“Well, that apparently has just come on him today. Pastor Lincoln, Mae, all we want is some kind of reassurance our son is going to be all right. Anythin’ you can say to give us faith and hope would be greatly appreciated,” Sarah said in a stern voice bordering on impatience.
“What me wife is sayin’ is, where do we go from here? Do we keep him in the house, do we take him away?” Owen asked, noticing Sarah was growing intolerant which meant tears would soon follow.
“I thought a lot on this after you went home Monday night and I prayed on it. I have some questions for you both,” Mae said, reaching across the table and taking Sarah’s hand in an attempt to give her the reassurance she was looking for.
“Please, ask anything,’ anythin’ at all,” Sarah replied.
“The child I spoke of to you before, who was like Ennis, well she wasn’t altogether like Ennis after all,” Mae said.
“How so? You said she healed people,” Owen asked.
“She only had the gift of healing. She never saw crowds of angels or more and she certainly never moved things without touching them or had the sight as well. What that could mean is one of these angels has taken over possession of him,” Mae said.
“Mae, that’s ridiculous! He’s still our Ennis. He’s still the Ennis we know,” Sarah insisted.
“Now hold on a minute Sarah, ya’ said yerself the boy was different. You said he just stares out into space and he sleeps a lot. He gets so tired the poor thing,” Owen said.
“Sarah, I’m sure this is very upsetting for you but if we are going to help the child then we need to look at all possibilities,” Mae said.
“I know my son and I’m tellin’ ya’ that’s not the case,” Sarah said taking back her hand.
“Well then we’ll still have to wait it out and see what unfolds,” Mae remarked. “Obviously there is something divine at work in him but why and what the purpose is will eventually reveal itself. Since he doesn’t appear to be suffering in any way and is for the most part as you say, his normal self, then just support him and be strong for him.”
“I don’t understand what purpose there could be for such a small child, a child who nearly died at birth to carry such a heavy burden,” Sarah said sadly.
“No, Sarah, you have it all wrong. This is not a burden, this is a blessing. Did you say he nearly died at birth?” Mae questioned.
“Yes. We weren’t sure if he would make it through the night. It seemed to take forever for him to take his first breath, let alone his first cry. Mae, do you think that has somethin’ to do with this?” Sarah asked with urgency.
“Sarah, now ya’ know I’ve delivered many babies over the years who like Ennis, were feared dead at birth and God rest some of their little souls. What would make ya’ think something like that may have caused all of this?” Owen asked.
“The veil between life and death is translucent, Owen, it’s not a locked door. It’s possible Ennis had died on his way into the world and these heavenly souls surrounded him as he was carried through the veil to the afterlife. Perhaps they were like guardians,” Mae explained.
“Even if that were true, Mae, they’re just angels for goodness sakes. What is giving him the power to do the things he does?” Sarah asked.
“Just angels? They’re the very essence of life’s origination. They are the source of life within our body’s that lives on after we die. What stronger force could there possibly be?” Mae affirmed.
“I’ve always believed that angels aren’t the same as spirits, Mae,” Sarah said.
“You’re correct. I’m only referring to them as angels because you are. I believe they are just human spirits like us who became trapped here on earth when for whatever reason, they all attached themselves to Ennis when he passed back through the veil to this life,” Mae replied.
“This is all just too much fer me to comprehend, angels and spirits,” Owen said as he leaned back in his chair.
“Owen, it’s the only explanation that has made any sense thus far,” Sarah exclaimed.
“Ma! Ma!” called Patrick from outside. “Ma! Come here! You have to see this!”
Sarah jumped to her feet at the sound of Patrick’s voice and ran to the back porch with Owen and the Lincoln’s on her heels.
“Look Ma! Isn’t it something?!” Patrick shouted.
Sarah’s hand flew over her mouth as she gasped at the sight. Owen’s hands went up in the air over his head in amazement and Mae wrapped her arms firmly around her husband’s waist and laid her head against his chest and smiled wide.
There stood Ennis in the waning twilight on the field, illuminated with what appeared to be strands of tiny lights. It was as if every firefly in the county was surrounding him. Their soft yellow glow encircled him again and again, snaking around him like school of fish. They formed swirling patterns that looked like rings of flowing light as he slowly swayed and waved his arms in the air, laughing all the while. He ran this way and that way and they followed him like ribbons on the breeze and when he stopped, they would begin to wrap him up again.
“Ma! Da! How wonderful!” Ennis cried as he started to run towards the house.
“Ennis, how did you…” Owen shouted but the sight his eyes beheld stole the words from his lips.
Mae was laughing and tears were beginning to stream down her face. She bounced up and down like a delighted child. Pastor Lincoln’s apprehension made him less enthusiastic but on the inside, he too was bouncing and crying with joy.
Ennis stopped a few feet from the porch and was confused with the mixed reactions he was seeing before him. Sarah and Owen both wore the faces of fear and worry while the Lincolns appeared to be bursting with joy. Patrick was neither, but like all children, he was only enjoying the moment and was completely entertained with it all and egging Ennis to run.
As Ennis stood, the lights danced and occasionally landed here and there on his person and then took flight again and continued their luminescent ballet.
“Ma, isn’t it wonderful?” Ennis asked with a smile.
Sarah looked at Owen and took his hand to reassure him everything would be fine and like the Lincolns, they should just marvel at this magnificent moment in time and appreciate the beauty of it. Owen put on a smile which unfortunately never reached his eyes. He couldn’t hide his heart from Ennis or from Sarah. However, a joy began to rise up in Sarah that seemed to come from beneath the earth and when it reached her lips, the loudest, heartiest laugh that even Owen had ever heard emerged. She stepped down off of the porch into the grass with Ennis and took his hand and they began to dance, bathed in the glowing lights of the tiny bugs. Soon, Patrick and even the Lincolns had joined in the dance as Owen stood watching from the porch still unready to accept such miracles as innocent.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Owen sat in his chair on the porch as Sarah walked the Lincolns to their carriage to bid them goodbye and to thank them for their company. The evening had been odd and unconventional to say the least and although it had started out rather somber, the finale was worth the wait. Sarah assured the Lincolns they would be at church Sunday morning and as the sun hung low in the sky, almost completely invisible but for the light which still clung to the horizon, she waved goodbye as they pulled away.
Sarah turned and smiled at Owen as she climbed the porch steps and headed towards him. Without a word, she sat down gently in his lap and laid her head against him and he cradled her in his arms. There they sat for a while in silence, both thinking and feeling their own interpretations of what this whole evening meant and where everything would end up, if it ever ended at all.
In Sarah’s thoughts, there was no more fear or worry or even the shame of having to hide her son away and protect him. In Owen’s were questions and doubts and acceptance of the reality of whether this all ended or not, they would be forever changed as a family. He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about all of that. He knew everyone else’s lives were changing normally at the usual pace in the average ways
but those changes were to be expected and he had mostly been prepared for them.
Ennis pushed open the screen door and watched his parents for a moment and then stepped outside. He walked to them slowly and smiled sweetly at them.
“Well hello there dear, are ya’ ready fer bed?” Sarah asked.
“Yes, Ma. Are you coming to tuck us in? Patrick and I are all cleaned up,” he replied.
“I can see that and a mighty fine job you’ve done too,” she said as she sat up to rise from Owen’s arms. “Come along.”
Sarah took Ennis by the hand as he leaned in and Owen wrapped his arms around him and said goodnight.
“Goodnight, me boy, sweet dreams,” Owen said as he patted Ennis on his back lightly.
“It’s going to be all right, Da. Soon, everything will be the way it was before,” Ennis reassured him, looking back as he walked away with Sarah.
Teagan and Eli were arriving just as Sarah and Ennis had gone into the house. Eli lifted Teagan from the carriage and then walked her up to the front door to say goodnight.
“Hello, Dr. Whelan,” Eli said shaking Owen’s hand.
“Hello, Eli me boy, t’was a fine night for a ride,” Owen acknowledged.
“Indeed it was sir. Was your supper with the Lincolns fine as well?” Eli asked.
“It was quite unlike any supper I’ve ever had, but fine all the same.” Owen replied.
“Da, Eli would like to take me to town tomorrow for lunch. Would you or Ma have any objections?” Teagan asked as she leaned in to kiss her father’s cheek.
“Now Teagan, it’s not like ya’ to bribe yer old da with a kiss when askin’ for somethin’,” Owen smiled. “However, I’m sure your ma and I can handle things here for a few hours.”
“Oh thank you, Da!” Teagan cried as she threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him hard.
“Be careful now, Teagan. How are ya’ feeling my sweet girl?” Owen asked as he examined her eye and lip under the lantern light.
“Oh Da, I’m much better. Ma is going to draw me a bath so once I soak out the rest of my aches, I’m sure by tomorrow I’ll be as good as new,” she smiled.
“Well, I better be getting back home. Goodnight Teagan. Goodnight Dr. Whelan. I leave her in your capable hands,” Eli said as he took Teagan’s hand and pulled it to his lips as if she were a princess.
“Oh Eli, you’re such a romantic,” Teagan laughed.
Eli gave her a sly smile and headed off into the evening. Teagan could sense something was weighing on her father’s mind. She could always read him well even though she wasn’t able to ask him what his troubles were as he would surely never tell.
“Well, goodnight, Da. I’m going to go find Ma and see about that bath. I love you so much!” she exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around him tightly and again placed a kiss upon his cheek. This was the normal he so desperately loved. This was the life he had grown to treasure over the years and feared he had taken for granted. He had been able to give his children the love and affection that until he met Rachel, was scarcely shown in his life. He was satisfied he had finally opened up to Sarah about his journey to reach this life except for the fact he had learned of her love for his brother and what a strange twist of fate it had been for them to have lived so close as children yet so far away.
He began to think far too deeply into the past now and regretted ever opening that door minutes before. Now he couldn’t close it. His thoughts were of his dear Sarah in the arms of his brother and how different his life would have been if he’d have stayed in Ireland. Then, he began to wonder if his brother was dead or if he too had taken a ship across the ocean. How could he even attempt to find him now, even if he was still alive? Dillon was two years his junior and was always in good health, even under the worst of circumstances. He’d obviously survived the threat of being shot by Sarah’s father. He’d survived growing up poor and hungry. He’d survived the death of his parents, the loss of his older brother and as hard as it was for Owen to admit, he’d lost the love of his life as well.
“No, no,” He mumbled to himself. “Everything has ended up the way it was supposed to. It’s not for me to wonder or to question the course that the good Lord sets me on but to find the right path and stick to it.”
He pushed and pushed at that door to close it but the thoughts kept at him like a badger. Had all of this come to them because of Rachel? Was this all due to his lie? Was his whole life really just a farce? Again he told himself the answer was no. We all have to make decisions in life which preserve our survival. From choosing to sink or to swim, to choosing to take on a whole new identity in order to have a life worth living, we all make sacrifices. Like Rachel had always told him, it isn’t where you start out in life, it’s where you end up that matters. He had never questioned the fact that each day when he opened his eyes, he was exactly where he was supposed to be.
Ennis said all of this would soon be over and he chose to believe that no matter what the outcome, everything meant something in his life and they would all end up better off because of it. He may have started out an orphan on his way to a farm in Pennsylvania but he had ended up living out the American dream and he’d fight to the death to protect it.
Finally, the sound of Fagan pulling up in the carriage distracted him from his thoughts. He stood and stretched, releasing it all again to God before saying goodnight to his son and heading in to bed. Owen could hear the light female chatter in the kitchen of Teagan in her bath discussing her evening with Sarah and Liffey and that sense of normal again filled his heart and mind. He climbed the stairs and checked each room as he strolled lightly down the hall to his bed. Everything was peaceful and with his mind again at ease, he washed up and climbed beneath the covers.
“So Teagan, are ya’ feeling better now love?” Sarah asked as she poured the warm soothing water and bath salts into the tub around her daughter.
“Oh yes, Ma. Thank you so much again. Lif, will you help me wash my hair?” she asked.
“Of course I will,” Liffey said as she picked up the soap and began to massage it into her sister’s long dark locks.
“Ma, may I ask you something?” Teagan said.
“All right dear,” Sarah replied as she dried her hands and sat down.
“When you met Da, did you know he would be your husband?” Teagan asked boldly.
“Well, not straight away, no,” Sarah responded.
Liffey looked up from Teagan’s hair in surprise and allowed her sister to continue this line of questions uninterrupted but she listened intently.
“Really? Why not?” Teagan pressed.
“Well dear I was about your age and we had only just arrived here in America. We’d come to stay with my mother’s friend Kathryn in Philadelphia,” Sarah said.
“Our Aunt Kathryn?” Teagan asked.
“Yes, the same. Well of course, it was your father’s home and they were wonderful hosts but he was rarely there as he was always at the hospital or at lectures at the college, so we truly only saw each other at breakfast,” Sarah explained.
“Well when did you know?” Teagan pressed on, as she leaned back her head for Liffey to rinse out the soap.
“My goodness Teagan it’s been over twenty years,” Sarah answered as she stood and walked to the kitchen window.
“Was he handsome?” Teagan teased.
“Oh yes. He was quite dashing in his doctor coat and he had a lovely smile. Of course he still has a lovely smile, even with his lines and perhaps it’s even lovelier now. We had breakfast one morning and he mentioned there was a formal dinner planned at the college for the alumni and he asked my father’s permission to escort me. From that night on, we started taking walks together in the evening and we saw some lively shows, chaperoned of course at all times and before I knew it, he was on his knee one morning at breakfast, asking to marry me,” Sarah continued, never turning away from the window.
“Oh Ma, how romantic it must have been,” Liffey finally said.
“Did you love someone else? In Ireland I mean?” Liffey asked, intrigued by her mother’s tale.
“Why Liffey Whelan, what would make you ask such a question?” Sarah asked.
“If you were so happy there and had such a wonderful childhood, then what really happened to you before you came here?” Liffey said, continuing her line of questioning as Teagan’s natural curiosity was peaking.
Sarah sat quietly for a moment. Her daughters were nearly grown women now and yet she still felt uneasy sharing those intimate parts of her life she had put behind her. However, for some strange reason, perhaps since she’d told Owen about Dillon, she felt it acceptable to share some of her secrets with her girls.
“Yes. Yes, there was someone I loved dearly or, at least I thought I did,” Sarah sighed.
“Who!? Oh Ma, you must tell us!” Teagan exclaimed.
“There was a young stable hand I grew very close to. In the beginning, much like your friendship with Eli, Teagan but both of us could feel things change into much more than friendship fairly quickly. Alas, in Ireland the rich and the poor did not intermingle and certainly never married. Lest we forget as well that the young man was of the Catholic faith, which set us even farther apart than our pocket books,” Sarah said as she coaxed Teagan out of the tub, turning her eyes away as did Liffey and wrapped her up in the cloth.
“Ma, I’m so sorry your heart was broken but weren’t you lucky to find your real true love once you met Da?” Liffey said.
Fireflies Page 24