’t just anyone's arms; Katelin recognized the brightly colored tattoo on the inside of the man’s forearm—it was Myles. Why was she lying in his bed? How did she get here? What had she done, Kate thought as she sat up too fast, causing the room to spin wildly in her head.

  “Oh God,” she said, as the throbbing pain between her ears began to intensify.

  “Are you all right?” Myles asked, sitting up next to her.

  Before she could answer, Myles threw back the sheet and headed for the medicine cabinet in his bathroom.

  Looking down Katelin realized she was in nothing but her underwear; quickly she pulled the sheet up to cover her partially clothed body. It wasn't as if Myles had never seen Katelin in less than her underwear, but this morning she felt especially vulnerable.

  “Here take this,” he said handing her an aspirin and a glass of water.

  “Thanks.” Kate’s eyes wandered around the room aimlessly, trying desperately to avoid eye contact with Myles.

  Katelin took the aspirin, gulped down the water, and shut her eyes, hoping the room would stop spinning. “Myles...did we...?” Kate asked, afraid to say the words she was thinking.

  “No.” Myles tried to read her response, but he couldn't tell whether her expression was one of disappointment or relief.

  “Things are a little foggy.” She rubbed her face, still trying to wake up from her whisky induced stupor. “What exactly happened last night?” Kate asked.

  “You were at The Celtic Rose with Cameron,” he paused to wait for a reaction. When she didn’t reply he continued, “You don’t remember anything?”

  By now Katelin’s fuzzy memory of the night before was slowly coming into focus. A million scenarios ran through her head as she tried to sort out the events from the night before.

  “Katie,” Myles began. “Were you planning on going home with Cameron and his friend last night?”

  Katelin looked up at Myles. The question was a sobering one. Instantly Kate was infuriated, her face turned a bright shade of red as anger and disbelief consumed her.