Here we go, the phone conversation with Myra.

Myra

I wonder when that boy will be back, it's one thing to be rude to the Priest once, but this past week, ever since Craig came for a visit, he'd been nothing but rude, almost trying to pick a fight, and we need to talk about that, he needs to apologize to Father Kieron.

He's avoiding coming home though, I'd expected him back yesterday, but no he went out with his mates. He knows he's in for a good talking too, he's no fool that son of mine.

Is that my phone ringing… Oh, where is it now? Ah there it is. I thought it was in my purse, probably Michaela's been using it again.

"Hello?"

"Hi mum,"

"John Paul, where are you? It's getting late, you should be home."

"Ehm…Yeah.. About that…"

"Look son…"

"Mum… mum… just let me speak yeah?"

I frown at this, but nod before realizing he can't see me, "Alright son," I sit down and wait for him to continue.

"Look… I probably should've told you this yesterday…" he sighs and something in his voice makes me think I'm not going to like hearing whatever it is he's going to tell me. "God this is harder to say than I thought it would be…" he continues and my mind goes into overdrive, has something happened, is he ill?

"Ehm… okay, I'm just going to tell you as it is, okay?"

"Okay son…"

"Okay… so… Ehm, the thing is… I…" he's taking his time with this and the thing I'm fearing the most right now is him telling me he's ill. "Right… You see, I've… That is… We…"

"You have AIDS don't you? It's AIDS?" I blurt out as I interrupt him, "My beautiful boy," I can't bear the thought of him having that horrible disease.

"What? No… Mum no, it's not that… It's nothing serious like that, calm down."

"Then what is it John Paul? Nothing can be as horrible as that."

"You might think so…" he pauses for a moment and then continues, "Look, the thing is, I've come to the conclusion that I have to be with Craig, and I've decided that I'm moving to Dublin."

I instantly relax, "Oh… But I know this."

"No, I mean I moved already… Like yesterday when I left home, that was the last time I left it as a person who lived there permanently. Right now I am sat in my home in Dublin calling you, telling you this."

"You what?"

"I've moved away mum."

"But… You've left? What about your school, your mates and your family?"

"Yeah I left." He pauses for a moment, "I'll miss you, all of you and my mates, but my place is here now, this is where I am meant to be." I can tell his is smiling, even through the phone, "I don't know about school, I'll look into some things, in fact Craig has been rather insistent that I do that, so I'll see about registering at a community college here, or doing some distance learning or evening school, I don't know yet, but I'll get my degree even if it takes me a bit longer to do it."

"But… Why now? Why not wait and move away next month like you were planning?"

He sighs before speaking, "Because it felt, feels right, because this is what I want… You know we'd have had to have so little contact this next month, what with our exams and all, and I couldn't and neither could he… We have to be together, it's… When I'm with him, I feel like everything is okay, I feel loved, and when we're apart I feel like my heart is going to burst because I miss him so much that it actually hurts."

I sigh and shake my head, I know he's the happiest he's been in months, well since he came home from the airport that day last year, he's fooled us all into thinking he'd gotten over Craig, but… Well I can't deny the change in him after he came back from Dublin that first time, he was just more alive. I'm surprised I hadn't noticed all this before, hadn't noticed he was still not over Craig, but with all that had gone on here with the girls. He's the quiet one of the family, the one who easily fades away when all the girls have their tantrums, he's good at never bothering me, even when he has problems and needs me.

"You are in love and want to be with the person you are in love with?" I finally ask him and hear him let out the breath he'd been holding.

"Yeah, exactly, and I know you might not think this is the right decision, but for me it is, and in the end that's all that matters." He informs me making me smile to myself, that boy has always been independent, once his mind is set on something then that's how it will be and usually that's how it is. He had a glitch with the entire Craig business last year, but otherwise he gets what he wants, and I suppose he did get his Craig in the end.

"As long as you're happy John Paul," I can't exactly forbid him to be with Craig, he is 19 and my days of telling him how to live his life are long gone, "As long as you are sure about this and as long as you are happy son, then live your life the way you want to, but always know you have a home to come back to."

"I am sure mom, really sure." He tells me excitedly, happily even, "Thanks, thanks so much, and we'll come back at some point to say a proper good bye, I think." He finishes and I smile, there isn't much I can do anymore, he's on his own now, has to live his own life, he'll always have his family to come back to, but something deep inside of me tells me that he has found the person who'll look after him for the rest of his life and that I needn't worry about him anymore.

"Good son, but remember whatever happens, you can always call us for a chat, we're still your family, you are still one of us, and we'd like to hear from you every now and then."

"Thanks mum, and I'll keep in touch, I promise."

"What about Frankie, how did she take the news?" I wonder suddenly as I remember Craig's mother and how opposed she was to our sons being together.

"Oh, he hasn't called her, don't know if he will, when we went to see her the other day she wasn't friendly, tried to slap me…" She what? Tried to slap my son, "But Craig pushed me out of the way, and she ended up slapping him instead… He really told her off too, and she kicked us both out," That boy really does care for John Paul then, standing up to his own mother like that, "But he'd told me from before that she's not that important to him, I doubt he'll want to talk to her unless she accepts him for who he is now. He says he's got me and his sisters and that's more than enough for him."

"Tell him he has all of us too," I say, "Anyone who stands up for you, who loves you like that, is a member of this family too, and if he ever needs any motherly advice and Frankie still hasn't come round then he can call me."

"Really?"

"Yes really, if he's going to be the one you spend the rest of your life with then he's going to be included in our crazy flock, ain't he?"

"Yeah… yeah he…" I can sense him smiling at this, "He will be one of us, or I'll be one of them… I hope… But it's too soon to think about that now, we've just moved in together… But thanks mum, thanks a lot, I'll tell him, he'll be really happy, I know he will."

"That's good son," there's a knock on the door, "Look someone's at the door," I tell John Paul as I get up and go to open it, "I'll talk to you soon."

"Yeah, yeah you will mum, and will you tell the girls?"

I open the door, smiling as I see Jacqui and Tina, they both enter and I close the door as I talk to John Paul, "Of course I will John Paul, Tina and Jacqui just came, I'll tell them as soon as I get off the phone,"

"Good, thanks mum…" he sighs, "Love you, bye."

"I love you too son, bye," I smile as he ends the call and look over at my daughters as I sit down on the sofa, dropping the phone on the coffee table.

"That, our John Paul?" Jacqui wonders and I nod my head, "So what will you tell us, and why doesn't he do it himself?" she asks and I smile sadly as I look at her and Tina.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed.