The P. P. A. Project

Chapter Eighteen - Party Like An Irishman

Chapter Eighteen – Party Like An Irishman

After having gotten dressed, faster than I would have preferred in my dad’s dress pants and a white button up shirt, I walked into the room where Connor was waiting for me. As soon as he turned and saw me he smiled and stood.

“Well, not quite what I was expectin’ but it’ll do!” He did a circle around me once and then motioned for me to exit first, “After you, ma’am.”

He’d had a mischievous smirk on his face. I didn’t like it too much. Instead I pushed past him and walked onto the roof of the house. It was then that vertigo took over and seeing as it was a rather long distance down my legs turned into jello.

“So… um… why are we sneaking out if you have permission to take me out?”

I could tell he had seen how scared I was but he didn’t comment. He simply walked out onto the roof as well and took my hand. There was a ladder along the ledge. He climbed down first to hold it at the bottom and then I made my way down very… very slowly.

“Isn’t it more fun this way? You can’t tell me you have never snuck out before.” As I landed safely on the ground I shook my head.

“Why would I have?”

He didn’t reply. Instead we headed in the direction of the music down the street. It was most definitely an Irish pub. The music was very distinct that way. As it got louder and louder, Connor’s smile grew bigger and bigger. He was excited for this little celebration.

“Well I suppose you haven’t partied until you have partied with the native Irish, ya?”

I laughed as we turned the corner. I was stunned at the scene I was standing before. On the corner at the intersection was a green and yellow display of Irish pride and native’s galore. A stage had been set up on the corner of 4th Ave with a band playing the music which echoed through the streets as the pub was passing out bears and food, people dancing and laughing, children running and playing.

He took my hand and immediately dragged me out into the middle of the dancing crowd. They’d been doing a rather synchronized jig that I knew nothing about. Hell, I didn’t even know how to dance really! As he began to dance around me I stood like a log not knowing what to do.

“Just let loose, Pandora! You can’t live your whole life of being afraid of what you don’t know!”

His words related to me on so many different levels that I couldn’t even express to him how it touched me. However, despite how right he was I still didn’t know this dance.

“But I…”

“No but’s! Just move!”

I took his hand and we began to spin around. He laughed as I blushed but I got into it more and more. The band was really good and the music was something no musician could compare to back in the time I was actually from. The people seemed so united. They stuck together because as a community they were on their own.

When the music finally stopped, Connor and I walked over to the pub and sat down at a stool near a window which allowed us to look out onto the crowd.

“You are really good! Where did you learn to dance like tha’?” As he asked that, two glasses slid our way. Fortunately it wasn’t beer. It was a fruity drink with lime floating in the center.

As we looked up, a very large, husky and furry red headed man walked over with a rather wide grin on his face.

“She is part Irish, it’s in ‘er blood, mate! My name is Grady. It’s a pleasure, ma’am.” He extended a massive palm to me, “You must be the relative of Mr. Alexander ol’ Connor here keeps harpin’ about. You are just as pretty as we would have expected comin’ from such nice folks.”