Chapter 13

BELFAST – 1968

Danny was one of those morning people that pop out of bed and look for that first cup of coffee to get all their systems working top notch.

This particular morning was not one of those days.

The hazy memories of the night before recalled the free rounds of drinks at a place called O'Horrigan's with the dark murky shadows of hidden nooks and the bored housewives looking for a bit of strange. He barely remembered what he was drinking but from the taste in his mouth and the buzzing in his head he was certain it wasn't merely ale.

Of course, young Danny was in the prime of life and his mortal being still had that ability of the young to rebound with great vigor refreshed with the energy of youth. Unfortunately, the same could not be said of his immortal soul which was already stained with the sins that were unlikely to qualify for redemption or salvation.

There was blood on his shirt and he checked all over to see if it was his.

He didn't see any cuts or scrapes and he had never been prone to nosebleeds so he made the deduction that it came from someone else. Danny searched his memory for details of the night before but kept coming up with a blank page. Quickly, he yanked off the shirt and tumbled into the shower allowing the warm water to run over his abused body like it would absolve all his sins as well as his aches and pains. He heard the phone ringing in the bedroom but ignored it and continued to finish his shower distaining any interruption from the outside world.

The name of a girl flashed into his mind and he held onto it trying to match it with an image of her face. The red hair and the upturned nose were the first details and then he remembered her bending over in front of him and his smile looked back at him from the steamy mirror.

Then, he remembered the fight.

These days there always seemed to be a fight wherever he went. At first, he had the thought that it was just bad luck or that he needed to find a less violent places to relax. Now, he was beginning to realize the problem was really within him and that he was the cause of his own misery.

The girl was just an excuse.

He could see it all unfold like some silly segment on a poorly written soap opera with implausible dialogue.

She looked up at him with those bedroom eyes and pushed her hair back subconsciously perhaps thinking about his hidden man parts waiting for action with any available female. Of course, she could have been thinking about her shopping list for the store but that certain gleam in her eye told him just the opposite.

"Can I buy you a drink, darling? What are you drinking?"

She smiled and mouthed the words with accentuated lip movement and he knew right away she was drinking the same brew as he had in his hand. The lips were slightly wet with the touch of her tongue and he had some interesting thoughts about the delicate construction of her mouth and the deep secrets she stored inside.

He knew he should have backed off.

It was the redheaded girls that always got him into trouble. It was a curse to be sure that he didn't understand because it didn't seem very fair. Still, this one looked quiet and shy and he didn't see any sign of a husband or a boyfriend in the immediate area so he decided to take the plunge.

"My name is Danny and I couldn't help but notice you all the way over here. You look just like my sister Maureen and she was my best friend."

The non-existent Maureen had been used as a ploy in other new friendships and he almost felt like she really existed because he had talked about her constantly just to strike up a conversation.

"Thank you, Danny, I was getting god-awful bored at this table. My friend went to play darts with the boys and I was even thinking of just packing it in and heading back home."

Danny picked up on that right away and suggested that they do just that and he would accompany her to make certain she arrived home safely.

Less than ten minutes later the pretty redheaded girl called Mary was lifting her skirts like they were old friends and he was buried in her warmth with a speed that must have set a new record for a pub pick-up. They concluded their business quickly and that was a good thing because her boyfriend Mick was hot on her tail and came into view right after Danny zipped up.

It was Mick that threw the first roundhouse right and it caught Danny by surprise because he was of a mind that he could talk his way out of this silly confrontation with his normally glib tongue. The fact that Mick was already well on his way to paralyzing drunkenness played a major role in the spectacle but at least he was able to get in that hard pounding shot.

Danny made quick work of the man and Mary was down on her knees consoling her boyfriend with a dirty look to Danny who was now aware his presence was unwanted. It was Mick's bloody nose that ruined Danny's best shirt and he made his way back home with the measured tread of a man heading to the oblivion of a pickled brain.

He promised the mirror that he would never darken the doors of O'Horrigan's ever again and made a vow to avoid all redheads no matter how obsessed he was with their company.

The telephone rang again just as he was ready to go out into the chilly morning air.

"Danny, is it you? This is Patrick at the garage. We need to discuss the plans for your Uncle's wake and you should be here before noon to hear the details."