667 Issue #10: "Old Wounds"

“She said she’d be ready by four so that only gives her a few hours. I hope she can handle this.” I sat down at the dining room table with a sandwich.

“I think she’ll be fine if she can just get past whatever depressive funk she is in.” Jackie had faith in her and made it known.

But I knew it was more than just a “depressive funk.”

“I bet getting closer to home might help some.” Angelica replied as she ate her lunch, “She’s been talking about it a lot lately; she’s homesick.”

I hadn’t thought about that. I’m sure with everything that had happened in the past few months, home was something that could comfort her, even if that prospect may have been a little confusing now.

“It must be strange for her—coming here to start a new life and things ending up the way they did. I wonder if she wishes she had never left.” Salome thought out loud.

“She does, but don’t tell her I said anything. There are a lot of What-Ifs going through her head right now. Though, she doesn’t want anyone to know because she feels like she made the decision to move and has no one to blame but herself.” Angelica looked at me and I nodded subtly.

“Maybe she just needs a bit of home to soothe her.” I made a suggestion that no one had apparently thought of.

“And New Orleans is the farthest thing from the UK with its French influence.” Jackie laughed.

“There has to be something we could do to make her feel more at home. Maybe it would quell some of her anxiety.” I was trying to figure out a way to bring a little bit of Ireland to Louisiana for the time being.

“I may have an idea.” Salome piped up, a pensive look on her face.

I leaned in over the table, “Go on.”

“Did she ever talk to you about her old roommate back in Belfast? When we were getting to know each other, she mentioned that she didn’t have any relatives over there, but she did have a friend of sorts that she worked with at the Cock and Crow. Her name was Nancy and even though she and Violet weren’t the best of friends, it seemed like the woman really cared about her. What if you gave her a call and maybe asked her about what Violet’s favorite things were about her native country? You could surprise her with a little bit of home that way.” Salome had come up with a really good idea.

“It’s worth a shot, but I wouldn’t know how to contact her.” As good of an idea as it was, I didn’t think it seemed plausible.

“Nick her phone like she did mine. Find Nancy’s number that way and give her a call. Hell, I’ll sneak her phone and let you do the rest.” Angelica shrugged with an idea of her own.

I nodded.

That just might work and I could possibly cheer Violet up despite the darkness that she had sunk herself into.

(*)

Angelica had been able to find Nancy’s number in Violet’s phone and somehow discreetly jotted it down and brought it to me in no time.

I was sitting out on the back patio with my phone in my hand, trying to gain the courage to make the phone call and not seem like some weirdo stalker.

The phone was heavy in my hand as I finally dialed the number and a woman answered on the third ring.

“This is Nancy.”

“Hi, Nancy. My name is Adam; I’m a friend of Violet’s.” I started the conversation and the woman on the other end gasped.

“Oh, is she okay? Did something happen? I haven’t heard from her since she moved, but I’ve been thinking about her like crazy.” Nancy rambled.

“Oh, yeah she’s fine.” Well, she sort of was, “I was actually just calling to ask you a favor.”

“Okay, what’s that?” Nancy asked.

“Uh, since she hasn’t spoken to you since she moved, I’m sure you don’t know what happened between her and Missy,” I started to come up with a story, “Either way, the two of them are no longer living together. They had a bit of a falling out and I think that Vi is feeling a bit homesick and I wanted to try and cheer her up. I didn’t want to pry, but could you possibly tell me anything that might make her feel more at home here? Things that she could only get in Ireland or anything that would remind her of where she grew up, things she was fond of?” I took a deep breath and waited for her to answer.

“Well, aren’t you sweet. Are you two dating?” Nancy had her own questions.

“Oh, no—no, we just work together and I helped her find a new place to live. We’re just friends.” I was starting to sweat for some reason.

“Vi and I weren’t the best of mates, but we did talk a lot. I can give you some ideas about what she likes and could possibly be missing. Got a pen to write this down?” She didn’t hesitate and I hunted down some paper so I could take notes.

Nancy was a much better friend than Missy had ever been.

After quite the conversation, I had more of an idea about who Violet really was and not just what she liked.

Violet was a child of nature and not a city person. She loved lying in the grass out in the fields near her home and staring at the stars at night. She loved going to the ancient cemeteries and doing grave rubbings. She loved hot tea over coffee and wasn’t really a fan of wearing shoes or trendy clothing. Violet’s favorite beer was Guinness and whiskey was Jameson, as cliché as it was. She loved huge Irish breakfasts, complete with black pudding and soda bread. She loved the smell of the ocean whipping in over the cliffs and the scent of rain on the emerald grass.

Besides writing, reading was her favorite thing and she absolutely loved anything fantasy related when it came to her books; and she was very particular about some series.

I had a lot to go on now and figured I would start by maybe grabbing her a beer from the corner store.

Granted, we were heading to Britain, but I wanted her to know that even when she wasn’t there, she still had a piece of home here with us.

It was getting close to four and I figured I’d run out and pick up a few things before she made her departure to Edinburgh.