Finding Ellie (Complete)

Chapter 14

It was never easy to admit being wrong but that’s what Ellie was about to do. She had overreacted, plain and simple, and she needed to apologize to Mrs. Callaghan. She knew the old woman had meant no harm.

            She first looked for her in the kitchen, then the sitting room, dining room, front lobby and finally the back garden. There she was putting up laundry on a line she could barely reach. Ellie approached noiselessly, quite frankly embarrassed by how she had spoken to and treated the woman who had made her feel like more than just a guest at the B & B.

            “Can you pass me the last towel in the basket, dear,” Mrs. Callaghan called out.

            Ellie wasn’t sure how Mrs. Callaghan had known she was there. She had been quiet, hadn’t she? She reached out only to snatch her hand back when a boy of about eight came swooping in to grab the towel.

            “Oh!” Ellie exclaimed.

            Mrs. Callaghan whirled around when she heard a voice. “Oh my, I didn’t know you were there.”

            “I’m sorry I startled you, I thought you were talking to me.” Ellie shuffled her feet hesitantly. If there was ever a time, it was now. “I came out to apologize about the way I’ve treated you the past few days.”

            Mrs. Callaghan regarded Ellie with a sympathetic eye. “There’s no need to apologize, I understand how you were feeling and it was none of our business to interfere, even if we did believe we were doing it for the right reasons.”

            “Which are what if you don’t mind me asking?” Ellie inquired, curiously.

            Mrs. Callaghan sat on the back porch stoop, patted the space beside her. “At my age, a person has seen and been through a lot. When you showed up in my B & B that first day, I immediately saw the hurt in your eyes, recognized it for what has been in Aidan’s for a long time.”

            “I was that transparent, huh.” Ellie considered. So much for thinking she had hidden her emotions well.

            “Yes.” Mrs. Callaghan confirmed. “We didn’t set on plotting you see. It was Aileen Murray who saw the both of you under the awning of the pub that first day. She expressed what a lovely couple you would make. That’s the reason I casually mentioned the pub to you for dinner. If anything were to happen then it would do so on its own.”

            Mrs. Callaghan sighed, kept talking. “But it seemed to get a bit out of hand. Colm and Carrick saw how you interacted with each other and….”

            “Invited me to meet them at the pub all those times so Aidan and I could run into each other,” Ellie interjected feeling like a moron for thinking they had genuinely liked her.

            “Yes and no. They really do care for you and your company, I promise you that. Being as they’re always down there anyway was just good fortune. How often do two old pots like those two get to enjoy the company of a beautiful, young woman?” Mrs. Callaghan rose from her seat. “Don’t be angry with them. We’ve come to care for you a great deal in the short time we’ve known you. We only want the best for you both and do believe you could be good for each other.”

            That is a lot to take in, thought Ellie. She had already decided to stay a little longer than the previously planned month but she would still have to go eventually. Knowing the type of person she was, she knew if she kept this path there would be heartbreak in the end. She also did not want to put any kind of pressure on Aidan and so she would keep her mouth shut and enjoy it for what it was. When she left, she would keep the tears for the plane ride home and he would be none the wiser.

            “Gran, do you have any biscuits?” The boy Ellie had seen earlier came up to Mrs. Callaghan. He had a mop of curly brown hair, inquisitive brown eyes and a sprinkle of freckles across his nose.

            “You know I do.” Mrs. Callaghan waved him to the back door “Go on inside and get yourself a handful.”

            “That’s your grandson?” Ellie waited until he was inside.

            “My daughter’s youngest son,” the old woman nodded. “My granddaughters are too old to come spend time with their Gran anymore but Finn is only nine and still likes to come for a visit now and again.”

            “I didn’t know you had children of your own.” Ellie cast her eyes down in guilt. “I’m ashamed that I never bothered asking.”

            “Don’t be.” Mrs. Callaghan stood up and finished pinning up her laundry. “I imagine there are a lot of things on your mind.”

            “How many children do you have?” Ellie asked, decidedly correcting her indiscretion.

            Once done, Mrs. Callaghan set the basket on her hip and moved up the steps, opened the back door.

            “Two daughters and one son,” she answered, her voice muffled as she put away the basket in the laundry room. “Aislin is my oldest she has one daughter, Ciara. Darcy is next, she has a daughter Nessa and also Finn here and last is my baby, Eoghan. He has two sons, Fergus and James.”

            “I’ve never heard you speak of Mr. Callaghan.” Ellie treaded lightly, unsure if it was a subject that was never spoken of.

            “Eoghan Callaghan,” Mrs. Callaghan said, fondly. “That’s right, my son shares his name. He was a good man, worked incredibly hard and provided well for his family. A fisherman lost at sea more than twenty years ago. We met at a céilí. He was so handsome; I couldn’t believe my luck when he asked me to dance. Eoghan and I were inseparable from that moment on. He later told me that he fell in love as soon as he set eyes on me.”

            “I’m so sorry.” Ellie couldn’t imagine losing someone you loved so much. She thought about her own loss and even though he was still alive and well, she had lost Chad in a sense. Even after everything she didn’t harbor any ill will towards him but, try as she might, she couldn’t bring herself to feel the deep hole losing someone could bring.

            “Thank you, dear.” Mrs. Callaghan removed a hunk of ham from the refrigerator, went about preparing it for the evening meal while soup simmered on the stove for lunch. “What’s on your mind if I may ask?”

            Ellie thought for a moment, trying to formulate the words. “It’s easy to see the love you had for your husband, even after he’s been gone for twenty years. I’m not sure I can say I actually loved my ex-husband. At first, I’m sure I had strong feelings for him. Now I believe we got married only because we had been together for so long and that’s what was expected of us. I went through the motions of planning a wedding without much thought. It drove my best friend crazy when she would ask questions on what I was looking for, what was my image and I had none. Most of our married life, I guess you could say, we co-existed with each other under the same roof without sharing any real part or ourselves. Once everything unraveled, and he was gone, I was relieved more than anything. I felt worse about the fact that I was embarrassed for failing at marriage. What does all that mean?”

            “It just means that you were not with the right person,” Mrs. Callaghan replied, knowingly giving Ellie much more to think about.

Was that answer too simplistic? There had to be more to it?

                                                                                                  ***

“Blue? Your hair is blue?” Ellie stared at Poppy through the screen of her laptop.

            “It’s just a few highlights.” Poppy lifted her shoulder in a half shrug.

            “I’d say more than a few,” Ellie muttered, sure Poppy had heard her with the face she had just pulled.

            “So, what’s up?” Poppy scratched the tip of her nose, “Anything new with Mr. Personality?”

            “Aidan.” Ellie sighed, exasperated. “His name is Aidan.”

            Poppy crinkled her nose. “Oh please, we give everyone nicknames, Aidan will forever be Mr. Personality. Just like ‘Schwing’ was the cute guy at summer camp we convinced our parents to let us go to because we would learn so much. The only thing we came home with was a sun burn that would have made a lobster jealous and a new appreciation for sunscreen.

            “How could I forget? We slathered aloe on each other like it was a miracle cure. We both started school patchy from peeling so much.” Ellie snorted, in memory of that adventure.

            “Yeah, neither of us got Schwing that summer.” Poppy leaned back, pulling her laptop over her legs.

            “Forget about Schwing and let’s concentrate on the fact that I’m in love with Aidan.” Ellie held her breath, waiting for Poppy to commence the freak out. This was the first time she had admitted it out loud.

            “About time you figured it out.” Her blue haired friend pushed back at her strands, already contemplating her next color change.

            “What? You knew?” Ellie asked, incredulously.

            “I’m pretty sure everyone in Doolin knows. Except you and probably Aidan.” Poppy grinned, wickedly. She really loved the girl but sometimes she could be so dim.

            “Is it that obvious?” Ellie fidgeted with the sleeve of her sweater.

            She was in a panic. If everyone in Doolin knew as Poppy had pointed out, what if Aidan could see it as well? What if he figured it out too? He would surely run like he usually did. He was aware that she felt something for him, she was sure of that, but not the extent of it. No, she had to believe he would have said something, if only to nip the infatuation in the bud, she didn’t believe he was the type who wouldn’t.

Poppy tapped her fingers on the laptop to get Ellie’s attention again

“Maybe it’s because I know you so well, but Ells, I’ve never seen you like this before. You get all dreamy when you’re talking about him.”

            “I came here to find myself not get all dreamy about a boy.”

            “I, for one, am glad you found a guy.” Poppy hunched, bringing her face closer to the screen. “When you’re with the right person you don’t become someone different, you become a better version of yourself.”

            Ellie considered what her friend was telling her and found she liked the idea very much.

            “Ok, the only problem is I’m leaving in a week, two tops. Add that to the fact that Aidan is not exactly keen on the whole love and commitment thing.”

            “Who says you have to leave?” Poppy gestured to keep Ellie quiet while she spoke. “No, listen. There’s nothing holding you to Boston and you can work from anywhere. Take a chance Ells, do something for you for once in your life.”

            “I’d miss you so much.” It was the only thing she could think of to say. What Poppy was saying made a lot of sense but if she couldn’t convince Aidan to give them, give love, a chance it would be all for not.

            Poppy’s mouth twitched, she knew she had her. “It’s not like you couldn’t come visit and I’d finally have an excuse to come to Ireland. Find a cute cottage with a spare bedroom for me.”

            “I do have some new ideas for books. This place is really inspiring for that.” Ellie was starting to c***k.

            She wasn’t looking for a marriage proposal or even a promise of forever. If she could at least get him to believe, to show him not every relationship ended like his parents had, she would find a way to be content with that.

            “I see your wheels spinning.” Poppy hopped in her seat and pointed a finger.

            “I’m giving it two weeks. Then if it’s apparent I can’t get through to him, I’ll come home and forget I came here,” Ellie declared. “Now, let me tell you about the day we spent together and where we ended up.”

            Poppy sat up, hanging on to every word. A sheep farm where she sheared a sheep! An old ruin… A PRIVATE TOUR OF BLARNEY CASTLE? Who was this guy? Ellie describing their kiss at the end of the night was the best part. Or, maybe the second best. She had really liked the part where that Brenna chick left all ticked off that Aidan was once again casting her aside in favor of Ellie. That piece of work really needed to get the hint.

            “Well, now, I’m thinking you’ll have an easier time than you thought. There’s no way Mr. Personality isn’t in love with you. He’s fighting it all right but I’m guessing he’ll be losing that battle sooner than we think.”