Finally Free&;#063;

After Sadie had finished reading the letter from Tommy, she sat down
with the help of Kevin and was silent. How could it have happened, her
own Mum, her own flesh and blood had died. If only she had gone back
and seen her during the last months of her life. With all that had
happened recently this was another tragic incident. During the ten
years that had preceded their running off to London, Sadie had nearly
died, escaping from a fire in the "Bed &; Breakfast" where they were
staying. The fire had left her with her back broken and it would never
heal properly.
Kevin had stayed with Sadie because he cared and loved her. They had
eventually told their parents what they were doing, staying in London
for the time being. Their parents at first were angry, especially
Sadie's, but they couldn't do anything now, Kevin and Sadie had their
own lives to lead.
Sadie just broke down and cried. What would she do now? Should she go
back home? It was just heer brother, Tommy and her Dad. She looked over
at Kevin, who was studying the letter thoroughly. In all the years
she'd known him, he'd always stayed close to her, what ever had
happened. Would he now?

"I'll go put the kettle on", Kevin announced getting up from the
sofa.

"Okay". Sadie whispered.

In the kitchen Kevin boiled the kettle. He didn't go back into the
living room, he instead stayed in the kitchen, gathering his thoughts.
They had bought the two-bedroomed flat a year after they had come to
London, it was easier for Sadie after the fire accident.
The kettle boiled and Kevin made two cups of tea. He took them through
to Sadie.

"Thank you. So what do you think we should do?" Sadie asked.

"There's not a lot we can do. We could go back home I suppose. Only if
you want to, Sadie?"

"I'm not sure, it might be best for all of us, but we do have our own
lives here. If we went back for a visit when they have the funeral.
They say it is next week, on the Wednesday. We will have to pack our
bags and get tickets for a ship to Northern Ireland. I've been
following what is happening in the troubles, they still don't seem to
have got better after all this time. It would be nice to see Tommy
again and I'm sure you'll be glad to see Brede", Sadie just talked on,
she felt it was the only way to start to ease the grieving
process.

"Are you sure you want to go to the funeral in this state? You don't
have to if you don't want to. If you don't feel up to it". Kevin
inquired.

"Of course I want to go to my own Mum's funeral and no one is going to
stop me, no one". Sadie got up slowly and walked out of the room,
leaving Kevin there to think about the consequences of his words.

He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings, but he wasn't sure if he was
ready to go back to Northern Ireland, of course he would go if Sadie
really thought she could cope with the funeral. At a time like this you
need to be with your family, anyway it would be nice to see Brede again
after ten years. He still was worried and unsure about Sadie going
back. Though they had explained to their families about their situation
he still thought it would be strange. Kevin thought he should leave
Sadie to think about what she was going to do.

How could he just assume that she wasn't fit to go! She would show him
that she had to go back to Northern Ireland, her former home, if not
for her family but recently she had been feeling a sense of loss. She
now wasn't as active as before the accident and she still had problems,
but this now had renewed the loss she had felt when she broke her back,
that loss was the feeling she had been feeling recently. One more
problem and she thought she would go mad. How much more could she take
before she would go running back home, to Northern Ireland, if there
would be anyone left for her. Kevin in the past had always done what
Sadie had wanted. Why didn't he want her to go to her own Mum's funeral
or didn't he want to give her support at the funeral?
She got some paper and a pen out to write a letter to Tommy, in the
letter she wrote how she was feeling and that she hoped she would be
home soon. She wanted to say farewell to her Mum properly at the
funeral.

"Are you coming? Because if you are you better get ready in the next
hour", Sadie informed Kevin, to try and change his mind.

"I suppose I have no choice. I have to cpnfess I didn't feel as if I
was ready to gop back, but now I've thought about it. If I had decided
not to go and if I had stopped you from going would you have hated me?"
Kevin asked.

"I'm not sure. Let's not think about ifs, you've decided to come,
that's all that matters. So I can take a guess that you've already
arranged holiday leave from your job", Sadie said.

"Yeah, they said they can finish the house off without me".

Kevin was working at a building contractor firm after apprenticing for
some years. He earned a fair amount of money.

"So lets get ready to meet our families after ten years", Sadie
exclaimed.

"Sadie should be here soon, Dad", Tommy told his father.

"Of course she's coming soon, you don't need to keep telling me!" He
replied.

"What are you going to tell Sadie about the Will. She will want to
know?" Tommy inquired.

"I'll tell her. I don't know why your Mother didn't take her out of
the Will. To go and leave us here like that. Running off with a
Catholic!" Dad raged.

"She loved him! She couldn't stay here all her life, no one could if
they want to lead a normal peaceful life. Now she's coming back for a
while. It may be under sad circumstances, but at least she is coming
back. Unless you don't even want to see her!" Tommy was shouting.

"I don't want to hear all this. I'm going down the pub". Dad
stated.

"Yeah, you do that. That seems to be the only solution to ignore
anything nowadays, Dad". Tommy shouted after his Dad going through the
front door.

Tommy sat at the kitchen table with his head in his hands. It had been
like this, shouting arguments then his Dad going out to the pub to get
drunk and coming home late. He was cut up about his Mum's death, they
all were, but for Sadie to come back to this.
The doorbell rang and Tommy slowly got up to answer it. He opened the
door and Brede stood there. Tommy and Brede had got to know each other
in the ten years Sadie had been away with Kevin. Tommy's Dad hadn't
liked it, but what could he do about it.

"Brede, hello. Come in", Tommy invited.

"Okay. Has Sadie and Kevin come yet?" Brede asked.

"No, but I think they'll be here soon", Tommy replied.

"I take it your Dad is down the pub again?" Brede assumed with a
questioning tone.

"Yes, I just hope he doesn't get angry over Sadie and Kevin".

Tommy and Brede looked at each other worriedly. No one could know what
Tommy and Sadie's Dad would do.

"It doesn't seem to have changed much, does it?" Sadie asked.

"No, but let's get going", Kevin said.

They walked along after getting off the ship. The trip was nice,
giving time for them to think what to say to their families.
They walked up the street that Sadie had lived in, towards Sadie's
past home and rang the doorbell.

"Do you think that is Sadie and Kevin?" Tommy asked in the kitchen to
Brede.

"Only one way to find out!" Brede said.

Tommy once again went to the door. He answered the door, by opening
it. Sadie and Kevin stood there. Tommy couldn't believe that they could
come back at this time. They had changed.

"Come in, Sadie, Kevin. Brede is here. I'm sorry Dad isn't here,
Sadie", Tommy apologised, as he did he saw Sadie's face turn sad. How
would she react about Dad?

"Brede! She's here! Brede, its so good to see you". Kevin greeted
Brede in the kitchen.

"And you, Kevin! Sadie, how are you?" Brede hugged Kevin and
Sadie.

Sadie felt so happy. They sat down at the table, talking. Sadie was
told everything. She replied to Brede's question of how she felt.

"I feel fine. Except I'm trying to come to terms with my Mum being
dead".

They talked all night, but they knew that the funeral the next day,
Wednesday, would be hard for all of them. It had been planned that it
would be a small service, only Sadie's Dad, Tommy, Sadie, Keviin and
Brede. Sadie was told that half her Mum's savings would go to her and
the other half to Tommy. Their Dad would get treasured belongings. He
thought though that Sadie shouldn't have got any money at all. He still
hadn't come home at midnight when they all went to bed. They knew it
would be a long day tomorrow.

They got up at 9:00am to get ready. Sadie and Tommy's Dad still hadn't
come home.

"Well, I'm surprised he's not here to tell me what I am. He could
probably shout and rant at me, but I wouldn't listen to him", Sadie was
saying at breakfast.

"That sounds like him now. Be careful Sadie, he's changed", Tommy
warned Sadie as their Dad came through the door, swaying with a bottle
in one hand and swearing.

When he saw Sadie there, he came towards her. Trying to hit her.

"You! You have no right to be here. If you had cared you would have
stayed! Go, you're not wanted here! GO!" Dad shouted at Sadie.

All was quiet, they had been ready before this outburst so they just
walked out of the house to the church, still in silence.

The service was short and Tommy and Sadie's Dad were not there. After
the burial Tommy and Brede wanted to be on their own. So Kevin and
Sadie went around the graveyard. Looking at the gravestones, they
talked.

"We've gone through a lot haven't we together. Now this, well, at
least we can go back to London. I've been thinking a lot lately and
would you except my proposal of marriage?" Kevin asked.

"I don't believe this. YES, of course I'll marry you Kevin!" Sadie
exclaimed.

They kissed happily and everything now seemed alright, but why all the
pain and suffering. Now life could be good, if only some people could
see life like that.