Diary Of A Prodigal by Humphreys Roy T

Author:Humphreys, Roy T
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2017-01-15T16:00:00+00:00

SIXTEEN

The Rourke Farm, County Wicklow, Ireland 16th October 1823

The dining area within the Rourke farmhouse was stretched to capacity. Even the chickens had been evicted to make room for the family celebration. It was unusual for them to all eat at the one sitting and so every conceivable item of furniture or equipment had been employed as chairs, crowded around the relatively small table that was now stacked with assorted, unmatched, and sometimes cracked and chipped, crockery. A central brass candlestick held pride of place as the table's centrepiece. Additional candles strategically placed around the room provided a subdued, but adequate amount of light. A mouth watering aroma had permeated from the two large cast iron pots that were held suspended from the blackened iron crane over the central fireplace. Of course, the setting couldn't compare to the splendour of the feast that Tom had experienced in the Wardell household back in London, but it was simple, plain and smelled delicious.

Tom looked around at his relatives, crowded together waiting for the formal meal to commence. They all seemed genuinely happy in each other's company in the close confines of the room and he wondered, with some trepidation, as to how his announcement of the loss of their gifting money would be received. He had toyed with the idea of confiding in Linten during their tour of the farm and leaving it to him to break the news to the others, but angrily dismissed this as a coward's way out. Now that the time was coming closer to when he must confront the reality of his situation, he found he was still uncertain as to how to broach the subject. He waited until there was a lull in the conversation and was about to request their attention, but was beaten to the punch by Linten.

"All right! Tis a happy occasion which causes us to be gathered together like this, but let's not forget to express our gratitude to the Lord before we get too carried away with the festivities. "

The assembled group reached out to each other and clasped hands. Tom found his hands being grasped by Eirian on one side and Talis on the other and then followed their example of bowing his head as Linten continued on.

"Dear Lord, for this food that we are about to receive and the safe delivery of our nephew from across the oceans, we are truly grateful. We ask for your continued blessing on our crops and that you watch over our Tommy when he resumes his travel back to our brother, hopefully not for a while yet!"

There was a muffled chuckle from the assembled group before they joined in a spontaneous "Amen!"

A subtle squeeze of each hand concluded the family ritual. They all looked up and resumed the animated chatter while the women moved across to the pots and began dishing out a serve of boiled potatoes, mashed with cabbage and leeks, then topped with a small amount of mutton and onion stew. Emma was served first, as "you never know when the twins will awake and demand their own dinner".

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