Chapter 6: Fire for the Cold Ones

Given the unknown amount of potential baggage, Sarah decided to pick up the twins by herself. At best, one more person could have gone with her, but if it turned out that Muireann and Tommy were major packers then it would’ve been a tight fit and an uncomfortable ride. We knew from their letter that they’d likely be bringing some instruments with them.

“Better safe than sorry. Besides, this will be my first and last chance to talk to them, I’m sure,” Sarah joked.

“Don’t worry, we’ll let you see them every few weeks,” Lara comforted.

Sarah took off for JFK mid-morning and left us with at least six hours to kill. We spent a good part of it up at the new pool, working our way around the edge and further dredging the basin of any sharp rocks and other uncomfortable debris using rakes and shovels. A couple of toe-stubbers remained, too large to move with the implements and possibly even with direct muscle.

“We have a little beach,” I remarked.

Lara laughed. “A mud beach, but yeah, it could’ve been worse; all sharp river stones I guess.”

“Time to lay out and tan,” I joked.

“Like pigs in Zen ... Do you think the twins will swim?” Lara asked.

“Why wouldn’t they?”

“I don’t know. We’re weird, remember? What we think is normal is probably like totally random for other people. Maybe swimming in the woods is weird.”

I sniggered. “As long as we’re not nude I think we’re probably fine.”

“I had a feeling you’d say that,” she moped.

I knew she was only half-kidding. “We should at least ease into the skinny dipping.”

“Should I give it a week?” she asked, brightening. “Or is that too long?”

“You’re terrible.”

“Hmm ... Hey, what if we pile all these branches around this part?” she asked, indicating the upstream edges of the pool.

“Are you serious? We just threw them all into the woods a few days ago.”

“I know. But it could be kind of cozy ... A little wall, you know.”

“Fine, I’ll put it all back,” I drawled.

It is a nice idea, I thought, now that I took a moment to imagine it.

The area slowly took shape as we added more branches and logs to the privacy wall. The swimming hole took on a bowl-like shape, a little cascade-fed and spring-sourced jewel. Once the waterfall thawed it would be quite the nice slice of paradise.

“The other hole is going to be jealous,” Lara remarked.

I sniggered, since the words somehow didn’t remind me of the swimming hole down by the house. “Oh, is that how it is?”

“Well, once you’ve been in here, you know ... It’s hard to go back.”

“Yeah, you already told me that story last night, Lara.”

Lara frowned at me for quite a time. Then, “Matt, eew! What the fuck!”

“Sorry. You started it.”

“That’s what was on your mind all morning? And I’m terrible? Jeez, that was...”

I gave her a stupid grin. “It was a little funny, the way you said it.”

“You’re so ridiculous sometimes.”

“Pretty much!”

Lara came near me and gave me a withering look.

“Sorry,” I muttered, still grinning sheepishly.

She just rolled her eyes as we surveyed our work.

“This is fucking awesome,” she finally murmured.

“Should we try it out?” I asked.

“Of course. I didn’t lug these towels up here for the fun of it.”

“We need like a little plastic tub to keep stuff in.”

“Not a bad idea. I’ll ask Mom to get us something next time she goes into town.”

“A changing room would be good to.”

Lara sniggered. “Okay, I’ll get on that right away.”

“Use the wood ... You know...”

We were soon in the lukewarm water. It was already easier to take than last time. We struggled a bit with the submerged boulders, but we were only able to remove two of them. The mud kept the other pair too suctioned, or they were simply too massive to move at all. Still, the bottom was, in general, quite comfortable to walk or sit on.

And indeed we had a beach at our disposal, which was better than the old pool could say. On a whim, I crawled out and rolled around in the cool mud, letting it coat my skin. It felt good, despite missing the warmth of the water.

“Okay, maybe don’t do that when they’re here,” Lara suggested, eyeing me.

I sat up, enjoying the sensation. “Isn’t mud supposed to be healthy? They do this up at Mom’s resort, I think.”

“Um, I doubt it’s anything like what you’re doing.”

After a time, I was starting to feel the shivers coming on, so I slipped back into the water. The mud slaked and started washing away.

“And that’s how I keep that perfect skin tone,” I quipped.

Lara deluged me with a splash, and we warmed up by fighting for a bit.

We eventually settled into a soak, crowding around the warm springhead.

“Pete called last night,” Lara announced.

“He left a message?”

“Yeah, with Mom.”

“What’d he say?”

“To call him back.”

I made a face. “What are you going to do?”

“I have no idea. I know what I’m not going to do, which is get with him again. But I don’t know if I should call him.”

“Maybe wait a bit. It’s probably not the best idea to start a fight with Pete right when the twins get here.”

“True,” Lara agreed. “He’ll have to wait, then.”

We were waiting with eager expectations on the deck. It had long since become dark and cold, but impatience was getting the best of us as the hours dragged on, and the porch was the closest place to the driveway that had seating.

I heard the engine first and immediately jumped up.

“Are you going to be like this the whole visit?” Lara asked.

“You stood up too, so shut up.”

But it soon became clear that it wasn’t the twins, unless my mom had stopped to buy a Jeep on the way to picking them up.

“They’re alive,” I breathed.

“Do you think they’ve done it yet?”

“Always on your mind,” I teased.

“Serious, do you think?”

“Doubt it.”

“You won’t be able to tell, though.”

“How do you know?”

“Come on, Mr. Blind.”

I laughed as I squeezed her into a shoulder hug. “Then I’ll just have to rely on you to let me know.”

Colin’s huge array of lights turned our clearing into daylight for a bit as he motored in. Fortunately he shut them off before swinging toward the house, or truly we would have been blinded. We descended the steps to greet them.

“Matty!” Shannon called, hopping out. She was grinning ear to ear. Hmm...

“What’s up? Been having fun?”

“Oh, it’s been a total blast!”

A blast... ? Hmm...

“Done much, uh, plowing?” I asked.

Lara gave me the foulest of looks. It was definitely cradled by deep amusement, though.

“A ton!” Shannon expressed happily, ignorant of the context.

Hmmmm...

Colin and I gripped hands and greeted each other.

“Looks like the twins aren’t here yet?” Shannon asked.

“Still waiting,” Lara answered.

We caught up for a few minutes. They told us of some of their adventures around the mountains, pulling people out of ruts, and other winter activities.

“And here we are. We’re going to try to get my car home, so it’s not in your way,” Shannon concluded.

“Last tow job!” Colin said.

Kind of rhymes ... Hmmmmmm...

I shrugged. “Whatever you want. It’s not a problem if you want to leave it there a bit longer.”

“I might as well try, in case it snows again.”

“Want to help?” Colin asked us.

“Sure.”

“Climb on then.”

Lara and I hopped onto the running board of the Jeep, holding on to the roll cage as Colin took it slowly down the driveway. The Camaro was still under a good bit of snow, so as he moved the Jeep into place and hooked up the winch, Shannon joined us in swishing the blanket off of her vehicle.

“I’ll have to pull you down to the house to get you turned around,” Colin said. “Then down the driveway again to the road.”

“Got it,” Shannon called.

The operation went smoothly and as a bonus it served to kill a good bit of time. Lara rode with Shannon as she kept her car in line while Colin drove in reverse all over our property. We were almost out to the road when he slowed.

“Whoops,” he muttered.

I turned around and saw familiar headlights behind us, entering the drive.

“Figures they’d get here just now,” I said, laughing. “Give me a sec, I’ll get them out of the way.”

I hopped down from the Jeep, waved at my mom, and then indicated to Shannon that she should hang on. I ran over to our car, opening the front passenger door with nervous jitters.

There they are! It was dim with just the front dome light on, but the twins were seated in the back, smiling as I poked my head in.

“Hey there!” I greeted. “Welcome! We’re just getting my friend’s car out of the snow and then we can go in!”

“Perfect timing, Matt,” Sarah quipped.

“Yeah, well...”

“The snow is fantastic!” Muireann said.

Her accent made me stop in my tracks. I knew the twins would sound Irish, and I was used to Mairead and Aongus speaking, but I didn’t expect Muireann’s voice to be such a... pleasurable sound.

“Uh, yeah, for sure...” I managed, before composing myself. “Hey, might as well get out and see it closer up! Why not?”

I opened the back door and Muireann stepped out. She held a hand out to Tommy, who slid over and exited. I grinned at them and they at me. They seemed truly happy to have arrived.

“How was the trip?”

“Quite fine. A little tired, but no problem,” she might have replied.

I actually have no idea what she really said, though. Damn it, how am I going to listen to that voice for six months and be able think straight!

“What kind of car is it?” Tommy asked.

“Oh, an old Camaro. Terrible in the snow. My friend Shannon got stuck here a few days ago and it’s—”

“Matt?” my mom called out.

“Yeah?”

“I’m kind of waiting for you, so I can move?”

“Oh, right!”

I closed the doors to the sound of quiet giggling, and let her back the car up.

“Anyway, yeah, we’re towing her car out to the road so she can go home. She was stuck here for a while. Wow ... Hard to believe you’re finally here!” I gushed, feeling giddy.

“Aye, it seemed like it would never come!” Tommy agreed. “We were packed for like a week leading up to it!”

“Hah! I think me and Lara have been sitting on our deck just as long, waiting for you!” I joked back. “Hey, let’s walk down to the road so we don’t get crushed. The towing thing can be a little spastic sometimes.”

I led the way. Muireann and Tommy came along, a little slowly. He had his arm in hers as they carefully navigated the uneven snow and dirt. I waited for them, grinning.

“Yeah, it’s a bit slippery,” I called back, “especially when it’s dark and you can’t see!”

We were soon gathered near my mom’s car again, as Colin resumed towing Shannon.

“Nice Jeep,” Muireann remarked.

“That’s Colin’s. And Shannon is in the car, with Lara. You’ll meet them in a minute. Do you get much snow in Ireland?”

“Nothing quite like this,” she replied. “Only a few centimeters here and there.”

“It seems quite beautiful here,” Tommy said. “So quiet.”

“It is. Or, it will be, once Colin is done!”

We laughed as just then Colin punched the gas to get Shannon out of a rut. The Jeep roared, a direct retort to Tommy’s statement. In another minute, the Camaro sat on the edge of the road. Colin hopped out into the snow to say hello. Shannon and Lara, having figured out what the delay was, also came running over.

“Here are the people causing all the trouble!” I joked.

The girls passed around hugs and there was a bunch of cross-chatter as the excitement of their arrival bubbled over.

“Do you want to come in for some hot chocolate, or stay for dinner?” Sarah offered to Shannon and Colin.

“Oh, I’ll have to pass. I’m going to get my car home. But thank you!”

“Same here,” Colin said, grinning. “Another time, thanks.”

Hmmm...

In a few minutes, they’d said goodbye and the two loud engines faded away into the distance. My mom drove on down the driveway, while the twins stayed out with Lara and me, not put off by the walk through the dark evening.

“Might as well walk while it’s warm, right?”

The twins laughed. “Do you really call this weather warm?” Tommy asked.

“This time of year, yeah.”

“How cold does it get back home for you?” Lara asked.

“Sometimes it will dip negative, but usually it’s near to five degrees,” Muireann answered.

“Wow, that’s pretty cold!” I said. “I think it’s only like twenty out right now.”

She looked at me with disbelief. “This is not twenty!”

“Uh...”

“Wait...” Lara suddenly said. “You mean Celsius, don’t you?”

“Oh, now it makes sense! I was going to say...”

We all had a laugh.

“What part of Ireland do you live in again?” Lara asked.

“Donegal,” Tommy said. “Way up in the north, the middle of nowhere!”

“Kind of like here. You might feel right at home,” I quipped. “So you play some guitar, Tommy?”

“Aye, a wee bit.”

“Did you bring one?”

“Naw, I was too overloaded carrying all her instruments!” he exclaimed, thumbing his sister.

She made a face at him. “Nonsense.”

“And you play the violin, Muireann?” I asked.

Her brother abruptly burst out in a fit of laughter.

“Tommy!” she exclaimed.

She then said something I couldn’t understand, not because of her accent, but rather because it seemed another language altogether.

I was already thinking that her English was the most melodious thing I’d ever heard in my life, but this ... Even though it was a reprimand she’d clearly delivered to her brother, it made me shiver. And I was not cold.

“What’s so funny?” Lara asked. “Do you not play the violin?”

“No, it’s not that. Tommy was being rude.”

“In fairness it was a wee bit better than the man at the Kennedy airport,” Tommy said. “He had to have been a farmer at one time. Moooooo-ree-anne!”

Muireann slapped his hand. “We can leave you here to find your own way,” she warned.

“Walk on,” Tommy said, grinning as he held fast to her arm.

She turned to us, her face apologetic. “For whatever reason, Tommy finds it wile funny when people don’t say my name quite right. It’s said: Mwih-rn.”

Lara and I did a double take.

“Come again?” Lara asked.

She repeated it.

“My god, I really did butcher it!” I cried.

We both attempted it for a while, eventually gaining a nod from her.

“There it is,” she said at last.

“Not quite what I expected from the spelling!” Lara said.

Muireann just giggled.

“It could be worse,” Tommy interjected. “Our friend’s name is Kee-vah, and I’ll give you a hundred pounds on the spot if you can spell it.”

“In one try?” I asked.

“You can have twenty tries,” he said, grinning.

We laughed. “Then we should just give up now.”

“Give it a go,” he urged. “You can even go letter by letter at twenty tries.”

“All right ... K—”

“Naw,” he interrupted.

“Uh, C, then...”

“Aye, that it is, lad. Easy, see?” His grin said otherwise.

“C-E,” Lara attempted.

Tommy made a buzzing sound.

“C–I?” I asked.

“Naw!”

“H!” I exclaimed. “C–H...”

“That’s four chances down,” he said. “Brilliant effort, though, you have the first letter at least!”

“C–A?” Lara queried even as she laughed.

A? Come on Lara, it’s ‘Kee’...

But Tommy whooped. “Now we’re on it! That’s right!”

“Really? C–A?” I repeated.

Muireann tittered at my disbelief.

We wasted many attempts to get the third letter. Absurdly, it was an O...

“I’ll give you the next one for free,” Muireann offered. “It’s an I.”

“C–A–O–I? Are you joking?”

“Nine tries left!” Tommy said, his voice sounding wickedly pleased.

Heather would so love this...

“V,” I said.

“Nooo,” Muireann rejected.

“Um ... F?”

“Try again!”

“Isn’t W in German a V sound?” Lara mused. “W?”

Tommy denied her.

We used up the rest of our guesses there and the game ended, with many increasingly desperate exclamations on our part.

“Is it some secret letter we don’t know about?” I cried.

Muireann was in fits. “No! It’s a very common letter!” she managed to say. “It’s even in your name!”

We already tried A, and even T...

“An M?” I blurted out. “Really?”

“C–A–O–I–M–H–E,” Tommy finished with a laugh.

“What! For Keevah? That’s ... crazy!”

“That’s not the worst of it,” Muireann said conspiratorially. “You should guess how Tommy’s name is really spelled!”

Next to her, Tommy guffawed. “A hundred tries! You’ll never get this one!”

“Oh great,” I groaned.

“T–A,” Lara tried, banking on symmetric oddity.

“Naw!”

“T–U? No, wait, I know! It’s an M: T–M–H–J–Q! Nailed it!” I roared, pumping a victory fist as I jumped into the air. “Give me my hundred pounds!”

The twins had to stop walking, they were laughing so hard.

“T–I!” Lara pressed.

“T–L–F–J!”

“T–O?”

“That there’s the one!” Tommy bellowed.

“Which, T–O?” Lara asked. “Wait ... Is it just T–O–M–M–Y?”

It was clear from their rampant amusement that it was indeed, just that.

“Oh, you suck!” Lara cried. She reached down, picked up some soft snow and threw it over the pair of them.

Muireann shrieked as the cold spray of flakes fell on her. Tommy didn’t waste any time, crouching down to gather what he could. He scrounged at the hard pack though, finding little to pick up. Muireann said something to him as she tried to get Lara back, and Tommy finally shifted toward the edge of the drive where the powder lay. Meanwhile I found myself in Muireann’s sights so I yanked Lara in front of me like a shield, just in time.

“Matt! What the—!”

She shrieked as she took the brunt of it. Tommy had finally gathered a clump and threw it. His aim was really terrible, though, and we all laughed. For a long minute we were carrying on like old neighbors, four shadows darting this way and that, randomly attacking whatever moved with flurried clouds of ice.

Lara got Tommy good, and then at last Muireann called a truce, as the snow was melting down her neck. Our shoulders and hair were filled with winter’s dandruff. With the aftershocks of mirth still breaking out every few seconds, we managed to catch our breath and continue on.

We were not far from the yard. The twins were obviously quite dear to each other as siblings: they were walking arm in arm again. It was slippery out, so it was understandable care, but clearly it was also a comfortable and natural position for them. It was endearing, to know that perhaps they were as close as Lara and I were. Well, maybe not that close, but... !

“So Muireann, what did you say after Tommy laughed at my pathetic attempt at saying your name?” I asked. “It sounded like another language.”

“Indeed, Gaeilge, so it was. And I told him to stop being a lout!”

Tommy guffawed.

“And I take it Caoimhe is a name in ... whatever you just said?” I said, unwilling to mangle yet another strange word.

She smiled at me. “Aye, it is. The spellings are very interesting, if you’ve never seen them!”

Our house came into view through the trees. The golden light from the windows gently lit the clearing and a plume of smoke curled into the air, catching the edge of moonlight and carrying with it the scents of the meal Melissa was preparing for everyone. It was all very welcoming, I thought.

“This is our place,” Lara announced, her voice touched with cordiality.