October
Murphy heard someone knocking on the door when he looked through the peephole then he opened the door. Louisa and Dixon were in the hallway as he smiled and he leaned against the doorframe.
"Hey," he said, reaching down to pat the top of the dog's head.
"Hey," she said. He stood back so she and Dixon could go inside and he closed the door. He watched her head for the couch as she sat down and he walked to the mattress. "Where's Connor?"
"He's workin' late today."
"What about the Halloween party at McGinty's?"
"He said we're still goin'," he said while he sat down on his mattress then he looked at his boots. He wanted to take a shower, but something was preventing him from getting undressed.
"What's wrong?"
"I… I want t'take a shower."
"Then go on. I won't watch," she teased. He gave her a slightly shocked look then he laughed and he removed his boots. He got undressed when he walked to the shower and he turned the water on.
"Fuck."
"What's wrong?"
"There's no hot water."
"Yeah, Dorothy's called the landlord a few times about that."
He closed the shower curtain as he started showering and Louisa slowly stood up. She carefully walked toward the mattresses when she reached down and she sat down on Murphy's mattress.
"Do you know which costumes Connor picked out?" she asked. Murphy nearly launched the soap out of his hands as he looked out from behind the shower curtain and he saw her sitting on his mattress,
"Nah, he said it was gonna be a surprise," he said, moving the shower curtain back.
"Did you just move the shower curtain?"
"Aye."
She slowly leaned back on the mattress as she held herself up with her elbows then she crossed one ankle over the other. Her mind tried to picture him naked as she half-closed her eyes and a smile moved over her lips.
"Lou, are you ok?" he asked and she blinked her eyes a few times.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said when she heard the soft sound of the elevator and she sat up, crossing one leg over the other. She could just hear someone walking down the hallway then the sound of a key in the lock and Dixon wagged its tail.
"Shit," Connor said after he opened the door and he tossed the black Navy peacoat on the arm of the couch.
"What's wrong?" Louisa asked and he was surprised to see her sitting on Murphy's mattress.
"Hey, Lou. You remember we're goin' t'that Halloween party at McGinty's, aye?"
"Yes."
"Well, I had t'work late."
"I already told her that!" came from behind the shower curtain.
"Well, when I went t'get th'costumes…"
"What happened?" Louisa asked.
"They sold them t'someone else because I was late pickin' them up," he said as he took the rosery off and he placed the rosery on the nail. He sat down on the couch while she carefully stood up and she held her hands out. He quickly got up as he walked to her and he took her hands. He led her to the couch as the water turned off and he saw Murphy's left hand reaching for the towel. Connor softly smiled at the thought of Murphy being shy about Louisa seeing him naked and Murphy took the towel off the hook. The shower curtain moved back as Murphy tucked in the top of the towel then he looked at Connor.
"Didn't you call an' tell them you were gonna be late?" Murphy asked.
"Aye I did! An' I was only ten seconds late!"
"Did they show you summat else?'
"Aye, but I didn't like anythin'."
"Shit."
Louisa knew they were disappointed. This was going to be her first time experiencing the McGinty's Halloween party and it took a lot of pleading to get Dorothy's permission to allow her to go with the twins. They watched her press her lips together when she got an idea and she smiled.
"Uh, Guys, I think I have an idea," Louisa said as she got up and Murphy walked to her. He tried to take her hands, but she lightly batted at his hands and she tried to remember where they kept their black Navy peacoats.
"What are you lookin' fer?" Connor asked.
"Your coat."
Connor led her to the couch as she reached down then she picked up the black Navy peacoat.
"Put it on," she said and Connor put his coat on. "Murphy, go get dressed and put yours on."
Murphy quickly dried off then he got dressed and he put his coat on.
"Now what?" Murphy asked.
"Do you have any knit caps?"
Connor went to the dresser drawer when he removed two black knit caps and he tossed one of the knit caps to Murphy.
"Got 'em," Connor said.
"Put them on."
Shrugging, the twins placed the knit caps on their head and Louisa held her hands out. Connor led her to him as she smiled then she reached her hands up. He watched her fix the knit cap then her hands moved down the black Navy peacoat and she nodded. She turned as she reached out for Murphy and he ran to her. She felt him take her hands as she reached her hands up and she fixed the knit cap. Her hands moved down the black Navy peacoat as a small tingle moved through him and Murphy swallowed the lump in his throat.
"There you go," she said and they frowned.
"You want us t'go as ourselves?" Murphy asked.
"No, you're longshoremen!"
Louisa's bright smile made Connor smile and Murphy softly laughed.
"That's brilliant!" Connor said, lightly kissing her cheek.
"But what about you?" Murphy asked.
"I'm not going," Louisa said. She knew they were frowning as she sighed and her head lowered. Connor frowned when he thought of something and he walked to the dresser. He removed another knit cap when he walked to the box where they kept clothes which had shrunk in the wash and he picked up his old black Navy peacoat. He had it dry cleaned when it had gotten covered in mud, but the shop had shrunk the coat and he held the coat up for inspection. Nodding, he walked to her as he checked her clothes and she was wearing her black ankle boots, a pair of jeans and a white sweater.
"Connor, what're you doin'?" Murphy asked.
"Watch," he said as he helped Louisa put the black Navy peacoat then he tucked her hair under the knit cap. He stood back as he tilted his head back and forth and Murphy smiled.
"Fuck."
"What did he do?" Louisa asked with a confused look on her face.
"You're dressed jus' like us," Connor explained and she gave him a hug.
"Let's get goin'," Murphy said as he whistled and Dixon walked to him. He looked at the dog when he got an idea and he went to box. He looked through the box when he found a small knit cap with two holes in it and he walked back to the dog. Kneeling down, he carefully placed the knit cap on the dog's head and Dixon panted.
"What did you do?" Louisa asked as Murphy stood and he slid the metal leash into her left hand.
"I had t'dress Dix," he said then he told her what he had done. She lightly nudged him as Murphy shrugged and Connor walked to the door. Dixon led her out of the apartment as the twins followed and Murphy closed the door. They hadn't seen Dorothy standing in the hallway as she watched them walk down the hallway and she smiled, leaning against the doorframe.
Louisa was walking between the twins as they headed down the sidewalk and she heard people walking by them. Connor described what some of the people or children were wearing as she nodded and Murphy scanned their surroundings with his eyes. Louisa suddenly stopped as they turned to look at her and Dixon sat near her left leg.
"What's wrong, Lou?" Connor asked.
"People are staring at me, aren't they?" she asked.
"Well, aye, they are. It's Halloween."
"But no one's out here with a seeing eye dog."
"No one's even lookin' at Dix."
"Connor," Murphy warned and Connor nodded. Murphy walked to her as she looked straight ahead and he gently lifted her chin up. Her sightless eyes locked with his as he barely smiled and she blinked her eyes a few times. "What do you want us t'do?"
"I want you to take Dix and walk behind me," she said.
"Alright," he said with a nod and he took hold of the metal leash. He stood back as she started walking straight ahead and Connor looked at Murphy. Murphy nodded his head as they started following her and Louisa placed her hands in the pockets of the black Navy peacoat. She started walking faster as they kept up with her, but Connor had to gently take hold of her left arm when she was about to step off the curb. She nodded her head as he let go and they crossed the street. Connor nudged her to step up on the curb as she nodded and he saw the pleased look on his twin's face.
McGinty's
The door opened as they walked inside and the locals called their names. Louisa liked how they included her name as she nodded and Connor smiled at Doc being dressed as a pirate captain.
"Happy Ha-ha-halloween, lads. Is that Lou? Shit," Doc said.
"Yeah, it's me," she said.
"And, believe it or no', she walked here all on her own," Connor chimed in and Doc' eyes widened.
"Then wh-why did ye br-bring Dix?" he asked.
"He's a part of our look," Murphy said and Dixon barked.
"An' wh-what are you supposed t'be. Fuck. Shit."
"We're longshoremen," Louisa said and Doc laughed.
"We'll have two whiskeys an' a small beer, Doc," Murphy said. Nodding, Doc walked away as Connor looked for a place for them to sit and Murphy was looking at what the others were wearing. He described them to Louisa and she nodded. Connor led them to their usual booth as Louisa slid across the seat and Murphy sat on her left, Connor sat to her right and Dixon sat near him.
"Shit, what the hell are you three supposed to be?" Rocco asked as he walked closer. Rocco was wearing a pair of brown leather cowboy boots, jeans, brown leather chaps, what looked like a western gun belt with two toy six shooters, a blue linen shirt, a brown leather vest and a brown cowboy hat sat on his head. He had a glass of beer in his right hand and his hair was pulled back in a ponytail.
"We're longshoremen," Louisa said.
"Ah," he said, sliding onto the seat and he sat next to Connor. Murphy leaned closer to whisper to Louisa what Rocco was wearing and she nodded. "So, where's Dorothy?"
"She stayed home," Connor said while Doc walked closer and Doc placed the glasses on the table. Connor went to pay for the drink, but Doc just shook his head.
"These a-are on th'house," Doc said.
"Why?"
"It's t'celebrate Lou wa-walkin' here on her o-own. Fuck."
"You walked here all on your own?!" Rocco asked as his eyes widened.
"More like I walked in front of them," Louisa said, pointing toward where she thought the twins were.
"Fuck," he said as he picked up the glass of beer. He helped her placed the small glass of beer in her right hand then they clinked glasses and she smiled.
"Do you need an-anythin' else?" Doc asked.
"No, we're fine," Connor said. Nodding, Doc walked away and Rocco sipped on the beer.
"So, now what?" Louisa asked.
"Well, Doc's got a horror movie on the tv, there are some guys playing pool and, if you want, you can try your hand at the guessing game," Rocco asked.
"What sort of guessin' game?" Murphy asked.
"He's got these boxes with stuff in 'em. You close your eyes, reach in then you gotta guess what you really think's in there."
"I've played that game before," Louisa said.
"What d'you get if you guess correctly?" Connor asked then he sipped on the whiskey.
"The winner gets a free bottle of whiskey," Rocco said and the twins' eyes widened.
"Come on," Murphy said as he took Louisa's hand and they left the booth. Dixon followed them as they walked to the table where some of the locals were lined up and Connor softly laughed at the faces they were making after they placed their hands in the boxes.
"Hey, mind if we give it a go?" Connor asked.
"Aye, you can, but Lou can't play," one of the locals said.
"Why can't she play?" Murphy asked with a small growl to his voice.
"Well, she's… She can't…."
"We're supposed t'keep our eyes shut, Archie. We no' gonna be able t'see either," the other local said.
"Fine, but you two aren't allowed t'give her hints," Archie said, pointing his index finger at Connor and Murphy.
"We would never do that!" Connor said as he pressed his hand against his chest. Laughter filled the air as they got in line and Murphy placed Louisa in front of the first box.
"What's in here?" Louisa asked.
"Worms," Archie said. She moved her hands over the top of the first box as her fingertips touched the edges of the holes and she slid her hands into the holes. Her fingers touched something wet and cold as she moved her fingers through the spaghetti and she pressed her lips together.
"I think I know what it is," she said, removing one of her hands out of the hole and she reached for Archie. He took her hand to move her close enough to whisper in his ear and he arched an eyebrow.
"Ready fer th'next box?" Archie asked.
"Aye."
Murphy moved her to the second box after Archie helped her wash her hands with soap and water then dried them on a towel and she placed her hands on the top of the second box.
"What's in here?" she asked.
"Eyeballs," Archie said. She moved her hands toward the edges of the holes as she slid her hands into the box and she felt something cold and sticky. She moved her fingers around when she scooped the small tomatoes into her hands and she smiled.
"I know what this is," she said, removing her left hand out of the hole and he moved closer so she could whisper in his ear.
"Ready fer th'last box?" he asked and she nodded. He helped her wash her hands with soap and water then dry her hands on the towel and Murphy led her to the final box.
"What's in here?" she asked.
"Rotten flesh," he said with an evil grin. He helped her wash her hands with soap and water then dry her hands on the towel and she placed her hands on the top of the box. She moved her hands toward the holes when a strong smell hit her nose and she coughed.
"What the hell?!" she whispered when she slid her hands into the holes. She felt something cold and lumpy, but the smell was starting to get to her and she moved back after she took her hands out of the holes.
"Lou, are you ok?" Connor asked.
"It's that smell," she said and Archie helped her wash her hands with soap and water then she dried her hands with the towel.
"Sorry, Lou," Archie said. She did know what was in the box as she whispered in his ear and he smiled.
After Rocco and the twins took their turns, they walked back to the booth and Murphy slid closer to Louisa.
"That was fun," Murphy said. Connor had gone to get them some drinks as he placed the glasses on the table and he slid onto the seat. Murphy slid the glass of beer into Louisa's right hand as she nodded and she took a drink.
"Lou's right about one thing. Whatever was in that last box smelt like shit," Rocco said, placing the cowboy had on the table.
"You don't think Doc put shit in th'box, do you?" Connor asked.
"Nah," Murphy said with a shake of his head.
"Well, whatever it was. I can still smell it."
"Did you wash your hands?"
"Aye, I did."
"Well, horseradish does stink," Lou said in a soft voice and they frowned.
"That's was horseradish?" Rocco asked.
"Yeah."
"How did you know that?" Connor asked.
"When I went blind, my other senses grew stronger."
"Like Daredevil?"
Murphy rolled his eyes as he sighed and Lou lightly nudged him.
"Well, not exactly. But my sense of smell is really sensitive."
"Hunh," Connor said and he took a drink of whiskey.
The rest of the night consisted of small talk and some slightly rude jokes as Murphy slid his right arm over the top of the seat and Louisa scooted closer to him. He wanted to slid his arm around her, but he kept his arm still and Connor nudged his foot with his foot. Murphy shook his head as Conner sighed and he slightly rolled his eyes.
The doors to the elevator opened while Connor held onto the metal leash and he and Dixon headed down the hallway. Murphy led Louisa out of the elevator as she held onto his left arm and they followed Connor and Dixon to the door to the twins' apartment. Connor heard the door open as he glanced over at Dorothy standing in the doorway then she walked down the hallway toward them.
"Hulllo," he said with a small wave.
"Did you have a good time?" Dorothy asked.
"Aye, we did."
"Lou won th'guessin' game," Murphy said while he and Louisa walked to Connor.
"What did she win?"
"A bottle of whiskey."
"A bottle of whiskey?" she asked while Louisa reached into the pocket of the black Navy peacoat and she removed the small bottle of whiskey. Dorothy took the bottle as she looked at the label and her eyebrows arched up while she hummed. She looked at them as Louisa yawned and Louisa leaned her head against Murphy's arm. "Well, I guess we better say goodnight."
"Aye," Connor said. Louisa reached up to take the knit cap off as she held the knit cap out and Connor took the knit cap from her. Murphy helped her take the black Navy peacoat off as Louisa gave him a small hug and he placed his chin on the top of her head. She reached out for Connor as he gave Louisa a hug and Murphy removed the knit cap from Dixon's head. They walked down the hallway when they went in their apartment and Dorothy led Louisa and Dixon into their apartment, closing the door behind them.
Connor watched Murphy place the black Navy peacoat on the peg as Connor smiled and Murphy turned to look at him.
"Why are you smilin' like that?" Murphy asked.
"You put your coat on top of th'one Lou was wearin''," Connor said. Murphy moved the black Navy peacoat back when he saw the one Louisa was wearing and he pressed his lips together.
"Aye, I did. Do you have a problem with that?"
"No."
Murphy went to turn the television on as he sat down on the couch and he started watching a horror movie. Connor sat down next to him as they sat in silence then Connor glanced at his twin.
"I still don't get why you won't ask her out," Connor said.
"I told you. She wouldn't be interested in a guy like me," Murphy said.
"An' what is wrong with you?"
"A lot of things," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. They became quiet as they watched the movie when Connor frowned and he nudged his twin. "What?"
"You should ask her out."
"Will you jus' drop it?" he asked and Connor nodded. They went back to watching the movie as Murphy's eyes glanced at the wall and he said a silent prayer for Louisa to have a peaceful night.
Dorothy placed the laptop on the table when she sat down then she opened the laptop. She hit the power button as she looked at the screen then she opened the email application. She clicked on the IRISH ROSE email and she read the information.
Sorry for the delay. There has been no sign of him. Is she safe? Has anything happened?
Dorothy typed on the keyboard as she wrote the report then she sent the email. She turned the power off then she closed the laptop and she looked over at Louisa. Louisa hadn't had any nightmares in a while and Dorothy put that down to Connor and Murphy. Smiling, Dorothy went to put the laptop away then she turned the lights, carefully headed for the bed, got under the covers and, a short time later, she drifted off to sleep.