Purling Road - The Complete First Season: Episodes 1-10

by M. L. Gardner

  There was a distance between them and he'd been working to close that invisible gap, slowly and gently like he might approach a wounded animal.

  His arm cast was due to be taken off when they returned home. He'd be glad to be rid of it. Not only was it bulky and uncomfortable, it seemed to be a reminder for both of them of how close he came to faltering. He also knew this was the reason for her distance. She'd been scared. First for his injury, then for their security and finally for the possibility of losing him again.

  He'd apologized too many times and tried to reassure her that everything was fine. Over the last few weeks she started to look as if she believed him. At least outwardly. He realized with sadness that he wasn't the only one that had been hardened by his addiction.

  His stint of unemployment lasted only three weeks, having convinced Jonathan that he could captain the boat and navigate just fine with a cast on. Jonathan relented after Aryl promised he wouldn't pull pots or try to lift crates. He'd leave all the heavy work to him. That, and Ruth's generous offer of rent forgiveness until things were fully back to normal were the only reasons this trip was possible for them.

  Spring, or the promise of it, was in the air. All the shops had begun boasting window displays with brighter pastels, spring fashions, ducks and bunnies. Arianna stopped frequently to critique the displays and admire the clothes.

  After walking nearly fifteen blocks, they came to a butcher shop. Jonathan glanced up above the overhang and saw windows, clean, with freshly painted white trim and blue curtains hanging in each side of the window. As Patrick had described, the street lined with small shops and private businesses was busy enough to be entertaining, but not so busy that it would keep one up at night.

  The stairs on the side of the building were built on after the original construction. Arianna went up first, pulling Caleb behind her. Everyone else followed. Jonathan eyed the stairs wearily. They weren't falling apart, but it was obvious they were hastily built. He and Ava climbed last, and by the time they got to the top, Shannon had already thrown both the door open and her arms around Arianna.

  "Welcome, all of you!" she cried. Roan and Aislin stood off to the side, watching with wide eyes. Of course they remembered everyone well enough, but the sudden commotion was overwhelming.

  Shannon went from one to the next, hugging and welcoming as they set their bags down behind the door.

  "And what happened to you?" she asked when she got to Aryl.

  "I slipped and fell."

  "Oh. I thought certain Claire might have had enough of your joking and teasing and had taken to beating you," she said with a wink.

  Claire cracked a smile as Shannon hugged her. "It's good to see you again, Shannon."

  "I'm just so glad you all could make it. Please come in. Let me show you around."

  She took Arianna's hand and began the tour. The front door opened up directly into the living room where they had a sofa, two chairs and a large floor radio much like the one Ava had brought to the tenement after the crash. The windows were covered with thick blue curtains pulled open to let in the light.

  "Back here are the bedrooms and the privy," she said. It was cramped as they all filed through to look at each room of the apartment that Shannon was obviously proud of. As they came full circle they saw there was no formal dining room, just extra space off the kitchen for a table and chairs.

  "And look! No wooden box on the fire escape to keep food cold!" she said, caressing the electric icebox that sat in the corner of the kitchen. All the women's eyes lit up. They still used the old ice boxes that actually required ice and in the winter a wooden box that sat outside. They flocked to it like birds.

  "Are you hungry after your trip?" Shannon asked.

  "We ate before we left, thank you," Jonathan said.

  "Well, I fully plan on feedin' you well while you're here so go find a seat in the living room, I'll bring in some treats and we'll all get caught up."

  The men meandered out of the kitchen while the women stayed clustered around Shannon and her refrigerator.

  She opened it and pulled out a small fruit tray, a plate of cookies and milk.

  "I'm just so happy you all could come," Shannon said again. "Patrick will be thrilled to see you, too."

  "When will he be home?" Ava asked.

  At the sight of the cookies Roan and Aislin scrambled up to the table. Shannon poured them glasses of milk while she talked.

  "Oh, he won't be home until after the fight. For the week leading up, especially before a match this important, he stays with his trainer."

  Arianna frowned. "Why?"

  Shannon raised her eyebrows. "So he's not tempted," she said, giving her hips a little wiggle. "He has to save his energy and stamina for the fight," she said delicately.

  Arianna frowned even deeper. "That's got to be difficult."

  "It is. I hate it. Not just for that, but not having him here. And since he's back in the ring the moment he heals up from the last fight, he's gone more than he's home."

  Arianna watched her as she talked. Before she and Patrick had left Rockport, she'd been extremely upset with Patrick's decision to return to boxing. She'd fretted and worried and hated it. She'd seemed to come to accept it, to a certain degree anyway. A warm home, good food and some security in this world could make one overlook certain things, Arianna supposed. Though she did consider the fact that Shannon could be putting on a brave face for company.

  "Are you going to the fight?" Arianna asked, remembering that Shannon had said she didn't think she could bear to watch.

  "I think so," Shannon said with a warbling smile. "I've never been to one. I haven't found the courage yet, even though O'Malley's wife offered to sit and hold my hand. But, since everyone's here and making an occasion out of it, I thought I'd try."

  Arianna reached out. "I'll hold your hand if you need."

  "I'm afraid we don't have a lot of room," Shannon said apologetically, abruptly changing the subject. "But if two couples want to sleep in the living room, I'll have Roan and Aislin in with me so one couple can sleep in their room."

  "We'll probably end up sitting up all night talking anyway," Arianna said. "I'm sure it will be fine."

  ***

  None of the children, even Jac, dared battle Maura at bedtime. Her stern but loving nature allowed no room for that. With everyone, including Ethel, tucked in and the wooden gate Caleb had built secured at the top of the stairs, Maura came down to find Ian sitting in the darkened living room with a cup of tea.

  "I made ye some. It's just there on the counter," he said quietly.

  She thanked him as she picked it up. Joining him, angled so she could see his face, she wasted no time.

  "Tell me what has ye so thoughtful lately," she asked.

  He sighed, looked up then down, then off to the side. He hesitated and she poked him in the side.

  "I promised ye I'd start seeing ye more and I am being true to that promise. Something heavy is on yer mind."

  "Aye, it is. I don't know how receptive you'll be to hearing the daft thoughts I've been having though."

  "The children are in bed. I can't yell or curse too loudly, can I?" she asked with a grin.

  He wasn't so sure about that.

  "I don't know that I want to stay here anymore."

  "At Mr. Caleb's?"

  "No, here in Rockport."

  Her eyes widened. She had several worrisome thoughts at once and hoped he'd clarify exactly what he meant. Fortunately, he did.

  "Until Peter came along I mostly worked alone on the boat. I didn't mind it so much at first, but the work is cold and hard and when I'd pull in, I'd see the three of them working together. All the time they work together."

  "That's how they are, Ian-"

  "Let me finish," he said, glancing at her. She dropped her eyes.

  "I was the emergency relief when Pat didn't work out. I was allowed in enough to fill a need, but I've never felt like one of them."

  She tried to un
derstand his position. He was, like her, a social creature. And to feel kept at arms length from the group of men that he'd always considered friends must be hard. At the same time, he was handed a job, given the spare boat to use and working alone, he kept almost every cent he made out on the ocean, save a small percent for maintenance.

  "Ye have Peter now."

  "Fer how long? Until he decides to quit?"

  "Mr. Aryl said-"

  "And that's another thing, Maura. I've kept me mouth shut for a long while, but I just can't do it any longer. Calling them all Mr. and Miss. I've never understood why ye do that when yer no longer a servant in their house anymore. That formality should have ended the day Jonathan stopped paying ye."

  She blinked, surprised at the anger in his voice.

  "It's just habit, I suppose," she said meekly. "I had no idea it bothered ye."

  "Well, it does." He huffed his breath and set his teacup down on the side table. "Every time ye say it yer reminding them that there is a class distinction between us. They're still the rich ones with the power and yer still the Irish maid to come runnin' when they call."

  "Oh, I don't see it like that at all. We're equals now. Maybe it wasn't always that way, but we struggle equal, we're frustrated equal, we fight to survive and build a better life as equals. I've never seen it as a class difference and I don't think they see it that way, either."

  "I think they do," he said, looking at her.

  "Ian, it bothers me that yer talking as if it's us and them. Once ye make that dividing line, then comes choosing sides. Then comes fighting."

  He clamped his lips and looked away.

  This particular part of the conversation could be teased out later. What she wanted to know now was, if he wasn't sure if he wanted to stay here anymore, where did he have in mind to go? He never would have said anything if he hadn't thought of an alternative.

  "Where then?" she asked.

  "I thought about..." He picked at the fabric of his pants not daring look up at her. "I thought about us going back to Ireland."

  "Ireland?" she asked, too shocked to say much else for a few moments.

  "Why not?" he asked, looking up. "Our family and Scottie's heritage is there. Friends we left behind years ago."

  "Yes, but...do ye remember why we left them behind? For a bit of opportunity, Ian."

  He nodded slowly. "And it didn't turn out to be all we thought, did it?"

  "As much as I'd love to jump at the idea, my rational mind just doesn't believe it would be any better there."

  He gave a sloppy shrug.

  "And there's Tarin to think about. She's expecting. I don't know that I could bear to leave her right now. Even if not fer Tarin, it's clean here, Pat. Ye have a secure job on the boat. Ye may not feel like yer on the inside with Mr.-with Jonathan, Aryl and Caleb, but ye have to know that we could call on them fer anything, day or night. We have support here."

  "I miss home," he said quietly, his voice cracking. Her lips quivered and her eyes watered.

  "I do, too," she said, gripping his hand. "But let's not make a hasty decision over homesickness. That's our home, but we have to think of Scottie. This is his home. He likes his school and his friends. What would it do to him to take him away from all this?"

  Ian sighed and looked away. "What if we keep him here and years from now he's on the outside, too? Jac, Jean and Samuel are all running around together and Scottie is hanging about the fringes, waiting to be useful."

  "Scottie is perfectly capable of finding friends outside the children of our friends." She found a bit of loving humor in the fact that he was worried about history repeating itself with Scottie. She also realized that this really bothered him more than he'd ever let on.

  "Why don't we get some sleep," she said. "I'm not used to running after so many children and yer not used to workin' the boat all day and mucking out stalls all evenin'."

  He couldn't disagree with that. Actually, he had a little more respect for Caleb having walked a day in his shoes. He'd done this for a long time, worked from sun up until well after sundown. Come to think of it, he'd rarely heard him complain.

  "I won't say I'll give up the idea, Maura."

  "I'm not asking ye to. But we don't have to make a decision tonight."

  ***

  The next morning Shannon seemed more distracted. Her nerves were always rattled when she knew Patrick was about to fight and it took all her focus to make a breakfast of eggs and biscuits for her guests.

  When Jonathan pulled her aside and explained that he and Ava had something they needed to do, she seemed to hardly register his words. He had planned on telling her about his brother who, by his best guess, lived only about ten blocks from here, but decided against it. After the fight was over and Shannon less worried, he'd share it with them both.

  "I'm excited to meet him," Ava said once they were out on the street. She could smell fresh pastries and coffee wafting from one of the shops and though her stomach was full, her mouth watered.

  "I'm sure he'll be happy to meet you, too. I was going to ask Mr. Hucklebee if they'd consider bringing Jeffrey out to our house this summer. Would that be alright with you?"

  "Of course. I'm sure we could find room for them all."

  "Well," Jonathan said with a slight grimace. "I thought I'd ask them to drop him off with us for two or three days, so we could really spend some time together. I could take him out on the boat and we could go on a picnic, show him all the animals at Caleb's place...that kind of thing."

  "Ah," she said slowly. It was sweet, the way he said it, the way he looked. He was so eager to be the good big brother he was never allowed to be.

  "You don't like the idea?" he asked. They stopped at the edge of the sidewalk, waiting for traffic to slow enough to cross the street.

  "It's not that I don't like it. I have concerns."

  "Such as?" he asked, putting his hand on her back as they crossed the street.

  The last thing Ava wanted to do was hurt his feelings or seem insulting to Jeffrey. There was no delicate way to word it so she just laid it out.

  "When I was young, before my parents died, we had a neighbor whose son was a lot how you describe Jeffrey. And most of the time he was very sweet and kind. But when he got scared or angry, he'd lash out unexpectedly. His parents couldn't leave him alone or with any other children unsupervised."

  "And you're worried that Jeffrey might be the same way? That he might have violent outbursts?"

  "It's a concern," she said, glancing sidelong at him. He didn't look overly offended. "We have small children to think about. I wouldn't know how to begin to handle something like that if he were to..."

  "I can talk to the Hucklebee's. They can tell me if he's prone to any outbursts."

  They walked along silently for a few moments.

  "I'm not trying to keep you from visiting with your brother," she said with a hint of defense. "I'm only concerned for Jean and Amy."

  "I know. If you were, you wouldn't have agreed to come with me today. It's a valid concern. Who knows, the Hucklebees might not be comfortable with leaving him with us for a few days."

  "Or they could be thrilled for a small break," she said, grateful for her own reprieve from children and daily life.

  "I guess we'll find out." Jonathan stopped in front of a tall brick building.

  "Is this it?" Ava asked. "It doesn't look like a meat shop."

  "That's because it isn't. This is the orphanage where Jeffrey grew up."

  Instantly, Ava was apprehensive. From the way Jonathan described this place, she didn't know if she wanted to go in.

  "I promised the director that I would follow up with him on how the reunion went. I have no idea when I'll be back in Boston again, so I thought I'd stop in on our way to see Jeffrey. And, we can see how Emily is settling in."

  Ava had never grown close to Emily. It was nothing personal, it was just that with her living at Arianna's there hadn't been much opportunity to get to know her o
ver the winter. In the times when they were all together, Emily was shy, reserved and rarely spoke within the group. Arianna, however, had grown very fond of her.

  "We should have brought Arianna," Ava said. "I know she'd love to see Emily."

  "Arianna has plans to visit tomorrow. She thought it would be too much to have so many visitors to the orphanage in one day. Especially with all the children thinking every adult who walks in the door is a prospective parent."

  Just as the first time he'd visited, small faces began to populate the windows and they could hear shrieks and giggles from the other side of the door.

  Anne's face lit up when she opened the door. "Mr. Garrett, how nice to see you again."

  "Hello, Anne. This is my wife, Ava."

  Anne put out her hand. "So nice to meet you. Please come in."

  She offered to take their coats. "I do hope you found your brother," she said, smiling.

  "I did. It went very well, actually. That's the reason for our visit. I promised Mr. Everly I would let him know how it went."

  "He will be thrilled it was a good reunion. He's in his office interviewing a couple. I'll just go let him know you're here."

  Ava glanced around at all the children beginning to wander in, peeking around the corner and slowly descending the staircase, gravitating toward the strangers. Turning her head ever so slightly, she looked at Jonathan. He was searching for something. Or more like someone.

  Ava grew even more apprehensive as she realized there might be another reason Jonathan wanted to visit the orphanage. He'd talked about the boy several times, the nameless boy with the business-like manner and the blond hair. Why would he do this to himself? He knew they couldn't afford to take on another child.

  Jonathan's eyes landed on a boy across the room. He looked about a year or so younger than Jean. While the other children rushed about with excitement, he stood with no expression, hands shoved in his worn pockets, just watching. He briefly looked at Ava and then back at Jonathan.