What a Shortstop Does Ch. 20-24

They found a few available seats at a table with some other twenty-somethings. Ro clearly knew them, but in a less familiar way than Lacy and Elaine. Killian came up behind them with fresh beers and placed one in front of each of them.

"For losing at go-karts," he winked and pulled up a chair.

The band that had been tuning up suddenly got quiet. The players shifted and Sarah watched their gaze converge on an older man standing off the stage, but holding a microphone. A hush fell over the tent, starting at the first tables and fading into the back. Mrs. Daly's group pulled out napkins and handkerchiefs and adjusted their chairs to better face the man with the mic.

"Who's that?" Sarah whispered to Ro who's rapt attention was on the man too.

"Just wait," Killian cut in, smiling.

A single note swelled up from a horn player at the center of the stage. It reverberated around the space and faded out into the evening air. Sarah realized the crowd held a collective breath as the older man brought the microphone up to his mouth. He began to sing.

Sarah couldn't understand the words, but the melody that flowed from his strong tenor made meaning irrelevant. His voice trilled and caught as he wove the notes effortlessly around the entranced crowd. There was no false emotion as his eyes fluttered leading into the chorus. He looked brave and affected. Strong and timid. The wrinkles in his face stretched as he moved through the song. Sarah was captivated.

The band didn't join in, it remained the beautiful tenor voice alone, echoing through the tent. Sarah thought she heard a few sniffles as he melted into what she counted as the third verse. The melody ripped through her heart and she knew this was not a happy song, but something of deep sadness. Ro's hand found hers under the table and she laced their fingers as the final chorus faded.

There was a beat while the man's hand holding the mic dropped from his face, then thunderous applause tore through the crowd. Tables were banged, shouts, whistles, and glasses clinking shook the air around her, pulling Sarah from the enchantment. At least four people stood to bring a drink to the singer. Ro squeezed her fingers.

"Did you like it?" She had a tear on her cheek as she looked hopefully at Sarah.

"That was...that was amazing. Beautiful."

Ro beamed. "It's a love story. A tragic one."

"Yeah, I picked up on that. He's so talented. Do you speak, uh- is it Celtic?"

"Gaelic," Ro corrected, "I don't speak it. My dad translated that song for me one year," Ro looked wistfully across the tent. Mr. Daly had moved from his table and was planting a sweet kiss on his wife's cheek.

The band swung up into more lively tunes while they finished their beers. Killian gave his sister's shoulder a squeeze as he got up, "If you're dancing with the girls, you'd better get a move on sis. They're setting up on the big stage in half an hour." He left to go say goodnight to his parents. It looked like Mr. and Mrs. Daly were packing up and their tables were dispersing. As they stood, Sarah caught Mrs. Daly staring daggers at her with Ro's hand in her lap. The older woman made eye contact with her and narrowed her gaze before turning back to her husband. Sarah shivered.

A few minutes later, Ro and Sarah tumbled out a side flap of the tent still hand in hand. The sun had really set now and the lights on the bigger stage were up full and bright like a beacon as people milled about setting up instruments and wooden boards on the floor. Sarah caught sight of a few girls peeking behind the stage in what looked like dance costumes. She dropped Ro's hand to point.

"Is that your dance crew?"

"No," Ro smiled, "Those are the younger girls. I think they'll do a couple numbers first. I can stay with you a bit longer." They wandered to the front of the stage where Ro leaned up and called to one of the guys setting up a drumset at the back. "Oye! Billy, you idiot! The drums go upright on the stands!"

The man she was yelling at shielded his eyes from the stage lights and burst into a delighted grin when he saw Ro leaning over the stage. "Well, get your arse up here and help, Daly!" Sarah was surprised to hear a thick Irish accent as he shouted back.

"That's what they pay you for, Roadie!" Billy made his way to the edge of the stage as Ro teased him. He bent down and gave an enthusiastic pat to her arm.

"Who's this then?" Billy eyed Sarah.

"This is my girlfriend, Sarah. Sar, this is Billy Cromwell. He's one of the musicians."

"One of the musicians? Come on, Roisin, I'm her first love!"

Ro pinched Billy's arm, "Hardly," she snorted. "He kissed me when we were ten years old."

"And she responded by giving me a bloody nose," Billy beamed like it was the fondest memory he had.

Sarah laughed.

"Listen, Roisin, I meant to call you, but Daisy and I are moving back. This is sorta our last hurrah. We sold the house and we're flying out in June. Think you can come back for a going away party?"

"Back to Ireland?!" Ro looked shocked.

"Yes, I know. But with her parents gone and mine still over there, we wanted to be closer to family. We're having a baby, Daly."

Ro smiled, "That's great! Congratulations Billy. Of course I'll come to say goodbye. Is Daisy here? I'd love to see her."

"She's around somewhere. I expect she's corralling the lassie's backstage. We'll make sure to say hi before the set. You dancing tonight?"

"I might jump in."

"Good! Nice to meet you, Sarah. See ya later, Roisin!" Billy waved as he went back to moving equipment and cords around the stage.

Sarah was a little taken aback by the easy way Ro introduced her as her girlfriend to everyone. She knew logically that Ro was out and had been for years. This probably wasn't her first time introducing a girlfriend around, but it was jarring everytime Sarah heard it. She pulled back from Ro trying to grab her hand again.

"Come on, I need a little water before I've got to go up there."

The show began with the band playing a little background music as the crowd filled out the parking lot in front of the stage. Ro pointed out the different musicians and told Sarah their names. She seemed to know everyone. Then, the younger kids started the dances. The audience loved it, cheering and giving these loud yipping calls that cut through the beats.

Somehow, Ro knew it was almost done. She tried to kiss Sarah goodbye, but Sarah turned her head and Ro caught her cheek. She paused, but didn't comment.

Once Ro had disappeared, Sarah searched out another beer and found Shay with his arm around a woman stumbling toward her.

"Sarah!" he called over the music. As they approached, Sarah could see he was pretty well sloshed and the woman was doing a lot to hold him up.

"Hi, Shay. Ro's about to dance." She gestured to the stage.

"Is she? Cool. Sarah, this is my girlfriend, Becky. Beck, this is Ro's girl Sarah." Becky extended a smooth, dark hand and Sarah shook it. Her brain was misfiring at Shay's characterization of her as "Ro's girl", but neither seemed to notice.

"Nice to finally meet you, Sarah! Ro's told me a lot about you. How are you enjoying the festival?"

Sarah held up her beer, "It's great. You having a good time?" She eyed Shay's drunken form a little wearily.

"Yes!" Becky giggled. "I remember my first one of these, I think I ended up upside down in a trash can after my fourth car bomb. Not an experience I care to repeat!"

Sarah laughed and Shay swayed into Becky more, copping a very obvious feel for her breasts as he did. Becky swatted his hand.

"Behave, Daly! It's nice to meet you, Sarah, I've got to take this one to get some hydration." She handed Sarah a set of keys, "I know he drove you, but I'm going to take him home. Think you can get these to Ro and get his car back to the Daly's tonight?"

"Sure thing!" she replied, pocketing the keys.

"You're a gentleman and a scholar!" Shay slurred stupidly. Becky giggled again.

They wove back through the crowd as Sarah made her way up to the stage. The younger dancers had long since finished and the band was rolling through a few pub songs as the stage was cleared a bit. She could see some rustling behind the curtain barrier below the stage steps.

Just as she was thinking about moving more to the right side of the stage, the fiddle struck up an energetic melody. It blasted the crowd through the speakers and all the attention was suddenly rapt on the player. His fingers flew over the strings and the breakneck pace was soon matched by the other musicians.

The curtain Sarah had been watching burst open and a group of about ten women and five men came pouring through. The calls, whistles, and applause exploded around Sarah as the dancers climbed the stage. She looked, but didn't see Ro among them.

The dancers ranged in age from about sixteen to well into their thirties, if she could guess. The women wore short, green and black dresses with leggings and the men had simple black t-shirts and pants. They all had the same chunky black shoes which were hard to get a good look at because from the moment they hit the stage floor, their feet were moving.

Sarah was impressed with how they kept up with the frantic pace of the music through an entire song. Their stomping reverberated off the stage and on the boards that had been laid down. Being that close, the beating affected Sarah's heart in the way a snare drum did. She felt the steps pounding in her chest, through her ribs.

When the first dance ended, the audience went wild. A second, slower rhythm picked its way through the night and just two dancers stepped forward, a man and a woman, to perform. Sarah watched them twirl and stomp together as the pace remained tamer than the previous number. It didn't last long.

Soon, the musicians were picking up again. Sarah was close enough to see the sweat fly off their faces as they rushed the dancers through another lively jig. Then a voice cut over the music as the musicians pulled back for a moment.

"Ladies and gents, and dodgy sods with too much Guinness in ya!" The voice was thickly Irish, though Sarah wasn't sure if it was genuine or an act. She hadn't noticed the microphones but now saw a guitarist speaking into one of several set up around the musicians. "A special treat for ya!" He gestured to the curtain and there was Ro. She was still wearing her black jeans, white tank, and green plaid knotted around her waist, but she'd traded in her boots for a pair of the chunky dancing shoes.

Her smile was radiant as she marched slowly toward the front of the stage. Sarah knew her well enough to know this was her happy place, performing. But somehow she looked more genuinely delighted than the performance smile she wore for musicals or the demure posture she adopted for ballet. Her eyes raked over the crowd, settling on a spot high above the horizon behind them.

The music swelled again as Ro reached center stage. She stood on a board and her feet began an easy pace, keeping with the music and the dancers behind her. Sarah watched as every few smaller steps launched into a bigger jump or higher kick, her torso and arms unmoving. Ro's smile never faltered as she pushed through the steps with ease.

Sarah could feel the crowd's excitement more than hear it. The music and the stomping enveloped her ears and her chest. The pace quickened and Ro kept up easily. A slight sheen of sweat glazed her forehead and chest. The tempo increased again and Sarah saw a bead of sweat drip down Ro's neck disappearing into her cleavage. Those gorgeous breasts bounced distractingly along with her steps.

A lump formed in Sarah's throat and she attempted to choke it down with the last of her beer. She felt a familiar heat rising in her core and realized tonight was going to be tougher at the Daly's than the night before.

Faster and faster the musicians played, Ro jumped, clacked, and kicked her feet rapidly as her upper body barely moved except for the gentle bounce. Soon the other dancers fell away from the pace and Ro was the only one left battling the remaining fiddler. The other musicians were wiping sweat and cheering their compatriot on. Ro's feet and the fiddle's shrill cry fought for the pace.

Finally, the sweat pouring off him from the previous numbers, the fiddler fell away and only Ro's breakneck, rhythmic stomping echoed in the venu. She took a rapid pattern once, twice, then ended the third with a huge leap and a crashing stomp.

The crowd went nuts.

Ro's chest heaved with recovery as she basked in the raucous praise for a moment. Then she lowered her head to the fiddler in a modest bow and marched from the stage. The other dancers took over, but it was a calm number compared with the previous display. Ro caught Sarah's eye in the crowd as she left the stage and Sarah understood to follow.

Through the curtain, the backstage area was really just a partitioned corner off the sidewalk. Ro was sitting in a folding chair changing out of the dancing shoes. She was alone.

"So, what did you think?" Her breathing still wasn't quite even, but she had wiped most of the sweat off.

"Ro, that was...I can't even describe it. You are incredible. How can you even move that quickly?"

Ro laughed, "Years of practice." She pulled on her boots and rose to meet Sarah, who stole another glance around to make sure they were alone.

She pulled Ro in by her belt loop and kissed her hard. Her girlfriend's arms wound around her shoulders and Sarah could feel the pounding of Ro's heart still settling. More applause signalled the end of another dance and Sarah sprang away as she heard the sound of dancers descending the stairs from the stage. Ro looked a bit disappointed as Sarah yanked away, but recovered when she bent to grab a water from a nearby cooler.

"Let's go! They're going to start the singing soon." Ro accepted compliments from her fellow dancers as they passed.

The party swept well into the night. Sarah loved the pub songs and the musicians' lively attitudes. Around one in the morning they announced the final song "The Rattlin' Bog". The crowd went wild, everyone tried to keep up with the lines. Between the beer and the shouting, Sarah knew there was a bog, a limb, and something about a tree or a hole, but she couldn't keep up. Ro, more sober and more versed in Irish drinking songs, knew every word and delighted in Sarah's fumbling.

"I can't fucking talk that fast!" Sarah slurred as she tipped into Ro. Killian had bought them another beer and was quite sloshed himself, singing along and trying to dance. Connor had gone home earlier, not being old enough to drink and still required to attend church with his mother in the morning.

Ro was driving Shay's car back with Sarah giggling in the front and Killian singing off key lying in the back. She rolled her eyes, but luckily they got in the house without too much help. She reminded them to be quiet as they ascended the stairs. Sarah pulled Ro to her as they stood in the hallway.

"I'd like to kiss you, Ro," she whispered drunkenly.

Ro giggled and kissed her, "You can always kiss me."

"Oh good!" Sarah wrapped her arms around Ro's waist and pulled her in for a sweet kiss, using the hallway wall for balance.

They were interrupted by a stern voice, "Roisin Maria, it's time for bed!" Mrs. Daly stood in her doorway in her bathrobe, glaring at her daughter.

"Of course, Mom. Sorry if we woke you." Ro leaned back to smile at Sarah and make sure she was going to make it to the bed.

"NOW ROISIN!" Mrs. Daly bellowed.

"I AM, Mom! I'm just making sure Sarah's okay!"

"She is a grown woman and presumably can take care of herself, Roisin. To your room."

"S'fine, Ro. Thanks for a great day. I'll be fine after some sleep," Sarah mumbled to keep her voice from Mrs. Daly who was still glaring as Ro trudged down the hall and slammed her door. Sarah didn't dare wait for that gaze to turn back on her, she shut the door to her room quietly and flopped onto the bed. Her shoes kicked off behind her and she made sure her phone was on the charger before passing out.

Chapter 22: A Hard Line

The hangover the next morning was brutal. Killian and Sarah were completely useless until well after breakfast. Connor delighted in closing doors loudly and talking at a higher volume when he saw them lazing around. Killian threatened him with death, but it didn't seem to have an effect as he did so while shielding his very green face from the living room light.

Mrs. Daly was up and dressed for church at her usual time. Connor and Mr. Daly were expected to accompany her to the early mass, but Roisin, Killian, and Sarah were told they could attend the later service. Provided they brought her potluck dishes for after.

Sarah's family wasn't really religious, but she enjoyed the singing and the church was beautiful. Mrs. Daly apparently had a pew that she always occupied about halfway back in the chapel. As was their tradition since Connor was three, her children sat in the row in front of her so she could hiss in their ears if they misbehaved. As the service wore on, Ro whispered to Sarah to explain some of the things she didn't understand during the chanting.

The potluck after was a continuation of the Irish heritage festival, so there was music and food spilling all the way out to the parking lot. Sarah followed Ro and her brothers around as they said hi to people and helped move chairs and tables. It was a pleasant afternoon for March and the fresh air helped the hangover.

"Roisin, come here!" Mrs. Daly was talking to a young man at her table. The guy was probably Ro and Sarah's age and had that hipster look. He was thin and lanky and had a wild beard that made Sarah wonder if he just didn't know how to trim it or if it was intentional. She followed Ro over to Mrs. Daly with a sneaking suspicion. Mrs. Daly continued as they got closer, "Roisin, this is Tim Andrews. He's our new social media director, is that right?"

"Yes, Mrs. Daly," he smiled dotingly at her, then turned to Ro, "I also do all the bulletins and graphic design for the church."

Ro shot her mother a look, "Oh, yes, Mom told me there was a new, um, media person."

"Yeah, that's me!" His cheery grin was mostly concealed beneath the uncultivated face mane.

"Roisin is in her junior year at Western," Mrs. Daly attempted, "She's in the dance program. Maybe you saw her dance last night at the festival?"

"No," Tim replied, "I missed that pleasure I'm afraid." His eyes raked quickly over Ro, Sarah felt a green monster stir in her chest. "I left early. Early mornings at the church you know." He and Mrs. Daly chuckled.

"Right," Ro's voice was short. Sarah could hear the displeasure. "This is my girlfriend, Sarah." Ro grabbed her hand and pulled Sarah forward. This time, Sarah didn't shrink away from the 'girlfriend' introduction.

Tim's smile froze, it became fake and forced instantly, "Uh, hi!" he recovered quickly, Sarah had to hand it to him, he held out his hand. Sarah took care to give a tight squeeze which just about crumpled his soft hand. "Ah, nice to meet you, Sarah. Well, Mrs. Daly, I need to go check on a few things. Sundays are our busy days you know! See you soon. Nice meeting you both." Tim retreated and Sarah wished she could too as she saw the look in Mrs. Daly's eyes.

Ro's mother wouldn't make a scene here in front of her church ladies, but Sarah could feel the anger rolling off her as they helped pack up the potluck. They didn't have to wait long for the explosion once they got back to the Daly's house. Killian dragged Sarah outside to throw the football around the backyard and Connor went up to his room to hide after being tipped off by Ro.

"I'm just asking you not to push your relationship in people's faces!" Mrs. Daly's voice carried out from the dining room as the ball sailed past Sarah and fell into the bushes by the side of the house. She went to retrieve it, but froze behind the porch pillar as she realized Ro was in there shouting too.