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#Post#: 3089--------------------------------------------------
Home is Where You Are
DIR By: Maggie Flannery
Date: September 17, 2015, 10:53 pm
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HTML https://farm1.staticflickr.com/762/21314937938_0deca3e7c2_z.jpg
Summary:
Life in apartment 210 A has never ever been dull and Jackie and
Maggie Flannery have never been the type of people to go about
things half arsed. They're an extremely organized pair. Sure
there are days when the house looks like a laundry bomb's gone
off and there are an array of mystery stains and toys on the
carpeted areas but their brood's well fed, clean, and always
courteous ( in public at least), the rent's never been late for
as long as they've been living there ( four years thank you very
much ) and personal space is a luxury but they'd never want it
any other way. To them, it's home.
Playlist:
HTML https://open.spotify.com/user/highlandfling22/playlist/0Wj25SeSB4F9q2tb16Hpea
#Post#: 3093--------------------------------------------------
Re: Home is Where You Are
DIR By: Wolfy
Date: September 18, 2015, 4:25 pm
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I am E X C I T E D for this piece. I can't wait for it to begin
-- will that be soon, by chance? I'm really looking forward to
reading some Jackie stuff with all the things you've been
posting on tumblr lately! :D I also am actually in love with
your playlist for this -- especially Peg O' My Heart 'cause I've
not heard that one in a long while. Beautiful banner, by the
way!
#Post#: 3094--------------------------------------------------
Re: Home is Where You Are
DIR By: Maggie Flannery
Date: September 19, 2015, 6:00 am
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Hey there!
Just thought I'd set the scene a bit, this piece takes place two
years after the first installment. Jackie and Maggie have been
married four years, Katy's a newly minted four year old, the
triplets turned two, Oh! and little Colin was their belated
anniversary gift that year. ;) So by my calculations they've
averaged a baby a year since they were first brought together.
I've fiddled with their background a bit, Jackie and Kathy's
mother player a bit bigger role in this, as does Maggie's Dad
who for some reason ( which will be revealed later) is back in
Dublin rotting in a prison for a while. I hope you enjoy!
Sending major love and many many many hugs to you my dear.
Without you I don't think this would have been written. :D
March 15th { One Year After Part I }
“Oh God…Oh God. Maggie…baby...oh my God”
Oddly enough that was what he said to get me into this mess in
the first place but I held my tongue as he stared at that stupid
stick with two pink lines. There we sat side by side on the
sagging mattress in the dimly lit apartment we had called home
for the past four years. The first rays of spring morning light
were filtering in through the blinds - the apartment was totally
silent, a rare occurrence these days.
“I should be due in November, around the first week if I’ve
calculated it correctly. You’re going under the knife after this
one, Jackie. I’m closing up shop. It’s been a baby year since we
had Katy and I just - I just can’t. I love what we’ve got I do I
really do but no more.”
At the mere mention of getting fixed Jackie slid off the bed and
settled in front of me clasping his hands together and looking
up at me with sincere blue eyes.
“Anything but that, Mags. Anything. I know a guy work that had
that done and his wife left him. I couldn’t live without you.
I’d end up weighing like four hundred pounds and..Maggie I
can’t.”
I sighed as I reached out to stroke his cheek as I thought of an
alternative.
“We haven’t got many other alternatives. Katy was the broken
condom and too many shots. The triplets were from the pill and
those puppy dog eyes of yours, Colin was from the sponge and
that booze cruise we went on with Vlad and Lottie..this one…what
was this one?”
“Fifteen minutes of free time when the heat went out and the
kids were at my mother’s for the weekend.”
Twinkling blue eyes met mine and I bit back a laugh and failed.
“A happy accident then. Look, I’ll get my tubes tied or better
yet we’ll both go under and then it’s one less thing to worry
about, yeah?”
Worry clouded his face as he straightened out and settled back
down next to my spot on the bed.
“My cousin Mary, on my Mom’s side; she had it done and she ain’t
been right since. They said that she would be in and out in
under two hours she was but she wasn’t the same. Three years
went by and then all of the sudden we get a phone call from her
husband saying that we’d better get to the hospital. She’d ended
up with an ectopic pregnancy and had some major problems. She
almost died, Mags. I don’t know what would happen to me..or the
kids if somethin’ happened to you.”
He said his voice heavy and his eyes misting over, I’d never
seen Jackie like this before and the only thing I could was wrap
my arms around him and tell him that I wasn’t going anywhere.
Deep down I felt the same way, if anything happened to Jackie I
wasn’t sure what I’d do.
“We’ll figure it out, we always do.”
A moment of silence passed between us before hurried little
footsteps could be heard and the bedroom door swung open with
some help from Colin’s go round walker which two of the triplets
had the bright idea to use a battering ram of sorts. I had no
other choice but to break out the full names, which were rarely
ever used unless correcting behavior or filling out official
forms.
“Cillian James and Ceeva Eileen! Don’t use your brother as a
battering ram.”
Katy whirled in a blur of excitement and worry the quietest
triplet - Charlotte Anne or Annie as we called her, behind her.
Annie was normally the sweet smiling one this early but to me
she looked grayish and clammy. Not good at all.
“Mama, Annie threw up.”
Jackie and I exchanged worried looks and both ventured to ask
where.
“In the bed, and the bathroom, and I think the hallway.”
“I’ll get the thermometer and paper towels, cleaner’s still by
the sink, right?”
Jackie asked as he headed into the hallway. I couldn’t help but
smile as he silently went about cleaning up the mess he knew I
couldn’t even think about dealing with this early.
“Yes, it hasn’t moved in four years. I’ve got extra sheets in
the basket and I’ll start a grocery list. Chicken soup and
ginger ale all around.”
Heaving and retching could be heard all the way from the hallway
and into the bathroom and into the back bedroom on the left
where the four oldest slept.
“It’s all over! Why is it all over?! What the hell is it?!
Maggie call Father Hennessy call the vatican call the ghost
busters ‘cause this ain't normal!”
Jackie heaved and yelled between gasps for air. The kids thought
it was hilarious proving a point that things, even the
disgusting ones, could be handled with a bit of humor. Jackie
came back with a scowl and freshly scrubbed hands and the
thermometer.
“Annie certainly takes after you, Mags. When she throws up she
does it everywhere. Look, not a speck on her though.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle as I gave him a grin and popped the
thermometer into Annie’s mouth and waited. It sounded and lit up
a sickly orange color reading 99.4.
“What can I say? She’s just lucky.”
“Yeah, lucky she’s cute. You gotta work on that aim, sweetie.”
Annie managed to give him a weak smile before curling up next to
me and nodding off. The next thing we knew it was a Flannery
family dog pile situation on the bed and Jackie and I were
surrounded by snoring little people and we were each on the
edge.
“You still sure we know what we’re doing?”
I asked wearily as I reached for his hand.
“What’s one more, Mags? We’ve made it this far without any major
damage done. It’s only one more to spoil rotten.”
He said as he flashed me that dazzling smile that each of our
children had seemingly inherited.
Two Weeks Later
Within the next two weeks the stomach bug which Annie had caught
from one of her playgroup friends, had circulated around the
entire household and I was left to nurse five sickly Flannerys,
father included. Katy, who ended up spending her fourth
birthday sick at home all but quarantined was non too pleased
with the menu I had planned out. It only proved that bland food
could only go so far with a four year old that had a ‘developed’
palate; even if she could single handedly live off of nuggets
and french fries.
“But I don’t wanna eat any more soup, Mama. It’s all we’ve been
eating.”
Katy whined as I finished chopping up the last of the celery and
a few onions. I was at my wits end and trying to play catch up
with house work, I hadn’t gotten much sleep and had been doing
endless loads of laundry I looked at her and instead of snapping
at her I calmly walked into the living room and emptied out my
purse and scooped up the change that had fallen out and stuffed
it into the swear jar on the counter. The need to swear passed
and I was out five dollars in change.
“Katy, please just eat the soup, it’s all I’ve had time to
make..”
“But why?”
“Because we don’t have a lot of money since Daddy’s been home
sick with you guys.”
Jackie had missed almost a week’s worth of work when he was
blind sided with the bug, I don’t think I’d ever seen him as
sick as he was first few days. I could handle a drunk Jackie, a
hung over Jackie, but sick as a dog Jackie was my undoing. He
made for one very cranky and very demanding patient, much like
his children. I’d finally put my foot down and shooed them into
the living room where they mostly napped or caught snippets of
television between trips to the bathroom. They could never say I
didn’t keep them hydrated between trying to the piles of laundry
they produced.
“But why?”
“Because he caught Annie’s germs like you and your brothers and
your sister.”
“Oh.”
A moment passed and I went back to cubing up cooked chicken
breasts and adding them to the stock.
“Mama?”
“Yes, Katy?”
“Why don’t we have a big house with more room?”
“Because we live in the city.”
“Why?”
“Because we just do.”
“But why?”
“Because when your Granny Agnes and Daddo Paddy came over from
Ireland they liked it so much they stayed here. So did my
Mother, your Nana McGuire.”
“Why?”
“Because it reminded them of Ireland.”
“Where’s Ireland?”
“Get the atlas.”
Katy ran out of the kitchen and tumbled into the living room and
came back with the world atlas clutched to her chest, her face
obscured by the huge book. I wiped my hands on the kitchen towel
and took the book from her and flipped to the world section and
scanned for a moment.
“Alright, here’s New York.”
I pointed to the little blip on the map in the united states and
pointed with my other hand to the isle that was Ireland.
“And here’s Dublin where both sets of your grandparents are
from.”
“That’s a long long way away. Lots of water.”
“Yup it is, it’s about a seven hour flight.”
“Do we still have family there?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“Well, your Dad has aunts and cousins and I’ve got my Dad - your
Daddo Liam and a whole bunch of cousins and aunts and uncles.”
“Will we ever meet them?”
“Maybe..one day.”
I hadn’t spoken of my father or extended family in years and
mentioned him in passing to my children who were still too young
to understand exactly why I’d grown up without a father. Tears
prickled in my eyes and I felt my face start to get warm. Katy
looked at me with knit brows and gently got down from her chair
and climbed onto my lap and rested her head against my chest and
played with my cross.
“Maybe he could come see us instead?”
“Your Granny McGuire would keel over, she would. Your Daddo Liam
can’t, he and some of his friends - or people he thought were
his friends didn’t make good choices. Do you know what happens
to people that make bad choices?”
Katy thought for a moment and then nodded still playing with my
cross.
“They get put in time out.”
For four years old this girl was on the ball.
“Yes, your Daddo Liam is in a very very long time out.”
“Does he know about us?”
“Yes, he does. He’s got pictures of each of you and your Dad and
me.”
“What about the new one?”
“New one what?”
“The baby, that’s not here yet.”
I knew there was a reason we always told Katy first about
impending siblings, the girl just took it in stride. It also
helped that Jackie bribed her not to say a word to anyone else
until we’d had the first scan done so she was old hat at this.
“No, not yet. It’s too small to have pictures yet.”
“Can you name it after Daddo then?”
“We’ll see, Katy. Now, how about a grilled cheese to go with
your soup?”
Katy’s little face lit up as I went about making her sandwich
and turned her loose in the living room to sit at the coffee
table to watch some tv show that Jackie had on. I went back to
to finishing up the last batch of soup when I heard the floor
squeak, Jackie’s only give away was how he walked across the
kitchen floor.
“I heard the family history lesson..Mags, it’s ok.”
“No, it’s not. I’m not naming this child after him, Jackie. I’ll
be damned if I give him the satisfaction of having a name sake.
We’re naming him after you.”
Jackie sat down in his usual spot at the table and took my hand
and pulled me onto his lap, something he wouldn’t be able to do
for much longer.
“I don’t think this world’s ready for a second Jackie Flannery,
Mags. Although you’d have Ma over the moon. She’d love you even
more…if that’s possible. We don’t even know if it’s a boy.”
A moment passed and I found myself thinking that he had a point.
“I’ve just got a feeling.”
Squeals could be heard as Katy came running back into the
kitchen gibbering a mile a minute.
“Uncle Vlad’s on tv! Uncle Vlad’s on tv!”
I looked at Jackie and he shrugged and we got up to take a look.
Sure enough there was Vlad on the local public access station
hosting the six o’clock Friday Fear Fest movie. Of course all
five little Flannerys were glued to it until I flicked it off
much to their dislike. Oddly enough I’d gotten the same reaction
when I declared it bath time an hour earlier. Why he’d chosen to
show Pet Cemetery and Pet Cemetery II all in one night was
beyond me.
“MA! We watch!”
Cillian admonished before giving me a dirty look.
“Don’t you look at me that way, Cillian James. I’m not letting
you watch that movie, it’s too scary.”
Cries were heard all around the room and I rolled my eyes.
“No, there’s no way I’m letting you watch it and that’s final. I
don’t care if it’s one of Uncle Vlad’s top picks. You’ll all
have nightmares for weeks.”
I noticed that bowls were left unattended and Colin had nodded
off in his play pen even given the commotion caused by his
siblings. Jackie swooped in and gingerly picked him up and
declared that it was bed time. Thirty minutes and three stories
complete with character voice later the kids were all tucked
into freshly made beds and off to dreamland.
I’d gone back out to the kitchen to finish up the dishes and
pack away the left overs which would probably be split between
Vlad and Lottie and Claire and Stevie even though they’d both
say that neither needed it. The stomach flu had reached each of
them and I felt partially to blame, this was my peace offering
to them. My moment of peace and quiet was interrupted by the
clattering of change being shaken out of a jar.
“Jackie, what the hell are you doing?”
I asked as I turned from the sink and watched as he counted out
change.
“I’m counting change, Mags as much as I love you and I really
really do with all my heart I can’t stomach any more soup no
matter what Dr. Jennings says. I’ve got exactly enough here for
a large cheese pizza…including delivery and tip.”
He gave me those big blue puppy dog eyes and my heart couldn’t
take it and honestly neither could my stomach. I was so sick of
looking at chicken I cracked.
“Fine! Just be quiet about it.”
Twenty minutes later we were situated in front of the television
just about to dig into dinner and watch Pet Cemetery II when
guilt set in. Jackie was just about to take a bite when I
stopped him.
“I can’t…I can’t eat without them. It’s so unfair to them.”
“But they’re asleep they’ll never know.”
“But we’ll know. It’s not like they’re going anywhere
tomorrow.”
Jackie thought it over for a second and sighed.
“You’re right. You’re right, dammit. Alright I’ll get’em up.”
Slightly dazed and wee bit confused but once they spotted that
pizza box I don’t think I’d ever seen them so happy. Colin
included who was bouncing up and down in Jackie’s arms giving me
a toothy grin.
“Alright, grab a plate from the counter and we’ll start dividing
it up. No running!”
It was then that the requests for drinks and other snacks
started. I made a mental note of who was requesting what, it was
amazing what a few days of staying home could do wasn’t it? It
was only after they had settled in front of the tv and were
happily munching away that I noticed what they were watching for
the past twenty to thirty minutes. I dove for the remote only to
find it was stuck on channel six.
“Go unplug the tv! If they see the rest of this they’ll be in
therapy for the rest of their lives.”
Jackie was too engrossed to take his eyes away and I ended up
burying my face in Jackie shoulder just as the bully bought the
farm. The older ones were just as glued to it as their father
was and the youngest was busy gnawing on a piece of pizza crust
to give a care. I finally lost it towards the end and ended up
unplugging the tv and herding the kids into the bathroom to
brush their teeth and try and settle in for bed. Another hour of
goading later and I was beginning to slightly regret sharing
that pizza with them but another story and the reassurance of
their collective night lights one by one they nodded off and I
was finally able to turn in for the night. My bed partner though
had other ideas, somewhere down the street a car backfired or at
least that’s what it sounded like to me, I didn’t pay it too
much mind as I curled up next to Jackie.
I was just about to nod off when I felt Jackie move closer.
“Jackie, not tonight.”
“That’s the last thing on my mind, babe.”
“You’re practically on top of me.”
“The clock’s out…I don’t hear the fridge running. The power’s
out.”
I noticed a hint of panic edging in his voice as he held me
close, much like Cillian did with his stuffed dog during his
naps. The patter of rain and wind beat against the window in the
bedroom and off in the distance we heard thunder. The first
storm that signaled that spring was well on it’s way. I reached
over and stroked Jackie’s cheek before we were all but crowded
out as the kids, triplets first one by one and then Katy came in
holding a snuffling wobbly legged Colin. We were crammed
together again little feet and hands all over the place but on
nights like this especially in a city this size it was nice to
know that we weren’t truly alone.
“You’re absolutely sure that you’re ready for another one?”
“ ‘Course, Mags. Like I said before we’ll be okay.”
“I know we’ll be okay but are we, as people, not as parents
ready for this? Do we really know ourselves well enough to be
the kind of people with six kids? I mean honestly, if I’d asked
you oh..say seven years ago did you honestly think you’d be the
guy with a wife and six kids?”
Jackie went quiet for a minute and I thought he’d fallen asleep
on me.
“No, I would have called you crazy and said that no one in their
right mind would want me for anything more than a good time.
Girls like you are one in a million and I still don’t know what
I did to deserve you…to deserve this. Mind filling me in? We’ve
got time.”
I thought back to that night at The Old Towne Bar and remembered
that he’d somehow gotten me the money that was owed to me and
he’d given me a lift back home.
“You’ve got kind eyes and a warm smile, I could tell you had a
heart of gold even if you’d have denied it..and you made me
laugh, you didn’t dare what anyone thought. It’s infectious.”
Jackie let out a barking laugh that shook the bed and I shushed
him for a minute.
“You make me sound like some new foreign disease, Mags. Nobody’s
ever told I had kind eyes, before.”
Now my curiously was peaked.
“What made you strike up a conversation with me in the first
place? You could have just ordered your beer and walked away,
there were plenty of prettier girls there that night.”
“You looked like someone that carried everyone else’s weight and
needed some help shifting your own off. You needed someone to
talk to. Besides, your smile gave me a major case of tingles.”
“Oh come on! Way to think with your other head.”
“No! I don’t mean that kind, Mags and you know it. You know that
feeling you get after you’ve traveled for a while? That feeling
that everything in your world’s right again? You gave me that. I
felt like I was…home. Even though I’d never really met you. You
gave me that feeling and nobody’s ever done that. Then when I
watched you sneak food to that homeless guy that used to hang
around there I saw that you were someone I could bring home to
meet Ma.”
My heart swelled as tears welled up in my eyes, nobody had ever
said such endearing words to me and meant them like he did.
“You wanna know what Ma said when I told her about you?”
“What?”
I asked as I brushed the tears away and reached out again for
Jackie’s hand.”
“She told me that I’d be a fool not to marry you and then Kathy
got in on it and told me to man up and put a ring on your
finger.”
“Did you tell them I was pregnant before you intended to marry
me?”
“Ma knew it, that cook out I took you to on the Fourth of July
that year she called it and she smacked the crap out of me. Then
she cried, then she smacked me again. What about you? Did you
honestly think you’d end up married to someone like me let alone
have six kids?”
“Honestly, no. I wasn’t even sure if I’d still be around here
when August rolled around. I’d probably have moved back in with
my mother…oh Lord. I couldn’t live with her if I tried.”
Jackie reached out and stroked my hand before telling me he
loved me.
“It’ll all work out, Mags. You’ll see.”
#Post#: 3095--------------------------------------------------
Re: Home is Where You Are
DIR By: Wolfy
Date: September 19, 2015, 6:51 am
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This pairing is my absolute favourite and that will never, ever
change. You write both so beautifully and I got all happy, with
happy tears included as I read through this. I do believe Jackie
would make a wonderful father and though we were only given a
smidge part in the film, where we're shown how he behaves with
Frank's kids, it's pretty clear he was born to be a daddy. I
can't believe they have so many children! actually mindblowing.
I imagine it will keep them both on their toes for years to
come, but as they've already managed this many so far, they're
doing so well. Also -- when Jackie was clearing up the sick from
the floor, that line about calling the Ghostbusters really
cracked me up. I wasn't expecting him to say that; was
absolutely hilarious. I'm so looking forward to reading the next
chapter!! brilliant piece of writing :D
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