Iss Me Cate

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it.

I've had a long standing love of Irish lasses. Their eyes, complexion, smiles have always warmed my heart, and a few have broken it.

Constructive criticism as always is welcome in the comments, others will be dealt with in the usual manner.

*****

We sat at the gate, the noise of bustling humanity racing around us. I was nose down in my phone, Cate's arm looped through mine as she watched the ebb and flow of the crowd.

"So far everything looks good, cloudy with intermittent showers in Dublin."

"That's not really a surprise." She said leaning her head on my shoulder with a smile.

"It's warmer there than it is here." I said laughing.

"That's why I made you dress like this." She said tugging on the fabric of my jacket, which was over a sweater, and a shirt and a tee. I felt like I was layered for a trip to the Arctic, or New York in Winter, which is can often be similar. "By the time we land you'll be glad you can take off a layer."

"Are you going to be okay with a manual for a rental car?"

"I think I can handle it. It's here that they seem to be a dying breed." She patted the front of my coat. One of the gifts she'd gotten me for Christmas was a leather travel wallet which held my passport, and documents. "Got everything you need in there?"

"Everything I need is right here." I said kissing her forehead.

"Look." She whispered with the slightest lift of her chin. I glanced side-long in the same direction, to see a toddler sitting on the floor in front of his parents playing with a stuffed animal. "He's in his own little world. He'll probably never think twice about the fact that he's sitting in a busy airport, surrounded by thousands of people, coming and going to somewhere else."

"He'll never realize that it once it took months, even years to traverse the globe until he learns about it in school." I said smiling. "Do you like kids?" I said looking down.

"A bit soon for that isn't it?" Her grin lighting her face. I rolled my eyes in fair imitation of one of her usual expressions. "I like them well enough. I'm not sure I'm at that stage in my life though. Diapers, getting spit up on, sleeping in snatches if at all, and the crying." She did roll her eyes.

"Sounds like Auntie Cate has some experience with the little one?"

"A little, Sinead took to it like a duck to water once Declan was born. I gave her a break as often as possible, but sometimes he was inconsolable and wanted his mum."

I grinned. "I know you don't even realize how strong your accent is right now, but it is the most adorable thing I've ever heard."

She laughed. "Probably because in a few hours I'm not going to have people wondering what I said if I don't enunciate every syllable in the Queen's English." Which she did just then. "It's going to be fun watching you the first time you hear a few strong accents and wonder what in heavens someone said."

"I'm sure glad I have a translator. Dia duit, conas atá tú?" I tried slowly. Cate watching my mouth sound it out.

"Doot, not do-wheat. You might hear it pronounced like, hewt, as well. The emphasis is at the beginning, fast at the end." She corrected. I repeated it. "Good. People will know you're not Irish, but they'll appreciate the effort."

"That worked well for me when I was in France. If I at least tried people would light up and help me. I saw other tourists who wouldn't try and they would get the sourest of looks from the natives. I remember, I was at a little cafe in the countryside with my host family, and they were chattering away, and I was trying to pronounce some of the food on the table. Jean Baptiste was helping when an old guy sitting at a table nearby interrupted and corrected both of us. I guess it was a particular kind of sausage there on the cutting board. Pas seulement une saucisse. When he found out I was American he lit up. He spoke in heavily accented English about when the Americans came during the war to liberate his village. He didn't look like it but I did the math in my head and even if he was a kid then, he had to be nearly ninety. He grinned and asked if I had any bubble gum like they did. Sadly I didn't or I would have gladly given it to him." I said smiling.

"It's amazing when you put some effort into something how quick people are to help you, but if you just go off half-cocked and demand things be done your way they'll ignore you just as quickly. I think knowing that, is the sign of a good traveler. I had the hardest time when I was in Munich until I fumbled through some basic German phrases. As soon as someone recognized I spoke English they would change almost immediately without batting an eye." She paused. "I'm glad that they've made Irish language a requirement in school again. I'd hate to think of it fading away."

I nodded. "My folks decided to trace their roots up into Canada years ago and went on a two week trip driving up through Quebec and out to the Maritime provinces. Mom found it odd that the English speakers had such animosity towards the French, and vice versa."

"Cultural survival, sort of like the English. Everywhere they went, they did their best to try to bend everyone to their will. In some places they succeeded, mostly through sheer bloodshed, ask a Scot, just the mere mention of the English is enough to get you in trouble in some places." She said referring to a remark I made the day we met.

"Aye, I'll never call ya an English woman again. I was clearly mistaken and ask your forgiveness for my carelessness." I said softly so as to not mock any Irish people who may be sitting around us.

Cate smiled. "Be careful with that. Some people might take offense."

"I only do it to tease you, and I'd like to think I'm a bit more culturally sensitive than that."

"Oh really. This from the man who said he was going to wear a hat covered in shamrocks and a Boston Celtics jersey to meet my father." She said squinting harshly at me.

I laughed and held up my hands. "I'll have you know that I don't own, and did not purchase either of those items. I'm not even sure I packed anything green to wear the entire trip."

"Good, it's nice to see you exercise your cultural sensitivity with others at least." She added smartly.

"All this time I thought I was being funny. I'm sorry." I said and kissed her on top of the head.

"Oh I'm only teasing you." She said with a smile.

"Is breá liom tú go mór, and if I didn't say it right, then it's one I'm definitely going to practice." I said. Cate smiled, the tips of her ears turned pink.

"That one you got right. I love you very much as well." She tilted her head up and kissed me. A small ding came from the board for our flight and I looked over, there were agents at the counter. The announcement for boarding came soon after. We got called early due to the row of our seats and Cate and I collected our carry on luggage and got in line. "A fine dinner, a little nap and you'll be in the old country. Are you excited?"

"Very!" I said, and it was completely genuine. Despite any trepidations I had about meeting her family I was excited to be going somewhere I'd never been. I've often wondered if everyone has that explorers itch to go to new places and see different things, or if it's just a select few.

"Wow, it feels like I'm on a space mission." She said noting the led screen, directional lamp, plugs and switches around her seat. "Mission control, we are a go for lift-off." She said chuckling.

"This is nice." I said laughing. "I just wish they weren't separated seats."

She leaned over and gave me a kiss. "We'll have plenty of time to cuddle when we get there."

"So you say. You won't be looking down the barrel of your fathers gun." I said laughing. It had been an on-going joke between us that her police sergeant father was going to be the characteristic father and greet me armed and with an understanding of how things were going to be. She assured me he would not be like that, and that he preferred fist fights.

A short while after take-off sipping champagne, there was an announcement stating that people on the starboard side could look out into the clear darkness and see the lights of Boston in the distance, and the curved outline of Cape Cod a little closer and that our slightly northern route would take us close to Nova Scotia before setting out across the Atlantic. Since it had been my longest flight as an adult, Cate gave me a few pointers, no more drinking after the champagne, only water. Don't eat a heavy meal, and try and sleep since it was an overnight flight.

"It will ease the jet lag. When we arrive in the morning, we'll get settled first before we go to my parents.

"Get me settled." I corrected.

She shook her head. "Before we left, I let Mum know I wouldn't be staying at the house. I'd be staying with you."

My eyebrows went up at that. "How did that go over?"

"Well, she understood. I'm sure she would have rather had me at home, and I'm not saying I might not stay a night or two depending on how things play out over the next two weeks." She added raising her own eyebrows in reference to the amount of time we would have there. "I'm sure she'll calm Dad down after she tells him. They're a bit conservative. I'm sure if I pressed him on it he'd consider it improper that I were staying with a young gentleman that I'm not married too. They also trust that I won't make them grandparents out of wedlock." She added chuckling.

"You make it sound like the 1950's here in the states. Parents sleeping in twin beds on either side of a nightstand. The girls always wear dresses, the boys in starched, white dress shirts and slacks. School dances where the boys are on one side of the gymnasium and the girls on the other, with a lot of sharp eyed chaperones between."

"I like to keep you wondering." She said with a wink. "It's my turn to tease you." Cate relaxed, reclining her seat and spreading the thin little blanket over lap and nodded off. I tried to join her but was still restless, eventually I fell asleep.

I'm not sure how long I'd slept when I heard a soft whisper above me. "That's the sweetest thing I've ever seen." I sighed deeply and peeked up to see a flight attendant standing nearby talking to another. They quietly moved up the aisle. I stretched a bit and realized that they may have been talking about us. At some point, even with the space shuttle seating, we'd found a way to hold hands while we slept. I closed my eyes and faded off again.

A time later I was woken by the ping from the intercom. There was no announcement but the lights were coming up in the cabin slowly. The flight attendant was working her way back from the few rows ahead of us.

"Good morning. We're just passing over the coast into Ireland, and should be landing in about thirty or forty minutes depending on air traffic. Would you and your companion be so kind as to bring your seats up and stow any loose items in preparation for landing, please." I nodded and gave Cate's hand a strong squeeze.

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty." I got a gimlet eye in response.

"She at least got a kiss."

"I haven't seen my toothbrush in hours so I apologize ahead of time." I leaned down and kissed her.

"You taste like an old cheese." She said laughing as she sat up, bringing the seat upright. She folded the blanket neatly and laid it across her thighs.

"That's fair since that was the last thing I ate. I'm guessing so close to landing we'll be out of luck for coffee."

"We'll get some when we land. I'm sure there will be a few coffee stands open while we wait for the luggage. We might even find you a bacon roll." She said smiling.

"My first introduction to Irish cuisine?"

"Something like that. We need to get you through immigration as well. They'll want to dip in your wallet for a few Euros for all that loot we brought with us too."

"We're going to be in the airport until lunch time!"

"It won't be that bad, you've already filled out the paperwork, they'll probably do a cursory check, stamp your passport and hand you the bill."

"This trip is going to cost me a fortune." I said rolling my eyes. Cate just gave me that look she was getting famous for, that of an overly tried school marm with a particularly slow student.

"I'll just be glad if they don't arrest me for bringing you along on this trip." She said archly. I couldn't help but laugh.

"I promise to behave."

The pilot came over the intercom giving us an update of the air traffic, we should be able to land in about fifteen minutes, the temperature was a chilly eight Celsius but the weather was fair with only a few wispy clouds. Another voice repeated the the announcement in Irish right after.

"Chilly, they should try the Great Lakes in February, then they'd know chilly." I said chuckling. Cate smiled at me and gave my hand a squeeze.

A few minutes passed and the pilot announced there would be about a ten minute delay due to a back up at the gate we were directed too and would be landing a few minutes later than expected.

"They're probably herding the sheep out of the way." Cate said with a grin. The woman across the aisle from me heard and chuckled.

I leaned over to her. "It's my first time in Ireland, I don't know if she's kidding or not." Which sent her from a chuckle into fits of laughter.

"Beidh turasóirí Creidim rud ar bith." Cate said aloud. She leaned over to me. "Tourists will believe anything." She translated quickly. That lady kept laughing.

"I'm guessing you're a returning native then?" I asked.

"I flew to New York for work. That was the best thing I've heard all week." She said still bubbling with laughter.

"Ugh, you had to work over the Christmas holiday?"

"Goes with the territory. I'm a musician." She said smiling. "I'll celebrate with the family when I get home."

"You weren't kidding about music being in your blood." I said to Cate.

"That's a bit much, at least in my case, but it's very important to us. Our history was passed down by story and song, not as much in the written word." She said smiling and spoke past me to the lady across the aisle. "What do you play?"

"Harp." She said laughing. "Stereotypical isn't it?" Cate joined her in a laugh. "What about you?"

"Piano, my mum taught a bit, and organ as well."

"She sings too." I added. Cate rapped her knuckles into my thigh.

"I do not. Well not outside of the house anyway." She said with a blush.

"Don't hesitate to sing as often as you can." The lady reproached her. "You don't have to be the loudest or most talented to get joy from it."

The pilot announced that we were next in line for landing and should be at the gate in ten minutes or so and gave a few quick directives to the flight attendants to take their positions as well.

We parted company with the lady as we disembarked. She wished us a good trip and welcomed Cate home. Cate wished her a welcome home as well. Cate held onto my shoulder for a moment and stretched her legs like a stork standing up after a long time idle.

"Not enough leg room on the plane?"

"Not enough movement for seven hours." She said smiling. "We'll get plenty now that we have to run around and gather our things." We made our way to the luggage claim and took a seat waiting for the luggage to start appearing on the carousel.

Despite the heated and short argument we'd had last week. I'd moved money into a new account and requested joint credit cards to use on the trip. I'd also given her some of the Euro's that I'd picked up since I was sure she'd exchanged all but a few coins when she arrived in the US. "The only reason I got your name printed on it was so that nobody would think you'd stolen it." I looked at her sternly. "Otherwise I'd have just added you to my current card as a signatory. It's not carte blanche to go shopping, though you have that if you want it, it's security if we need it." I told her if it bothered her that much then she was to bury it in her wallet, if she needed it she wasn't to hesitate to use it because that's why I got it for her. Cate grudgingly admitted it was a good idea to have a back up.

Cate had found a change machine and converted a bill into some coins and unlocked a luggage cart for us. The luggage didn't look any worse for wear and I was glad since there was a nice bottle of Kentucky's finest bourbon in there for her father. We got out of the way and gathered our documents and passports and went to the customs queue. Cate went through quickly, I assume it was due to the Irish passport and short declarations list. We'd separated it so she wouldn't have any fees or taxes to pay and I had the bulk of the gifts we'd brought in my cases.

The customs agent lifted and searched the bags. He checked the size of the bottle and seal. "First time meeting her father." I said conspiratorially, tilting my head towards Cate who waited at the end for me. He looked up and back down with a slight grin.

"Good idea." He went down the list of the form and saw nothing wrong and slid me down the beltway. "Welcome to Ireland Mr. Butler." He handed me my documents and directed me to the window. I was allowed to zip up the cases and made my way there.

"What was that about?"

"What?" I got the look. "Oh he was looking at the bottle of bourbon and I said it was to appease your dad for debauching his daughter."

"You did not!"

"I didn't." I said laughing. "I said it was a gift for that beautiful lady's father, that's all."

She gave me the look a bit longer and let it slip away with a sigh. We found the car rental counter and as is usual with car rental agencies the world round, we had to hassle and harass to get the rental I'd requested. I knew we'd need a larger car due to the luggage. I also knew what Europeans considered a large car was a sub-compact in the US, being taller than Cate's five foot nine frame there was no way I was going to fold myself into a Mini for the next ten days. Before things got out of hand we were handed the keys to an Audi, a significant upgrade from what I wanted, but I wasn't going to complain.

"Ah ah ah! That's my license and insurance information." She said swiping the key from the counter. "Besides, I'm not letting you drive the thing in the city, I'd like to survive this trip." She said with a grin.

"Just remember, you're here in the old country, drive on the wrong side." I said laughing.

We found the car and loaded the luggage. I went to walk around to the passenger side. "Wrong side." She laughed. "Pretend I'm letting you drive at home." It was an odd feeling to be on the left side in the front seat and not have a steering wheel in front of me. I had printed the directions to the apartment I'd rented online and pulled them out. Cate looked them over and said so long as there was no construction diversions she knew how to get to the area at least. "Phoenix Park is a nice area."

Cate pulled out onto the M1 and headed into the city. She turned onto the M50 and soon we were getting off the motorway in an area called Castlenock.

"Wow, town homes seem to be pretty popular here." I said noting the long multi-home buildings.

"Economy of space. You may be rather surprised at the size of this apartment when you get there. Your apartment back home is bigger than a lot here."

"Mine isn't very large either. I looked at some much larger before I chose that one."

Cate smiled as she pulled into an apartment complex and located the unit. I got out and looked around nodding. I'd called the lady I was renting from when we got through customs, she said she'd be able to meet us when we arrived.

I knocked on the door of the apartment and a middle aged woman opened the door. I introduced myself and she beamed.

"Well hello there Mr. Butler, Miss Murray. Welcome to Ireland, and in your case, welcome home." She gave Cate a little wink. She showed us around and gave us a list of contacts including herself and another in case of any issues arising with the apartment. She had a stack of local travel brochures laid out on the entry way table and a map of the area showing grocery shops and a few pubs. "Though with your own guide I'm sure you'll do very well."