Travels in Eire #29

Cailin had thought long and hard about this. This was not something she took lightly. Darren was a very special man, and these kind of men were few and far between. But she had been hurt before, and she had to admit that she really didn't feel like she knew Darren enough to commit to staying in Ireland. He had gotten out of the car and was leaning on the hood of the car waiting for her. In a way she felt sorry for him and didn't know how he would take this.

“Okay, Cailin, I've waited until we arrived at Drumcliff. Time to talk. We still have about 3 hours on the road to get back to Derry by dinner.” Darren was trying not to sound too impatient, but his patience was wearing thin. He was thinking that he might already know what was coming in Cailin's explanation, but didn't want to say it out loud.

“Darren, I don't want you to be upset or offended by this, so please hear me out completely. This was not an easy decision. First off, I have pretty much used up all of my vacation time over the last couple of days with you. Anywhere else other than a stop in Mullaghmore on the way to Dublin will have to wait. I don't regret any of that time. It's been wonderful, and you are a very special man.” Cailin could sense Darren's uneasiness watching him as he shifted positions.

“ Like I said the other day, I have obligations in New York. It's not like I can just walk away from everything. My family is there too, and I need to have a serious talk with them. When I was getting my passport before this trip I learned something that I sort of glossed over at the time, but now it seems to possibly fit a plan. Did you know that a person with a valid passport can stay in Ireland for three months? It gets a little sticky if you need to work, but three months is a nice amount of time. And there is more. Before I left my grandmother, who was born in Ireland told me I could become an Irish citizen through a rule that allows a person to request citizenship by descent. With that there are no other rules for being employed in Ireland.”

Darren was confused all over again, “So does that mean you are staying, or going?”

“Darren, one thing you never really asked me was what I do for a living. I always wondered if you cared about what I do, since you have told me all about your job.”
“You said PR work, right?” Darren was searching his memory for what Cailin had told him.

“Yes, I work for a PR firm, but I do research for them. Mostly online research and some phone calls. I head a department for their research. There are two of us,” Cailin laughed at her reference of a department made up of two people.
“Online research can be done anywhere. Do you see where I am going?”

“Anywhere, as from Ireland? So what does that mean exactly?” Darren was starting to see where Cailin was going.

“ This might take some working out, but if my firm agrees, I can come back over here and work from here for three months. During that time it would give us a chance to get to know each other better. Don't you agree that we need more time? This would not interrupt you work, or life, and it would give me more time in Ireland, which I now know I need. That is, if you want me to come back?”

Now it was Darren's turn to make some decisions. He hated that Cailin was leaving, but was happy that she would be coming back for three months.

“What if your firm doesn't let you work over here for them?” Darren was still skeptical about all of this. “You'll stay in New York and not return. I do want you to come back, and soon.”

“Darren, I really thing this can work out. But I have to go back and make my case face to face with my boss. And I need to talk to my family in the mean time. Are you willing to give me that time? It could take two to four weeks. I have a flat in the city to move out of. It's not much, but it's mine. I know my parents will support this, I just know they will.”

“I can't say I'm really happy about this, but I do realize that you can't just drop everything and stay here. I like the idea that you'd consider a trial three months, and maybe Irish citizenship to follow. Maybe while you are gone I can work on finding a place for you to stay while you are here. On the outskirts of Derry, I'm hoping.” A smile was starting to return to Darren's face.

“Okay, so we have a temporary plan, right?” Cailin was feeling better about this the more she thought about it.

“What do you mean, temporary? Did I miss something?” Darren was confused once again.

“I mean temporary as in temporarily back in New York, and the temporarily back in Ireland. And temporary as Plan A until we need to adjust for unforeseen problems. And we can stay in touch as much as you want to.”

“Sounds good to me except for the 'adjust' and 'unforeseen' part. But I guess that's not avoidable. I guess there isn't much else I can do except hope for the best. I really don't want you to go at all, you do realize that, don't you?”

“Darren, I'm not sure I really want to go either, but it can't be helped. Little did I know that when I headed over here for vacation, that I'd be considering living here, or that I would have met someone very special, or connected with my ancestors and family here. Are we ready to get back on the road?”

“Cailin, the sooner we get back to Derry, the sooner, we can start getting this plan going. I'm ready.” And Darren swung around the fender of the car heading to open the door for Cailin. Oh, and you left something out....Have you ever been married?”

Cailin smiled up at Darren as she slipped into her seat in the car, “Only to my job at this point!” Any more than that Darren didn't need to know right now. He grabbed Cailin is a huge hug that told how relieved he was now that he knew about this plan.

The remainder of the trip held conversation about what kind of place Cailin would live in, and how she would approach her boss about the move. Little did Cailin know what awaited her when she returned to New York, but first she must return to Mullaghmore and reconnect with Rorey.