Chapter 2

Danny was certain to be on time for his "date" with Molly not because he was trying to get into her pants but because he needed to talk to someone young who was not of his time and unlikely to scrutinize him for mistakes in relating events.

They were already serving some gratuitous snacks to the after-work crowd when Molly showed up at the door. She drew a lot of attention from the randy lads lined up at the bar but they were all too lazy to get up from their drinks and free snacks.

She saw him across the room sitting in the corner booth and made her way through the closely packed tables managing to avoid shoulders and legs like hurdles to be jumped. He couldn't help but wonder how she kept her body so slender and trim in a desk job all day long. She was probably one of the lucky ones who seldom put on extra weight because their system metabolized anything they put in their mouth.

"You are looking all smug and comfortable there, Danny boy. Like the cat that ate the canary."

He had to laugh because in a sense she had hit the mark right on the head. He was feeling a little smug because he had tested his appearance on more than one "old hand" that day and found that he was able to blend in without any suspicion in the least. It was a comfort and a relief to him because any hint of recognition and he would be off with the hounds looking for some other hiding hole to scurry into hoping that his trail was free of curious parties.

They had a pair of beers each despite her earlier determination to "only have one" slowly sipping and learning about each other like sparring partners not ready to jump into the real match because the damage might be too severe when caution is thrown to the wind.

"How long have you lived in Belfast Molly?"

She twisted her light-colored hair around her forefinger and looked off into space with one of those "Mona Lisa" looks that showed she was thinking in the past and not really liking what she saw.

"I was born right here Danny but my parents moved to Dunmurry on the road to Lisburn when I was only ten and we stayed there until I went to University and when it came time for graduation, I decided to move back to Belfast by myself because the memory of the sights and the sounds and the excitement of the city drew me like a magnet. I guess Belfast was in my blood and I missed it terribly."

He watched her facial expressions looking for some sign of guile but found none evident.

"Are your parents still living in Dunmurry?

Molly gave him a funny look and took a long, deep sip of beer before she responded.

"They are used to the country life now, Danny, and my mum is in all the clubs just like the Queen of the manor and in control of her life and everything around her. I think it is something she needed desperately after life in Belfast."

He noticed she didn't mention her father and that struck him as strange because she had the air of a typical "Daddy's Girl" and Danny didn't find that unappealing at all.

She even got into the disclosure that her parents had apparently had some sort of marital discord whilst still in Belfast and the move to the county was to save the marriage and keep the family together as long as possible. The quiet man with the eyes that constantly scanned the interior of the noisy pub suspected that they were probably still unhappy but making a go of things just to present a stable environment to the outside world. It was a typical family arrangement in a country that put the family above happiness and where divorce was historically a disaster of biblical proportions.

A looming shadow of a hulk of a man was cast over their table distracting them from their interesting private conversation. One of the "elbows on the bar" regulars was smiling like a drunken fool at Molly and introduced himself as "Mighty Mickey" stating that he could kick any man's arse in the pub. He could see the others at the bar laughing at the scene and Danny was reasonably certain he had been badgered into making a disgrace of himself whilst in his cups.

Molly was not in the least out of sorts probably because she met a lot of his type in the courthouse forced to answer to "justice" for their transgressions against society.

Danny didn't want to call attention to himself so he stood up and "accidently" stepped on the lout's instep causing him to fall forward and smash his face into the brass railing on the side of the booth. Now, with a crippled foot and a bloody face, the bleary-eyed clod turned to his back-up lads at the bar and they were so busy laughing that he stumbled away advising his adversary to watch out where he was stepping in future.

Molly wasn't certain if his action was truly accidental or done on purpose but she told him it might be a good time for them to wrap it up and move outside to the park bench right in front of the courthouse. It was a mild evening and there were a number of other city folks just sitting and talking safe in the knowledge that the authorities were always present in this little piece of real estate.

"Were you worried about that brute of a lad, Danny?"

He made a point of brushing it off as just an unfortunate incident and that it was best forgotten because life was "too short" to dwell on the little things. She seemed to accept that at face value and he knew she was far too intelligent to think it was just an accident. Danny liked the fact he could be called to protect her when the need arose.

"Why did your parents move all the way to Dunmurry? Were they not happy here in Belfast?"

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than Danny sensed that he might be coming across as bit too much of the interrogator because of his line of questioning. He would have deleted the words if they were not already spoken and taken a much more indirect way of exploring Molly's motivations. He could see from the way that Molly carefully patted the top of her neatly braided hair and pausing slightly before organizing a reply that she was on her guard. He would have kicked himself in the leg for being too pushy except for the face that those two bullets were pestering him far too much in the cool night air.

His lack of patience was a fault that he knew did him little good in the world of today where everyone had their secrets and were slow to divulge them unless painted into a corner and had no other alternative other than disclose them.

"I often ask the same question, Danny, and to be honest I can't give a good answer. I think it was because my mum was beginning to be afraid of just walking on the street with me at her side without fear of getting in a crossfire with nowhere to run. Besides, my da was out of work then and we had no reason to stay in the city where everything was a lot more expensive. He did get a position with the De Lorean auto plant but they are not doing too well lately."

Danny was positive she was telling the truth because he had years of practice sorting out such things.

"You have been asking all the questions, Danny, and that is simply not fair. Besides, I am a lawyer and I should be asking the questions."

He laughed and shrugged his shoulders in mock surrender.

"I should ask you how old you are but that would mean you get to ask me the same thing so I will not put you on the spot. I am curious Danny about why you stayed away from Ireland for so long. Did you not miss your native country?"

He quickly answered with his stock responses used to put a damper on suspicion and create an air of casual "blending in". It was something Danny was good at and he excelled at the game necessary for survival in a world of no mercy for the unforgiven.

"My parents were of a mind for me to stay but I had this itch to see the world and make my own way. I always had my memories of Ireland and finally gave into my deep-seated sense of home-sickness that plagued me for so very long. I am glad to be home at last and hope to stay a long time as long as I can stay out of trouble."

Molly appeared to accept his bland generalization and they huddled close together because there was another couple on the bench whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears. He was a bit embarrassed to see the other couple kiss passionately right next to them and was confused for a moment as to deciding if he should attempt the same maneuver with Molly or just ignore it and keep on the same slow-moving train of getting acquainted.