Travels in Eire #27

After saying their good-byes to Philip and putting their bags in the car, Cailin and Darren began their trip back to Derry. The trip would take at least five hours and possibly more considering travel in Ireland. But Darren was not about to wait very long to have Cailin tell him what was going on with her.

“So Cailin, you said we would talk on the trip back. Want to share?”

“Darren, we're barely on the road past Galway. Can't you wait until we relax and get into the drive for a while?”

Darren was impatient and felt he had been out of the loop for too long already. He had already been waiting since the evening before and was not about to wait any longer. “Cailin, if I have to I'll pull over and that will even put us further behind on getting back to Derry. I don't have a clue as to what happened between you and my mum, and then they way you where when you came back from your walk. What's a guy to think? Are you just walking away from what has happened between us? Have I been a fool here?”

“Darren, you are getting way ahead of yourself. This last day of your weekend should be fun, and I'm not going to spoil it for you. At least I don't plan to. As for your mum and I, I think we came to an appreciation of each other last night. She was very comforting. And no, I didn't tell her anything about what happened between the two of us. I don't think I had to.”
“Last night was more about me realizing that I don't have that much longer in Ireland and still have more to see. I was sad about many things last night. It just all hit me at once and I just couldn't handle it.”

“So you are leaving to go back to America?” Darren had difficulty getting this statement out.

“Of course I have to go back to New York. I have obligations that need to be taken care of there. And before you get your pants all in a knot, just listen to me,” Cailin was trying not to get ahead of herself. “Darren, Sligo is about halfway to Derry. Can we stop there again at Drumcliff and talk about all this then? I'd feel better if we could talk face to face rather than just side by side in the car.”

Darren was a little miffed, “So do we just drive in silence between here and there?”

“No, Darren, what would we be talking about if all this hadn't happened? You do realize that other than some cursory information, we really don't know much about each other. Things like, did you ever play sports in school? Have you ever been outside of Ireland? Would you ever like to visit your brother in the US? Do you see what I mean?”
“So are you saying we should play twenty questions for the next two hours?” Darren was letting his sarcasm show. “And for your information, I played soccer in school, I've been to London for work, and yes, it would be great to visit my brother. Are we done?”

“Let's not be too sarcastic here. Do you even know anything about me? What kind of job do I have? Do I have any siblings? Where did I go to school? Have I ever been married before? Or don't you care?”

Darren was quiet. He was sulking because Cailin was right. They barely knew each other. All he knew was that he had some very strong feelings for her. The rest really didn't seem to matter. At least it hadn't mattered, until she brought all this up. It was true that they knew very little about each others backgrounds. With all these feelings clouding his mind, he didn't think any of this was important. But that marriage question made him realize she really had a point.

“Well....have you ever been married?” Darren stumbled through the question.

“When we stop in Sligo, ask me that again, and I'll answer,” Cailin deflected the question intentionally. She was trying to make a point and finally had Darren's attention. “So let's find something neutral to talk about for the next hour. How about my list of things that I still need to see in Ireland?”

“Fine,” Darren sullenly agreed. “What about sites in the south of the isle? A circular trip from Dublin south would be perfect for you. Further away from Derry, the better.”

“Daren, that will get you no where. Tell me about the south of Ireland. What's there to see?” Cailin was glad they had changed the subject for a while at least.

For the next hour they talked about places like Powercourt Gardens, Glendalough – St. Kevin's Monastery, Hook Head Lighthouse, Charles Fort, and both the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula with Darren talking about specific sites along the way. He made sure to note that about an hour south of Galway was the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher. Cailin was trying to keep track of all the places Darren mentioned and listened carefully as he added some history about the sites as he described them. It wasn't long before Darren had pulled off the main road and into the entrance of the Drumcliff Cemetery to park.