Shane and Gwen: Father Figures, Part I
*At one point, he will take a moment to sit and talk to Gwen, an attempt at a heart to heart*
Sitting near a lake, leaning back and skipping stones across the water, Shane looks over to Gwen.
"So, what's with all the black, then?"
Gwen looks down at her black long skirt, tee-shirt and boots. She shrugs, "nothin." She looks at you and says, "What's with all the green then?"
*He smiles, and chuckles a wee bit*
"It reminds me of home! The hills and grasses and trees of me homeland are of the richest, most glorious greens one will ever see. Wearing it makes me feel like I can still see it there.""
*He tosses another rock across the lake*
"How are lessons with the Tutor Mr. Shout has provided ye? You being a good student?"
She smiles mischievously, "I am always a good girl Shane."
"When do you think Uncle Daddy will come back? I miss him." She looks down at her shoes.
*Shane puts an arm around her, and pulls her over to him*
"I don't know, dear. Sidhe are funny that way. You may not see him for a long, long time."
"But, Xantha and Shout and I are here for you. I know that we can never take the place of your Da, and I would never try."
"And I know you miss him. And I am sure he misses you terribly. And its OK to miss him, and OK to want to see him again. And it's OK to cry about it, if yer want to."
Gwen curls into your arm and cries a little. Then she looks up at you rubbing her eyes, "It's Sione's fault that he's gone. She told him to go off and fight."
*He makes a face and nods*
"You don't think he would have fought of his own free will?"
She thinks about it a moment.
"I think that he would not have been so rushed and determined if she had not pressured him. He has a family to think about ya know."
*he nods, and looks at you*
"I know he does. And, I think, because of that, and the desire to keep his family safe and happy, he would have done what ever he needed to. With, or without Sione's urging and pressures."
"Can I tell you about my dad?"
Gwen looks into his eyes. “You have a dad?"
*He nods* “Yes."
"Seamus was me Da. He cared for all of us wee ones in me family, and, there were a lot of us. 9 kiddies in all. Five brothers: Reilly, Jackie, Cornelius, Paddy, and of course, Himself. And the four sisters: Kathleen, Maureen, Eileen, and Maeve. We were a handful, we were."
"But, Ma and Da kept us all fed, clothed, and out of too much trouble. And we all knew that Ma and Da loved each and every one of us."
"Now, me Da, he worked at a local mill. They made the water of life, which you might know as Whiskey (that was the sweet stuff I let ya drink at your Da's wake). So, Da made whiskey, and that’s how he kept us all fed, and clothed. He kept us out of trouble by usin' his belt!"
"Now, back home, there were a few bad men. They tried to bully and scare the folks in our town into giving them their way, and no one, not the Mayor, not the Guardai (them's the Police), no one was brave enough to stand up to them."
Is that why you drink so much? Cause you dad made it?
Heh! Why, no, my deary, I drink because it is the blessin', and the curse of my people! Both sides, the fair, and mundane. But Da made some sweet stuff, I tell ya!"
So what happened if no one would stand up to them?
They did bad things to the good folk of our town. They took our money, said it was for our 'protection'. They came into our homes and businesses, taking what they wanted. They took our Mothers, sisters, and daughters, made them do horrible things in order to 'repay our families debts'. They told when we could, and could not go out on the town, and told us where we could and could not go."
"Everyone was scared of them. Everyone."
"One day, one of their Boys, he took a likin' to me sister Maeve. She was a pretty one, boy. Red hair that flowed like copper down her back, sparklin green eyes. Now, all of me sisters were beauties, but Maeve, she was the jewel of the family, the twinkle in me Da's eyes."
"So, this boy, he takes a shining to Maeve, only, she wanted nothing in the world to do with him. And she told him so, in front of all of his boy's, she told him. And he was hurt."
"That night, he and his friends came a lookin for Maeve. They came to our home. Me brothers and I, we took up our Hurling clubs, and we met them outside. Reilly told them to clear off, that Maeve wasn't interested, and that we didn't want no trouble from he likes of them, but we'd sure not back down from it."
"Now, these boys, they'd never had no one stand up to them like that before, not never. But they could see that we were serious, and they left. But, we all knew they'd be back."
"Shane it is an interesting story, but what does this have to do with Erik??"
"I'm gettin' to it, I'm gettin' to it!"
"Kids these days. No patience to save a clam!"
"So, we brothers had run the bastards off. We'd thought we had victory, we thought that would be the end of it all. Da found out, and he told us all that we'd made a big mistake. He forbade us from doing that again, we weren't to "Pull another dammed stunt like that again!" he told us. We tried to tell him we'd drove them off, that they wouldn't bother us no more. He shook his head, and told us all to go to our rooms. We were heartbroken, we'd defended our sister's honor, and we'd won."
"But, us being the boys that we were, we couldn't see how wrong we were. They came back. There were more of them this time. Me brothers and I, we all ran out the house, faced off with them, even though our Da forbid us to. Some of them were our age, others were much older, Old Twoomy, their bossman, sat in his big old car across the street from us, watching. They were ready for a fight. So were we."
"We stood out in the street in front of our yard, all of us getting ready to tear into the others. That’s when Da came up the block, coming home from the mill. He saw the big battle brewin' in the street, and he dropped his lunch pail in the street, and ran over to us all, yelling at all of us boys, telling us to get our arse's inside. Me oldest brother, Reilly, he stood up to Da, and he told him that what we were about to do needed to be done."
"Dad cuffed Reilly upside the head something good. 'I won't have no boy of mine brawlin' in the street with filth like this. The O'Riordans are better than that! Now, all of you, get yer arse's inside the damned house. Now!' and of course, we all ran in the house, and went to peek out the windows."
"Dad turned to the rest of them, and told them all to get home, and not to come back. They just stood there, lookin' at him, laughing."
"The big car, where the bossman sat, it's door opened. And the boss got out, and he strode up to my Da. it was a sight, the leader of the big gang, all decked out in a fine suit, wool topcoat, and his fancy hat and shoes, facing off with me Da, in his filthy torn workin' clothes."
"Bossman looked my dad in his eyes, and blew a puff of smoke from his cigar in Da's face. 'Yer girl turned down a date with my boy, Roddy. When he came by to come a courtin again, yer boys ran him off. I suggest, Mr. O'Riordan, that yer girl come out here, and that she make nice to Roddy. If ye know what’s good for ye and yer family, eh?' and he blew another puff of smoke into me Da's face."
"Da stood there, lookin at him. Then he removed his glasses. "Mr. Duggan, I think I'd like yer to get away from me home. Now, Please. Before I lose me temper.'
Written by Diana Flegal & Patrick Gerrity