This is a ficlet which was written as a birthday present for the wonderful Sharon (The Yankee Happy birthday once more, Sharon! Big thanks to Kristin (gothamgirl28) for beta reading this piece.
The summary of this ficlet: Saoirse Branson has just experienced her first kiss. She is not completely happy about it, though, and shares her doubts with her mother, which prompts Sybil to reminisce about her first kiss.
The First Kiss
Dublin 1926
When sixteen-year-old Saoirse Branson returned home from school, she immediately went to the room she shared with her sister Patricia and laid down on the bed. She only emerged from her sanctuary when Ma and Da came back from work, greeted them, and then ate dinner with her whole family. After the meal was finished, the adolescent immediately retreated to her bedroom once more. As Patricia went to see her friend, Saoirse could relish in peaceful solitude. And she did need it very much. A big event had occurred in her life on that day... she... had shared her first kiss. With Declan O'Boyle, the boy she had fancied for a long time. Saoirse really, really liked Declan. What was worrying her, then? The teenager sighed with exasperation. Well, the kiss had been rather awkward. Firstly, she hadn't known where to put her hands; she had made a few funny attempts to embrace Declan, and in the end she had just kept them stiffly along her body. She had been also at a complete loss as to how to move her lips properly. All in all, the young girl was even too embarrassed to think about the occurrence at that moment.
Suddenly, a door to the girls' bedroom opened, and Sybil entered her daughter's safe sanctuary. She approached the bed on which Saoirse was lying and sat on its edge.
"What is it, darling?" Sybil asked. "You're down today. Something happened?"
When Saoirse did not reply, her mother gently took her hand in hers. "You know you can trust me, Saoirse".
Yes, it was true. The Branson children could always count on their parents, and Sybil and Tom were usually understanding and non-judgmental.
"You see, Ma... I kissed Declan O'Boyle today..."
Sybil's eyebrows rose. "Did he force himself on you?"
"No, not at all. I wanted it to happen... I liked it, actually."
Mrs. Branson looked at her eldest child quizzically. "So, what's the problem, then?"
"Oh Ma, it was just so awkward. He must be laughing at me right now. I didn't know where to put my hands or how to move my lips!" Saoirse exclaimed.
Sybil thought about what Saoirse had said for a moment and asked inquisitively, "But you said earlier that you had liked it? And do you like Declan?"
The teenager unexpectedly blushed. "Yes, I did like the kiss and I do like Declan. A lot."
Her mother beamed at those words. "That's all that counts, in fact. My first kiss was slightly awkward too, but no less wonderful."
Saoirse's eyes suddenly lit with curiosity. "And who was your first kiss, Ma? Pray tell!"
"It was your father, darling. Yes, this means that I've never kissed anyone else in my life besides Tom Branson. Frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way," Sybil stressed cheerfully.
"How old were you then? You met Da when you were my age, weren't you?" Saoirse enquired.
"Yes, I was sixteen when I met your Da. However, our first kiss happened much later. You know how Da and I met. The circumstances were against us. I was afraid to act on my feelings for your father for a long time. Still, there was no other man that would catch my attention. No one could compare with your father. Even in the early days of our relationship, when my feelings were still developing and I wasn't aware of them, I think that there was some subconscious fidelity involved. Another fact is that we kissed for the first time just after I had accepted your father's proposal, so when we were engaged". Mrs. Branson paused for a moment to look at her daughter. " Funny, isn't it? Everyone must have thought us to be so radical and liberal and yet we were so old-fashioned that we shared our first kiss as an engaged couple. We were cautious to do everything properly and to contradict any prejudices and judgments towards us".
Saoirse's lips widened into a broad grin. "You two are totally unpredictable and can't be easily labelled".
"Yes".
The mother and the daughter shared a warm smile of mutual understanding. Saoirse was the first one to break from this short reverie.
"But, Ma? The first kiss? You said that it was awkward too? Yet wonderful?"
"Yes, it was not perfect. I didn't know where to put my hands at the beginning too, and when I finally did embrace your father, I think I gripped him too strongly. We also bumped foreheads at one point". Sybil stopped for a while to look at her daughter, but Saoirse was only looking at her intently. "It was, however, an unforgettable experience. After so many years, I could finally give in to my feelings for your Da. Your father is truly my soulmate and that kiss was indeed a meeting of our souls".
The adolescent shrugged at her Ma's words. She wasn't sure whether Declan was her soulmate yet!
Mrs. Branson guessed her daughter's thoughts and clarified immediately," . "Not every kiss needs to be such a profound experience, though. Sometimes it suffices that it expresses genuine affection. That's what's important. The feeling. Not the physical or technical aspect of it. Actually, I think that, like relationships, kisses aren't usually perfect, but that doesn't make them worse, just more real. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter whether you relationship is perfect, but how much you care for each other. Yes, that's what counts. The feeling".
Saoirse pondered this speech for a little while and then threw her arms around her Ma's neck. "You're so right, Ma! Now I will only cherish happy memories of my first kiss! The most important thing is that Declan and I really care for each other and that we were able to express it".
Sybil smiled, caressed her eldest child's hair, and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'm glad to be of help to you, darling".
"You know what, Ma? Maybe I'll go to Maggie now and tell her all about my kiss," Saoirse suggested cheerfully (Maggie was her best friend from school).
"I suppose that's a good idea," Sybil replied, and Saoirse rose from the bed and left the room.
Her mother only heard the sound of closing the door to their flat, which signalled that Saoirse indeed went to visit her friend.
Sybil remained in the girls' bedroom, though, pondering how quickly time had passed and that her girl was almost an adult now.
It was in such a state that Tom found her a couple of minutes later.
"So, did you talk to her? I think that you were successful because she felt good enough to leave the flat," Tom asked upon entering the room.
"Yes, everything is all right. Our little girl just had her first kiss," his wife informed him.
"Oh, so she's so grown up now?" Tom exclaimed.
"That's what I was thinking about for the last five minutes," Sybil responded. "Do you remember our first kiss?"
An expression of pure delight appeared on Tom's face. "Of course. That is something I shall never forget. I had waited so long for that kiss, I had dreamt about it so often at nights, and then it really happened, and I was on cloud nine."
"Me too, I assure you.".
"To be honest," Tom said with a twinkle in his eye,"I'm always on cloud nine when I kiss you. I'm madly in love with you, and it's always incredible to be able to show this love and feel yours in return".
His wife opened her mouth to voice a similar declaration, but opted for something different instead and poured all her love for her husband in a passionate, sweet, heartfelt kiss.
At night, Saoirse kept replaying her first kiss in her head before falling asleep. She wondered whether she and Declan would become like Ma and Da in the future. It would be indeed wonderful to be a couple such as them.
