Disclaimer I do not own Mrs Brown's Boys. Brendan o'connel owns all. No copyright infringement intended.
The Vote
Rory walked through the streets of Dublin knowing the next twenty four hours would be vital for the future not only of his relationship but of the country he was brought up in. Frowning he dug his hands in his pockets as he headed away from the hair salon where he worked with his husband and went in search of the polling station.
Xxxxxx
"Today's the day, Agnes." Winnie walked into the kitchen as Agnes poured tea. "Are you going to vote?"
"Am I going to vote? Of course I'm going to fecking vote! Look at our Rory."
"What about Father Damion?" Winnie asked as she sat at the kitchen table.
"What about him? The way I see it, Winnie is this. My boy is gay. He is madly in love with that idiot he married. Only in Ireland as things stand the law doesn't see the wedding as legal. Just a blessing. The Church stands there professing love and respect, which is all well and good, but when it comes to my boy?! They choose not to recognise that love? My Cathy could marry a thug, end up divorced and living back here and her marriage is recognised?"
"Oh Agnes."
"No! It's wrong. The church is wrong. Oh I'll be voting alright. You just watch me!"
"It's not like that. The church."
"The church is the church and it'll do what it wants. So will I."
Xxxxxx
Rory swallowed hard as he saw a young woman he recognised talking to Cathy and Sharon. Sharon glared as Cathy appeared to be giving the woman a piece of her mind. Rory watched for a moment, he knew none of his family were concerned about his sexuality. Rory was Rory as far as they were concerned, just in the same way Mark and Cathy were who they were and he knew his mother loved Deano. Even if she did hit him with the tea towel every time she saw him. Shaking his head sadly he remembered not everyone was as lucky as he was.
"Rory!" He paused. "Rory Brown!"
"Hiya Sharon." He turned to see a clearly irate Sharon Mcgoogan approach.
"Have you voted yet?"
"Just about to. Deano and Emily from the salon went first. Didn't want to close up."
"Well, I have. And sos your sister. Now get on with it."
"How are ya, Rory?" Cathy asked as she got nearer. Smiling broadly she linked arms with her childhood friend. Rory smiled.
"I'm grand. They're saying this is to be the biggest vote yet! I can't wait. I'm so nervous though. What if the vote goes against it?" Rory shook his head. Sharon laughed.
"No way! People are coming from all over to vote, not just Dublin." Sharon looked over to where the sour face woman was glaring at them. "And they can't all be gobshites like her."
"True."
"People are coming back to Ireland from all over the world. It'll be ok." Cathy hugged her brother. She had always known he was gay, it had never mattered and quite frankly was none of her business. None of anyone's business really she reasoned. "I don't see why this wasn't done years ago. Not as if I have to worry about being accepted for being straight. It's ridiculous so don't worry. Get in there. I'll wait out here, walk back to the salon with you."
Rory nodded before heading into the polling station. He felt like he did, years earlier when his sister and friend had waited for him so they could walk to school together.
Xxxxxx
"Mammy, leave the news on!" Dermot called as he walked into the living room. Grandad picked up the remote control before Dermot could argue. "Ar jeez, Grandad you're going out. We want to watch the news. The vote result will be announced."
"I know." Grandad gripped the control. "And bloody Coronation street is on at the same time. Everyone is coming here to see the vote. I don't want Agnes to change over. RTE is staying on. Now stop mythering." Dermot sat down as Maria, Betty and the children arrived. Before long the whole family were crowded in the living room. Deano bit his nails as he sat next to Rory.
"Deano!"
"Rory, if this goes our way we can get married here. Properly." He watched as Rory nodded.
"You are married." Bono sat next to his uncle.
"We had a blessing, Bono."
"Isn't that what a wedding is? A blessing?" Bono looked confused. "Mammy and Daddy had a wedding. And auntie Maria and uncle Dermot."
"Yeah we did." Maria curled into Dermot's side with Paul on her lap. Mark smiled at his son. "It was lovely."
"So, why is what Uncle Rory and uncle Deano had different to a wedding?" Trevor walked in with Agnes as Bono finished talking. Trevor smiled as he perched on the chair next to his grandfather.
"It isn't." Mark said. "Not really. The law, at the moment says only men and ladies can get married. You can have two ladies who love each other get a blessing or two men like your uncles but the law doesn't recognise it."
"The law is an ass!" The ten year old decided. Mark suppressed a laugh as Betty shot her son a look. Agnes smiled.
"He's right. How can there be a law that decides who can and can't get married. Who can't fall in love. Father Damion, don't you start! I know what the church says and I know my Bible. Didn't see anything where it says humans get to decide about love."
"Would you shut up!" Grandad yelled, pointing to the television. The whole family fell silent as the newsreader announced Ireland was the only country to change the constitution on public vote. The law would change. Agnes smiled slightly, glad that the whole thing was over. Looking up she could see Rory had quietly left the room as the rest of the family cheered. She slipped away to the kitchen.
"Rory? Rory son? What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Mammy."
"For feck's sake I can see something is." She watched as he turned to her.
"Mammy."
"Don't cry, son." She hugged him. "They voted in favour. Ireland voted for equality."
"I know."
"Then why all this?"
"Equality. Acceptance." Rory sighed. "It's all I ever wanted. To be like Dermot, Mark and the others. My marriage to be accepted."
"Oh Rory." She hugged him. "You ejit! It always has been accepted by the people that love you, they're the ones that matter. Everyone else can feck off."
"I know." Rory sniffed. "Oh Mammy." She held him at arms length.
"So why all this?"
"I'm being silly. But for the first time I can just be myself, wherever I am."
"You always could."
"Around family and friends but now, now everythingS changing. The vote wasn't just about equality."
"I know, son, I know. It was a vote for love."
Xxxxxx
A/N please review