Lucky Me (14 page)

Shannon asked, “You're the host of the whole entire festival?”

“Looks that way.”

Eryn let out a
Pfft
of annoyance.

“Indeed,” Mr. Leary said. “The curse is lifted despite whatever loose end you referred to earlier. No one who
finds the red ribbon could be even a little bit cursed.”

“Not a smidgen,” Owen said.

“Not even a pigeon!” Gene added, and the two twins laughed at themselves.

Mr. Leary said, “This calls for a special meal. Why don't you rest and unpack your very own luggage, and we'll eat at eleven o'clock. It's late, but who cares? Any time is perfect to share a good meal with friends.”

“Sounds like you just suggested a nap. And I like naps,” Carissa said. “You don't have to ask me twice.”

I went to retrieve my luggage from the pile, with help from Gene. I was carrying my suitcase up the dark wood stairs when I said, “You know, I was thinking that maybe you should put this suitcase in your donation closet.”

“Why?” Gene asked.

“There's nothing in here that I really need. Besides, now that Carissa is here, she can share her stuff with me.”

Everyone in the parlor stared at me. They didn't say anything, but I knew what they were all thinking. “Stop it,” I said to them. “I can go shopping when I get home.”

My dad came to the foyer and kissed me on the top of my head. Mrs. Buck gave me a thumbs-up.

“If I give them my stuff, can I go shopping when we get
home?” Piper asked. “I can be nice too. Carissa, will you share with me too?”

“I guess,” Carissa said reluctantly.

We all looked to Eryn to see what she would do. She shook her head and returned to her silence. It was a refreshing change that I was hoping would be annual, if not monthly.

I
t was still dark when Finn whispered into my ear, “You ready?”

Is this déjà vu?

“We don't have to sneak away this time,” I said. “Everyone is going to Spring Fling.”

“It starts now,” he said.

“It's night.”

“I know. Isn't it great? We all hike up the hill to welcome the sunrise.”

Carissa, who was next to me in the saggy twin bed, said, “He's quite the joker.”

“I am a pretty good joker, but I'm serious about this.”

“Why?” Carissa asked. “I thought the Spring Fling was
supposed to be fun. Waking up and hiking in the dark is
not
fun. Trust me.”

A shoe sailed across the room at Finn and hit him in the back. “Ouch!”

“Shut up,” Eryn growled.

“She's a nasty one. Let her sleep. She doesn't seem like she's Spring Fling material,” Carissa said.

“Ouch!” A second shoe hit him.

“I'll see you downstairs,” Finn said to us. “We'll find you some boots.”

We dressed in Carissa's clothes in the dark, to avoid getting things thrown at us.

She had really nice clothes, and it felt good to dress in style again.

The boots Finn gave us to use un-styled our outfits a bit.

Finn gave us each a hat. “It's nippy out there. You'll need these till the sun comes out.” He put fur-lined hats—trooper style that came over the ears and tied under the chin—on our heads. Besides my rabbit's foot, I'd never touched real fur. “Muskrat,” he said. “Da shot it himself.”

Ewwww!

More than gross, now the outfit had really lost style.

We set out in the dark with the retreaters, the McGlincheys
(sans Eryn), Carissa's parents, and the other castle dwellers (two of them had Shannon in a wagon) hiking up the hill in the dark to greet spring.

Soon the hike warmed me up. And the hat and the boots, albeit fashion faux pas, worked.

Owen and Gene arrived first and set up a tarp with chairs and blankets for us. The sun rose over the patchwork of green fields that glistened with dew. The sun was strong and bright and warmed us enough that we could lose the hats. Mine had given me enough static to make my hair stand up like in a science experiment.

Soon people started playing fiddles, and tables of vendors selling food, drinks, and crafts opened for business.

A familiar-looking girl walked around with pretzels on a long stick. “Are you still avoiding me?” I yelled to Anna.

“Are you still cursed?” she yelled back.

“Do I look cursed?” I held up the red ribbon.

Anna grinned. “Guess not.” We walked closer together, and I could see that her bruises had turned greenish.

I asked, “Is your mom here somewhere?”

Anna pointed to a woman at a table selling handmade sweaters. She was sipping a mug of something steamy. Two
other women worked the cash box. “There she is with Aunt Mary and Aunt Colleen.”

“Do they know about the surprise?”

“CiCi explained everything.”

“Did someone say surprise?” CiCi walked up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist in a hug. Then she did the same to Carissa. “Is this one of your sisters?”

“No. This is my bestie, Carissa.” CiCi hugged her again.

“She looks like she could be a McGlinchey. Doesn't she, Anna?”

“Sure.” Anna squeezed a packet of mustard onto a pretzel and bit off a huge piece.

“I need to find Quilly,” I said.

“I don't think he'll come to something like this,” CiCi said. “He has issues with public places.”

“Oh, no,” I said. “We need him.”

“Tell you what,” Anna said. “I'll call him. I know exactly what to say.”

“Thanks.” Before I walked away, I asked her, “Do you have any extra mustard for my friend?”

“Sure. Sure I do.” She handed Carissa three packets. “You're okay,” she said to Carissa.

Carissa took the mustard. Under her breath she asked, “Why do I want mustard packets?”

Quietly I said to her, “Just say thank you.”

“Thanks!” Carissa exclaimed. “I love mustard!”

“Who doesn't?” Anna asked, and she slapped Carissa hard on the back, making her wince.

We left Anna and CiCi, and I walked right into a familiar-looking woman who was attached to a big wooden tray.

H
oney!” It was the woman I'd been certain had been planning to bake me in her oven but instead had rescued us with a tractor. She'd tied a wooden tray to herself with straps around her waist and neck. It was covered with soda bread.

“Oh, m'dear Meghan. How are you? How did you do on your search for those people?”

“So much better than I ever hoped.”

“I'm glad for ye.” She tried to reach into the pocket of her apron, which was difficult because of the tray on her stomach. “I have your gadget. It's in my pocket. Can you reach it?”

“My phone! Oh, yay! I really missed it.”

“I was going to try to call you on it, but I couldn't figure it out.” I was so happy to have it back. She also gave us each a loaf of soda bread.

As we walked away Carissa said, “She was nice.”

“Yeah. After I figured out that she wasn't going to eat me, then I liked her.”

“What?”

“Long story.”

In the distance we heard someone yelling, “Ah! Ey! Oy!” And then something flew into the air.

“Let's check that out,” Carissa said.

It was pizza dough being tossed high and made into a flat circle. “I know him!” I exclaimed.

“You seem to know everyone,” Carissa said admiringly. “You had a busy couple of days without me.”

When Enzo saw me, he called out, “American girl!”

I waved and went over to his table.

“You wanna try my pizza?”

“Sure,” I said. He put a slice on a plate for Carissa and me.

“I hear that the hostess today is an American. Maybe someone you know?”

“Well, I don't know everyone in America. But I happen to know
that
person very well,” I said with a smile.

Just then there was a
tap, tap, tap
on the microphone. A man in a tall green-and-white
Cat in the Hat
–style hat stood in front of everyone. “Excuse me.” His words bounced all over the top of the hill. “It's time for the celebration to begin. It's my pleasure to announce this year's lucky hostess—all the way from the USA—from Wilmington, Delaware. Miss Meghan McGlinchey.”

Everyone clapped for
moi
. I hadn't really prepared a speech for this, but I stepped up anyway. I looked out at all the people in the crowd who stared, waiting for me to say something. Owen and Gene clapped and whistled. Carissa and Finn stood at my side.

I said, “I've had a great time in your country over the last few days. I met new and wonderful friends that shared so much with me, so thank you all very much.” Everyone was listening—nothing like the school gym. “My father came to Ireland to meet his sister Colleen for the first time here today at this Spring Fling. But I have a very, very big surprise for him.”

I watched his face redden and his mouth gape open.

“Dad, this is your sister Colleen.” I pointed to the woman at the table. She approached him, and they embraced. Everyone at the top of the hill clapped. “But there's more.”
Colleen and Dad let go of each other. “You also have a sister Elizabeth and a sister Mary.” The other women at the table approached Dad and smothered him in hugs. The hill clapped and clapped more. Tears rolled down Dad's face. “And all these people over here, Dad”—I pointed to a group of twelve kids and three men—“these are your twelve new nieces and nephews, and three new brothers-in-law.” The crowd exploded in applause the way that I'd imagined the school gym would with my election speech. “I wouldn't have found these people if it hadn't been for the kindness of all the strangers I met over the last few days. Thank you, Ireland. And welcome, spring!”

CiCi and her dancing friends must have known that was their cue, because they began to jig on a rolled-out wooden floor.

Quilly grabbed my arm as I stepped down from the podium. “Nice speech.” He handed me a pair of hard-soled Irish shoes. “Put these on. I'm deliverin' you to the floor.”

“I don't think so,” I said shyly.

“You want to do it the hard way?” He peered over the top of his sunglasses.

“No.” I put the shoes on and followed him to the tapping sound.

CiCi saw me and said, “Come on, come on, come on.” She pulled me into line with the girls, and when they stomped, I stomped. Before I knew it, I was kicking in step. Everyone clapped and cheered. The retreaters—now liberated—were the loudest of all. I looked up and smiled at all of my new friends and family who watched me dance.

We stayed at the Spring Fling all day. Eventually, probably out of hunger, Eryn made it to the top of the hill. CiCi ran over to her. “Wait! Are you
another
sister? You look just like the McGlincheys.” She hugged Eryn, who really didn't like to be touched. “You know, I think people get grumpy when they're hungry. Come on!” CiCi dragged her away. “You need to meet Paddy Flanigan. He makes the very best cookies.”

My dad was spoiled by three older sisters who had missed nurturing him through his childhood. I'd never seen him so happy. Aunt Elizabeth and Aunt Mary took the baby for the whole day, and my mom was finally able to jig a little herself. At one point Dad mouthed “Thank you” to me from afar. He didn't say I was his favorite daughter, but he probably thought it.

After a full day of dancing and celebrating, we eventually hiked down the hill and toppled into our saggy castle beds.

S
aying good-bye to Castle Ballymore was tough. Saying good-bye to the people in Castle Ballymore was really, really tough.

“I'm going to miss you guys,” I said to Owen and Gene. They smothered me in their burlap-smelling hugs. Both of them cried. They hugged Shannon even longer and harder than they had me. They pecked Carissa and Piper on each cheek and hesitantly patted Eryn on the back.

My whole family and Carissa got into the airport shuttle. We found Carissa's parents already waiting for us at the airport.

“I'll e-mail you,” I said to Finn.

“And I'll e-mail you back,” he said. “I'm so glad I met you, Meghan.”

“Me too,” I said. He held my hand between both of his for just a second. I thought he might kiss me, but I guess this wasn't my lucky day.

Before getting into the shuttle, I gave him a ladybug. “Just in case luck is real, I want you to have some of it. I have one too. They come in threes. And, well, Quilly has the third one, which is a little weird, but don't pay attention to that part.”

“Thanks.” Finn smiled.

The shuttle drove away down the narrow, bending road, past the low rock walls and the fields of green speckled with white fluffy sheep. I glanced back and waved one last good-bye.

S
aint Anthony's feast day was a big deal in Wilmington.

Americans didn't celebrate with festivals, street parties, or random jams the way the Irish did. I had been in full-scale party withdrawal since returning home, so I counted the days until this Italian festival.

It took up four square city blocks and was an amazing display of homemade Italian cuisine, from antipasto to ziti. Singers, dancers, and comedians occupied the many stages. There were rides, carnival games, and parades.

This year it would be even more spectacular because we'd rented a section of the piazza for a party—a McGlinchey
family reunion. My dad sat around a table with his three sisters. They looked at pictures, shared stories, and laughed. You could see the resemblance among them in the way they looked and moved. Even after years and oceans apart, they were family.

My cousins were there too. They all waited in line with Carissa, Piper, and me for our favorite ride, the Cliffhanger. On this ride, you lay on your belly, and the machine lifted you up and flew you around like you were Superman. I loved it because I could see the whole Saint Anthony's feast day event from up high, with the backdrop of Wilmington's Little Italy. It was nothing like Dublin. It was home.