Monday, February 13, 2012

The Quay - 30 years earlier

30 years earlier...

Callahan's Sail shop was well known in Kilmore Quay. Pete Callahan had been an All Ireland Sailing Champion through the junior and senior competition, so it was only natural that when he retired from competition that he opened a sailing business. Mostly he took tourists out sailing and on occasion he taught sailing lessons. Along the way one of his students was a beautiful lass his own age. She took to the sea like a natural and over time made regular visits to Kilmore and Pete's shop.

Eventually Pete and Kara started dating and after about a year, they became engaged and got married. Together they ran the successful sail shop with both taking out tourists and giving lessons. That was until Kara became pregnant with their first child, Molly.

Molly grew up on the water with her mother and father, and eventually took over the business when they decided to retire and turn the business over to her. She lived to be out on the water and even when times were slow she would take a small boat out and sail around the Saltee Islands to listen to all the birds. She never did enter any sailing competitions like her father, even though she was encouraged to do so, but always had in her mind that she would make a long distance sail at some point in her life.

Molly was so focused on the business she rarely had time for relationships. Oh, she had friends and would visit the local pub and spend some weekend evenings, or rainy winter days out of the water, but come a good day to sail, Molly could be found setting out with a customer, or on her own.

Everyone in Kilmore knew about Molly. She was a striking lass. Tall and lean like her father, with the long dark hair like her mother and lightly tanned skin from being out in the sun so much. She was very careful to protect her skin as her father had to be treated several times for skin cancers that popped up as a result or not protecting himself. Anyone in town could distinguish her sailing out on the water and point her out. And they did this as a compliment to any tourists who asked about sailing lessons.

Molly was happy with her life at the time. She had all she needed. The Sailing shop was busy enough to provide a decent income and she had plenty of time on the water between sailing classes and down time when she could sail to her heart's delight. Parties with friends and family, and an occasional date when a friend would try and fix her up with a potential husband. So far none of these dates ever worked out as most of the lads she dated didn't have much of an interest in sailing or know enough about it to keep her interested.

After a while her friends gave up and just invited her over to dinner once in a while. Molly kept herself busy in the shop and visiting her parents. It was one summer when things were a little quiet down on the harbour that all this changed.

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