Okay I apologize for all the name changes that occurred over and
over; I'm sure it was confusing. When I did a spell check I hit the wrong
button and didn't realize it until after I posted it. I think I've changed
them all back now. I appreciate the positive feedback…thanks a lot. Okay,
I've talked enough; here's chapter two.
Daniel O'Connell felt as though his life were in a rut. Everyday he repeated the same routine, saw the same people, and worked the same repetitive job in a nearby factory. He was nineteen and had been working the same job for five years now. He took pride in that fact; many people had several jobs over that period of time but he had managed to maintain consistent work.
Staring out at the dirty street that was just becoming visible in the early morning light Daniel was completely lost in his thoughts. Whenever he tried to think of some way to escape his surroundings Daniel would become completely lost in his thoughts. This was why he was why he jumped when someone suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Bridget says you're going to be late for work if you don't leave soon."
Daniel rolled his eyes. "I haven't even had my breakfast yet; what time is it?"
The owner of the voice, Daniel's eleven-year-old sister Tara, let go of his neck and sat down next to him on the stairs. "It's around six o'clock," she answered.
"I still have an hour," Daniel smiled. He put his chin in his hands and stared at his feet.
He and Tara sat in silence for a few moments when Tara finally shouted down to someone passing in the street. "Morning Kathleen!"
Daniel's head shot up and he looked out to the street. A small group of women were passing by the tenement and amongst them he could easily pick out Kathleen McBourough. She raised a hand and waved to Tara as she passed and Daniel immediately jumped up. He ran down the stairs and jostled his way into the group so he was situated next to Kathleen. Close behind, Tara fell in step with the group too.
"Why Kathleen McBourough, I haven't seen you in ages. Don't tell me you're still working that job in the factory."
Fighting a smile, Kathleen replied, "Of course Danny. I'll be working that job until a better opportunity comes along. You know that."
"A better opportunity…you're not going to find many better opportunities in this city."
"She meant getting married boy," one of the older women in the group said.
Kathleen shrugged. "Maybe I did and maybe I didn't. And it's none of your concern anyway, Daniel O'Connell, so I'd thank you to stay out of it."
He reached out and grabbed her arm lightly. It was not a violent gesture and Kathleen did not fight it. As she stopped the group paused for a moment and then continued on. For the first time, Daniel noticed Tara's presence.
"What're you doing here?" Daniel asked as he looked at his little sister.
Tara put her hands on her hips and gave Daniel a glare telling him that it was none of his business. "Go home!" Daniel commanded her.
"No," Tara said stubbornly. "I don't want to."
"I need to talk to Kathleen. Alone! So go home."
Tara crossed her arms and prepared to argue. Just as she opened her mouth, Kathleen interrupted. "Why don't you just let her stay?"
Daniel opened his mouth to protest and decided against it as he looked from Kathleen to Tara and back again. "Fine. She can stay."
There was a long pause after that. The sun was rising now and Kathleen pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulder and pushed a stray strand of her chocolate brown hair out of her eyes. "What do you want Danny?" she finally asked. "I have to get to work."
Daniel opened his mouth and shut it, debating what he would say. With Tara standing there staring at him and Kathleen waiting for a response his head swam. He didn't know what to say so he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.
"I'm leaving the country."
"What?!?" both Kathleen and Tara exclaimed in unison.
"How can you leave the country? You can't possibly have that sort of money saved," Kathleen protested.
"You can't leave!" Tara said angrily. "We need you. You know Ma's sick. How can we live without you working?"
Ignoring the extent of the lie he had just told Daniel didn't answer any of their inquiries. Instead he asked with a broad grin, "Would you miss me?"
"I don't think I could miss a boy who would abandon his family when they need him," Kathleen said crossing her arms. "In fact, I don't want to see you ever again!"
Turning abruptly Kathleen marched away from the O'Connell siblings. For a moment Daniel considered going after her, but then he realized he had more pressing problems. Tara, who had ran the opposite direction claiming she was telling the family that he was leaving, and the job he had to be at in twenty minutes. What he wanted more than anything was a drink, but that was the last thing that would happen. Instead he settled for work.
When Kathleen arrived at work she was furious at Daniel. She had never thought he was so selfish and couldn't believe he would leave his family for whatever ridiculous reason he had. She had known the O'Connell's her entire eighteen years of existence and had always been partial to Daniel. When he was a little boy they'd play together with the other children in the neighborhood and he had always been very sweet. When his father died from liver disease Daniel, his older sister Bridget, and his younger brother Patrick had all found work. Kathleen saw much less of him, but kept in contact through his mother and other siblings. Then two years later she too had found work at the same factory as Bridget. Every afternoon Daniel would come to pick up Bridget and he'd walk them both home. It lasted only a year however. At that point Mrs. O'Connell had become very ill and could no longer take care of her youngest children. Bridget quit her job to work at home and Daniel stopped coming by. Kathleen supposed that was her fault; she had teased him and caused him grief that entire past year and he had no reason to assume she wanted him to continue meeting her after work. Consequencely, she saw him only periodically during chance encounters on the street. She missed him, and had made up her mind to renew their friendship. But after today's incident she knew she couldn't. Daniel O'Connell was obviously not the same person she had known all those years.
Kathleen spent the day in a foul mood, working more diligently and quickly than she had since she had been working there. Even at lunch she was not her usual cheerful self; she ate in an angry daze, ignoring the conversation around her. She was extremely frustrated.
When work ended at eight that night it was already very dark outside. Kathleen was worn out and all she wanted to do was go to bed. When she stepped outside, much to her dismay, it was pouring down rain. She sighed and pulled her shawl over her head. As she crossed the street she was suddenly joined by another person. She knew right away who it was, but she refused to acknowledge his presence.
"Kathleen," he begged, "Please listen to me. I have to tell you what I meant today."
"I have nothing to say to you Daniel O'Connell….I've lost all my respect for you as a human being."
"Please, I have to explain. I was lying; the whole thing was a lie."
"I'm supposed to believe that!" she exclaimed. "Why would you lie about something like that?"
"Because I didn't know what I was saying. I couldn't say what I wanted to say in front of Tara and she wouldn't leave but I didn't want you to leave and I guess I just blurted out the first thing that came in to my mind."
Kathleen stopped walking and turned to face him. "Oh really!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "And just what was it that you couldn't say in front of your sister?"
Daniel hesitated and looked down at her. She was very short and very pretty with the rain running down her face. "Well?" she demanded.
He swooped down and kissed her passionately, beautifully, and prayed she wouldn't kill him.
Daniel O'Connell felt as though his life were in a rut. Everyday he repeated the same routine, saw the same people, and worked the same repetitive job in a nearby factory. He was nineteen and had been working the same job for five years now. He took pride in that fact; many people had several jobs over that period of time but he had managed to maintain consistent work.
Staring out at the dirty street that was just becoming visible in the early morning light Daniel was completely lost in his thoughts. Whenever he tried to think of some way to escape his surroundings Daniel would become completely lost in his thoughts. This was why he was why he jumped when someone suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Bridget says you're going to be late for work if you don't leave soon."
Daniel rolled his eyes. "I haven't even had my breakfast yet; what time is it?"
The owner of the voice, Daniel's eleven-year-old sister Tara, let go of his neck and sat down next to him on the stairs. "It's around six o'clock," she answered.
"I still have an hour," Daniel smiled. He put his chin in his hands and stared at his feet.
He and Tara sat in silence for a few moments when Tara finally shouted down to someone passing in the street. "Morning Kathleen!"
Daniel's head shot up and he looked out to the street. A small group of women were passing by the tenement and amongst them he could easily pick out Kathleen McBourough. She raised a hand and waved to Tara as she passed and Daniel immediately jumped up. He ran down the stairs and jostled his way into the group so he was situated next to Kathleen. Close behind, Tara fell in step with the group too.
"Why Kathleen McBourough, I haven't seen you in ages. Don't tell me you're still working that job in the factory."
Fighting a smile, Kathleen replied, "Of course Danny. I'll be working that job until a better opportunity comes along. You know that."
"A better opportunity…you're not going to find many better opportunities in this city."
"She meant getting married boy," one of the older women in the group said.
Kathleen shrugged. "Maybe I did and maybe I didn't. And it's none of your concern anyway, Daniel O'Connell, so I'd thank you to stay out of it."
He reached out and grabbed her arm lightly. It was not a violent gesture and Kathleen did not fight it. As she stopped the group paused for a moment and then continued on. For the first time, Daniel noticed Tara's presence.
"What're you doing here?" Daniel asked as he looked at his little sister.
Tara put her hands on her hips and gave Daniel a glare telling him that it was none of his business. "Go home!" Daniel commanded her.
"No," Tara said stubbornly. "I don't want to."
"I need to talk to Kathleen. Alone! So go home."
Tara crossed her arms and prepared to argue. Just as she opened her mouth, Kathleen interrupted. "Why don't you just let her stay?"
Daniel opened his mouth to protest and decided against it as he looked from Kathleen to Tara and back again. "Fine. She can stay."
There was a long pause after that. The sun was rising now and Kathleen pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulder and pushed a stray strand of her chocolate brown hair out of her eyes. "What do you want Danny?" she finally asked. "I have to get to work."
Daniel opened his mouth and shut it, debating what he would say. With Tara standing there staring at him and Kathleen waiting for a response his head swam. He didn't know what to say so he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.
"I'm leaving the country."
"What?!?" both Kathleen and Tara exclaimed in unison.
"How can you leave the country? You can't possibly have that sort of money saved," Kathleen protested.
"You can't leave!" Tara said angrily. "We need you. You know Ma's sick. How can we live without you working?"
Ignoring the extent of the lie he had just told Daniel didn't answer any of their inquiries. Instead he asked with a broad grin, "Would you miss me?"
"I don't think I could miss a boy who would abandon his family when they need him," Kathleen said crossing her arms. "In fact, I don't want to see you ever again!"
Turning abruptly Kathleen marched away from the O'Connell siblings. For a moment Daniel considered going after her, but then he realized he had more pressing problems. Tara, who had ran the opposite direction claiming she was telling the family that he was leaving, and the job he had to be at in twenty minutes. What he wanted more than anything was a drink, but that was the last thing that would happen. Instead he settled for work.
When Kathleen arrived at work she was furious at Daniel. She had never thought he was so selfish and couldn't believe he would leave his family for whatever ridiculous reason he had. She had known the O'Connell's her entire eighteen years of existence and had always been partial to Daniel. When he was a little boy they'd play together with the other children in the neighborhood and he had always been very sweet. When his father died from liver disease Daniel, his older sister Bridget, and his younger brother Patrick had all found work. Kathleen saw much less of him, but kept in contact through his mother and other siblings. Then two years later she too had found work at the same factory as Bridget. Every afternoon Daniel would come to pick up Bridget and he'd walk them both home. It lasted only a year however. At that point Mrs. O'Connell had become very ill and could no longer take care of her youngest children. Bridget quit her job to work at home and Daniel stopped coming by. Kathleen supposed that was her fault; she had teased him and caused him grief that entire past year and he had no reason to assume she wanted him to continue meeting her after work. Consequencely, she saw him only periodically during chance encounters on the street. She missed him, and had made up her mind to renew their friendship. But after today's incident she knew she couldn't. Daniel O'Connell was obviously not the same person she had known all those years.
Kathleen spent the day in a foul mood, working more diligently and quickly than she had since she had been working there. Even at lunch she was not her usual cheerful self; she ate in an angry daze, ignoring the conversation around her. She was extremely frustrated.
When work ended at eight that night it was already very dark outside. Kathleen was worn out and all she wanted to do was go to bed. When she stepped outside, much to her dismay, it was pouring down rain. She sighed and pulled her shawl over her head. As she crossed the street she was suddenly joined by another person. She knew right away who it was, but she refused to acknowledge his presence.
"Kathleen," he begged, "Please listen to me. I have to tell you what I meant today."
"I have nothing to say to you Daniel O'Connell….I've lost all my respect for you as a human being."
"Please, I have to explain. I was lying; the whole thing was a lie."
"I'm supposed to believe that!" she exclaimed. "Why would you lie about something like that?"
"Because I didn't know what I was saying. I couldn't say what I wanted to say in front of Tara and she wouldn't leave but I didn't want you to leave and I guess I just blurted out the first thing that came in to my mind."
Kathleen stopped walking and turned to face him. "Oh really!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "And just what was it that you couldn't say in front of your sister?"
Daniel hesitated and looked down at her. She was very short and very pretty with the rain running down her face. "Well?" she demanded.
He swooped down and kissed her passionately, beautifully, and prayed she wouldn't kill him.
