As Connor and Rebecca were getting ready to leave, Patty announced to the crowd that he had one more toast to make for his special birthday wish. His sons quickly lifted him to stand atop a table. Patty lifted his glass and said, “The Lord has been good to this old fisherman. He has given me a good woman, my Mary, my sweetheart to this day, good sons, and many fat fish. Now, he has seen fit to give this bag of bones one more surprise. I say to you all, that this gift is an angel named Rebecca, who finally has put a twinkle into the eyes of my grandboy, Connor. May they be smart enough to know they need to marry and give me lots of hearty great-grandbabies!” The crowd all lifted their glasses to the toast and then turned to look at Connor and Rebecca as they stood there with shocked expressions on their faces.
On the drive back to Waterford, Connor kept apologizing for his grandpa’s old-fashioned ways. Rebecca simply assured him that she had never had so much fun. They laughed and talked about how different their worlds were. For the last two days of the tour, they were always together. They talked about their past, how they grew up, and their dreams for the future. Connor asked if he could write to her, and Rebecca quickly said yes. By the time the group arrived back at Dublin’s airport, both Connor and Rebecca knew they would miss each other’s company.
*
They both returned to their ordinary worlds. Connor’s world was a small fishing village filled with his family and boyhood friends. He continued to work for the tour company for a few months each year, but his real love was to work on the Delaneys’ fishing boats with his brothers, Sean and Quincy. He dated a few of the local girls but never really found a burning desire for any of them.
Rebecca’s world was busy. She also casually dated but never seemed to find Mr. Right. After the trip to Ireland, they both exchanged letters for a few months. Slowly Connor began to realize that he had nothing to offer Rebecca and decided to stop writing. Rebecca wrote several more times but eventually became discouraged and tore up her last letter. They both missed each other; however, they both knew their worlds just did not seem to blend together.
*
The following three years, the senior choir traveled to Spain, France, and Italy. Each trip, Rebecca thought of Connor and their time together. Then four years later, it was announced that they were returning to Ireland. Rebecca quickly contacted the tour agency and demanded that Connor Delaney be their tour guide. She wrote Connor to tell him about the upcoming tour but never received an answer.
Four months later, as the group walked through Dublin’s airport, she saw him waiting for her with a bouquet of wildflowers. She ran to his arms as the girls all stood in shock. The next ten days, they never left each other’s side. Connor had arranged for his cousin, Thomas, to be their tour guide. This gave him and Rebecca time to walk together through the beautiful gardens, stand on the cliffs overlooking the ocean, and watch as the emerald green hills rolled by their bus. They talked late into each evening and started again as soon as they came together for breakfast. By the end of the tour, Rebecca had agreed to come back for a visit during the summer. Connor had agreed to visit her home also so she could show him the beauty of Fergus Falls and Minneapolis.
On the long flight home, Rebecca thought perhaps Patty Delaney’s birthday wish might actually come true. She wondered if this could possibly be true love in such a brief time together. As she fell asleep on the plane, she could have sworn she heard the soft Irish voice of Patty saying, “Yes, my darling girl, this is just what love feels like. Enjoy it, my sweet angel.”
*
Two weeks after school was finished, Rebecca was back in Ireland. Connor met her at the Dublin airport. As they drove back to Clonea in an old pickup truck, they talked nonstop. The Delaney clan lived in a row of three-story identical townhouses two blocks away from the water and around the corner from Muldoon’s Pub. Grandpa Patty and Mary Delaney lived in the corner unit, which was blessed with the most windows. Next door to Patty and Mary’s, Connor lived with his mom, Kathleen, and pops, Timothy. Next to them lived Sean and Katie with their four children—Andrew, Michael, Brigit, and Nora. The last townhouse was home to Connor’s brother Quincy, who was married to Patricia; their twins were named John and Sarah. Rebecca would be staying with Grandpa Patty and Maggie, as that was the only proper thing to do.
For two weeks, the Delaneys embraced Rebecca with their warm Irish hospitality. They proudly introduced her to everyone in the village. They ate, laughed, danced, told her story after story, drank, and toasted her arrival.
Then came Sunday, when everything changed. Every Sunday morning all of the Delaneys came out of their front doors at the same time to walk the three short blocks to St. Matthew’s for Sunday Mass. When Rebecca calmly announced that she would not be able to attend the church because she was Lutheran, Grandpa Patty shook his head and left the room without saying a word. Sundays the Delaney clan had a tradition of nine o’clock Mass, followed by hot ham and rolls with coffee in the church basement. After that, everyone came back home, changed, and grabbed their hot dish or dessert. By noon, the clan had settled in at Muldoon’s for an afternoon together.
Rebecca’s missing the church service brought all of the closeness she had felt to a halt. She felt alone for the first time since she had arrived. At Muldoon’s, there was another birthday party celebration. By mid-afternoon, Rebecca was having an asthma attack. Quietly she walked outside, sat on a bench, and used her inhaler. Half an hour later, she was still having problems breathing when Connor came out looking for her. He looked shocked when he saw how pale she was.
He told her to wait right there and he would bring the car to take her to Waterford. It was late that night when they walked into Grandpa Patty’s door. Patty and Mary were sitting at the kitchen table waiting for them with worried expressions on their faces. For the next few days, Rebecca was treated like a china doll. They did not know how to deal with someone who was not hearty and healthy.
By Friday, Rebecca had changed her airline tickets. Connor and Rebecca hugged as they waited for her flight to be called for boarding. They both had mixed feelings of a longing to be together and a relief from the tension of the past few days. They talked about Connor coming to visit, but they knew it would be a long time before he could save the money for the trip.
*
Rebecca returned home confused and in love. Their letters overflowed with what was happening in their daily lives and their dreams to be together again. As the months went by, they both felt they needed to see each other. Rebecca had offered to give Connor a roundtrip ticket to Minneapolis, which he immediately turned down as a matter of pride. In November, Rebecca bought the ticket as a Christmas gift for Connor to come for a visit for New Year’s Eve. She needed to find out if they truly had any hope for a future together. One week later, Connor called and said he would be arriving on December 27 for two weeks.
Unlike their time in Clonea, there was no family to chaperone them in Minneapolis. It was Rebecca’s turn to meet Connor as he walked off the plane. She saw him first, and she ran to him with her arms outstretched. When they walked into her apartment, Connor stood in shock at the size and beauty of it. He quickly turned to her and asked if she was rich. All this space for one person was amazing to him. Compared to Dublin, Minneapolis was only a little bigger but five times busier. Rebecca was his tour guide by day and his lover each night. It was an incredible two weeks of happiness and love. When he left, they both were talking about their future and wondering how they could make this work.
*
For the next few years, Connor and Rebecca took turns coming to visit each other. The only difference was that the first few days of Rebecca’s visits to Ireland were spent in Dublin with each other. Rebecca made Connor promise that she would never have to be in Clonea on a Sunday, and he made sure it was always arranged. Their love continued to grow—as well as their frustration with being so far apart.
D
uring his annual New Year’s visit, Connor proposed and offered Rebecca a small antique diamond ring that had been his grandmother’s engagement ring. Rebecca immediately accepted. They drove to Fergus Falls and made their announcement to Grandma Ruby and Monica. Everyone was thrilled. It was decided that they would have a small church wedding in August in Fergus Falls and another blessing of the marriage in Clonea the following week.
Connor agreed to apply for a visa. He would move to Minneapolis. He said he would try to become an American lad.
*
On June 10, Rebecca received a call at two o’clock in the morning from Connor. He was sobbing as he told her that Grandpa Patty had just passed away from a massive heart attack. Rebecca immediately made plans for the trip, and two days later she arrived in Dublin. She rented a small car and drove to Clonea. When she arrived, she found a large black ribbon draped over Patty and Mary Delaney’s front door.
The next morning, the village of Clonea closed all the small shops and came to honor Patty at his funeral Mass. The church had standing room only. After Mass ended, there was a procession with Patty’s casket to the cemetery at the outskirts of the village. Once again, prayers were said and people sobbed as one by one they took a small wildflower and placed it on his casket. Then the crowd turned around, and the procession walked through the narrow streets while singing hymns.
To Rebecca’s surprise, the path went straight to Muldoon’s, where Patty’s wake was held. For the rest of the day, people drank and celebrated Patty’s life by sharing stories about him, toasted some more, and laughed. The only difference between Patty’s birthday and his wake was that there was no dancing. Patty was given a wonderful Irish send-off, and all agreed that he was now dancing with the angels while he shook St. Peter’s hand at the pearly gates of heaven.
It was after 10:00 PM when the Delaney clan wandered back home. Ever since Patty’s death, Connor had stayed with Grandma Mary. He tried to comfort her and give her the assistance she needed to make all the arrangements. As Mary crawled into bed that night, she was overwhelmed with the loss of Patty’s bright spirit, but nonetheless amazed at the joy she had experienced when celebrating his life at the wake.
Rebecca left a few days later, promising to return during the next month for a large wedding shower that was being arranged for her and Connor. Unlike American showers, which were only for the women, an Irish wedding shower included both the bride and the groom. Once again, the village would gather at Muldoon’s Pub for the celebration.
*
Two weeks later to the day, Monica called Rebecca to tell her that Grandma Ruby had died in her sleep. Rebecca now called Connor and arranged to have his airline tickets waiting for him the next day. It seemed like a nightmare to relive all the emotions of a few weeks ago, only this time it was Connor who drove himself from Fargo, North Dakota, to be with Rebecca in Fergus Falls. When he arrived, Monica greeted him with a soft hug and told him that Rebecca was taking Ruby’s death very hard.
The funeral home visitation was that evening, with a funeral service the next day at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. The experience of the two funerals could not have been more opposite. The quiet funeral home, with people coming to talk softly to Monica and Rebecca, was scary to Connor. He finally had a chance to meet Grace O’Malley, whom he had heard so many good things about. He now understood why Rebecca considered Grace such a close friend. She was delightful and obviously cared a great deal about Rebecca.
The next day, with the church almost empty, the funeral service was brief, with the minister announcing at the end that all were invited to have lunch in the church hall, the food provided by the women of the church. The tables were set with fresh flowers. A lunch of ham, potato salad, fruit, homemade cake, and coffee was served to the few who attended the funeral. There was neither drinking nor toasts. There was no celebration or even going to the graveside. People sat politely discussing Ruby but also talking about the strange weather they were having.
Connor left the church hall feeling sad and confused. He was sad for Rebecca’s loss of her grandmother and confused at the lack of celebration of the dear, sweet woman’s life. A week later, he flew back to Ireland and was happy to be back with his people. He knew life in the United States was going to take a lot more adjustment than he had earlier thought.
*
Because of the funeral and staying with Monica for a while, Rebecca missed a fitting for her bridal gown, an appointment with the minister, and the deadline on ordering the special cake she had wanted for the wedding dinner. During her time in Fergus Falls, Rebecca often went to lunch with Grace. They talked about Connor and what a handsome man he was. Rebecca told Grace all about Clonea and the difference in their backgrounds.
The day before Rebecca was leaving to return to Minneapolis, she received a call from Pastor Meissner, asking her to stop by for a chat. When she arrived, the pastor immediately started discussing the preparations for the wedding, which was going to be held in the small prayer chapel in the back corner of the church. Without warning, Rebecca began to sob. Pastor Meissner tried his best to console her, but nothing seemed to help. Rebecca finally composed herself and told the pastor that the wedding would not be taking place as scheduled.
She went home and told her mother that the timing was just not right for the wedding. With two deaths of loved ones so close together, she felt that they needed to postpone the wedding for a respectable period of time. She called Grace and asked her to cancel her wedding dress and Grace’s dress, which she had ordered as maid of honor. Five minutes later, Grace appeared at her front door and took her by the hand into the backyard. They talked for hours as all of Rebecca’s fears for the marriage came tumbling out of her. They hugged, they cried, and Grace gave Rebecca the comfort and courage she needed to make the call to Connor.
The next morning, Rebecca sat in the dining room by the only phone in her mother’s house and made the most difficult call she had ever made. She quietly explained to Connor that she felt the timing was wrong. Connor quickly agreed and told her that perhaps they both needed time to take care of their loved ones and mourn their losses. He would cancel his flight and call her in a few weeks.
Crying, they said their good-byes. When the call disconnected in Fergus Falls and in Clonea, there was a painful disconnect in their two lives. Although they had not spoken the words, they both knew that their futures would never blend. They had loved much and lost much; however, they had both learned much. Neither of them would ever be the same.
Chapter Fourteen
The Invitation
Grace was appointed chairperson for the Fergus Falls High School twentieth class reunion for their graduating class. She enjoyed designing the invitations and announcements that would appear in the Daily Journal. The reunion would take place in October, a perfect time to return to Fergus Falls. It was during the week of the Fall Festival, when all the trees would be at the height of their colors of gold, orange, and amber; the weather promised to be cool and fresh.
Grace had already reserved rooms at the Holiday Inn for her returning classmates who would not be staying with family. The Eagles Club, which looked like a ship in the middle of a field, had been reserved for the Friday evening get-together. The Elks Club, which had been remodeled, was the perfect place for the reunion dance and dinner on Saturday night. The weekend would finish with a breakfast in the church basement of Our Lady of Victory and a parade of cars that would make their way through the town and end at Dairyland, where Grace had arranged for the owner to make their favorite chocolate with chocolate chip ice cream. She knew that many of her high school classmates had not been home for many years and would be surprised by the changes in Fergus Falls these days.
The once busy downtown now had many vacant stores due to the new mall that was built right off the new highway exit. However, a few of the stores kept Lincoln Street alive. The Viking Restaurant and City Café
still served wonderful food six days a week; they had both decided to stay closed on Sundays. Claire’s Dress Shop remained the best place for miles to find or order that special outfit. Grace was now the full-time manager and buyer. She never missed her weekly lunch with Claire, who was retired. Grace kept her up-to-date with the latest styles and town gossip. Victor Lundeen’s bookstore had expanded and had recently started selling some local artwork. The movie theater had been renovated and now hosted special concerts, plays, and recitals. Its new red velvet seats and matching red velvet stage curtain made it a very impressive place. Olsen’s furniture store remained downtown; however, they had built a separate funeral home a few blocks away. The men continued to shop at St. Claire’s for their church suits, as well as their flannel shirts and coveralls in the basement. J. C. Penney and Woolworth’s had moved to the mall, leaving large, empty buildings for rent. Most of the folks had mixed feelings about the mall and considered it both a curse and a blessing.
Grace had every intention to track down her Sisterhood of Lake Alice girlfriends and persuade them to come home for the reunion. However, her days became busy with work and performing in the Fergus Falls Theater Group play of Camelot. The retired high school assistant principal, Mrs. Klein, took over the project of trying to track down the classmates and mailing out the invitations. The search for the students became her mission. She put ads in the Daily Journal asking for the whereabouts of the missing classmates. She was amazed that she found almost every graduate.
*
The invitation to the reunion was in the midst of piles of mail that had been stacked, wrapped in rubber bands, and saved for Lindy while she was on her trip. She had surprised her parents with a two-week trip to Poland. With no responsibilities back home in Florida, they decided to roam around the country.
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