Page 2 of Played By the Fool

“I remember your birth mother,” she says softly. “She wasn’t like the other young mothers that we had here. She told me about how much she loved your birth father. And how they had planned a life together. Being here wasn’t her idea, or his. It was something their parents made them do. Your mother’s name is Órfhlaith Ó'Dufaigh and your da is Liam Kearney.”

Sister Katherine pulls out a paper and hands it to my da. I watch his eyes fill with tears as he looks at it.

“There was something about your mam that stayed with me. I wish I could’ve found a way to keep you with her. I met your da right before she gave birth. It was not allowed, but after spending time with Órfhlaith, I had to help her. I arranged for your da to visit her. I saw how devoted he was to her, and her to him. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you all together. But I promised Órfhlaith that I would find you good parents. And I did my best. I hope that you had a good life, Cian.”

My da wipes his tears and nods.

“My parents were really good people. They never made me feel like I wasn’t blood related. They both passed when I was in college. That’s when I decided I wanted to find my birth parents. I didn’t want them to feel bad about it, like they weren’t my parents. They always told me that they would understand if I wanted to find them. But then again, I didn’t want to hurt them.”

“I’m sorry to hear of their passing. They had two children when they came to adopt you, how are they doing?”

“Colin and Finola are great. They support me doing this.”

“You’ll have to come back and tell me if you’ve found Liam and Órfhlaith. I always wondered if they made it through together.”

Sister Katherine hands my da a folder.

“This is everything I have right now. I know there’s more because I have it at home. I kept a journal of the girls I was close to. I will look that up and give you a call. I’d like you to have that too.”

“Thank you so much, Sister. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

We stand up and Sister Katherine embraces the two of us.

“I hope you find them and get the closure you need.”

“Because of you, I think I will,” Da says to her.

“I’ll be calling you in a few days. It won’t take me long to find my journal.”

“We’ll drive back when you do” I say to Sister Katherine as we leave.

My da is quiet on the drive home. I can see him reading each page over and over. I have a feeling this is the start of a crazy journey for our family. And I can’t wait.

Chapter Two

Emilia

I grew up in Chicago, Illinois. After I graduated high school, I wanted to start over somewhere new. Not to get away from my family, but to try to stand on my own two feet. So I travelled around for a bit and landed in Starlight Bay, Massachusetts. I’ve been living in Starlight Bay for the last five years. And I’ve been a waitress at Starlight Pi for a year. It’s a fun pizza joint that makes you love math. I already love math, so it’s perfect.

I have two brothers—River, who’s three years older than me and Blaze who is a year younger than me. I also have an older sister, Courtney. She’s my best friend and will be coming to visit me soon. I’m so excited. My family keeps asking me to come back to Chicago. But I’m not ready yet. I make enough money here to live and enjoy my life. If I moved back to Chicago, I’d have to depend on my parents or my siblings. And I don’t want to do that.

My whole family has come to visit me in Starlight Bay and they love it here. It’s a small town that makes you feel warm and cozy. So they understand why I don’t want to leave. But thatdoesn’t stop them from asking me all the time. One day I’ll move back to Chicago, I just don’t know when that will be.

Today is a normal day for me. I get up, get my workout in and head into work. It’s the time of year that more tourists start coming into town. I wasn’t supposed to work today, but my boss, Oliver, called me last night and asked if I could open. Of course I said yes, Oliver is one of those bosses that’s a friend and a boss. He’s never said no to me when I’ve asked for time off. Even if it’s a last minute ask.

When I open Pi, the first thing I do is wipe down the tables and chairs. I like the opening shifts, I get to see the town waking up and starting to get busy. I wave at some of the people that I know, they always make it a point to say hi.

My boyfriend, John, is coming home in three days. I can’t wait. He’s been back in Michigan visiting his family. It’s been a long month of just phone calls and texts. We’ve been together for almost a year and I was supposed to go with him to meet his family. Then we were going to see mine. But I realized I couldn’t take the time off right now. It’s busy season here in Starlight Bay and this when I make the most money. John is a journalist. So he can basically work from anywhere. I wish I had that luxury.

As I’m wiping down the tables down by the windows, I look up and I swear I see John across the street. But it can’t be. He’s supposed to be in Michigan still. As he crosses the street I’m no longer in doubt. That’s him. And well, that hand he’s holding? It’s obviously not mine. What the fuck?

I walk out of Pi and stand out front as he looks up. The look of surprise almost makes me laugh. Almost.

“Hey…Mia…I thought you were off today?”

“And I thought you were still in Michigan?”

The girl he’s with steps up and puts her hand out.

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