Page 17 of Finding Him
“But Da—”
“Da understands,” she cuts me off, shooting him a look. He’s pretending to be very busy with his box, but I saw his shouldersslump. Da doesn’t like to be alone. He told me once. “Besides, with this weather...”
“The boat has a roof!” I argue.
“I don’t care, Niall. Patch—tell him that he can’t go.”
Da sighs, finally turning around. “Listen to your mother, lad. You’ll catch your death out there today. It’s a bit choppy anyway.”
I hear the thump-thump of feet on the stairs, and coming up behind me. I know it means Claire has woken up, even though it was only five in the morning. She always likes to be up to say goodbye. She just turned ten two weeks ago, but still acts a bit like a baby—so it doesn’t surprise me when she scoots past me in the doorway, running to jump into Da’s arms.
“Please,” I beg one last time. “I’ll be fine.”
Da looks at me, then at Mam, then at the little girl in his arms. “Let the boy come, Áine. He's tough.”
“No, Patrick. He is staying here. We don’t need a hospital trip.” Mam only calls him Patrick when she’s bleeding angry. The rest of the time, she and all of Da’s other friends call him Patch.
Like a clover patch, lad. ‘Cause us Blues’ are damn lucky, yeah?
Da sighs, kissing Claire’s head. “Do you want to come, Clairey? See the big fish?”
She frowns, playing with his shirt buttons. “I dunno. My tummy hurts. I think I’m sick too.”
I fight the urge to roll my eyes. I can’t do anything lately without Claire being a copycat about it. She’s about as bad as JJ.
Da sets her down with a chuckle. “Alright then. I'll be back by noon. I'll bring you back a monster pike, yeah?”
Ma sighs. “I'd really feel better if you didn't go out at all, Patch.”
“The rain is clearing,” Da insists, grabbing his gear. “And it's the ocean. There's water everywhere, Angel. Don't worry.”
I feel like I’m going to cry. I never miss a trip. “Da—”
“Your mother said no, Niall,” he says, his voice uncharacteristically sharp. “Stay home. Get some rest, lad.”
Claire hugs his legs, and he ruffles her hair, then leans down to kiss Ma's forehead. She sighs, but doesn't push him away. I suddenly feel like begging him to stay, too.
“I'll be back soon,” he says, pulling away and grabbing his tackle box off the dining table. He holds his arm open for me, and I go and hug him tightly.
"Be careful," Ma says.
Da chuckles, squeezing me. "I will."
Then he leaves, the door shutting behind him.
I feel my heart sink as Claire runs to the living room, so she can watch him get into his car from the window, and Ma sets the medicine on the counter. “Come take your medicine now, Niall. You can go fishing any old time. Take this, and you can watch Star Wars on the VHS.”
I relent and take the cup, coughing at the bitter taste as the medicine goes down.
7
Making Waves
Niall
March, 2002
“ITHOUGHT YOUsaid you were ‘dying’?”
