Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 37426 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37426 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
After a few moments, Seamus’s body deflated. Shoulders that had been near his ears lowered, fists that were clenched, uncurled, and the tightness around his eyes smoothed. “Thank you,” he croaked. He pressed his lips tightly together and his nostrils flared as if he were holding back emotion. “I’ve been away a very long time and I…forgot.”
DJ nodded in understanding. He had been gone as long as Seamus and he had been much younger when he left. If it weren’t for his sister’s deep devotion to the community, he likely wouldn’t remember much either. But Kaira had made sure to teach him all she knew throughout his childhood. She had kept in touch with her old friends and their families for the five years she had been in Hope. And she still texted and called him multiple times a week, always finding a way to remind him where he was from and where she insisted he still belonged. He may have been away from Claddagh for most of his life with no plan to return, but because of his sister, he still knew where he came from, and he would always feel a connection to their heritage.
“It’s all really, really ridiculous,” Seamus said as he lowered himself onto the couch.
“Lucas said whatever you did was part of a plan he cooked up, right?” He arched his eyebrows at Seamus. “I would expect nothing less.”
“Yeah, I have no idea why I thought I should take advice from someone who finds great amusement in harassing everyone he knows.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. We’ve all been there. Lucas can be very persuasive, and hey, at least he keeps life interesting.”
“Uh huh. Interesting. That’s what this is. He’s a menace, but really, I should have known better than to lie to my parents about anything, let alone something this important.”
“Then why’d you do it?”
“That’s what makes it so dumb.” He tipped his head back against the couch and closed his eyes. “I wanted to get them off my back about getting married. I’m thirty-six years old. They live thousands of miles away. I should have just said no. It’s not like they can actually force anything on me.”
“I’m pretty sure a simple no wouldn’t have made your parents give up on making an arrangement for you. That’d be like asking them to calmly accept a life of misery for their beloved child.”
“I'm not miserable,” Seamus insisted, sounding like it was far from the first, or hundredth, time he had made that assertion.
“Your parents are in Claddagh. Their son is far away and unmarried. To them, you’re miserable.”
“God.” Seamus sighed in relief, rolled his head to the side, and looked at DJ. “You get it.”
“Mostly.” DJ nodded. “If I understand the situation correctly, you told them you’re gay because that was the only way they’d stop nagging you about taking a wife, and you assumed there was no chance of them finding you a husband in Claddagh.”
“Exactly.”
“Alright. I get that part. But what I don’t understand is why you don’t want them to find someone for you. From what I heard, your parents were casting a wide net and working hard to find a man for you. That’s an impossible mission but they took it on. They clearly love you. And I can tell you’re close to them by how much you’re freaking out right now. Don’t you trust them?”
“Of course, I trust my parents.” Seamus sounded affronted at the implication that he didn’t.
“Then why didn’t you trust them to make an arrangement for you?”
“It’s not that I don't trust them. It’s that I don’t want an arrangement at all.”
“I see.” DJ nodded. “Do you have a girlfriend who’s an outsider so they won’t accept her? Is that the problem?”
“No,” Seamus said firmly and quickly. “That’s not it. But actually…” His cheeks reddened. “I lied to them another time and told them I had a girlfriend, but it wasn’t true, and I ended the ruse quickly.”
“Oookay.” Furrowing his brow, DJ considered all the information he had learned. “I don’t get it. If you’re single and you trust your parents, why are you making up all these elaborate stories? Why are you so dead set against entering into an arrangement?”
He opened his mouth as if to answer, but no words came out.
“Seamus?”
“I…” Looking confused, he stopped before he could complete his thought.
Assuming he was too embarrassed to share the reason for his actions, DJ reached out and patted his hand. “Hey, it’s okay. You don’t need to be ashamed. Whatever it is, I won’t judge you. I just need to understand everything so we can figure out what to do now, okay?”
“It’s nothing like that.” He shook his head.
“Then what is it like?” DJ tried again.
“I don't know how to answer that question. I’ve never wanted to get married. It’s why I left Claddagh. I don’t want that life. I never have.”