Chapter 6

"Mum, Dad, there's someone I want you to meet," Cathy yelled from the small hall once they were in.

Her mother - a jolly looking woman in her mid thirties by the very Irish name Molly - came up from the kitchen half a story down towards the garden side of the house. She took one look at the visitor and her welcoming smile turned to astonished shock. "Sweet Mother of God! You must be Jennie!"

"You know me?" Jennie asked in amazement.

"I have never set eyes on you before. But I can tell who you are just from looking at you. Like Cathy you are the spitting image of my mother in law when she was young. Strong genes they must be. We mothers didn't get a look-in!"

"And you know about me?" Jennie asked in wonder.

"God love you child, of course I know about you!" Molly replied. "Paddy was always lamenting the one little chick of the brood that he couldn't keep. I don't think there's been a day in his life when he didn't miss you. He's been a good father to the five he has by me that he has," - Cathy nodded vigorously - "but he would so have liked to have had all six he fathered around."

"Where is Dad?" Cathy asked.

"He is over helping the Andersons - Mr. Anderson has a bad back again - but I'll give him a call right away - it's almost dinner time anyway," Molly said, picked up the phone and dialled a number. "Paddy my love," Molly said, "I know you are being good and neighbourly, but I need you at home - and I need you now. Prepare yourself for a shock."

Mr. O'Brien asked something. Molly smiled. "No, nothing serious, well, OK, it is serious actually, but not in a bad way. And very very unexpected," she said and after another short pause closed the call with a cheerful "See you soon love."

Paddy O'Brien had just finished helping his elderly neighbours with a blocked sink and was having a cup of tea and a quiet chat in the kitchen. "I wonder what that could be about," he mused after telling the Andersons about the call.

"Perhaps that young man of Cathy's has finally proposed now that he has a steady job?" Mrs. Anderson suggested. Paddy had told them about the fine position Jeff had landed.

"Perhaps," Paddy said. "About time too. They've been going out for 2 years now and Cathy finishes her training next spring, but I would hardly call it a 'shock' or 'very unexpected'."

"Well, go along man!" Mr. Anderson said. "You'll know soon enough." He made moves to get up, but Paddy hastened to stop him.

"Don't be daft Pete!" Paddy exclaimed, "I know my way out."

"I know you do - OK, I'll stay where I am. Thanks for your help," Mr. Anderson replied and sank back into his chair with a grunt.

Mrs. Anderson saw Paddy to the door. "Thanks for helping out. Pete tried to fix it himself and I almost couldn't get him out of the cupboard under the sink what with his back so bad! Anyway, you'd better get moving and find out what Molly was on about."

"Not a problem Elsie; I am always happy to help," Paddy said and opened the door, "and as to the big mystery, I'll keep you posted."

Back at the O'Brien household the commotion in the hall had summoned the younger children. Obviously Molly and Paddy had taken a longish pause from babies after having Cathy because the next younger children were a pair of twin boys of around 12 or 13 followed by girls of around 10 and 7. The four of them were now staring openly at the unexpected apparition of another big sister. Molly had explained who Jennie was in frank and simple terms suitable for all ages. The boys and Susan, the older of the two young girls, were shy and slightly bashful about it all, but the youngest girl - Nellie - spoke up without any inhibitions. "Are you going to be living with us?" she asked.

"No," Jennie smiled, "I have my own place - or rather, tomorrow I'll have my own place. But I will be visiting often!"

"Oh," Nellie said. "I hoped you would and then perhaps you could read good night stories to me. Cathy is so busy with kissing Jeff all the time."

"Oi you!" Cathy exclaimed, sharing her mock-anger between her youngest sister and her laughing boyfriend.

"I would love to read to you every time I visit," Jennie replied - tears now brimming in her eyes as she squatted down in front of the child. "I have never had a little sister to read to before," she added quietly.

At that moment the front door opened.

'Neighbours' was perhaps a misnomer. The O'Briens and Andersons small gardens shared one corner fence post but not an actual stretch of fence with a gate so Paddy had to walk down one street, along the main street for a little bit and then up his own. Getting home took him a few minutes, but nevertheless he found his entire family gathered in the narrow hall as he walked in the door.

He noticed that Cathy had her back turned to him and was squatting down talking to Nellie. Molly, Susan and the boys were following the exchange. A few steps up the stairs stood Jeff and Cathy. 'Hey, wait a minute! Cathy can't be two places at once!' Paddy thought before the first 'Cathy' turned around to look at him and his world started spinning. But he was an intelligent and sharp-witted man and it only took him a fraction of a second to work out what he was seeing. "Jennie!" he whispered, but then he was completely overtaken by emotion as the young woman called out "Dad?" and came in his arms.

Paddy's large frame was visible shaking with his uncontrolled sobbing. "Jennie, Jennie, Jennie" he managed to say a few times as large tears were streaming down his rugged face.

"Mummy, why is Daddy crying?" Susan asked very much concerned.

"Sometimes you cry when you are very very happy," Molly replied. "And I don't think anything in the world could have made Daddy happier than finally having your big sister in his arms again."

"So she really is our big sister," Sean - one of the twins more stated than asked.

"Half-sister," his brother corrected.

"No Ryan," their mother said firmly. "There is nothing half about Jennie. She is wholly loved and wholly welcome." Then she raised her voice. "Come on everybody; dinner's ready."

The dining table in the kitchen was crowded to capacity this evening, but no one seemed to mind; it was family after all. There was gentle 'competition' over who should sit next to Jennie. Other than Paddy, of course. It ended up as a two-sided contest between her oldest and youngest sister with Nellie emerging victorious on the basis that Cathy had been with Jennie all the way home and besides Nellie would be going to bed first.

That settled, everyone tucked in. Molly had oven-baked two large sides of salmon and a huge oven tray of diced parsnips, celeriac and other roots. The food was delicious and the talking flowed freely. Jennie had been apprehensive that it would turn into a continuous interrogation of her, but that was never the case. She did have to tell a lot about Sanders IT Security and its owner though, and while Jeff supplemented a lot and caused many laughs - his sunny nature and marked cockney accent making him a great story teller, Jennie sensed a pattern in the questions from her father (her father!!!), Molly and Cathy and at one stage she noticed a knowing glance between them.

All too soon it was bed time for Nellie. She was about to pout when she remembered Jennie's offer. "You are going to read to me tonight, aren't you?" she asked.

"Of course I am Nellie. I promised and I've been looking forward to it," Jennie replied with genuine warmth. "You get ready for bed and I'll come and read."

"Mummy," Susan suddenly said. "If I also get ready for bed, can I sit at the end of Nellie's bed and hear the story too?"

Molly hid her smile. Susan volunteering to go to bed at the same time as Nellie was unheard of. "I'm sure you can sweetheart."

And so 10 minutes later Jennie found herself in the very pink room her two youngest sisters shared, sitting in the middle of Nellie's bed in an ocean of stuffed toy animals with one small girl in night clothes on each side. She was reading Winnie-the-Pooh and feeling so happy she could barely contain it.

After 3 chapters she called it quits and tucked the girls in. Nellie was almost instantly asleep. Jennie turned to Susan whose bed was on the other side of the room. Suddenly two small arms came up, went around Jennie's neck and pulled her down to a wet kiss. "I love you," she said. "I am so glad Cathy found you."

Jennie wept. Susan who now knew you could cry from being happy just held Jennie and stroked her hair. "I love you too Susan," Jennie finally whispered. "And I am so utterly happy that Cathy found me too. Good night little sister, sweet dreams."

Walking down the stairs Jennie tried to get her emotions in check before joining the rest of the family in the living room but failed and had tears streaming down her cheeks when she entered. She wiped the tears with her hand making some impatient gesture, but Molly just handed her a handkerchief and said "Don't worry Jennie love. There have been many happy tears tonight."

With a sniff and a grateful smile, Jennie sat down in the sofa between Molly and Paddy. Cathy and Jeff were sitting very cosily together in a huge ancient armchair; the boys had obviously retreated to their room, presumably to watch TV or play a game on their console.