The Moon Over Kilmore Quay by Carmel Harrington

Author:Carmel Harrington [Harrington, Carmel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2021-04-29T17:00:00+00:00

22

BEA

February 2020

Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, New York

I walked up and down the tree-lined avenue three times. As soon as I got close to Corinne’s house, my courage deserted me at the last minute. I made my way down Orange Street, walking towards the water and stopped to take in the view of downtown Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. Tourists took selfies of themselves and the sound of their merriment as they posed filled the air. The bridge felt like a connecting portal to another world. It linked Brooklyn to Manhattan over the East River. And more than that, I’d learned through my grandad that it also linked many cultures. When I was a kid, about seven or eight, Grandad woke me early one summer’s morning and told me we were going on an adventure. I jumped out of bed and got dressed quickly, without question. Grandad was full of surprises like this and his excursions never disappointed. We drove to Vinegar Hill, a neighbourhood named for an Enniscorthy landmark, to honour the many Irish who lived there. Once he parked up, Grandad took my hand and then we strolled towards the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian walkway. The views of the Manhattan skyline were spectacular, the city skyscrapers nestled against a pink sky. We stopped to watch a bride and groom pose as a photographer took snaps.

Grandad shouted his congratulations to them and they told us that they’d got married the day before, but they were doing their official photographs today at popular landmarks.

‘When I married this one’s grandmother in 1961 a friend of ours gave us a blessing. It goes something like this …’ Grandad said, clearing his throat, ‘With the first light of sun – Bless you. When the long day is done – Bless you. In your smiles and your tears – Bless you. Through each day of your years – Bless you.’

Time stood still in that moment, as his strong voice filled the air between us and the young couple. With their arms wrapped around each other, I saw the woman’s eyes brim with emotion. They shook Grandad’s hand and thanked him. I felt emotion that I couldn’t understand yet. My throat tightened and I was embarrassed that I felt like crying. I was too young to understand why I felt so emotional. But now I know. It was pride. My grandad was a man who could take a moment of his day to stop with strangers and recite a beautiful blessing, making their day a little brighter. That was his superpower. He made all of our lives brighter with the small and the big moments we had by his side.

I placed my hand inside his again and we continued our walk across the bridge. His hand was calloused and the skin was hard from years of manual labour. But I never felt as safe as I did when I held it. ‘One day, you’ll get married, and please God I’ll be there to recite that blessing to you too, Bea.

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