Freedom First, Peace Later

by Jeanette Hewitt

  Danny returned to the table and passed Connor his pint without comment.

  “Two diet cokes for the lasses,” he said and nudged Bronwyn to move up and along the seat. You fuckin’ leave our lasses alone.

  The thought popped into Connor’s head and suddenly he knew why Danny was familiar. He looked across to him and broke out in a cold sweat.

  “You!” Connor said and the other three looked at him. “It was you!”

  Danny’s eyes widened and Bronwyn knew straight away that Connor had recognised Danny. Rosina looked confused.

  “Connor?” she asked and touched his arm.

  He shrugged her off and stood up, leaning against the table for support.

  “You fuck! How can you sit here and buy me a drink after what you did?” Connor hissed and suddenly Rosina realised what was going on.

  “Oh no, oh no, it wasn’t, no, no,” she said and cast a frantic look at Bronwyn who had turned as red as Danny.

  Danny swallowed hard and looked from Rosina to Bronwyn, then back down at the tabletop. He refused to meet Connor’s stare.

  “I never done anything,” he muttered and before anybody could move Danny had fled from the bar.

  “Bronwyn? Tell Connor he’s wrong, Danny wouldn’t shoot anybody, tell him!” cried Rosina as the door slammed after Danny.

  Bronwyn said nothing, which gave Rosina her answer, and she balled her hands into fists under the table.

  “Oh no, I don’t believe he did it! And you! Did you know?” Rosina was angry now. Connor took her clenched fists and wrapped his own hands around hers.

  “I didn’t know until after!” Bronwyn burst out. “Do you think I would have let him do it if I’d have known before? I’d have died before I let him hurt you.”

  “Did you tell him about us?” Connor spoke up for the first time. There was no point lying. Bronwyn was sick and tired of all the lies in her life at the moment.

  “Yes, I did,” she said. “But I thought I could trust him. Never in a million years did I think he would use it to hurt you two.”

  She held her breath and watched Rosina’s expression.

  “I know you didn’t do it deliberately. You’re my best friend,” Rosina said wearily. “It’s not your fault.”

  Bronwyn heaved a sigh of relief. As she watched Connor comfort Rosina, it all suddenly became clear to her. Never in the whole year she had been with Danny could she remember him acting so tenderly to her as the couple before her were. She had convinced herself that it didn’t

  matter, that it wasn’t Danny’s style. But it was wrong, she had been wrong, and it had taken a lot but her eyes had finally been opened.

  “What about Danny?” asked Rosina.

  “Screw him, he’s history,” replied Bronwyn and looked down at the table. “I thought I could make a difference. I’ve been such a fool.”

  “You tried, and it means a lot that you want to welcome me into your life, with your people. But, Bronwyn, you deserve better.” said Connor.

  She raised her eyes to meet Connor’s and as she did she felt a link, a connection to him, and she realised that she was blushing.

  “I gotta go,” she said and turned to Rosina. “Forgive me?”

  Rosina reached up and enveloped her in a hug.

  “There’s nothing to forgive. I love you.”

  Bronwyn pulled away and darted a glance at Connor. He was still staring at her and she muttered a farewell and dashed from the pub.

  As the door swung shut behind her, she leaned against the wall and turned her face up to the sky. What the hell had that been? Electricity, that was what it had felt like. She laughed nervously and started to walk back towards her house.

  Chapter Ten

  Bronwyn meets Stu

  It had been a week since the incident in the Felix Bar, and Bronwyn had seen no sight of Danny. She hadn’t contacted him, and he had not turned up at her house. Alia had noticed his absence, and she mentioned it to Bronwyn.

  “I’ve not seen Danny lately. Have you two fallen out?”

  “Yes, and I’m not going to see him again. He’s a bastard, Ma,” replied Bronwyn, as she got ready for work at the Fox and Hound.

  “Bronwyn!” exclaimed Alia.

  “Well, he is, and if he calls I don’t want to see him.”

  “What did he do?” asked Alia.

  “He kneecapped Rosie’s boyfriend,” said Bronwyn and turned round to see her mother’s reaction.

  Alia clutched her chest and stared hard at her daughter to see if she was joking.

  “Are you kidding me, young lady? ‘Cause it ain’t funny.”

  “No, I’m not. Connor’s walking around on crutches, and it was Danny’s doing.”

  “Jesus, I’d never have thought…you keep away from him, you hear me?” Alia said sternly.

  “Well, that’s what I just said, Mother. I don’t want to see him,” said Bronwyn in an exasperated tone. “Will I see you later in the pub?”

  “I might pop in. I’m going to call Cally again in America.”

  Bronwyn laughed at the excitement on her mother’s face and hugged her affectionately. Alia watched Bronwyn leave the house. She worried about her daughter and the company she kept. It was well known that Danny was a fully fledged I.R.A member and, now with Rosina’s new boyfriend, it seemed as though Bronwyn always had to be stuck right in the middle of whatever crisis was happening.

  * * * *

  Stu was halfway up the observation tower, stocking up with some food and tea bags for his shift later that night, when the helicopter came into the camp. He dumped the armful of goodies on the table and, along with Carter who was on watch, went over to the window. When they saw the man get out of the helicopter with a postbag, they made a mad dash for the hatch. By the time they got back to the barracks, the man was handing out the letters and parcels to the other soldiers. He looked up when the two men came in and asked their names.

  “Carter and Jackson,” said Steve, crossing his fingers.

  “One for Carter—” the man shuffled through his pile of post. “—and five for Jackson. Popular guy, huh?” He handed them over and Stu grabbed them eagerly. He scanned the envelopes and saw that two were from his mother, two were from Ellie, and the other one had handwriting on it that he didn’t recognise. He looked around the busy barracks and decided to find somewhere quieter to devour the mail from home. He made his way out of the door and went over to one of the Sangers on the base. He opened the letter with the writing he didn’t recognise, and was pleased to see that it was a Christmas card and letter from his Nan. Not able to wait any longer, he opened the first of Ellie’s letters and made himself as comfortable as he could in the cold Sanger. The first letter was full of news from home and what Ellie had been doing. She mentioned at the bottom that she couldn’t wait to see him and asked when he was next due for leave. He put the letter aside and worked out the dates. It was now December 24th. He was due to finish the tour in early August and he would get one week’s leave half way through in March. He picked up the letter again and started to read. As far as he was concerned, March couldn’t come soon enough. He was about to start on Ellie’s second letter when he heard Carter calling his name outside.

  “In here,” he called back and sat up as Carter came in.

  “Guess what?” said Carter, his face flushed with excitement. “We get to go out tonight. Merry Christmas, mate!”

  “Out where?” asked Stu.

  “Anywhere. It’ll be bloody great just to get out of these bloody barracks. We can go to town, go to a pub!”

  “Nice one. How come we’re being let out?” asked Stu.

  “They say they’re expecting trouble over Christmas so there won’t be much chance of getting out then, so we get to rip up the town tonight instead.”

  “What about my shift up there?” Stu nodded towards the observation tower.

  “It doesn’t start until midnight, does it? We’ll be back by then. It just means you just can’t get too bladder
ed!”

  With that, Carter left the Sanger, leaving Stu to pack up his letters and get back to the barracks. Between Ellie’s letters and this unexpected night out, it was turning out to be a pretty good day after all.

  * * * *

  The Fox and Hound tended to get pretty packed on a Saturday night, and with tonight being Christmas Eve, it was bound to get the customers in. Bronwyn took advantage of the quiet early evening to make sure the bar was fully stocked. Tonight she was working with two other girls, Kristin and Hannah. They were both slightly older than she was, and the three always got on well whenever they were put on shift together. Just after six o’clock, somebody started banging on the doors and Bronwyn raised her eyes.

  “Time to open, I guess,” she said, throwing the bunch of keys at Kristin. As the doors opened, a group of about seven men barged in, making their way up to the bar. Bronwyn greeted them all by their first names; they were men she had known for years, and to her they were old friends.

  Bronwyn was one of the most popular barmaids in the Fox. She took the time to listen to the punters, and she knew what all of her regulars drank without having to ask them.

  “Okay,” said Bronwyn and narrowed her eyes as she looked over each of the seven men in front of her. “Three whiskeys, large, a lime and soda, two pints of Guinness, and a bitter. Am I right?”

  The men cheered and applauded. It was a game she played with all of her regulars, and it was a rare occasion that her memory served her wrong.

  Bronwyn served them quickly; the bar was starting to fill now and, as she turned to serve the next customer, she was aghast to see Danny standing at the bar, holding his money up in the air with a smirk on his face.

  She took a deep breath and fixed her ‘barmaid’s smile’ onto her face.

  “Evening, what’ll it be?” she asked.

  “Whiskey, no ice. Make it a double,” he replied. “And one for yourself.”

  “I’m fine, thank you,” she said, serving him quickly.

  She turned to serve her next customer, thinking it was over, until he spoke again.

  “I’ve missed you,” he said.

  Bronwyn wavered. Should she ignore him? After all, she was at work now and didn’t want any trouble from him during her shift. Deciding to pretend she hadn’t heard him, she went to the next customer at the bar.

  A glance over her shoulder showed that Danny had retreated from the bar, and she was relieved.

  “Kristin, if Danny comes back, can you serve him?” she asked. Kristin agreed, and for the next couple of hours they worked non-stop. Just after seven, Bronwyn said that she was going for her break and made her way into the back.

  Stu, sitting to the left of the bar in the Fox and Hound, had had his eye on Bronwyn since he had arrived. She was by far the most striking girl he had seen since—well—since Ellie. Thoughts of Ellie crossed his mind followed by a sudden attack of guilt. What was he doing, sitting here eyeing up another girl, when he had Ellie waiting at home for him? He turned to Carter and tried to focus on what he was saying, when a guy staggering past him pushed him roughly to one side.

  “Hey, watch it!” he said, trying to balance his pint.

  The lad didn’t answer him, and Stu frowned as he saw him following the girl behind the bar as she went out of a side door.

  Bronwyn opened the door that led to the back alley, breathing in the clean air. Suddenly, she heard a loud crash and she turned, startled, to see Danny stagger through the door into the room.

  “Danny! You can’t be in here,” she said. “Get out!”

  “Not until you listen to me. I need you back. Let’s talk about it, yeah?” he slurred. Bronwyn realised he had had a lot more than the one whiskey she had served him.

  “I’m working, and there’s nothing to talk about. I don’t want you anymore,” she replied. “Now, either go back in the bar, or go home.”

  He didn’t move and, for the first time since she had known him, she began to feel slightly frightened of him.

  “Danny, go!” she said.

  He moved quickly, storming over to her. His hand flew out, grabbing her by the throat. She emitted a squeak and grabbed onto his arms as he forced her through the open door and into the alley. She grunted in pain as he smashed her back against the wall. Frantically she looked around for help. She saw his fist coming and, as it smashed into the side of her face, she saw stars. Suddenly a shape loomed up from her right side and smashed into Danny. Danny let go of her. She slumped down on the ground and put her hand to her face where Danny had hit her. She looked up and saw a man of about her age, he looked tall to her but that may just have been how it looked from her vantage point on the ground. His hair was shaved close to his head and his blue eyes glinted with fury as he landed a punch to Danny’s jaw. With Danny immobilised, the man turned his attention to Bronwyn.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I am now,” she said and realised she was shaking. “Who are you?”

  “Stu. Stuart Jackson” he said and, as he moved into the light, she smiled at him.

  “I’m Bronwyn and that cretin is my boyfriend.”

  “Boyfriend?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

  Bronwyn studied Danny as he clutched at his nose, which had blood pouring from it.

  “Well, ex-boyfriend, actually.”

  “Glad to hear that,” Stu said. “Um, your eye looks pretty sore. Do you want me to get some ice?”

  “No, I think I’d better go home,” Bronwyn shivered in the cold night air.

  “At least let me walk you. I insist,” said Stu.

  She looked him up and down, trying to work out where he was from. With his accent he obviously wasn’t Irish. Before she could ask, Danny rose up and, with a yell, made once more for Bronwyn. This time she was ready for him and before Stu could react, she doubled him up with a blow to his stomach. He doubled over, gasping for air. Seeing red, Bronwyn grabbed his hair and pulled him up to face her.

  “Leave me alone. Don’t ring me or come to my house or you’ll get more of the same. Now, fuck off!” she roared.

  “Bitch!” he whispered, still wheezing.

  “Oh, and Danny…you’re barred.”

  With that, she flounced back inside with a mightily impressed Stu in tow. She slammed the door shut and bolted it behind them.

  She was shaking more than ever now and, as she grabbed her coat and bag, she turned to Stu.

  “Thank you for helping me, but I’ll be fine now.”

  “Do you live anywhere near the army barracks?” he asked as he followed her through to the bar.

  “Yeah, not far. Why?” Her eyes widened and she suddenly burst out laughing. “Oh, don’t tell me. You’re a soldier?”

  “Yeah, I have to be back there by midnight so, if it’s on your way, you can walk with me,” he replied.

  Still laughing at the thought of how mad Danny would be if he knew Stu was a soldier, she agreed that he could walk with her.

  * * * *

  Across town, Connor and Rosina sat in a small Italian restaurant, looking over the menu for dessert. It had been Connor’s idea to come here, and Rosina liked the intimate feel of the place.

  “Can we make this a regular thing?” she asked.

  “Sure,” he answered. “Do you know what dessert you want?”

  “Hmm…I’ll have the cherry pie,” she said, closing the menu. Once the waiter had taken their order, Connor stood up.

  “Back in a sec.” He limped off in the direction of the men’s room. Rosina sat back and looked around. They had traveled out of Crossmaglen to Castleblayney, and it was nice to be able to relax for the evening. Nobody knew them here and they faced no hassle about their relationship. Rosina looked down at her hands. The bandages were off and the scars were already fading, just like the memory of what she thought of as her former life. Connor came back to the table and as he sat down he took her hand.

  “I’m real glad you’re staying with me,” he said. “No regrets?”
>
  She looked into his dark eyes and smiled. “None,” she replied.

  “’Cause we’re forever, you know that?” he asked earnestly.

  “I know, but I like to hear you say it.” She gave his hand a squeeze.

  “Oh, that was quick,” said Connor moments later as he caught sight of their waiter coming towards them with a tray.

  “Excellent,” Rosina said. She waited patiently as the waiter put Connor’s dish down in front of him.

  “Oh, this looks good,” said Rosina as her dessert was placed in front of her. The waiter left and Rosina picked up the spoon, digging deep into the cherry-filled pie. Only there was something odd about it.

  “Connor, there’s no cherries in my pie!” she said and looked up at him. He stabbed into his own pie and came up with a spoonful of cherries.

  “I got plenty in mine,” he said and gestured to her plate. “Surely there’s some in there somewhere.”

  She dug her spoon in again and gasped as the spoon connected with something hard. Glancing up to make sure nobody was watching, she put the spoon down and pulled the pastry apart with her fingers. Nestled inside the pie was a small blue box.

  “Connor!” She picked it out of the empty pie and looked up just in time to see Connor kneeling awkwardly on the floor.

  He reached out to steady himself on the table, wincing at the pain in his knee, then looked up at her.

  “Marry me?” he asked.

  Rosina gasped in astonishment. When she tried to speak no words came out. She looked back to the box in her now shaking hands and carefully opened it to see a sapphire ring inside.

  “Rosie,” Connor said, clearing his throat. “I don’t know how much longer I can stay down here.”

  Suddenly she found her power of speech and she grabbed his hand.