When the Sun Goes Down

I walked up to the passenger’s side of the van and took a tight grip on the door handle. It had gotten very late and the group was more than ready for bed. Ken was setting up the large tent he had taken from his car and the rest of the group were packing things up. Noah got rid of the dying embers of the fire before making his way toward the van. I propped open the door, but before I could get in, a light grip was taken on my arm.

I turned, finding the tired, but still vibrant, blue eyes of Murphy. I gave him a smile as he asked, “What are ya doin’, Adrienne?”

“I’m goin’ to bed.”I said matter - of - factly.

Connor stepped up and stretched as far as he could. After letting out a quick breath, he placed his hands on Murphy’s shoulders and said, “Why don’t ya sleep in back with us? I cuddle with Murph every night. Be nice to have a woman in the middle.”

I chuckled lightly as Murphy rolled his eyes. Murphy shut the passenger door and I asked, “What about Noah and Sean?”

“They’re watching the camp fer the night.”Murphy winked.

“Da’s gonna respect the hell outta’m fer ya’s.”Connor rose a clenched fist and shook it.

“Well then,”I smiled.”what about Abby?”

I crossed my arms over my chest, knowing very well I was only wasting time. I hid my laughter as Murphy said, “Sleepin’ with Caylee in the tent.”

“Really?”I peeked over their shoulder and shook my head slightly.”I don’t think I like tha -”

“Just come on in, Adrienne. They’ll be fine fer the night.”Murphy smiled warmly.”’Sides, I’m a great cuddler.”

I snickered quietly and nodded my head in response. Connor slid the side door open and crawled his way in. He peeked his head out and in a gasp, said, “It’s fuckin’ clean back here!”

“Thanks to me.”I followed after him and got myself comfortable.

Murphy slid the door shut and within a few minutes, I was lying in between the two brothers. It was bit of a squeeze, but we managed to get comfortable. At least I had. I closed my eyes tightly and took in a deep breath. The van floor was very uncomfortable, but I felt much safer within the thin metal walls it gave us. Connor rolled over slightly and accidentally shoved his elbow into my side.

I let out a quiet yelp and shifted in Murphy’s direction. Murphy perked his head up and I watched as the most conniving grin crawled along his lips. I leaned back on my elbows and warned lowly, “Murphy.”

“Go, go, go!”Murphy was quick enough to roll over me and keep my arms held tight against the ground.

Connor rolled over and instantly began to attack at my sides. He poked and tickled every spot he could as I tried to kick them away.

“This is not fair!”I cried out through laughter.

“She’s easier to handle when she’s laughin’!”Murphy snickered.

“Connor!”I cried.”Stop it!”

The twin’s laughter filtered loudly through the van and resulted in the side door being thrown open. Ken’s face quickly dropped when Connor and Murphy turned toward him. I was still suffering through a few extra laughs, which only made him chuckle lightly.

“Thought you were bein’ eaten, darlin’.”He sighed.”Carry on then?”

“No!”I pulled away from Murphy and gave each of them a shot to the arm.

They groaned loudly and cupped their arms before giving me a sad stare. I fell back against the bed of the van and said, “Thanks for checkin’ up on me, Ken, but I got these two morons under control.”

“Have a good night y’all.”He slid the door shut and I shook my head.

“You boys’ are ridiculous.”I smiled.

“Ya asked fer it, Adrienne.”Connor said.

“I did no such thing!”I scoffed.

“Aye, I think he’s right.”Murphy laughed when I pushed him away from me.

“Go to sleep, the both of you.”I rolled over in the van and let out a quiet sigh.

It was a long while before there was any talking. I kept my eyes closed tightly, hoping that the few words the boys shared would end quickly. I shifted slightly and tried to get comfortable. I let out a deep breath and the boys continued on. I listened in slightly when they mentioned my name. Murphy and Connor shifted, most likely to lean up on their elbows.

“She asleep, Murph?”Connor whispered softly.

I stayed put, even though I wanted to answer them. I bit back a reply and waited for them to continue.

“Aye, I think so.”They moved once more in the back.

“I’ve been thinkin’, Murph.”Connor began softly.”What if we head out to Ireland?”

“What?”Murphy scoffed.

“Ya heard me.”Connor spat.”Da wants to go, Ma was even considerin’ it.”

The van grew quiet for a few moments. I swallowed hard, knowing very well that Mama did consider going to Ireland. It could have been that Noah had asked her to go, but she seemed intent on it back then.

“Do ya think Adrienne will want to go?”Connor asked.

“I don’t know.”He sighed quietly.”I’m gonna have to bring it up to her.”

“We’ll find out then, wont we?”I ignored the rest of their comments for the rest of the night.

I shifted once more in my sleep, just so the boys wouldn’t see me well up in tears. I let out a quiet sigh as I got more comfortable. Going to Ireland would mean leaving the states and risk what we had left. No one knew if the virus had gotten out of the US and no one was going to find out. We would have to pack up and leave, just to hope and pray that we walked in on solid, uninfected ground.

It would also mean leaving behind what I’ve grown up around my entire life. I felt myself frown when I thought about leaving. Mama’s grave, along with Romeo’s, would be here in the US, far away from the family they once knew. Murphy was going to ask me about my opinion on leaving for Ireland and I would have no answer for him. Going to Ireland would be a big risk, but then again, staying in the US was even bigger.