Gifted

In 1969 Thomas Finn Callahan, then a young short order cook, fled Ireland after being accused of raping and murdering a young Catholic girl. Even though he was no where near the crime, Thomas looked enough like the perpetrator that the local constabulary wanted him.

Thomas changed his name to his mother's maiden name, O'Hagan and arrived in the United States on a freighter as the ship's cook apprentice. He worked his way around the U.S. until he arrived in northern California. He found that the community needed a good Irish bar. Naming it after his dear departed mother Thomas started Alice O'Hagan's Irish Pub and Grill, serving good Irish home cooking and locally brewed beers. After Tommy dropping the name Alice, O'Hagan's Pub and Grill's popularity grew, it became a place to see and be seen and a staple restaurant in several mall chains.

The noise and the live music struck Sawyer like a wave as he opened the door. The place was hopping, the long bar was filled with college aged students who mingled with the crowd of thirty-somethings desperately trying to hold onto their youth by hanging out in a trendy bar and grill. This was the crowd that Walt catered to.

Sawyer made his way to the bar, squeezing between a tall thin brunette sheathed in a black knee length dress with long legs in strappy heels, and an over weight man who thought loud floral print Hawaiian shirts were still in fashion. He gently touched the small of her back as he eased past her, careful to not let his hand linger. "Excuse me," he said. His touch interrupted her conversation with a seated red headed woman decked out in a shimmering gold dress whose hem barely covered her crotch. The brunette looked over shoulder, and he could see she was about to make a snide comment instead she frowned and went back to her conversation.

Sawyer grunted, and ordered whiskey on the rocks. As he waited for his drink, he scanned the crowd looking for his hosts. His phone vibrated in his pocket. He extracted it trying not to bump into the woman.

To your left, near the stage, along the wall, back three tables,

Zoe texted. He held up his phone, acknowledged the message. He accepted the drink, and made his way through the crowd to the table. It was a round booth capable of holding six people; there were two empty glasses in front of both Zoe and her husband Walt. Sawyer slid into the booth next to Zoe, planting a friendly kiss on her cheek, reaching across the table to shake Walt's hand.

"About time you got here," she said loud enough to be heard over the music.

"It takes time to look this good," Sawyer said. "Oh honey, keep thinking that," Zoe remarked. Walt snorted, trying to keep his drink from spewing out through his nose. "I have to say Sawyer, those are some nice duds," she said looking him over. He had dressed in new jeans, and black button front club shirt courtesy of Durham's Haberdashery.

Sawyer shrugged, "I've decided to repent my heathen ways and stoop so low to become a slave to fashion."

"Well it looks good, keep slavin away," Zoe said. The trio sat and chatted as the live band finished out their set. A plump red headed woman in jeans and a T-shirt plopped down next to Walt waving towards the waitress. She had a wide pretty face, with pale skin and a splash of freckles across her nose and cheeks.

"Ah Bridget, yer singin is so grand that even the angels are weeping," Sawyer said in his best Irish brogue, smiling at Walt's sister. Zoe muttered something under her breath about angels committing suicide, but it was obvious that Bridget ignored the comment.

"And you lie like a rug," Bridget said taking Walt's drink and downing half of it. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Sawyer. "So Michael, Zoe tells us yer banging the hospital staff now."

Sawyer was always refreshed by Bridget's straight forwardness. "I heard you were sucking off the drummer, so I took my broken heart, and my man parts elsewhere," Sawyer said sipping at his second whiskey and water. Bridget smiled as she raised Walt's glass in salute and drained the rest of the drink.

Half and hour later, after some friendly jabbing, Bridget was back on stage. She sang an old Irish dirge of love and loss, and the lamenting of a woman who had lost her husband in battle. Her throaty soulful voice brought the song to life that you could feel the woman's pain and brought tears to many eyes of the audience. Sawyer found himself singing along to the sad beautiful song, as she sang the last verse.

A flash of blonde hair by the bar caught Sawyer's attention. Leaning out of the booth he saw Kara talking to a group of women standing near the bar who were clearly not happy about standing. She was wearing a light blue halter-style dress that ended mid-thigh that hugged her curves, and accentuated her round ass. He felt Zoe's breasts on his arm and her warm breath on his neck as she leaned over to see what he was looking at.

"Which one, the red head?" Zoe asked. Sawyer shook his head. "The blonde?" Sawyer nodded. "Nice ass," Zoe said. "Need a wingman?" She asked adjusting her already low cut shirt to reveal more of her cleavage.

"Nope, watch this," he said grinning.

Hello beautiful, love the view.

You're here?She asked looking around the crowded bar.

Glad you like it, she said with a wiggle of her hips, where are you this place is packed?

To your left, towards the stage,he said. She turned and smiled when she saw him. Sawyer returned the smile.

I haven't been able to get you out of my mind.

She said biting her lip seductively.

Me either, so sashay that lovely ass over here,

he said, motioning with his fingers for her to come hither.

There's plenty of room, so bring your friends.

He nodded towards the group of women with her. Kara turned to the group and began motioning towards the booth. He could see one or two shake their heads, but the bar was full and all the other tables and booths were taken. When she won the discussion, Kara led five women of varying ages towards the booth.

"No. Effing. Way," Zoe said in disbelief. Sawyer only shrugged as he slid to the center of the booth, making room for the newcomers. Kara slipped in next to him, sliding as close as she could, forcing him to lift his arm onto the back of the seat. She took the opportunity to snuggle in close to him giving him a chaste kiss on the lips. Most of the women gave him the evil eye as they slid into the booth behind Kara.

"Zoe, Walt, this is Kara, the magician behind my new fashion sense," Sawyer said making the introductions. Kara reached over and shook Zoe's hand.

"Cheater," Zoe said to Sawyer, then looked back to Kara, "you girl, are a miracle worker," Zoe said leaning over Sawyer to talk to Kara. "I've never seen him dress better."

"He was a fabulous blank canvas," Kara said gently touching his chest. She let her hand linger for a second before introducing her group. Sasha, Patty and Heather were all her friends from high school, and attended college together. In college they met Kat and Natalie; one was a wife and mother, the other a single mother of two boys. As a group they ensured none failed, and that dedication had helped them all through college life.

After graduation the group stayed in contact and got together twice a month. They all knew of Kara's secret, and even though she wasn't the youngest, she was treated as such. It was everyone's self-appointed responsibility to make sure she was taken care of.

Sawyer knew it would take more than a miracle to get these women to warm up to him.

__

"So by now I'm dragging Zoe, who's drunk off her ass and limping. She's only wearing my T-shirt and nothing else. As I'm putting the key in the door, it flies open and there's Walt. His face is red as Sasha's shirt and I can see he's about to explode, when Bridget staggers around the corner trying to pull on my jeans and nothing else, her big 'ol titties flopping around as she's trying to zip up the fly. She looses her balance and falls over into the flowerbed cussing up a storm. Walt just starts screaming incoherently at Zoe about having a threesome with me and his sister." Sawyer said trying to stop from laughing. He leans over and demonstrates, "Zoe looked up at him, puts her finger on his lips, and almost up his nose and says: 'iss okay baby, iss okay, iss not what it looks like', She said, that was when she saw her hand. The ring was so shiny and sparkly; it was like she'd never seen it before." He finished staring at his hand as if in awe.

"That was the last time I lost a bet to his sister," Zoe said defensively, "and the last time I went anywhere without a change of clothing."

"How long did it take, to find your clothes?" Natalie asked between gasps of breath.

Walt wiped the tears from his eye, "almost three hours. They were scattered over three blocks and a cow pasture. We never did find Bridget's clothes." Walt said and then everyone started laughing again.

"Why'd you get the shirt?" Sasha asked Zoe.

"She actually

won

that coin toss." Bridget said, "Next time we go streaking, we call Walt, not Sawyer." The table erupted in laughter. "What the fuck ever!" Bridget said punching Walt's shoulder.

__

Sawyer excused himself from the table and headed to the restroom. Luckily there wasn't a line and he was able to get to the urinal. As he unzipped his jeans and pulled himself out he heard the door close and lock. Sawyer sighed and looked over to see Natalie standing next to him. Her sculpted arms were crossed over her medium sized breasts.

"What are your intentions?" She asked without preamble. He took a second and looked her over. She was close to his age, and wore it well. Her light colored hair was cut in a boyish fashion for ease of maintenance, and her dark eyes were clear of the alcoholic fog. She was a little shorter than him, and had to look up at him. The blue sleeveless blouse and fitted trousers showed that she was fit and trim, he could see that she put a lot of time in the gym to maintain her figure.

He wasn't prepared for this line of questioning, especially in the men's room. Sawyer was grateful that he had just enough alcohol and wasn't gun shy and began urinating. Closing his eyes and sighing, he felt the tingling in his toes that comes with holding the urge to piss for so long.

"My intentions are strictly honorable," he said without looking at Natalie.

"Look, I already know what happened at her shop," she said.

He sighed, shook himself and slipped it back in his trousers. He turned to look at her. "I didn't mean for anything to happen, it just did. It was amazing, and I would like to see where it goes."

"I've heard that from other guys before, it's always 'oh look at that it's so cool', or 'really? Can I see it' and a million other things stupid childish things. Then one way or another it becomes too much for them to handle and we are left picking up the pieces of that poor girl's heart." He took a quick peak into her mind. He saw flashes of them comforting Kara time after time.

Sawyer leaned over the sink and washed his hands taking in what Natalie told him. As he grabbed the paper towel from the dispenser, "I can't see the future, but I know that she is an amazing woman, and I want to know her better," he said drying his hands. "You are just going to have to trust her enough to make the right choice." He said tossing the used towels into the receptacle as he reached to unlock the door. Natalie grabbed his arm and spun him around.

"

I

trust her, its

you

I don't trust. I'll be watching you," she said poking him in the chest with her finger, and then stormed out of the restroom. Sawyer rolled his eyes, took a deep breath and made his way through the crowd. As he approached the table he saw an angry Kara dragging Natalie by the arm away from the table. He could see them having a heated discussion by the bar, and he was curious. But he didn't intrude.

"Alright my dear," he said to Zoe. "I've had about enough of this crowd. I think I am going to head out." He said offering his hand to Walt, who shook it with a grin. Zoe crawled over Walt and wrapped her arms around Sawyer's neck.

"I like her," Zoe said in his ear. He nodded in agreement. "Come back when you can stay longer old man." She said letting him go. He bid farewell to Sasha, Kat, Patty and Heather. Dropping a couple of fifties on the table he made his way to Kara and Natalie. Resting his hand on the small of Kara's back he gently kissed her on the cheek. She leaned into his touch and turned to face him. "I'm heading out," he said. He could see the disappointment in her eyes, and a triumphant look from Natalie. "I didn't want to go without saying goodbye. I'll give you a call in the morning, after you've had a chance to wake up a bit." He said kissing her cheek again.

Despite the unexpected confrontation, Sawyer looked to Natalie and said: "It was nice meeting you. If more people had friends like you, this would be a better place." She just looked at him, as if she was expecting him to say something a long those lines.

"Let me get my purse," Kara said, ignoring the pained look Natalie was giving her. He tried to persuade her to stay with her friends, and enjoy the evening, but she left him standing there and went back to the table.

"You seem like a nice man Michael," Natalie said. "I have friends in low places, if something happens to her." She said, her eyes narrowing.

"Yes ma'am," Sawyer said as he felt Kara's fingers intertwine with his. He was surprised that it felt so natural for them to be together. He gave a gentle squeeze and led her towards the door.

They made their way to his truck, which was parked at the end of the mall's parking lot. It was a clear cool night, and the stars shone brightly in the night sky. Kara leaned into him as they slowly walked.

"I'm sorry about Natalie," Kara said.

"Don't be, I know she means well. I'm just glad you have friends who are willing to put themselves out there for you," he said chuckling. "It's been a long time that someone threatened me like that." She giggled and nodded.

Sawyer opened the passenger door of his truck and helped her get settled. He admired her long legs as she crawled in and sat on the seat. She adjusted her skirt, to show more leg as he closed the door. He caught the glint of mischief in her eye as he walked around to the driver's door.

Even though he was done with the crowd, Sawyer wasn't ready to go home. Kara suggested the the bay front, it was still open and it was a beautiful night. During the short drive they laughed about the night's events, and how open his friends were to her friends, and especially her. He told her that Zoe knew what kind of life he had been living after the death of his family, Walt would follow what his wife wanted, it was just easier to deal with in the long run.

He found a parking spot along the boulevard, near an all night diner. As they walked hand in hand along the bay front, they talked about everything. Even though their minds had touched, and they knew everything about each other, they found it easier to talk about themselves and put their thoughts into words.

"So what happens tomorrow when you pick up Lien-hua?" Kara asked. He could hear the concern in her voice.

"Well,

we

could pick her up," he started. "The three of us can talk about what's happened. There is a connection with her, and with you that makes me almost feel whole again." Sawyer said. Kara leaned into him laying her head on his shoulder, listening to him.

"I can't say that a part of me isn't a little jealous that you're going to pick up another woman, after what we've done," she said. He could see she was having a hard time putting her thought into words. "Part of me wants to just walk away, and deal with another heartache. Part of me wants to drag you away from here and never come back, and another part of me wants you to fuck me silly," she said grinning. "But, if you left, there would be a hole in my heart, and I don't want that again. I need you."

He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I need you too, like a flower needs sunshine." She pinched his arm muttering something about being a smart ass. He chuckled and took her to his apartment where they made love into the early morning.

__

The smell of frying bacon, one his most favorite smells, woke Sawyer from a pleasant dream. He lay there for a second and relished the wonderful odor. He fought the wave of sadness that threatened to wash over him. The morning of the accident, Sarah had woken him up with frying bacon. She was making sandwiches for their trip.

Sighing he rolled out of bed and slipped on a pair of shorts. As he approached the kitchen he could hear the radio softly playing an oldie tune. Kara was singing along with the song, dancing to the beat. She was wearing his shirt from the night before and was barefoot. He admired the view; the shirt ended just below her lovely ass, and showed off her shapely legs. Leaning against the door frame, he stood and watched her cooking his breakfast and dancing. She noticed him about halfway through the second verse of the Stones' Satisfaction. She swayed and shimmied to the beat, dropping low and back up, using the spatula as her microphone. She danced towards him, spun around and crouched, leaning against his legs. Slowly she wiggled and swayed her hips as she stood. As the song ended, his crotch was firmly planted against her ass.

He slipped his arms around her waist, and leaned over kissing her neck. "Good morning," he whispered. She shivered from the warmth of his breath on her neck. Kara spun around and with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, she kissed the tip of his nose and began singing along with Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and began swirling her around the kitchen as she sang along.

__

Sawyer strolled through the lobby and headed straight for the elevators. He was a few minutes early, and even though he had spent an amazing evening with Kara, he needed to see Lien-hua.

As he came around the corner he saw Lisa patiently waiting for the elevator. She turned to see who was coming and smiled evilly when she saw him.

"Child, you are in for a world of hurt if

anything

happens to her," she said. He sauntered up to the large woman and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"I expect you to personally handle the matter if it does," he said suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows. The woman chuckled and pushed him off of her.

"Just be careful with her please," she said. Her eyes were full of concern for her friend.

"Yes ma'am," he said earnestly as the doors opened. With a wave of his hand, he ushered her inside and followed.

He found Lien-hua standing at the tall counter that surrounded the nurse's station. She was looking down writing in a patient's file, and talking on the phone. She agreed with whoever was on the other line and handed the phone to the receptionist.

"

That which we call a lotus blossom, by any other name would smell as sweet,

" Sawyer said in Mandarin as he leaned against the counter. He was really loving these new abilities. She looked up and smiled. By the look on her face, he could tell that she was relieved to see him. "Miss me?" he asked.

"You have no idea," she said finishing up her notes. "Give me ten minutes to give Lisa my report, and I am all yours." She said. Sawyer nodded and sat in one of the chairs near the elevator. He was thumbing through his third magazine when Lien-hua came around the corner of the nurse's station carrying a duffel bag. "Let's go," she said. Tossing the magazine onto the empty seat next to him, he stood and pushed the elevator button.

Lien-hua stood on her tippy toes and gently kissed his lips. He heard a distinct "uh-hm" coming from behind the counter. They both smiled, as they turned and saw Lisa standing at the counter with her arms crossed over her large bosom. They escaped into the elevator and down to the ground floor. As they walked out of the building, he took her hand in his. He was immediately rewarded by the feeling that their hands were supposed to be together.