With Thy Saint's Surrounded

I never was the type of person to exactly come back where I knew I was not wanted. My parents were more than disappointed with me and frankly I could not care less. I was not who they wanted to be and that was okay with me. That was more than okay.

I knew they missed me. I missed them.

I lived near them, on the North side of Boston. I couldn’t live with them, my mother’s strict values and my father’s leeway of undermining my mother’s parenting. They could not agree on the same things, I could not handle being between them. Leaving was the best choice I had ever made at the age of 18. Phone calls and drop-ins were all I could give them without hearing one complain about me living incorrectly or arguing back that I have the right too.

Thursday afternoon around two I got home with groceries in my hand. Essentials for the week so I would not starve myself to death. I lit a cigarette and started to put the groceries away when the phone rang.

I picked up on the fourth ring, “Mona ya best come by before we leave aye.” My father’s thick Irish accent buzzed through my ear.

“What do you mean before leaving?” I sat on the counter of my small kitchen.

“Yer mam and I have decided to go ter Ireland.” I was stunned.

“And she agreed?” Confusion was written all over my face but he couldn’t exactly see that.

My father gave a small laugh, “Aye, she’s comin’ round. Giver’ a chance.”

I smiled. “When do you lot leave?”

“Sunday evenin.” My smile faltered a bit.

“Three days?” I crossed my legs and hugged myself a bit. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Didn’t think ya let us leave now aye.” He let out a depressing laugh. “You’d never leave Boston now would ya?”

“You’re right I’d never leave even if you guys tried to drag me.” I tried to act tough but ended up laughing a little at the end.

The phone call eventually ended and it took awhile to let everything sink in. I knew my mother. She probably wanted to call and force me to come to Ireland but knowing my father, he persuaded her to let me make my own decisions with knowing full on well that I would want to stay in Boston.

Boston was home for me. I did not have anywhere to go from here.

By the time the weekend came about I had dinner with my family one last time. My mother had seemed to be fighting with her inner self to let me make a decision to stay on my own. But with one condition, I live here, in the apartment I grew up in.

I agreed and it felt like all the resentment between us vanished, finally realizing that I can’t exactly be controlled.

Sunday rolled around the corner and by the time they had left I felt a little sad. A tinge of guilt that I did not spend more time with them. I liked being by myself and working in a bookstore surrounded by books. My boyfriend never bothered me unless he wanted something, and yet I knew he was already getting that something from someone else.

I came home Sunday night and tried to relax on my couch when the phone rang. I picked it up and it was Frankie, long live the boyfriend. Said he wanted to take me out to a bar.

I got dressed. Something simple, Frankie was not all that complicated. I don’t know why we still refer to each other as something significant.

He didn’t even come to pick me up. Just told me to find McGinty’s.

-

I sat at a booth with a beer occupying my hands and a non-lit cigarette between my fingers. Frankie was all the way towards the back standing real nice and close to some blond wearing some sort of revealing dress. I looked down at my clothes, a slightly baggy cropped sweater and high wasted pants.

I shook my head and closed my eyes laughing. It does not matter what I wear. Frankie will always try to put his dick in anything with nice tits and ass.

“Now what’s a lass like you jus sittin’ ter?” I looked up slowly only to see a man a little older than myself with brown hair and a very thick Irish accent.

“If I tell you, then I might have to kill you.”

“Aye, you don’t say? Well lass, kill me then.” I let out a low laugh and shook my head. I put the beer to my lips and just chugged it down.

“You really want to know why I’m just sitting here.” I put my eyes down to my glass, “That man in the back playing darts with tits and ass back there is my boyfriend.”

“Seems like a fucking dick to me lass.” I laughed again.

“That’s my boyfriend.”

“Was yer name lass?” I looked straight at him. He genuinely wanted to know. He smiled at me and took the glass of beer he brought over with himself and took a drink.

“Ramona.” I smiled back but my eyes were averted down. Something I just normally do for the sake of causing embarrassment to myself.

“Pretty name for a pretty lass like you.” I looked up and another body showed up at my table while the one already there shook his head a laughed.

“Who exactly are you two?” I put the cigarette in my mouth and this new body lights it for me. I nod in thank you.

The one sitting across from me, “Connor, this be my brother Murphy.” I smiled, “Now tell us who do you want to dance with?”