Unhappy Father's Day

Father MacVey watched while the door to his office opened and Annabelle entered the room. She had been at work when she received a phone call about Connor and Murphy being in a fight. They had been in a few fights over the years, but this was the first time a boy had been sent to the hospital.

"Mrs. MacManus," Father MacVey said with a nod.

"Father," she said then she looked at her twelve-year-old twins. Both of them were bloody and bruised and their clothing were torn. Sitting next to them were their two friends, Sean and Norman, and both of them were bloody and bruised as well. Their parents stood behind the chairs Sean and Norman were sitting on and Annabelle went to stand behind the chairs where the twins were sitting. Sitting across the room were three boys and their parents were standing behind the chairs. She noticed the man standing near the empty chair and Father MacVey clearing his throat made her look at him.

"Now…," Father MacVey said as he looked at the report on his desk and he sighed. "I normally do not allow fightin' at this school, but I believe this is one of those special circumstances."

"Special circumstances?" Annabelle asked.

"Aye. You see… Today is Father's Day. The students were supposed t'bring their fathers t'school an' their fathers were t'talk about what they do fer a livin'. It was durin' th'afternoon break when yer sons got into an altercation with these older boys."

"Bloody eejits deserved it," Sean's father whispered and his wife hushed him.

"Why do you think they deserve it?" Annabelle asked.

"I'll answer that question," Father MacVey said as he looked at the report. "These boys confronted yer sons in th'yard. Accordin' to th'eyewitnesses, they were belittlin' yer sons about not havin' a father an' said they were th'reason why he was gone."

"What?!" Annabelle asked loudly as she stood and the older boys sank down in the chairs.

"Annie…," Norman's mother said and Annabelle sat back down.

"Connor an' Murphy denied these accusations, but, accordin' to th'eyewitnesses, th'older boys started shovin' them," Father MacVey said, glancing at the older boys.

"Why didn't anyone stop them?" Annabelle asked with a growl to her voice.

"Th'sisters were busy keepin' th'other children from joinin' in th'fight."

"What about th'fathers? Why didn't they do anythin'?" she asked while looking at Sean and Norman's fathers as well as the fathers of the older boys.

"Most of th'eejits were cheerin' them on," Sean's father said.

"Then what happened?"

"I told 'em t'fuck off," Connor said.

"That's when he took a swing at Connor," Sean said as he pointed to one of the older boys.

"He's threw th'first punch?" Annabelle asked as she looked at the older boy.

"Aye. I did. Asshole got in my face," the boy said with a snort.

"Shut it," the boy's father said.

"What about th'boy who was sent to th'hospital? Is he alright?" Annabelle asked as she looked at Father MacVey.

"I jus' got off th'phone with th'hospital. He's goin' t'be fine now that they removed his appendix," Father MacVey said.

"He needed his appendix out?" Annabelle asked.

"Aye."

"Not sure why that matters. He wasn't even fightin'. Jus' stood there," Connor said.

"He's right," Sean said. "I went over t'him after he bent over an' got sick. I asked him if he was ok. He told me fuck off an' kept gettin' sick."

"I knew we shoulda taken him t'the hospital," the father standing behind the empty chair said. "He was complainin' about not feelin' good. He usually does that. Fakin' bein' sick."

"Eejit," Norman's father grumbled.

"Does that mean you're not blamin' my sons fer what happened t'him?" Annabelle asked.

"Aye," the man said.

"Now….," Father MacVey said as he sat back in the chair and looked at them. "Normally, I would suspend th'lot of you. But I have a better idea."

They watched him stand as Father MacVey headed for the door and he opened the door. He motioned with his hands for them to leave the room as they stood and he led them out of the office. They headed out of the outer office then down the hallway and Annabelle wondered where they were going. They left the school as they walked into the yard and Annabelle noticed the other students and the nuns were standing near where the fight had happened.

"What's goin' on?" Connor whispered.

"Dunno," Murphy whispered.

Father MacVey stopped as he motioned for the boys to come closer and the boys walked to him. He looked from Connor, Sean, Murphy and Norman to the older boys and he stood a little straighter.

"Attention, please," Father MacVey said and the nuns and students looked at him. "As we all know… There was an altercation this afternoon between theses boys. Normally, such things would be cause fer immediate suspension. But, seein' how today is a special day, th'attackers will publicly apologize t'their victims instead."

"Are you kiddin' me?!" one of the older boys asked.

"No way I'm gonna do that!" the other older boy said.

"It's their fault Freddie's in th'hospital!" the third boy said.

"Are you addin' lies t'yer crimes?" Father MacVey asked and the older boys gave him a shocked look.

"We ain't lyin'!" the first boy said.

Father MacVey gave them a stern looks and the older boys lowered their heads.

"Go on. An' make sure you mean it," Father MacVey said with a cold tone to his voice. The older boys walked to Connor, Murphy, Sean and Norman and Connor arched up his eyebrows.

"Got summat t'say t'us?" Connor asked.

"All of you're so dead th'next time we see you," the first boy whispered.

"Sorry. Didn't hear that. We're what?" Sean said with a small grin.

"I think he said we're dead th'next time they see us," Norman said.

"Aye. I think that's what he said," Murphy said.

"Shut it!" the other older boy growled.

"Enough!" Father MacVey said as he walked to them and he looked at the older boys. "I guess I have no choice. You are suspended."

"Wait! Are you talkin' about our lads as well?!" Norman's father demanded.

"Well….," he said as he looked at Connor, Sean, Murphy and Norman. "Are all of you sorry fer fightin' on schoolgrounds?"

"Aye, Father," the four boys said at the same time and he heard the honesty in their voices.

"I know this this a silly question, but will you do it again?"

"Uh…," Sean said.

"Um…," Norman said.

"Well…," Murphy said.

"Not sure if we can promise that," Connor said and Father MacVey smiled.

"Maybe two months' detention will help you make up yer minds," Father MacVey.

"Aye, Father," the boys said at the same time.

"What about my Freddie? He wasn't even in the fight," Freddie's father said.

"He will also have two months' detention after he's released from the hospital," Father MacVey said.

"Thank you, Father."

"Dismissed," Father MacVey said as he turned and headed back to the school.

Annabelle walked to her sons as Connor and Murphy said goodbye to Sean and Norman then they turned to look at her.

"I think we're grounded," Connor said as he glanced at Murphy.

"Aye," Murphy said with a nod.

"You bet yer asses you're grounded," Annabelle said as she folded her arms under her breasts.

"Would it help if we said we're sorry?" Connor asked.

"It might."

"An' we'll tell Father O'Dale what we did at confession," Murphy said.

"I'm glad t'hear that."

"Uh…," Connor said as Freddie's father walked by and the man looked at them. "Wait!"

Freddie's father stopped as Connor and Murphy ran to him and he wondered what the boys wanted.

"Do you have summit t'say t'me?" he asked.

"Aye," Connor said with a nod.

"We were wonderin' if Freddie would like it if we came t'see him," Murphy said.

"We want him t'know we're not mad at him," Connor said.

"An' we're sorry fer gettin' him in trouble."

Annabelle had walked to them as she looked at Freddie's father and the man softly smiled.

"I think he'd like that," Freddie's father said then told Annabelle which hospital Freddie had been taken to.

"Can we go see him after school t'morrow?" Connor asked as he looked at Annabelle.

"Would that be alright?" she asked and Freddie's father nodded. They watched him walking off then she looked at her little angels and any anger she had vanished. "You are such good boys."

"Not all t'time," Connor said. She laughed as she placed her hands on their shoulders and they walked away.