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Chapter Nine
The journey back down to the South took a lot less time than the one on the way up, since the snow had at least stopped, and the roads had already been cleared.
Throughout the journey I was nervous about the reception I’d receive from Daisy after the way I had left, but I had an inner confidence that once she’d considered why I’d had to leave and how quickly I’d returned, she’d understand that what had happened between us wasn’t something I’d taken lightly.
By the time the guys dropped me off it was only 6:10 am and the streets were silent. It struck me that there was always something serenely peaceful about a town covered in a white blanket of snow. The sky was still dark, but with a grey hazy reflection due to the unshed snow still held up there.
Closing the door of the 4x4, I promised tickets to our gig when DistRoyed were next in the country and turned my head slowly to look at the black rectangular upstairs windows.
The sound of silence deafened me once my ride had driven out of sight and I absorbed the moment of calm before my heart raced with thoughts of the possible reaction I’d receive from the girl I’d fucked and deserted just over a day before.
A noise drew my eyes to the door and I watched it crack open as Terry, Daisy’s barman appeared with a petite, blonde-haired woman.
“Oh, Barney, it's you.” He stared wide-eyed for a moment then added, “Daisy told me you’d gone home,” he explained, pulling the girl by the arm as he went to close the door. I slapped my hand on the wood and shook my head.
“I did think about it, but I went to visit someone else and decided it was too late to go to the airport; besides, I’d never get a flight with this weather.” I gestured at the white blanket of snow again and shrugged my shoulders.
“Ah, well, lucky for you I was still here. We had one hell of a St. Patrick’s Day, ran out of the best whiskeys and almost drained of the rest. Daisy was dead on her feet and went to bed around 4am after the ‘lock in’ for the locals.
“Lock in?”
“Yeah, when the real fun starts. Drinking after licensing hours, kinda like a private party.”
“Oh, right,” I said as I stood half in, half out of the doorway. Well, I better let you get home and I’ll just sneak up the stairs to bed.”
“Right. I’m not in tomorrow until 5pm and Daisy has the day off. Her friend Maria is coming in to cover the bar first thing. Cleaners have keys and will be here at 8am.”
I had no idea why he was explaining all of that to me, but his extra information I never asked for was in keeping with every other Irish person I’d met since I’d been in town.
Terry stepped out into the street and slung his arm around his girl, said good night and turned to walk to the left of the pub. I closed the door and stood inside.
Then it struck me: these girls I had met had placed themselves in danger by taking me in, and now the barman had done the same to Daisy by allowing me into her home without her even knowing.
Part of me was glad that he had, the other half was incensed, and I knew I’d be having words with Daisy about her future security.
Tiptoeing upstairs, I wondered whether I should sneak into bed and wait for morning or let her know I was in the pub; considering which choice I made would shock her more and which would show me in the better light.
I thought if I just went to bed she may consider that a liberty, assuming I thought I had earned it by sleeping with her before. Then again, if I woke her when she wasn’t expecting anyone to be there it may have given her a heart attack.
Shit this stuff isn’t easy. No wonder I don’t do girlfriends.
When I reached the bedroom I’d slept in before, I figured I’d sit in there for a while until I decided what plan to go with. I pushed the door open slowly and cringed when it creaked. I stopped instantly, with my heartbeat in my throat, as I waited to hear a reaction from Daisy, if I’d woken her up.
After a few minutes silence I felt confident my presence hadn’t disturbed her sleep and so continued to enter the room.
The bedroom wasn’t pitch black due to the increased light from a streetlamp outside the window. I could see enough not to put the light on and I hadn’t wished to draw attention to myself until I had decided what to do.
Slowly I made my way toward the bed in the dark with my carry-on bag, stopping suddenly, stunned, when I noticed Daisy was lying there in the bed.
Her presence confused the hell out of me about what to do next because the going to sleep option had been blown clean out of the water and I was stuck in the room with creaky floorboards. No matter how hard I could have tried to retrace my steps I could potentially frighten the life out of her or she would perhaps shoot me dead where I stood.
Do people have guns under their pillows in Ireland?
“Daisy?” I murmured in a soft gentle tone so as not to startle her too much. She didn’t stir and became obviously she was in a very deep sleep.
I crept closer toward the bed and cast a formidable looking shadow across the bedsheets and floor. I cringed. If I had woken and saw that shadow it would have scared me half to death. Crouching slightly improved my silhouette’s image.
Leaning close to her ear I whispered softly again, hoping for the best she wouldn’t turn and attack me. The temperature in the old Victorian building was in the minus degrees and I had begun to shiver. I figured I couldn’t have stalled much longer without getting hypothermia.
