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“How sure of a deal is it?”

“Very sure. We have a tentative agreement to
take over March first. We need the money down, plus money for
repairs, and I won’t lie, it’s pretty bad. It’ll be a lot of work.
Other than that, we need you on board.” Aryl waited for his
reaction with baited breath. Jonathan started to feel a spark of
life creep back into his chest. He didn’t recognize it yet as
hope.

“Have you told the girls yet?” Jonathan
asked, looking over the broken down building.

“No. We didn’t want to get their hopes up. We
wanted to wait until we had you on board.”

Jonathan suddenly felt a wave of relief that
almost brought him to tears, as he realized this meant being out of
Victor’s building and having something of his own again.

“We’ll tell them tomorrow,” he told Aryl with
a hint of strength in his voice. Aryl smiled wide.

“Okay, then. We’ll do it.”

∞∞∞

“Oh, Mr. Jonathan, Mr. Aryl, ye missed me
Scottie, singin' like an angel in the choir!” They heard Maura’s
loud brogue from down the street. Having missed the children’s mass
and choir performance, Aryl and Jonathan walked to Maura’s to wait
on the stoop for everyone to return.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t make it,” Jonathan
apologized quietly.

“Well, you must be freezin’. Come in and I’ll
make us all hot drinks before dinner,” she said, making her way to
the door. Ava was relieved to see Jonathan for reasons she didn’t
understand. She stood in front of him. He wouldn’t make eye contact
and she could see the red, swollen rims of his eyes and blotchy
face.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, standing closer to
him. He avoided her eyes and tried to appear convincing with his
lie.

“Well, I was shaving.” Aryl eyed him
cautiously. “And this jackass here scares the hell out of me. I got
lather all over my face and in my eyes.” He attempted a rough laugh
and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Sorry,” Aryl said sheepishly. “And to make
matters worse, when I was running from him, I tripped over your
chair and it broke. I'll fix it, though,” Aryl offered.

“You boys. I swear,” Ava said, shaking her
head. “But you didn’t finish shaving,” she mentioned.

“Jonathan has decided to grow a beard,” Aryl
interjected matter-of-factly, holding the razor in his pocket that
would not be soon returned to its owner.

“Shall I be servin’ drinks out in the street,
or are ye goin’ to join us inside?” Maura yelled from her door.

Maura’s home was one of only four apartments
in a brick building that might have once been a single home, but it
was warm and friendly. She introduced everyone, going around the
room, pointing as she said the person’s name. Between friends,
cousins, uncles, aunts, nieces, and nephews, there were almost two
dozen gathered in the small living room. The girls offered their
help in the kitchen and filed in behind her. Maura pulled a turkey
from the oven and smiled.

“Oh, it’s beautiful!” Arianna exclaimed.

“Tis,” Maura agreed and pulled her flask out
of her sweater pocket. “To another perfect turkey!” She toasted
with a swig and passed it around. Ava and Claire took a dainty sip
but Arianna passed it back.. Maura looked at her and her hand flew
to Arianna's head. “Are ye feelin’ poorly, Miss Arianna?”

“No, I feel fine.”

“Well, what then? Tis not like ye to turn
down a drink. If I’m rememberin’ correctly, yer the one that starts
the pourin’!”

“Well, it appears that I won’t be doing any
pouring for a while. At least six more months.” Maura’s eyes opened
wide when she made the connection, and she grabbed Arianna in a
tight hug.

“Oh, Miss Arianna! How wonderful! A wee babe!
Does Mr. Caleb know yet?” she cried.

“Well, if he hadn’t, he would now.” Arianna
smiled at her loud enthusiasm. “But yes, he knows.” Maura reached
under the sink and pulled out a large bottle.

“Been savin’ this for a special occasion, and
there's nothing more special than celebratin' news of a new babe.”
She cradled the bottle and walked into the living room. “We have
more cause to celebrate!” she called out, getting everyone’s
attention. “Miss Arianna and Mr. Caleb are expectin’ their first
wee bairn!” The whole room erupted in cheers and applause and even
Jonathan couldn’t help but smile. Arianna moved from the kitchen to
Caleb’s side, somewhat embarrassed. He put an arm around her while
everyone around the room, even those who didn’t know them, took
turns toasting and soon the large bottle was empty.

Arianna looked truly happy, although slightly
self-conscious, and Ava couldn’t help but be happy for her, feeling
that this is the way the news should have been announced. Not with
tears and anxious concern for the future. Caleb grinned proudly as
if he had accomplished some fantastic feat.

Jonathan stood next to Ava against the wall
of the small room by the window, which had been opened to relieve
the stifling buildup of body heat. Claire and Aryl found a spot in
the corner near the fireplace to watch the loud and jovial crowd as
cousins teased cousins, aunts scolded nephews and nieces, and later
the oldest family members told embarrassing stories of the younger
generation.

Maura produced a modest but beautiful dinner
that filled the entire table. She announced it was time to eat,
said a quick blessing and proclaimed that the oldest and the
youngest be allowed to the table first. They gathered to form a
line and then found whatever spot they could to settle and eat. The
room filled with chatter, the clinking of dishes and glasses,
eruptions of laughter and a few more toasts in Caleb and Arianna’s
honor. Maura made it a point to walk by Arianna several times with
a bowl or platter to heap more food on her plate, ignoring her
protests that she couldn’t eat another bite.

“Maura, that was wonderful,” Aryl told her as
she took his empty plate. He sat down on the floor and Claire sat
beside him, taking his hand in her lap.

“Are you okay?” she asked. He rolled his head
over to look at her.

“I’m just so tired, Claire,” he said, not
sure he could make it to midnight. She slipped her arm around his
shoulders and pulled him over to rest his head in her lap. She put
her hands on his head, playing with the unruly curls and massaging
his head lightly until he was quite tempted to fall asleep.

Jonathan remained quiet against the far wall,
standing beside Ava, grateful to be removed from the center of
conversation and commotion. He was exhausted as well and on the
verge of passing out himself, if not for the lingering excitement
of Aryl’s news and wanting to talk to Ava to explain himself, beg
her forgiveness, answer all her questions and convince her of how
he really felt. The bustling room provided no privacy; he would
have to wait until they got home.

Maura announced that her husband, Ian, would
read The Christmas Story while she prepared dessert and everyone
gradually settled down. Ian sat on a thatched stool by the
fireplace, balancing Scottie on one knee and the Bible on the
other. He had a wonderful voice for storytelling, and, even though
everyone in the room had heard it many times, the way he spoke held
everyone entranced. Maura passed out plates of pie, stepping over
legs and bodies in the crowded living room.

Toward the end of the story, Maura gathered
empty plates from guests and began clearing the table of empty
serving dishes. By the time Ian finished the story, Scottie was
asleep on Ian’s chest. Maura lifted him carefully and took him to
bed. Three other relatives with sleeping toddlers of their own
followed her to settle them for the night.

When she returned, Maura stood in front of
the fireplace to make an announcement. “As most of ye know, me
young niece, Tarin, arrived from Ireland last month. She will be
stayin’ here to watch the babes while we go to mass, but ‘fore we
leave, she is goin' to honor us with singin’ one of our favorite
songs,” she said and smiled with pride, stepped aside and Tarin
took her place in front of the fireplace. Ian picked up his guitar,
and began playing the soft and gentle opening to Ave Maria.

When the first words of the song were heard,
everyone was impressed by the powerful and majestic voice that
erupted from the tiny girl. It completely filled the room, drowning
out the city’s noises of barking dogs and wailing sirens. When
Jonathan closed his eyes, he could easily have been sitting in the
balcony of a fine opera house. Maura watched both Tarin and Ian
with pride. She glanced around the room at her guests, who were
completely spellbound at the performance. She watched Jonathan
reach blindly, his head leaned back with eyes closed, for Ava’s
hand and held it tightly, once found. Caleb stood behind Arianna
with arms locked around her waist and his head next to hers, and he
had the same look of awe at Tarin’s angelic voice. Arianna was
intently watching the youngest guest, a baby of only a few weeks,
sleeping in the arms of Maura’s cousin. Glancing to her right,
Maura saw Claire looking down adoringly at Aryl, who was lying on
his side with his head still resting in her lap. His eyes slowly
closed as he drifted off to Claire’s touch and Tarin’s hypnotic
voice. Maura watched the couple; Claire serene and contented to
watch over Aryl as he slept with an expression so peaceful that it
almost moved Maura to tears.

Tarin sung the crescendo that caused the few
dry eyes to blink with welling tears and others to swallow hard
against the rising lump in their throats. She finished the song
with a long note and her audience was completely silent. Maura
cleared her throat and wiped a tear, stepping toward Tarin.

“That was absolutely amazin’, Tarin,” she
said. The other guests fell in with compliments and admiration and
shortly after, Maura announced it was time to leave. The room burst
into a flurry of activity as everyone began to gather coats and
hats in preparation for the chilly walk. Aryl stirred, yawning and
stretching, and Caleb held Arianna’s coat for her. Only Jonathan
remained motionless against the wall, still holding Ava’s hand with
closed eyes. Ava stared at their entangled hands, ignoring
everything else around them.

Maura gathered Jonathan and Ava’s coats and
made her way over, saying his name gently to get his attention. He
opened his eyes and as he reached for his coat, his sleeve rose
just enough for Maura to catch a glimpse of the angry, red score on
his wrist, and her eyes flickered from it to Jonathan’s red-rimmed
eyes and quickly away again. She was the last to leave, after
seeing all of her guests out, and she stretched up on tiptoe to
take the straw cross off the nail where it hung above the door.

∞∞∞

On the street, they were a large, loud bunch
with Jonathan, Ava, and a very sleepy Aryl lagging behind. Jonathan
took Ava’s arm and laced it through his without explanation. Claire
walked ahead with Arianna toward the front of the group, holding
her arm and talking about the wall murals Caleb had already asked
her to paint. Maura came up between Jonathan and Ava, removed Ava’s
arm from Jonathan’s and replaced it with her own.

“Ye go chat with yer girlfriends about babies
and knittin’ and such. I’m goin' to steal yer husband for a bit,”
she ordered. Ava took Aryl's arm and did as Maura told; hurrying
ahead with relief that everything would be all right once Maura set
Jonathan straight.

“I’ve been meanin’ to talk to ye, Mr.
Jonathan,” Maura started, clinging to his arm with both of
hers.

“Maura, just Jonathan. No mister is needed
any-”

“I’ll call ye whatever I damned well please,
and I’ll thank ye to leave me alone about it,” she barked lovingly.
Now that authority was established in the conversation, she
continued. “I never told ye the story of the night of the big wind,
did I, Mr. Jonathan?”

“I don’t believe so, Maura,” he said, patting
her arm.

“A long time ago, when me grandmother was a
small girl, there was a great storm that swept over Ireland. It
came down so swiftly and with such force that there was no time to
prepare, not that any amount of preparations could have done much
given the ferocity o' the storm. Hundreds of lives were lost, homes
destroyed, fields flooded and stores of food for livestock were
ruined. Folks said that the storm was so enormous that it almost
covered all o’ Ireland. Me grandmother woke in the middle of the
night to howling winds that shook her family’s small cottage. Her
mother gathered all the children in the kitchen by the warmth of
the stove while her Da’ went out to secure the animals. He barely
made it back to the cottage with the wind and drivin’ rain such as
they were. As the wind became more violent, it ripped off large
pieces of the thatched roof and rain flooded the fields and the
floor. Me grandmother and her family believed that the end of the
world was at hand. They ran from the cottage when the storm took
the rest of the roof. They tied the smaller children together with
a rope to help get them safely to the barn where they remained the
rest o' the night. The storm made such a deafening roar that it
sounded as if the whole world was bein' torn apart. They huddled
together in the barn, cryin’ with fear, sayin’ prayers and waitin’
fer the end to come.” She paused with a far off gaze and Jonathan
jostled her arm.

“What happened after that?” he asked.

“Well, obviously, twas not the end of the
world. The storm passed and the next day, the sun shone bright.
They lost everything, although most of the barn survived, and they
had a few animals left that hadn’t run from the thunderous noise.
Their cottage was scattered in bits as far as the eye could see.
Only two things survived the night. Everything else was gone.”

Jonathan was quiet, all too able to relate to
the feeling of devastating loss.