"Dad, what's a fenian?" Michael asked in the car one Thursday evening on the way home from school
"It's a derogatory name for someone who is Catholic, why are you asking?" Eddie replied. It was just Eddie and Michael in the car, Rachel was still at school and the girls were rehearsing for the school play.
"Bryan said I must be a fenian as we are going to see Celtic tonight"
"You understand the rivalry between Celtic and Rangers, but something that is really a shame in Scotland is the deep hatred and Religious connotation with football, its not something we have back home"
"So Celtic are the catholic team and Rangers the protestant?"
"Not now, anyone can play for any, but when Celtic started, it was created to help with poverty in the Irish community"
"But that's a good thing"
"Yes, but its really a shame, and I think it has to be the biggest football rivalry in the UK, if not the world"
"So, what made you support Celtic then and not Rangers when you moved up here"
"We became Friends with Sue and Richard, they had Olivia at the same nursery as your sisters, and we became Friends. They were Celtic supporters and I started to go to the football with Richard."
"But they aren't catholic they go to Waterloo Road not St Thomas"
"They are catholic, but they decided to come to Calderbrae as its closer to home"
"Oh, I didn't know that, feels like we are the only Celtic fans at Calderbrae"
"You're not, there is a few, but we are in the minority"
The next night Hamish, Hannah and Michael were walking home from the park they had shared a bottle of cheap cider and were a little tipsy when a crowd gathered round them.
"We don't want your lot around here" one of the boys shouted. Michael and Hamish pushed Hannah behind them out of harm's way
"What do you mean?" Michael asked
"Catholics," he spat
"I'm not catholic" Michael said, "I'm not any religion"
"But you support Celtic"
"I really support Man United, I've only just moved here, so my friends and I are going home" Michael grabbed Hannah's hand and pushed through the gang, before one of them punched Hamish. In all the commotion Hannah had managed to text her Mum who was on the way to pick them up.
Thankfully the Park wasn't far, Richard had come instead of Sue with Eddie following behind. At the site of Eddie, the boys ran but Eddie knew exactly who every boy in the gang was.
"Are you all OK?" Richard asked. Michaels hand was sore as Hannah had squeezed it so tightly, Hamish was nursing a sore jaw where had had been punched and sore knuckles where he had given back an equally hard punch.
"Yeah, I was so scared" Hannah said as she hugged her father.
"What about you?" Eddie asked Hamish as he handed him a cold bottle of water to hold on his eye
"I will live"
"What happed?" Richard asked
"We were just about to walk home when the surrounded us, said Catholics weren't welcome and I text Mum, but they went for Hamish."
"I told them I wasn't catholic; I think that's why they left me alone" Michael said.
"OK, lets get you all home"
Michael climbed into the passenger seat of Eddies car.
"Please don't tell Mum or Rachel about this"
"I need to talk to Rachel about this, this isn't the first time we have had to deal with the nonsense at school, I won't tell her about that bottle of cider you lot were drinking though, but really drinking in a park"
"sorry" he said sheepishly "Thanks for not telling Mum or Rachel"
"One time deal mate, don't do it again"
Michael smiled, knowing it certainly wouldn't be the last time, but they might stay away from the park next time.
"I promised your sisters I would stop and get some McFlurries on the way home, do you want a burger"
Michael nodded, and soon they were sitting in the car after going through the drive through. Eddie hoping the burger would sober him up a little before going home.
Eddie opened the door to the house, "got your ice cream girls" he shouted as they came running downstairs
"You're in trouble" Zara said
"Sue called, said you were in a fight, and you were drinking in the Park" Katie added
"Just go upstairs and eat your ice cream and you can stop eavesdropping" Eddie pointed back up stairs and waited till he heard them go into one of their bedrooms.
"Thank goodness you are, OK?" Rachel asked quizzingly as they entered the living room
"I'm fine, it wasn't that big a deal, there was like 4 of them and they were only 2nd and 3rd years, I could have taken them"
"I know exactly who they are, it was the Thompson boys and Lee Wilson and Jackson Spiers" Eddie said
"We will deal with them on Monday, a week of lunchtime in the cooler should do it"
"That's it, they act like little dicks and all they get is a week in the cooler" Michael said
"Well, we could go to the police, but the second they realise you were all drinking in the park, you could end up being the one in trouble, you know you can't drink in public here not to mention your 15" Rachel replied.
"Its fine I don't want to go to the police, Hamish and I can sort them out ourselves"
"You will do no such thing; do you hear me?" Rachel said. Michael sat in silence he could feel the anger rising
"Did you hear what I just said?"
"Yes Rachel, I promise I won't do anything to them"
"Just let Rachel and I sort this, why don't you go get ready for bed and can you ask the girls to do the same please" Eddie said.
Michael left, and Rachel moved to the couch next to Eddie, she laid her head on his shoulder "You weren't going to tell me about his drinking"
"No, I told him I wouldn't this time, it was one bottle of cider between 3 of them, think Hannah was a bit tipsy though"
"Well, we have all been there, we used to go drinking in the local graveyard when we were his age. Mel would tag along, and we would hide from her then jump out to give her a fright" Rachel laughed
"You know my stories, the tallest boy in the year, I was the one who would go buy it and head down to the park"
"We never tell the kids these stories" Rachel laughed picking up the glass of wine she had on the table. "Oh, I forgot to say, I'm taking the girls to get new make up tomorrow so will just be you and Michael"
"Make up" Eddie repeated raising an eyebrow
"Yes, make up, that stuff they have been buying themselves is all the wrong colours, their foundation is about 3 shades too dark, and its not good for their skin, poor Zara has been inflicted with acne like Mel and I used to have, and cheap make up is not doing her any favours"
"I just don't think any of you need it, your all beautiful as you are"
"Thank you, I don't think you need any make up, you could do with a shave though" Rachel said as she playful scratched his chin before leaning up for a kiss, she pushed Eddie down on his back and brought herself on top as the kiss got more passionate, neither of them heard the living room door opening.
"Gross, I think I'm going to be sick Zara yelled with Katie screaming behind her. Rachel jumped off Eddie and looked sheepishly at the girls.
"We just came to say goodnight, now I need to wash my eyes out with soap" Katie said
"Don't be so dramatic, remember we are going to Braehead tomorrow, but before we go, I want you to bring all your make up down here tonight, so we can go through what you can keep and what we need to throw out in the morning"
"What, you're going to throw out our makeup, but it's ours"
"Relax, we are going to boots to the make up counters, that cheap stuff is not good for your skin, unless you don't want to go?"
"No, we want to go" they squealed excitedly.