SHE FOLLOWED ME HOM - ch 3

SHE FOLLOWED ME HOME – ch 3

Mo deas

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Mia pushed through the door, dropped her books, and practically ran toward the kitchen, while she all but screamed, “Mom! Mom!”

She fell to her knees as she saw a small white ball of fur racing towards her and taking a flying leap into her arms.

“Mo deas! Mo deas! You’re okay.” Mia began to loudly sob as she tried to speak, “I thought, I thought, oh my precious kitty. You’re okay.”

Her mother rushed from the kitchen and knelt beside her daughter. “Oh, Mia, she’s fine. Just a small bruise on the side of her head that temporarily dazed her, and before you ask, no, Mickey didn’t hit her with the skateboard. She strangely enough, lost her balance and hit her head when she fell after leaping to push you out of the way.”

Mickey came from the kitchen with his father trailing behind him.

“So, this is my niece, Mia! Oh my, what a pleasure it is to meet you.”

Mia looked up and being very confused, asked, ”Uncle?”

Morena put her arm around Mia’s shoulder and said, “Mia, sweetheart, this is your uncle Ian. When your dad was very young, his parents, Stella and Marty divorced but when that happened, neither of them were aware that his mother was pregnant. Stella decided that since the divorce was her idea, she wouldn’t burden Marty with responsibilities. She moved to America to live with her aunt and had Ian. Your grandfather, Marty eventually met and married Liz and two years later, your father was born. And well, you know of the rest of the family.”

“Mia, my mam never married again and before she died, she told me about my da. I wanted to find him to, well, just to say hello and introduce myself. I was already a grown man with a business so the only thing I wanted was family. He’d already passed on, but I found my brother, your da.”

Morena continued, “After we left the Animal Hospital, Ian was cleaning the exam room and saw the chart about Mo deas. He took a wild gander and drove here.”

Mickey finally said something, “Dad first of all wanted to make sure that Mo deas was okay and secondly, to meet his family, or what he hopes will be our family.”

Mo deas slowly left Mia’s arms and after walking carefully to Ian, searched his eyes and then began rubbing against his leg.

Mia laughed, “Uncle Ian, I guess that seals it. Mo deas seems to like you just fine.”

“Mia, we were just about to have coffee and cookies, while we wait for your father. You and Mickey can have iced tea or lemonade.”

“Mom, can I have a coke instead?”

“Umm, well, okay, I guess the caffeine won’t hurt. It’s still early yet.”

“Uncle Ian, mom makes the best chocolate chip cookies. Come on’ Mo deas. I think I can find a small piece of fish for you.”

Rather than talk about himself, he asked about Mo deas, explaining that he’d rather go into the family history after Brian arrived home.

“So, tell me, Mia, how did you find Mo deas?”

After she told her story, Ian looked at Morena and asked, “Morena, by any chance is your maiden name Morgan?”

“Why, yes, it is, Ian. How could you have known that?”

“I remember my mam saying that when she lived I Ireland, her mam was friends with a Sinead and Collin Morgan. Could they be related?”

Morena’s eyes widened. “Oh, heavens, Ian, they were my parents. When the plague hit our town, they sent me to live with my aunt Mary here in America. A few months later, we’d gotten word that they succumbed to the illness. I never went back to Ireland. My goodness, this is such a small world.”

Ian’s eyes looked from Morena, to Mia, and back again. Morena caught his glance and shook her head, indicating “no.” He nodded his head and left the subject unspoken but kept the thought in the back of his head – for now.

As Mia and Mickey drank their cokes, she couldn’t help the prickly feeling she felt. It seemed as though it began like a slight itch but left as quickly as it began. Trying to ignore the “itch,” she kept glancing from Mickey to Ian, and finally broke her silence.

“Uncle Ian, An bhfuil tú draíochta (are you magical)?”

Morena’s head snapped around quickly, and Ian looked at Mia in total surprise. Morena asked, “Mia! What did you say?”

Mia repeated her question, then quickly looked as puzzled as her mother. “Uh, mom, I don’t understand why I asked that or how I knew those words, but they just seemed to come.”

Ian smiled and asked, “Mia, do you know what you asked me?”

“Yes, I asked if you were magical.”

“Mia,” her mother started, “where are you learning Gaelic? I haven’t spoken Gaelic in ages, so you didn’t hear it from me. What’s going on?”

“Mom, I don’t know,” and Mia began to cry.

Morena rushed to her, leaned over Mia’s shoulder, and wrapped her arms around her daughter, “Oh, Mia, it’s fine. It’s okay, baby. I’m just really surprised, that’s all. Really, sweetie, it’s okay. Don’t be upset. Please don’t cry.”

“Mom, I can’t explain what’s happening to me. I just feel strange. What’s happening?”

Mo deas jumped in Mia’s lap, began rubbing the top of her head on her neck, and looked into her eyes. She knew. She understood and purred softly.

As the front door opened and Mia’s father walked in, Morena looked at Ian and said, “I think it’s time. I’ll speak with Brian. Please stay for dinner.”

“I’d like to call Lisa and ask her to come. Is that okay?”

“Absolutely, I’d love to meet her. Give me a minute to talk to Brian. There’s beer in the fridge. I have a feeling we’ll all need a few before this is over.”