Page 55 of The Irish Redemption

“Wesker! Get off your sister! Don’t think I won’t exclude you to the other coop, you little rat!”

A flurry of squawks answers her, followed by the sound of scattered seed hitting the ground. Suddenly, my palm is clammy and my calm heart turns up a notch. We cross the straw-covered floor, and Evelyn’s hand tightens in mine, then we turn past the last wall and my mother comes into view.

She’s dressed in jeans and a checkered shirt, with her crimson hair scooped into a bundle atop her head. Numerous chickens dart about at her feet and she occasionally uses her boot to push back some of the more rowdy girls. A basket sits under one arm, and she gathers a handful of seed from it, then scatters it down to the noisy chickens.

“Greedy fuckers, the lot of ye’,” she grumbles.

“Hey, Ma.”

She freezes, then turns so abruptly that a wave of seed is ejected from the basket. The chickens go crazy for the extra food while my mother stares at me with open shock on her face. She blinks, and her eyes shine.

“Oh, Cormac,” she snaps. “You’re so late I thought you weren’t coming!”

“Sorry, Ma.”

She dumps the basket aside, then charges toward me at an impressive speed for someone so short. As soon as she reaches me, she grabs me by the collar and drags me down into a hug so tight it’s a wonder I’m able to breathe. “Come here, you big lug,” she mutters, and emotion clogs her voice. “About time you came home.”

“Sorry it took me so long,” I reply. “You know how it is.” For a second, I’m twelve years old again, burying in my mother’s hair after a rough day at school or hiding in her arms after a nightmare. No matter how old I get or how dark the world is, she remains a pillar in my life. I circle my arms around her and cuddle her tightly, and for a long moment there’s nothing but the stuffed clucks of fat hens and the occasional creak of the barn.

“Alright, let me look at you.” She pushes me back and brushes her hands down my shirt, looking me over with a sharp eye. “You eating right? Drinking enough?”

“Aye, Ma.”

“Don’t Aye me if you’re bullshittin’.”

“I ain’t.”

“Good.” Satisfied, she turns to Evelyn who resembles a deer in headlights. “And who is this?”

“Ma, this is Evelyn. Evie, this is my Ma, Clodagh.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Clodagh,” Evelyn says in her politest voice. She holds out her hand to shake, and then her eyebrows fly up to her hairline when Ma swats her hand away and pulls her in for a hug.

“We don’t do that shite here,” she says with a hearty chuckle. “An’ call me Ma. It’s lovely to meet you! Thought I’d be dead and buried before Cormac brought a girl home.”

The urge to correct her rises, but when Evelyn merely blushes and ducks her head, I choose not to. The circumstances are odd, to say the least, but considering Evelyn my girl, even for a little while, is nice.

“It’s lovely to meet you too.” Evelyn laughs softly, and her cheeks are crimson by the time the hug is over. She seems stunned at being greeted with such warmth, and I’m briefly reminded of her phone call with her own mother.

“Look at you. When was the last time you had a decent meal, hmm?” Ma asks, looking Evelyn over.

“She was stabbed,” I remind Ma. “So be careful.”

“I’m always careful,” Ma snaps, nudging Evelyn with a wink. “Don’t worry, chick, there’s not a soul around here that hasn’t been on the wrong end of a blade.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” I snort, amused.

“Anyway…” Ma ducks and snatches up her dropped basket, rubbing her forehead as she watches the last of the spilled seed be consumed. “These damn birds. I better see extra eggs tomorrow!”

Basket in hand, she begins to lead the way out of the barn. “Cormac, Saoirse tells me you met with the Godmother.”

“Aye.”

“And?”

I grimace. “It’s not looking good.”

“It’s not been looking good since…” She trails off, unable to say Brenden’s name. Outside the barn, she breathes deeply and when she turns to me, her bright smile is back. “We’re feasting tonight because we have a special guest, so make sure you wash that jet stink off you before you come to dinner. You too, dear.”

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