Page 16 of The Widow's Irish Secret
‘Good luck,’ Maggie said before she went to find a table. ‘Hope you find the man of your dreams.’
Tricia laughed. ‘I’m not here for that as you know. But I hope it goes well for you.’ They gave a start as a bell rang loudly and the speed dating started.
A man in a plaid shirt with grey hair in a ponytail sat down in front of Tricia, smiling broadly. ‘Hello, my name is Brendan and you’re…’ He peered at her sticker. ‘Tricia? So tell me about yourself.’
‘Eh… well, I’ve just arrived here from Dublin and my daughters and grandchildren live here.’ She went on to say she was actually from Dingle and that she loved swimming and walking. Then Brendan took over, telling her about himself and that he lived in Dingle town and had a shop that specialised in fishing gear. Then the bell rang again and another man sat down at her table and then another and another until Tricia felt quite dizzy and hoped it would all be over soon. She found it hard to remember anything any of the men had told her but they had all been nice and a little shy, some even saying, ‘Welcome to Dingle.’ None of them had really appealed to her even though they were all nice.
‘One more date and then we’ll mingle,’ the organiser announced as the last man slid onto the chair opposite Tricia. She looked at him and her heart nearly stopped when she realised who it was.Is this really happening? It can’t be…she thought, wondering if this was some kind of weird dream.
Before her was a man she knew very well. A man with black hair streaked with grey and large hazel eyes. Cillian O’Malley, Fred’s best friend. She hadn’t seen him for years but it was as if they had parted only yesterday.Oh no, she thought,not him, not now, not here. What am I going to do? We didn’t part on good terms and he might still carry a grudge. It’s been over twenty years, but still…She felt cold sweat breaking out and her throat was suddenly so dry she couldn’t utter a word.
They stared at each other in shock for a moment while Tricia tried to find something to say. But Cillian beat her to it.
‘Long time no see,’ he said, still staring at Tricia as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. He seemed as shocked as she was. ‘How long has it been? Twenty-five years?’ he asked.
‘Something like that,’ Tricia said, her voice hoarse.
‘So… how are you?’ he asked.
‘I’m fine,’ Tricia replied, still so shaken by seeing him again she found it hard to get the words out. ‘But what about you?’ she finally asked. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Me?’ Cillian smiled. ‘Oh… I’m here on a job and to connect with my roots and maybe take a little trip down memory lane. And… well, this dating thing just happened by accident and I came on a whim. Didn’t know I’d meet you here, though. What about you? What are you doing here?’
‘A bit of the same as you,’ Tricia said, trying to regain her composure. ‘I came to this thing to support a friend, not to find a man or anything. I just recently arrived back to Dingle after a long time away. I’m starting a new chapter of my life in old surroundings. My daughters are all here and my grandchildren and…’
‘You’ve come home,’ he said quietly.
‘I suppose I have in a way,’ Tricia agreed. ‘After all these years.’
‘You look different,’ he said.
‘Older,’ she filled in with a wry smile.
Cillian shook his head while his eyes twinkled. ‘No, not that. Older yes, but aren’t we all? But you haven’t changed much except for the look in your eyes. A happy, hopeful look. So different to what I saw when we said goodbye all those years ago. Then you were… angry and sad all at the same time.’
‘I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t very nice to you.’
He shrugged. ‘No. But I did understand. Eventually.’
‘I do feel better now. About everything,’ she added.
‘That’s good to hear,’ he said, his eyes warm as he looked at her.
The bell rang, startling them. ‘Time to mingle,’ a voice ordered.
Tricia smiled. ‘We’d better obey. Anyway, I could do with a drink.’
‘We can talk later,’ Cillian suggested, getting up. ‘Nice to see you, Tricia.’
‘Nice to see you, too,’ Tricia said as he walked away. He shot a smile at her over his shoulder and then he disappeared into the crowd.
Feeling shaken after the sudden meeting, Tricia got up and walked to the bar, where people were gathered, chatting and sipping wine. Meeting Cillian like that had given her a jolt. A few years after Fred had died, the two of them had met in Dublin. And sparks had flown. But it was still too soon after the tragedy. She had felt as if Fred was standing between them and she was somehow cheating on him, even though he was gone. It had taken her more than ten years before she had felt she could fall in love with someone else. And then Sean had been there, offering her love, companionship and a safe haven at his nice farm in Donegal. She had wanted to go far away from everything that reminded her of Fred. Lily and Rose were at university and Vi at boarding school, all happy, at the beginning of theiradulthood away from home. She had been ready to go north to a new place where she could start afresh.
With Sean, she had been finally at peace and content, even if the passion and romance hadn’t been anything like what she had experienced with Fred. But she couldn’t expect to feel like that for anyone else ever, so Sean provided a different life on a farm with sheep and cows and all kinds of other animals. It had been a peaceful time full of new experiences until Sean had become ill and then died. Tricia had been deeply grateful to him for taking care of her. She missed him terribly but her grief was nothing compared to the devastation and loss she had felt when Fred had died.
And now she was back in Kerry and had planned to start a new adventure, one that Fred had wanted them to do together. She felt she was picking up his mantle and that this new venture would help her heal at last. Would Cillian stir up feelings she thought were dead? She felt he wouldn’t succeed in disturbing her peace. She was stronger and older now and so much time had passed. She was determined to go forward on her own, to live here with her daughters and their families without distractions.I won’t let Cillian or anyone else rock my boat, Tricia thought as she joined Maggie and Colette, who were waiting to talk to her near the bar.
Maggie handed Tricia a glass of white wine. ‘Here, have some plonk while we share our experiences. How did you get on?’
