Monday came around again as it always does, the usual greetings were bolstered by people praising the short concert they had given Friday. Cheri and Amber were still floating and every little whisper of praise kept them aloft.
"I could get addicted to that Liam, we need to do that some more," Cheri declared.
Amber nodded in agreement and so did Danny.
"Well then, we'll have to get organized. Maybe a Friday-nighter with the food truck crowd. We could play some nontraditional stuff. I loved singing Dimming of the Day with you and I have quite a few tunes that would appeal to a wider audience," Liam agreed. "We'd need security, cos it brings out all kinds."
"You know at least two Claremont cops, surely we could get Bryce to help out or maybe Jack," Cheri pressed.
"It will have to be after Mam and Da get back, they're due in Thursday evening so the weekend after might be good if the weather holds," Liam speculated.
"That sounds good to me, I've really come to enjoy singing in public and you're the reason Liam," Cheri concluded.
"Me too, I've always been too shy to play unless I'm surrounded by an orchestra but now, I can stand up and play a solo without wetting myself," Amber added.
"I might have to give singin' in public a miss for a while soon, my voice feels like it's getting' ready to slide a bit more. But my guitar will still have the same range. I'll have to learn a lot more instrumentals," Liam confessed.
Cheri and Amber both mobbed him for a hug.
Cheri declared, "You'll come out with a great voice, you already sing lower than most of the boys at this school."
"I hope you're right, I'll keep singin' but maybe not in public, Liam ventured.
Cheri, Liam and Danny hugged Amber, sending her on her way to Art class and the trio made their way to Science.
On Thursday morning, the boys were on pins and needles in anticipation of their parents' return. Danny could barely sit still in his Art Pottery class, Terri and Connor were due in at four o'clock that afternoon. He tried to focus on his wheel but everything he tried went pear shaped.
Liam was better able to concentrate because English was a class he enjoyed when they weren't reading gothic novels. An avid reader, he often found he had read many of the books on the class list. Discussion of modern fiction kept him interested enough to cope with the anticipation he was feeling.
Classes ended for the day and both boys hurried to meet Maeve at the curbside. Cheri and Todd ran interference for them so they weren't bogged down by people who just wanted to chat. Cheri turned out to have quite a commanding voice when she needed it, "Make a hole," she ordered, and the throng parted allowing Liam and Danny to race to the gate and out of the school.
They exchanged kisses with Cheri and hugs with Todd, piled into the Landcruiser and were gone.
"What was that all about?" a girl named Sandra inquired.
"Their parents are getting home this afternoon from Europe, they've been gone since their wedding," Cheri explained.
"Aaaw, that's sweet. It's nice that they're excited to see them," Sandra put in and she drifted away with the current.
Cheri knew she would hear from Liam once they had reunited with Connor and Terri.
Terri had called every day since they made it to Ireland. She told them how much they were enjoying the sights. They had even crossed into the north and visited Londonderry and several other towns. Connor had needed to seek permission from the MOD to enter Northern Ireland and his documents were heavily scrutinized when they left the train. He was pretty sure they were followed but he gave little thought to it. He hired a car in Londonderry and they continued north to the coast and the Giant's Causeway. They stayed at an inn and visited two of the castles along the coast and began the trek southward to the Republic and finally met the train in Londonderry and rode in comfort back to Dublin.
"Next time we'll visit Enniskillen with the boys, I've an uncle there and other family," Connor promised.
"Well lads, were you able to learn anything today?" Maeve asked.
Danny shook his head, "If I did I've forgotten what it was, except that I can't throw a pot if I can't concentrate."
"And me," Liam joined in. "I missed something in Calc and it took me forever to figure it out."
"Well, you should be able to function tomorrow, yer mam and da will be arriving soon," Maeve soothed.
"That's the only thing that kept either of us going today, Shan," Danny exclaimed.
Liam nodded in agreement.
The boys paid no heed to a white Escalade that pulled out of their street as Maeve turned onto it. Maeve parked the car and the boys hauled their book bags inside and took them to their room. Liam wanted to do a walkthrough of the house to make sure everything was clean and ready for Connor and Terri's return.
The boys changed into comfortable clothes and relaxed for a few minutes.
"Are you ready for this Danny?" Liam asked.
"I've been ready since the second day they were gone," Danny uttered.
Liam sat beside him and hugged him, kissing his cheek and neck. Danny's breathing evened out and he smiled.
A knock at their door shook them both out of their heads.
"Come in, Shan," Liam called.
"I'm not your shan, but will I do?" Terri grinned as she opened the door.
She and Connor stepped in and were mobbed by Danny and Liam. The boys were jubilant and emotional all at once. Maeve entered and grinned at them all.
"Wait, the driveway bell didn't hit my phone and we didn't hear you come in, what's going on? Liam inquired.
"We were able to catch an earlier flight out of New York and that put us into LAX two hours earlier. From there it was just a quick trip in a limo. There's not much traffic midday so we got here just before you and hid in our room to give you a moment to relax," Connor explained.
"I'm so glad to see you, Da and you, Mam, this has been a very tough day for both Danny and meself. I was afraid to eat, I thought I might bring it right back up," Liam shared.
"Oh dear, well let's all move to the kitchen and feed these boys!" Terri declared.
An hour later tensions were much reduced and the boys snoozed between their parents. Neither one had slept well the night before; and Terri was somewhat jetlagged.
Liam was the first to rouse himself and he queried Connor about the old neighborhood and the people that they knew.
"It's mostly the same although there are a few new faces. Many of the old ones have moved to pensioner's homes and sold up, but it's still nice. There seemed to be quite a few Danes and such moving to Ireland with the tech boom and all. I think you'd still recognize it all the same," Connor informed him.
"Did you stay at Shan's house in Dublin?" Liam asked.
"No lad, we stopped in and had a look, we met some of the neighbors but I had already booked a suite at the Westbury. It's my favorite hotel there and probably yer mam's as well by now." Connor shared.
Danny had woken and was listening.
"Danny, are you sufficiently calm enough to go to your pottery class tonight?" Connor asked.
"Oh man, I forgot all about it. I guess I better or they might drop me. I feel pretty chill now, Da," Danny beamed.
"Chill is it? Well then we best get you on yer way, I need some practice driving on the right again," Connor chuckled.
Liam decided to let Danny be alone with their Da and he'd have his mam all to himself, while Maeve went upstairs to take care of a few things online. Liam caught her at the base of the stairs and gave her a long hug.
Terri began, "So Liam, your da tells me you play the Uillean pipes, is that true?"
"Yes Mam, I learned from a local man but he learned them from Seamus Ennis and he was a legend. Ennis was from County Dublin up in Naul. I've got some of his music if you'd like to listen to him," Liam expounded.
"Actually I'd like to hear you play something. I discovered I rather liked the sound during our visit," Terri explained.
"Okay then, give me a minute to get my pipes put together and I'll meet you in the music room," Liam directed.
Liam assembled his pipes did a quick check of the chanter regulators and drones. All the reeds seemed to be in good condition so he lugged the pipes to the music room. Liam sat in a wooden chair and strapped the bellows to his right arm and the bag under his left.
"Have a seat Mam, I'm ready to go," Liam instructed and he began to play.
The first song was Have You Been to Carrick, a long lament of great sadness and lost love. He paused at the end and launched into a lively jig showing off his excellent bag control. As he was finishing, Connor arrived home and listened.
"You'll want to play Old bush and the Bucks of Oranmore, do you still remember it?" Connor inquired.
Liam nodded, the reels would allow him to really give the pipes a thorough test. When he was done, he accepted the applause and asked what they wanted for dinner.
"I thought we'd have dinner at the place where all this began, do you remember Andy's Barbecue?" Connor asked.
"Oh right, that's where we all met for the first time. Cool, I could eat some pulled pork; that sounds great.
"Well, let's all get ready and we'll snag Danny on the way," Connor suggested.
Dinner was great and the food was as good as ever. This was the place where Terri and Danny's lives changed for the better and so did Connor and Liam's.
"That was really quite good, we could use a good American barbecue place in Dublin. There's one in Millerntorpl Platz in Hamburg, it's Texas style and it's pretty good," Maeve volunteered.
"I hope you're not rushing off Maeve, we didn't get much time together before Connor and I took off," Terri said hopefully.
"I had planned to stay another week and then I have a gig in New York before I fly back home. I've already rescheduled my flight back to Dublin," Maeve shared.
"Oh good, I really want to go shopping with you. And of course I need to pick your brain a bit," Terri responded.
"Just let me know when and I'll be ready," Maeve smiled.
"Who's taking us to school in the morning?" Liam raised his brow.
"I imagine it will be me, yer mam is jetlagged and I need to go check in at the office and see what's up. I'll be returning in earnest Monday," Connor advised.
"It's supposed to be foggy in the morning and I'd like to pick up a few mates who always walk to school," Liam proposed.
"That's easy enough to do, just have them tell you where to pick them up and we'll be there."
"I'll make some calls when we get home," Liam promised.
Liam called Cheri first to be sure she'd be in early as usual. He also told her that his parents had arrived and things were considerably calmer. Cheri told him she was happy for him and Danny. Next, he called Brian and asked him to meet at the end of their street, "I'm going to call Cyrus and Allen to see if they need a ride, but you and Calvin came first," Liam imparted.
"Thanks man, yeah, Dad leaves too early to take us and with the fog he'll leave even earlier. Cyrus is out tomorrow, he has a doctor's appointment. Allen would probably appreciate a ride, though," Brian revealed.
"Okay, I'll call him, am I forgetting anyone in your area?" Liam asked.
Nope, everyone else goes to either elementary or high school," Brian assured.
"Okay, see you at 7:00," Liam signed off.
"Cool, we'll be there," Brian agreed.
Liam called Allen and he agreed to meet at the same time and place.
At seven a.m. Friday morning, the three boys were met by Liam, Danny and Connor and whisked off to school.
"Let us off by the gate to the pitch Da, the front will be jammed with cars," Liam suggested.
"Good idea, it's a bit of a trek but you won't get caught in that mess," Danny agreed.
The boys dismounted and Liam reached in the back for an odd looking case. Danny and Liam kissed Connor good bye and thanked him and then watched as he carefully pulled away and turned towards the main road. The four walked as far as the bleachers at the running track and Liam told them to go on without him.
The other three balked but Liam convinced them that nothing was wrong. Once they were out of sight Liam opened the case and assembled his pipes. When he was ready, he called Cheri to make sure she was there. She was, so he said, "Listen," and disconnected.
He began to play Have You Been to Carrick once again, there was something eerie about the sound of Uillean pipes in the fog and at a distance. The music carried a long way across moors and hills. Once finished he quickly packed up the pipes and took them to the music room. It was open and Mr. Levi was in the last practice room with a student going over a piece. Liam put his pipes in his locker and legged it to the Caf.
"Whoa Liam, that was wild. It'll never be a top forty hit but it was cool beyond belief. Can you play livelier stuff on those?" Cheri asked, handing Liam a hot cocoa.
"You bet, Mam asked me to play them for her last night, she heard them in Ireland on their trip and Da told her I played. I remembered that I had told you I would play them here when it got foggy, so, today was the day."
"You're so sweet, and that was so cool and weird. I'm going to go online and download some more," Cheri bubbled.
"I liked it too," Amber put in.
Brian, Calvin and Danny walked up with hot drinks and pastries. Danny had explained what Liam was up to and why.
"That was so cool Liam, it was like one of those movies about guys with swords and pikes and stuff," Calvin chirped.
"It was completely cool, I didn't know you played them," Brian added.
Danny just beamed at Liam with an adoring look in his eyes 0 , "It came through loud and clear all the way at the front of the school, it sounded so cool."
"People were looking around trying to figure out where it was coming from, I bet some of them think it's ghosts or something," Amber chipped in.
Mike Hanlan passed by the group and winked at Liam. Liam smiled back and Mr. Hanlan kept walking.
Through the day, Liam heard people talking about the weird music that drifted in through the fog. They seemed to be having fun speculating about the source.
The fog burned off and Liam and Danny waited for Terri or Maeve at the curbside with Cheri and Amber. Cheri's mother arrived so they hugged and kissed goodbye and the girls were gone.
"So, have you been to the rock?" Mr. Hanlan inquired.
"In truth I haven't, I'm not actually catholic, still it's a fine tune," Liam grinned.
"A heathen just like yer da, and me to boot. I haven't heard those pipes played in a long time. Sarah has asked me several times to show her Ireland and I think this year we'll do just that," Mike Hanlan smiled gently and patted Liam's back.
"What was that about?" Danny asked as Mr. Hanlan walked away.
"The name of the song I played this morning was Have You Been to Carrick. It means have you been to the rock. When the English barred Catholics from attending mass they did it in secret at altars put together in the wild. They were hidden in gorges and forests so the people could perform their rites," Liam explained.
"Oh, I didn't know that, was that because of Henry VIII?" Danny asked.
"Him and Cromwell a bit later, they were both right bastards," Liam spat.
"I'd like to read about it, what do I look for?" Danny questioned.
"Try searching the British invasion of Ireland in 1649. That should lead you to what you want to know," Liam instructed. "It's good that you want to learn, it's your heritage too."
Terri arrived at last and whisked the boys away. "Sorry I'm late boys, I was preparing for a little celebration," Terri shared.
"What're we celebratin'?" Liam asked.
"You'll all find out when your da gets home," Terri said with a note of finality.
Liam and Danny shrugged at each other and chatted idly.
When they arrived home, Connor was already there. Maeve seemed to be keeping him busy and directing him away from the kitchen.
"Okay Connor, boys, let's all sit in the kitchen. I have a surprise and I want Connor to open that box and show what's inside," Terri directed.
She led the way in and leaned against the counter by the fridge. On the table was a small rectangular box like a jewelry box, the top was silver with a pattern. It was about the size one might find a wrist watch in.
"Connor would you please open the box in front of you?" Terri requested.
Connor did as he was told and his features froze, he raised his eyes to Terri, "Is this for real?"
"It is, why don't you show the boys," Terri motioned.
Connor removed a pink plastic gadget from the box and held it up for Maeve and the boys to see. At the bottom of the gadget was a window displaying a small blue plus sign.
"Do you know what this means, Lads?" Connor asked excitedly.
"I think so, I've seen those on TV, it means mommy is pregnant doesn't it?" Danny ventured.
Tears streamed down Danny's face as he jumped up and ran to Terri, "I'm so happy Mom, I always wanted a baby brother or sister," Danny rasped.
Liam joined the hugs and then they turned their attention towards Connor.
"I told you I'd get to work on your request," Connor joked with Danny.
Maeve was next, the boys swarmed her the same way and eventually calmed down. Terri poured champagne and everyone toasted the good news.
"So when will the baby arrive, Mam?"
"Some time in November is my best guess, the doctor will be able to tell for sure," Terri shared.
"Is it okay to tell our friends?" Danny pressed.
"I'd wait until the doctor confirms the pregnancy," Terri advised. "Those tests are pretty good, but there's a margin of error."
"Well Danny, I guess we should get started packing, they'll be sending us out to the mills to work now they've a new baby coming along."
Connor laughed uproariously, "Now why didn't I think of that. I'll give the iron monger a call in the morning."
Everyone laughed and then finished their champagne.