Travels in Eire #38

Cailin was checking off those things that she needed to do to complete her move to Ireland and insure she still could work. She now felt that the biggest obstacle for her, Nick, was taken care of. Her family was very supportive in this venture and she had high hopes for Rob allowing her to work remotely.

She was glad it was the weekend, so she could spend more time talking to Darren on the phone. Weekdays were more difficult with his work schedule. They used Skype so not only could they talk, but they could see each other also. Even though there was a 5 hour time difference, they worked out times to call when they would both be at the computer, so it was strange that Darren was not there when Cailin called this Saturday. She left a message on Skype and just figured he got held up for a while and would return the call in a few minutes. Cailin went about organizing her apartment to prepare to move out.

Two hours had passed when she realized that she had not heard back from Darren. She wasn't sure if she should be concerned or not. Cailin thought she's try to call again, even though it was passed their agreed calling time. This time the call rang through and a woman answered, “Hello?” Cailin was so shocked she disconnected the call immediately before the video image came up. She had never considered that Darrren might find someone else to see while she was in New York. She felt they were in a committed relationship, but then they had not really known each other that well or for that long. From their discussions Cailin knew that Darren only had a brother, so this was not a sister. Who was the woman? Cailin was dismayed. Had she vested too much into this relationship?

Before Cailin had too much time to think about all of this, her computer rang with a Skpe call. It was Darren.
“HI, my American Lass. How are you doing?” Darren was upbeat and happy. She could easily see this through the video on her computer.

“Darren...I....I...I called a while ago and some woman answered,” Cailin was beyond beating around the bush with men any more. It was straightforward or nothing at all from now on.

“Cailin, no worries, that was Susan the rental agent. She thought it was strange that you hung up. I was next door dealing with a noisy neighbor when you called. We had just returned from seeing the rental.”

“But Darren we have a pre-arranged call time. Where were you?” Cailin wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery.

“Cailin, take a breath here. I was with Susan looking at a place for you and we were detained. I haven't had a minute to call you until now. I'm just so glad you are home and can talk. I'm really sorry we missed our call time. Can you talk now? Susan is here and she'd like to talk to you about the rental. I think we found a perfect place.” Susan stepped into the web cam view and Cailin could see that there was nothing to worry about. Susan was more mature and business like. Not some young girl.

Cailin's blood pressure seemed to return to normal. She was very cautious after her relationship with Nick. Things seemed normal and talking to a rental agent was something she could easily handle.

The conversation with Susan went smoothly after the very awkward start. It seemed that Darren had known Susan for a while through fund raising at the hospital and she had even helped Darren find his current place. Susan was friendly and seemed enthusiastic about meeting Cailin and helping her make a smooth move to Derry. She found a flat that was halfway between the hospital and Darren's current location that was right on the bus route to Derry proper. Everything was within easy walking distance and there had been an upgrade of broadband services in the building, so Internet would be readily available.

Susan agreed to sent some photos of the flat to Cailin and fax over a rental agreement. The price was a little more than Cailin had planned, but if the flat was everything Susan was promising, it would be perfect. Darren was excited because he knew that he could always stop by on his way home from work. Cailin realized this might mean less take-out and more cooking for her. She smiled at the thought of cooking for someone special in her life.

The flat would be available the first of the month which fit into Cailin's time frame perfectly. It was fully furnished with dishes and linens included which was a big help. Less to ship over, or purchase while she was there.

Cailin finished talking with Susan and told Darren they could catch up on Sunday once she had a chance to see the pictures of the flat and got the agreement from Susan. After a shaky start to the conversation, Cailin felt all things were going smoothly. But it was just this feeling that gave her made her uneasy deep down in her thoughts. Should this all have been so easy?

Travels in Eire #37

Knots were building up in Cailin's stomach as she approached the stoop of her apartment. There was no getting away from this now. It had to be addressed head on, but she had had no time to prepare for this.

“So Sweetie, how are you? Did you miss me?” Nick said as he stood to greet her, leaning toward her to give her a kiss. Cailin quickly turned her face to avoid as much as possible. Nick chuckled at her attempt to avoid his kiss.

“Nick, there is nothing funny here. You obviously are not getting my message. We're through. Done. There is nothing to discuss. I'm not interested in seeing you, I don't want you to bother me anymore. Are you getting this?”

“Babe, I know you are just saying that because you are a little upset with me.”

“UPSET!!! You are kidding. And I'm not your babe. Save that for some other sucker. I'm done with you. And if I have to get a restraining order, I will. Again I ask, are you getting this?”

“Cailin, I didn't realize I hurt you so much. You do understand that I'm very sorry for my indiscretions, right? We are meant for each other. Everyone knows that.”

“Nick, I'm going into my apartment now. Do not call me. Do not try to contact me. Do not bother me, ever again. We are not meant for each other. I'm in love with someone else.” Cailin was not sure she should have said that last information, but was hoping that was something that could get through to Nick.

Suddenly Nick was frozen in his tracks. He said nothing. The look on his face was one of disbelief. Jaw open with no words being uttered. And suddenly all he could muster was, “So you were the one cheating on me. Typical. And I'm the last to find out Who is this new sucker of yours. That's it, I'm done here.” Obviously Nick was trying to save face. He turned and walked away without another word.

Cailin was sure that by tomorrow Nick will have slammed her to all their friends. If they believed him, she knew they were not really friends. Those who knew her, knew that she wanted out of the relationship and also knew Nick's reputation. But for now she drew a breath of relief hoping this was finally over.

What surprised Cailin was that her statement about being in love with someone else came out so easily. It was the first time she had said it out loud. As she climbed the stairs to her apartment she smiled at the thought. Now all she needed was approval from her boss for her move and she could make moving plans.

Travels in Eire #36

Cailin was awakened by the ringing of her house phone. She rolled over in bed and sleepily grabbed the receiver.
“Helloooo,” she groggily answered.
“Hey Babe, I was wondering when I'd catch you. Good morning sleepy head.” chirped Nick as if they had just left each other.

“Are you there, Cailin?” Nick was wondering why the other end of the line was silent.

Cailin was trying to figure out what to say. She kept thinking about hanging up as an option.
“Not now Nick, I'll call you later. This is not a good time,” Cailin wanted to wait to deal with Nick.

“Your call, Babe. Just know I'm waiting to hear from you and won't take no for an answer for very long,” Nick was being insistent as he hung up the phone.

Cailin rolled over in bed and groaned. This was not the way she wanted to start this day. She needed to be focused and sure about herself when she met with Rob. His decision would mean a lot to her and she wanted to make sure he agreed with what she wanted to do in terms of working in Ireland. She took a look at her clock and realized she had already overslept and needed to get moving to get ready to meet Rob for lunch.

Cailin walked to Luigi's after getting off the bus. It was a warm and slightly humid day and she was wearing a flowered cotton tank dress that floated away from her as she quickly strolled down the street. As she approached the entrance to Luigi's she could see Rob sitting in his regular seat by the window. She flashed back to Rorey sitting in the cafe by the window and smiled.

Rob stood as Cailin approached the table and gave her a welcoming hug.
“Hope you had a good trip Cailin,” Rob was curious as to what Cailin wanted to talk about.

“It was a wonderful trip, Rob. I found my family roots and saw some amazing sites along the way,” Cailin wanted to broach the subject slowly.

This was followed by small talk about Cailin's trip, some catching up with office news, ordering their lunches, and general family discussion. As Cailin and Rob finished lunch, Rob was the first to broach the reason for this lunch meeting.

“So Cailin, have you come back to tell me you are quitting and leaving the company?”

“Rob, you should know me better than that. I love my job. But I am interested in the possibility of making a few changes in how I do my work.”

“What do you mean changes, Cailin?”

“Rob, you know as well as I do that the work I do can be done as easily from home as it can be done from the office. So what if I worked remotely?” Cailin was trying to be careful about how she approached this idea.

“You have a point, Cailin. So are you saying you want to work from home, now? Or are you thinking about working from somewhere else?” Rob was quick, and had an idea of what Cailin was proposing.

“Rob, I have a feeling you are way ahead of me. So I'm just going to throw this out here. What would be the possibility of my working remotely from Ireland?” Cailin bit her lip and held her breath.

“Cailin, you must have some very special reason for wanting to move to Ireland to work. I never expected you to come back from vacation and propose this. But I can't just say yes. I need a little time to think this over. And I also get the feeling that you don't want to wait very long. It's Friday now, how about I let you know on Monday. And I need some information from you about all this. How soon would you want this to happen? A week? A month? And what if we needed you for client meetings, would you be agreeable to fly back and forth? You may not think there is a lot of detail to arrange something like this, but there is, and I need some time.”

Cailin could see Rob trying to cover all the questions that might arise. She felt that this was going better than she had envisioned and was happy that Rob could see how serious she was about this plan. She also respected the flexibility that he always seemed to have with his employees. They agreed to talk again on Monday when Cailin returned to work. Rob understood that she was hoping that she could make this happen within two weeks or less.

Cailin left the meeting feeling that all things were going just as she had envisioned. As she left the bus stop and approached her flat, she realized that her biggest problem yet had to be dealt with. Nick was sitting on the steps of the stoop of her apartment.

Travels in Eire #35

The day had flown by and now Cailin was headed to have dinner with her parents and grandmother. The trip was 2 subway trains and a 3 block walk, but the summer the weather was warm and just a little humid, so she didn't mind at all. She left early to miss the crowds leaving work and heading home, planning to have time to discuss everything with her family before dinner. The idea of discussing this all over dinner was not very appealing, especially if her parents were not in favor of her idea to move to Ireland.

As she walked the last block to her parents house she went over how she would approach her parents with her idea. But she knew it was all going to have to be done is response to how her parents reacted. And before she knew it she was at the house and her mother came running down the steps of the front porch to greet her.
“Cailin, honey, it's so good to see you!” her mom said as she smothered Cailin with a huge hug.

“Mom, I've only been gone a few weeks. And can you let go a little so I can breathe?” Cailin laughed as she hugged her mom back.

“You look so relaxed and rested. Not at all like when you left,” her mom was very observant, that was for sure.

“Mom, you know why I had to leave for a while. And I know you understand why.” Cailin wanted to make sure her mom was happy for her.

“Let's go inside and you can tell us all about your trip. I just know you have some unbelievable adventures and I'm can't wait to hear about them.”

Cailin and her mom entered the house hand in hand smiling. They had always been very close. Cailin left her mom and went to over to her grandmother and kissed her on the cheek. There was something about her grandmother that took Cailin by surprise. As Cailin pulled away from her she winked at Cailin. It immediately reminded her of the wink that she got from Darren's grandfather. That knowing wink. She knew she was in big trouble now and smiled back at her grandmother. As she stood up and turned around her father was standing there with his hands outstretched.
“So what am I, chopped liver?” he laughed heartily as Cailin returned his hug.
“Okay, Cailin, let's hear it all,” her mother instructed as she tapped a place on the sofa for Cailin to sit down.

And so the story began with that rainy night ending up in Mullaghmore, meeting Rorey, finding the family tombstones in Ardmore, and her trip to Derry. It was here she took and breath to answer questions before she started to bring meeting Darren into her vacation. The questions were few. She could see that both her mother and grandmother were waiting for what she had to say. It was now or never, and Cailin knew she needed to get it out.

“Okay, so I'm just going to put it all out there. I met someone while I was in Derry. We spent some time together and we want to spend more time together.” It was out, she did it all in one breath and was waiting for a response, but there was none.

Finally her mother spoke, “That's so nice Cailin, when is he coming to the States.” This was not something she expected to hear, but not exactly what she wanted to hear. She looked over to her grandmother who nodded at her knowing exactly where Cailin was going with this and wanted her to continue.

“Mom, he's not coming here. I'm going back to Ireland.” There was a major quiet it he house that worried Cailin.

“Why is no one saying anyting?” Cailin was confused.

“Cailin, we had a feeling you had met someone. Your grandmother mentioned it when you called a few days before you came home. She explained how you might feel very connected to Ireland, and that if you met someone there, you might want to move there. We've been talking about this for the past few days.”

“I....I.....I'm dumbfounded here. I had all this planned. All my arguments, everything. I was sure you would protest about this.” Cailin was surprised.

“So Cailin, let's hear it. Who is this man who has stolen your heart? What plan do you have for all of this?” Now her parents were getting down to business.

Cailin felt very secure in her plan and what she wanted to do. She explained everything to her parents and her grandmother. How this was to be a 3 month trial with the possibility of acquiring her Irish citizenship and staying permanently in Ireland. And having the time to get to know Darren better and know if this relationship was going to move forward. While her parents were a little concerned about the work aspect of the move, they watched as their daughter laid out her plan for the future. Nothing rash, all thought out as much as possible.

“Well, my girl, it looks like you have a solid plan for success.” her father stated. “We'll do everything we can to support you through this.”

Cailin was elated and couldn't wait to call Darren, but would have to wait until the time difference allowed Darren to be awake. They all sat down to dinner and the talk was all about the details of the move and Cailin's tour of Ireland.

It was late when Cailin headed back to the subway on her way home, but she was happy and looking forward to things to come. Now just to convince Rob about the job, and she would be fine. The return home brought new vision and a dreamy night of sleep.

Travels in Eire #34

With the time difference Cailin was up earlier than she expected. Today was going to be her first test. She would be going to her parents and have to address what she wanted to do. But that wasn't until much later today. In the meantime she looked around her flat to see what she would need to do in order to move out. She could put the furniture in storage, or sell it. She didn't need to take all her clothes, but would need her warm winter clothes for Ireland. It would not be too different from New York winters. Maybe she could ship a box of clothes and necessities over. It might take a month or so, but she would have it when she needed it.

And now to tackle the job situation. She still had the rest of the week before she was due back at work, but thought she might contact her boss for a meeting to discuss her work “from home” idea, with home being Ireland. She felt very strongly it would work and just had to convince him. Cailin had spent part of the night before laying out her plan for this.

Then there was one more needling problem to deal with. Nick. She didn't want any problems from him before, or after she left New York. The end of their relationship was one of the reasons she went to Ireland for vacation. She wanted to get far away from him. As far as she knew he didn't even know where she had been.

Cailin and Nick had been dating for two years. They met through a friend at Cailin's work. At first they seemed like the perfect couple. Both well educated, and motivated people, well-employed with everything going for them. But they were not really a match. Cailin understood that now. She never felt for Nick how she was feeling for Darren. She could always feel that there was something lacking in their relationship. First there were little things that seemed to annoy her. Nick always making comments about other women. He would tell her it was nothing, that he was just looking and that she was welcome to look too. But that was not her style. Then the flirting started. Nick always saw himself as a ladies man. Once he felt that his relationship with Cailin was secure he would show off to her at parties by flirting with all the women. Cailin told Nick how it annoyed her, but he kept reassuring her, that their relationship was solid and he was only having a good time, nothing serious.

Cailin just couldn't deal with his behavior anymore. And then she started to hear rumors about Nick seeing someone else. The whispers behind her back. She knew it was true and confronted Nick about it. He did the big apology and asked for forgiveness. Cailin knew that if she stayed with him it would only be more of the same, so she broke off their relationship. The problem was that Nick was not one to take no for an answer. He continued to hound her to take him back. She was terribly hurt but his behavior and how he had treated her. She knew he would never leave her alone unless she went away. Cailin had saved up some vacation thinking she might need it for a vacation with Nick. Little did she know it would be her salvation from Nick.

Cailin would love to ignore Nick and just take care of getting her job mobile and moving to Ireland, but she knew how Nick could be. She needed to put him out of her life permanently, so she could go to Ireland with no loose strings left in New York.

As lunch time approached Cailin picked up the phone and dialed her work number to talk to her boss.
“Hi, Joanie, can I talk to Rob?”
“Cailin, we've been wondering when we'd hear from you. Shannon's been buried in work since you've been gone. She'll be thrilled when you get back on Monday. Let me see if Rob is available.” Joanie was Rob's secretary and a friend of Cailin's.
“Well it's about time you checked in Cailin,” Rob's voice was welcoming and friendly,.
“Hi, Rob. I was wondering if you had some time to meet with me tomorrow. I'd like to talk to you about an idea I have.” Cailin was trying to be direct but not say too much.
“Cailin, can it wait until Monday when you come back to work? Why tomorrow?” Rob was definitely curious.
“It's just something I'd like to throw out and have you think about. And you know how hectic things can get at work,” Cailin really didn't want to wait for Monday. She knew Rob would find any excuse not to meet with her then.

“Okay, Cailin, how about lunch tomorrow? Luigi's? It's been a long while since we've had a working lunch to hash things out.” Rob was curious, but knew he had to wait until they had some private time to talk.
“Luigi's it is. How about 12:30? I'll see you there then.” Cailin knew Rob loved Luigi's Italian restaurant. It was a great idea.
“See you then Cailn, and by the way, welcome back.”

Cailin hung up the phone with a big sigh of relief. This was the beginning of her plan. Now just to deal with her parents and grandmother tonight.

Travels in Eire #33

Cailin settled into her window seat for the flight. It was not a full flight so she actually had the seat next to her open to stretch out. She pulled her iPod out of her backpack and tried to find some music to settle down with for the first part of the flight. It was difficult choosing some music that didn't remind her of this incredible trip. She settled on an Irish musician named Phil Coulter who did some very relaxing orchestral pieces called Sea of Tranquility. “Tranquility”, she thought to herself, “is just what I need.”
It would be about a 7 hour flight to New York and then getting through Immigration and grabbing a taxi to her small flat. With the help of the music and an adequate meal along the way, Cailin was able to sleep for a few hours and woke up as they were announcing the arrival in New York in 45 minutes.

The easiest part of this return was the process of getting back to her flat. As Cailin opened the door she noticed how empty it felt. How cold and lifeless. It was still early in the day, so Cailin pulled the curtains open to let the light in. This helped some, but as she stood in the center of the room and looked around she realized how stark this was compared to the B&Bs she had stayed in while in Ireland, and even compared to Darren's parent's home. She immediately missed that. Everything here was so sleek and new. Cailn had always tried to decorate in the modern style thinking that this was what she wanted. If she was shopping now to furnish her flat it would be all antiques and warm woods.

She was startled by the phone. For a few seconds she didn't even respond to it.
“Hello”, Cailin answered her house phone hesitantly.

“It's about time. How long were you going to wait to call us?” her mom sounded a little accusatory.

“Mom, I just walked in the door. I was still getting my bearings.” Cailin was looking at her cell phone in her other hand thinking that she should call Darren.
“Can I at least put my stuff down?”

“It's okay honey, we just missed you all these weeks. Can you make it for dinner? We want to hear all about your trip.” Cailin's mom was not someone you turned down.

“Mom, I'm dealing with a 5 hour time zone change. Can we make it tomorrow instead? I'm beat.”

“Okay, Cailin, but no excuses tomorrow. You've been very secretive about this whole trip. All your calls were cryptic. I know there is something going on. Remember I'm your mom, I can pick up on all this,” and she chuckled as she finished her statement.

“I'll be there about four tomorrow so we can have lots of time to talk,” Cailin answered knowing there was no hiding what she had to tell her parents about her plans.
As soon as Cailin hung up from her mom she dialed Darren. It was so comforting to hear his voice. They didn't speak for very long, but shared how much they already missed each other and hopes that this separation would not take very long. The minute she hung up from Darren her bell buzzed from the outside door.
“Yes?”
“Cailin, it's Tommy from down at Sunny Brook,” a young voice echoed back.

Cailin cringed knowing what was coming, but it was not Tommy's fault and something she would have to deal with, “Come on up Tommy.”

“Hi, Cailin,” said Tommy as she opened the door and he handed her a large bouquet of summer flowers.

“Thanks, Tommy,” Cailin replied as she handed him a tip, took the flowers and closed the door.

How did he know I was back already? Can't I just have a day to myself? I thought he got the message before I left. All these questions and comments were running through Cailin's head as she walked across the room and put the flowers in a waste basket. She didn't want these flowers, didn't want to see them and didn't want to be reminded of all the hurt she had left behind when she went to Ireland.

She walked back to the basket, and grabbed the note attached to the flowers. Maybe she was wrong, maybe these were from Darren. But she knew better.
She gritted her teeth as she read the note:

Honey, so glad you are back. Can't wait until we can spend some special time together. Love Nick.

Cailin was pacing her flat. She was already angry again, and her stomach was in knots. If Nick could do this with just a note, how was she going to handle him all over again? She needed to get control of her emotions. There was no running away anymore. This time she would deal with everything head on. She knew where she wanted to be and it wasn't with Nick.

Cailin spent the rest of the day and evening sitting down and writing down all that she needed to do to fulfill her dreams. And she suddenly realized what she was saying. They were her dreams, and she was going to make them come true.

Travels in Eire #32

Cailin woke up early the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the goals that she had set out for herself. Her first order of business was driving back to Dublin, dropping off her rental car, and getting settled in a hotel so she could do a little souvenir shopping for friends and family before heading home tomorrow. It was less than an hour's drive, but she wanted to take time to check out Dublin as she never stopped there when she arrived in Ireland.

Before heading out of Mullaghmore, she wanted to say her last good-byes to Rorey. As she headed downstairs with her bag for breakfast those familiar smells came wafting up the stairs at her. She knew that Brendan would have breakfast ready for her. And breakfast was not the only surprise. Rorey was sitting at the bar waiting for her already. There was no need to find him.

“So Cailin, did you sleep well last night?” Brendan placed the Ulster Fry down in front of her.
“Brendan, I did at that. It was lovely,” Cailin was full of smiles.

“So girlie, what's goin' to happen now?” Rorey was wanting more detail about Cailin's plans.

“Rorey, I'm going to go back to New York and try to convince my boss that I can work remotely from Ireland. I sure hope he goes for it. If not I'll have to create Plan B.”

“And what would Plan B be all about?”

“Rorey, let's just hope it doesn't get to that. Right now I'm all about this Ulster Fry. It will be the last one for a while and I want to enjoy it.”

As Cailin ate, there was chatter and laughter between her and Brendan and Rorey. She realized how comfortable she felt in this situation. Like she belonged here.

After breakfast Cailin said her good-byes and headed back down the road to the M-50 leading into Dublin, dropped off the car at the airport and caught a taxi into town. She had called ahead and made reservations at the Adams Trinity on Dame Street. Nothing fancy, but sufficient for the night. Cailin also made arrangements with the cabbie to pick her up early the next morning to take her back to the airport.
Adams Trinity was located centrally in Dublin so it was only a 2 block walk to Temple Bar, a few blocks to Trinity College, and the same to the Tourist Office. Just down from Trinity College was a Blarney Woolen Mills for some great souvenir shopping.
Once Cailin was situated in the hotel, she headed out toward Trinity College and the Blarney Woolen Mills. Her purchases were many, but small so she didn't have too much to carry home. Her one suitcase was already bulging. And while she tried to stay away from the breakables, she couldn't resist a jar of whiskey marmalade for her granny along with a Guinness shot glass for her dad. For her mom she needed to get a hand-made scarf. Cailin was a great shopper carefully looking at all the labels of the gifts she purchased to make sure none of them said “Made in Japan”.

Armed with all her souvenirs in her handy backpack, she headed toward Trinity College to take a look around. The visitor line to see the Book of Kells was longer than she was willing to wait, but the grounds and buildings were amazing. From there she headed down O'Connor Street and off to the Ha' Penny Bridge. Temple Bar was between Dame Street and the Liffey River. On her way back Cailin stopped in Gallagher's Boxty House for an early dinner. A small restaurant full of Irish charm. And although the boxty was delicious, the homemade ice cream with a wine poached pear was even better.

On her walk back to the hotel, Cailin looked around her. It seemed like she should feel like a stranger in a strange land, but she didn't. She could spot the tourists as if she was a native. Something had really happened to her while she was here in Ireland. There was no describing it, but she knew something had definitely changed.

Back at the hotel she repacked several times to make sure that any breakables were safe and that everything fit easily into her suitcase. She would carry on her backpack. When she finished she showered and slipped into bed with her cell phone to call Darren.

“ Hey there, Cailin,” Darren cheerfully answered his phone. “How was the day in Dublin?”

“Darren, I can hardly believe that this vacation is over. I'm very sad. I feel like I'm going away from home rather then going to my home,” Cailin was already getting weepy.

“Cailin, now don't start that. I'm already too far away to comfort you on this. You have got to be strong on this,” Darren was upset he couldn't do anything from Derry to help her.

“I know Darren. I miss you too, if I haven't already said that. There was no one to share my day with today.”

Cailin and Darren talked for a short while and said good-night. Cailin promised to call Daren before she got on the plane the next day.

The next morning came quickly after a restless sleep. Cailin barely ate breakfast. She met the cabbie at the front door and headed to the airport. She was a little early but figured there was nothing else she needed to do and could wait the extra time at the airport. She had just paid the cabbie and was starting in to the airport when her cell phone rang.

“Cailin, where are you?” Darren asked.

“I just go to the airport, Darren. Is there a problem?”

“No, just where are you. Where are you exactly?”

“Darren, what a strange question. Okay, I'm outside gate number 7. Is that specific enough?”

“Then I think you had better turn around.” Darren said in a cryptic tone.

As Cailin turned around she was face to face with Darren and a huge hug and loving kiss.
“What!!” Cailin screamed in surprise.

“Cailin, I just couldn't let you leave without a proper farewell.”

“But...but you are supposed to be a work. How did you do this? When did you come here?” Cailin was full of questions.

“Cailin, none of that matters right now. I just wanted to see you off this morning. I couldn't bare to leave you like we did the other day. And mostly I wanted to make sure you were still wearing the Connemara marble heart that I gave you.” Darren finished reaching to Cailin's neck finding the heart necklace still where he had put it when he had first given it to Cailin. She had never taken it off.

Hand in hand they walked into the terminal and got Cailin checked in. They would have to part at the security check point and lingered there as long as they could. With a last loving kiss Darren said good-bye to Cailin and wished her well on all her plans in New York.

All that Cailin could think of as she walked toward the plane tears welling in her eyes was how fast could she return to Ireland.