She was puffing away on a smoke while stirring a pot filled with spaghetti sauce and meat balls on the stove when the boys trudged in after a long day at work.
"Mmm, smells amazin'." Murphy complemented after hanging up his rosary and coming to give her a kiss.
"Get Conn a bag o' ice would ya lass?" Murphy asked sweetly. She'd noticed Connor limping a bit but pointedly didn't say anything to him about it, still jaded about his teasing last night.
She watched for a moment as her men undressed, finishing her cigarette before stepping away from dinner to dig the lighter twin some ice. She literally had to dig, their ancient refrigerator's ice box was a temperamental thing that liked to over flow and freeze into one large, solid block. She ignored Connor once more, stabbing at the ice violently as he hobbled over to the fridge and grabbed a beer.
After wrapping the fruits of her labor in a plastic bag while listening to Murphy complain about hot water she walked it over to Connor on the threadbare couch. With a devilishly delighted gleam in her eye she tossed the bag right onto his exposed crotch. She smiled with demented glee at Connor's feminine shriek and turned on her heel back to the kitchen area.
"What happened to him anyway?" she casually asked Murphy, stealing his freshly lit smoke before heading to stir the balls again.
"New girl at work gave em a shot ta tha nuts." Murphy answered over his shoulder, getting dressed after giving up on the water.
"Ey! If that was a girl then I want ta' see some papers, she had ta' be just fuckin' post op fer Christ sake!" Connor argued, attempting to defend his masculinity.
"Lords fucking name!" she screamed, slamming her wooden spoon down on the counter. She rounded on Connor, red faced, steam practically coming from her ears.
"Is that dirty bitch still down at the plant?" she demanded, the first words she'd said to Connor since last night.
Connor shook his head, a deer in the headlights expression on his face. The last thing he needed was his woman storming down to the warehouse like an angry mother harassing a school about her kid being bullied.
"Aye, that she is." Murphy answered, making Connor wave wildly for him to stop once her back was turned.
Murphy saw and a shit eating grin spread across his face. "Slag said 'is woman was a dirty whore too." he added, silently laughing like a mad man once she'd turned back to Connor.
"Ohhhoho that bitch is going to get it!" she roared, shoving her bare feet into her boots and snatching a pea-coat before storming out the door.
"Ya damn well better go stop er Murph ya fuckin' arsehole!" Connor yelled at his brother.
"Stop er? Hell I'm recordin' it!" Murphy replied giddily as he grabbed their ancient camcorder and ran out the loft after her.
After a short while Connor removed the ice from his balls and braved the arctic shower. He started pacing after turning the burner under their dinner off, only to have his family jewels twinge in pain again.
He could only imagine what kind of trouble the two of them were getting into down at the meat packing plant. Connor could bet him and Murph were out a job by now though, starting the second fight in one day at their place of future unemployment. Their girl had a wicked temper and Murphy just loved to egg it on when it wasn't directed at him.
At the forty five minute mark Connor laid down on his mattress to chain smoke and worry some more. What if Rosengertle had seriously hurt their woman and she was laid up in the hospital right now? Just as he started to sit up, ready to start phoning hospitals or jails. They came bursting through the door, a chorus of simultaneous laughter.
She had a bloody nose and the beginning of a bruise on her left cheekbone. Much less damage than Connor had expected. Murphy bounded over to Connor's mattress, more excited than he ever had been on Christmas morning when they were kids.
"Come on Conn, ya 'ave ta' watch this! She kicked the fuckin' shite outta that big fat lesbian!" he exclaimed, tugging at Connors arm until he got up to go sit on the couch.
While Murphy was busy re-winding the tape and hooking the cam's wires up to the VCR she was setting water to boil for noodles and grabbing three beers from the fridge. She flopped down next to Connor, handing him one before grabbing his jaw forcefully and kissing him near senseless. Her tongue was doing maddening things when the taste of blood filled his mouth.
"Shit Murph it's gushing again, grab me some toilet paper." she yelled, pulling away and cupping a hand under her face to catch the crimson liquid.
"Wat was all tha' t'bout? Thought ya were still pissed at me." Connor inquired, his blood smeared chin still in her other hand.
"I was, but no one hurts my boys. Except me." she added with a small smack to the side of his face and a reddened smile thrown his way.
Murphy returned quickly with a wad of paper, asking excitedly if he could press play. With a nod of her head he was at her other side, throwing a proud arm around her shoulders and kissing her cheek.
A black screen shown back at them, her voice coming from the speakers. "Shit! I forgot to turn off the meatballs! Too focused on Connor's balls." Murphy's laughter came next.
"The cover is still on Murph." she informed him flatly.
After some shuffling noises her image came on the screen in the evening light. She was standing just inside the alleyway next to the warehouse, smoke exhaling through her nostrils, making her look like a raging bull.
She looked past the camera to the Irishman behind it sternly "You point her out and get out of the way you understand me? I didn't even want you coming and I certainly don't want her going after you next if she spots you."
"Aye lass, as ye command." Murphy chuckled from behind the lens. The picture bobbled all around as he walked and directed her through the meat plant.
Connor looked over at Murphy, smacking the back of his head as he laid his arm over his brother's, across her shoulders. "Yer a right shit camera man Murph."
"Oh fuck off an watch." he retorted, pointing his beer occupied hand towards the screen.
Stopping just outside the cut room's plastic flap door he moved one aside and pointed. "Thas 'er, tha big one in tha plaid shirt an ripped jeans."
Her face came into frame, peeking through the plastic at the behemoth of a woman
"Christ, poor Connor." she whispered to herself. Murphy didn't dare lords name her with her current mood. She turned back to him, face still screwed up in anger.
"You stay right the fuck here." she growled before throwing the pea coat at him and storming into the room like she owned the joint.
The camera jiggled from Murphy jumping up and down in excitement a moment before he disregarded her order and followed in after her. Doing well to hide behind a rack of steer ribs nearby.
She could be seen sauntering up to the large woman, a sway in her hips.
"You Rosey?" she purred, putting a thick layer of sex into her voice.
Rosengertal turned around, surprise evident in her face at such a fine woman asking after her.
"Yeah. What can I do for you sweetheart?" she asked, a miserably failed attempt at flirting.
The camera bounced around wildly again as Murphy moved even closer, ducking down next to a conveyor belt.
She leaned in close, beckoning with a crook of her finger and a naughty grin for Rose to do the same.
"You can keep your fucking paws off my man that's what!" she screamed right in the larger woman's face. "I understand you don't swing that way but you damaged a part of him I happen to be very fond of and I don't appreciate it."
Just as she was pulling back to throw the first punch there was a knock on their door. Murphy, the ever avid movie spectator, jumped up to pause the tape and let Rocco in.
"Hey Roc! Sorry dinners going to be a little late, I had some shit to sort out. Donna not gracing us with her presence tonight?" she asked cheerily.
"Not a problem, I'm just happy someone's feedin' me." Rocco replied with a smile, taking a seat on the couch arm. "She aint comin', too doped up to move."
She nodded in understanding. "Here Roc, take my spot I need to put the noodles in."
Once she was standing, facing him, Rocco noticed her ruffled up appearance and busted face.
"They're not beatin' you are they? That shit aint cool man. What the hell happened to you? " Rocco asked seriously, looking worriedly between the boys and their woman.
She laughed him off and collected their empties, making her way back to the kitchen.
"Shut tha fuck up, watch an see." Murphy told him with a grin as he got up again to press play.
She heard her fist connecting with a face on the tv screen and a chorus of "What the fuck"s issued from Rocco as various sounds of a full on brawl came from the speakers. It was no girl fight. She smiled to herself as she dumped the pasta into the boiling water.
Making her way back to the couch arm she perched herself next to Connor just as she could be seen standing over Baumgartner's body on the ground.
"You touch either of my men once more and I won't hesitate to come down here and wipe the floor with your ass again." She threatened after spitting a mouthful of blood out at the near unconscious woman.
By then Murphy was out of his hiding place and at the front of the ring of workers that had formed to spectate. Murphy handed the camera off to someone else and ran up next to her. "And the winner is, The MacManus Bride!" he announced, raising her arm up in victory like a boxing ref before kissing her in front of the crowd.
Shortly after Murphy regained the camcorder the screen went blank for a moment before the camera was switched on again.
"Shit! I'm bleeding all over Connor's coat."
There was the sound of walking and Murphy chuckling.
"Would you turn that damn thing off, we're almost home and you've got the cover on again!" she huffed.
The screen went blue, signaling the end of the recorder's tape.
Rocco was staring at the screen open mouthed. Murphy was grinning like crazy. And Connor had a soft look in his eye, almost like he was seeing her for the first time. A look she'd caught in each of their eyes occasionally, one she knew could be mirrored in her own quite often as well. She leaned down to kiss his forehead gently and wrap an arm around him.
"Lords name lass, ye sure ya don't 'ave any Irish in ya?" Connor asked, almost in a daze.
She cupped herself jokingly. "My panties are on so yeah, I'm pretty sure. One hundred percent Italian over here."
The boys laughed at her lascivious joke and Rocco high-fived her at their mutual Italianess.
"S'pose this means we need ta go job huntin' tomorrow ay Murph?" Connor assumed with laughter in his voice.
"Actually McGerkin offered 'er a job b'fore we left." Murphy replied matter-a-factly, pride absolutely radiating from him each time he looked at her.
"Is tha so?" Connor asked, pulling away to look up at her.
"Yup, I start tomorrow. You boys'll be training me." she confirmed with a wink.
She leaned into Connor, whispering in his ear before sending her tongue in to follow her words. "You'd best rest those balls, because later I plan on enjoying what I fought for tonight."