Page 11 of Seamus's Basement
“I didn’t know there was anyone else here from Claddagh. What are the odds?” Seamus said.
Feet tucked underneath him, DJ leaned into the overfilled, velvet covered, extremely comfortable armchair in Seamus’s surprisingly large home. It was in the same building as the bar, and it took up the entire second floor. They had gone up there to talk after he had revealed his identity.
“I’m not very good at math, but I’d say somewhere in the neighborhood of zero,” he answered.
Hope and Claddagh were two very small towns located on the opposite ends of the country from one another. The only thing they had in common was that very few people had heard of either place.
“My dad said you’ve lived here as long as I have.” As he spoke, Seamus paced back and forth across his living room while DJ took in the large space.
The ceiling was high compared to other buildings in their area, at least twelve feet tall. The floors looked like the original wood but they were in good shape so they were probably refinished. Windows spanned the full length of the exposed brick wall facing Washington Street, but the roller shades were pulled down, preventing anyone from seeing inside. Not that there would be anyone out at that time of night. It was after eleven, and with Seamus’s Basement closed, there weren’t any customers coming and going.
“I’ve been here eighteen years,” DJ confirmed.
Stopping his pacing, Seamus turned to him, his expression examining. “But you went to school with Todd Smitty and you look his age. How old are you?”
“I’m twenty-seven. I was a few years ahead of Todd, but, yeah, we went to school together.”
“Your parents moved away from Claddagh and took their kids from the community?” he said, sounding surprised.
His reaction made sense. Nobody left Claddagh voluntarily. Or at least not enough people that he’d ever heard of it happening. Until now. Seamus was the only one and DJ was still trying to figure out his reason for doing it because he was clearly close with his family.
“My parents didn’t move from Claddagh. They wouldn’t have. They died in a car accident,” he clarified. He didn’t normally share the details of his childhood because it made people uncomfortable, himself included, but Seamus understood his upbringing in a way only people from Claddagh could and his parents were sure to hear the rest of the details eventually, if they hadn’t already, and then they’d tell him. Besides, they were technically betrothed so he had a right to know. “We had one living relative. State services tracked him down even though nobody asked them to because it’s the law or something.” DJ shrugged. “He was my father’s father but they were estranged because, as the story goes, he was removed from the community in shame after he stole from people, gambled away all his money, and cheated on my grandmother when my dad was little. I guess he wanted another chance at being a father so he insisted on taking us in, but he wasn’t any good at it the second time around either. He’s dead now.”
“That’s awful.” Seamus looked mortified. “I’m so sorry you went through that. I shouldn’t have pried and made you relive it.”
“It’s fine. I was pretty young. It’s all I know and I came through it okay. So did my sister. She went back to Claddagh the moment she could, and she’s back in the fold, married with kids. She’s happy.” DJ considered his next words and decided it was better to get everything out in the open. The next morning, both of their families would be calling, excited to plan a weddingthat was apparently based on a lie. There was no avoiding their situation, so they had to deal with it. “Besides, we’re betrothed now, right?” he said, smiling at Seamus to let him know he wasn’t angry at his deception. “That means you’re allowed to get to know me. Asking about my childhood isn’t prying.”
“Fuck.” Seamus grimaced and closed his eyes. “I’ve made such a big mess, and I have no idea what to do about it.”
DJ unfolded his body, planted his feet on the floor, and rested his forearms on his thighs. “Well, it seems to me we’re in this mess together so let’s figure it out together.”
“None of this is your fault.” Seamus shook his head. “Hell, you’re a victim in it. I am so sorry.”
“I’m fine,” DJ assured him, and he was.
Had he been excited when his sister said she found a husband for him? Of course he had. Just because he couldn’t live in Claddagh, didn’t mean he didn’t value what the community stood for. He appreciated the unity and care he had seen in his childhood, and he had stayed in Hope because he saw the same neighborly kindness in this town.
But Claddagh had something Hope didn’t—a very intense view of relationships, marriage, and family. People in their hometown married into a family when they married an individual. Unions were arranged by those who knew the bride and groom best, and while everyone had a choice, it was rare to turn away a betrothal set up by the people who loved you and had your best interests at heart.
As much as that notion would be foreign and repellent to the world at large, he knew from firsthand experience that, other than rare exceptions, it worked. The community deeply valued their spouses, their families, and each other. Love, loyalty, and friendship were their core tenets, and DJ wanted nothing more than to enter into that kind of union. For a few short hours, he had thought he’d miraculously have that opportunity. Butdisappointment wasn’t a foreign concept to him. Neither was working his way past challenging situations not of his own making. If there was one thing life had taught him, it was that the only way to get through something was to go through it, so that’s what he would do.
“We can figure this out together. Let’s start with you filling me in on why your parents thought they should arrange a marriage with a man for their straight son,” DJ suggested. “You said you lied to them? What did you say? And why?”
“This isn’t your problem to fix.” Seamus rubbed his hand across his bristly cheek. “I put us in this position and it’s my responsibility to get us out of it.”
“Hey, Seamus?”
He stopped his pacing and looked at DJ.
“You’re not alone anymore. We’re not in Claddagh, but you have someone else from the community with you now. That means something to me, and I suspect it does to you too. For now, I’m your betrothed, which means we’re partners in everything, this included. Even if you reject the arrangement, I’ll be loyal, I’ll be your friend.” He reached to his left and patted the arm of the couch. “Sit down, talk to me, and we’ll figure this out together.”
After a few moments, Seamus’s body deflated. Shoulders that had been near his ears lowered, fists that were clenched, uncurled, and the tightness around his eyes smoothed. “Thank you,” he croaked. He pressed his lips tightly together and his nostrils flared as if he were holding back emotion. “I’ve been away a very long time and I…forgot.”
DJ nodded in understanding. He had been gone as long as Seamus and he had been much younger when he left. If it weren’t for his sister’s deep devotion to the community, he likely wouldn’t remember much either. But Kaira had made sure to teach him all she knew throughout his childhood. She had keptin touch with her old friends and their families for the five years she had been in Hope. And she still texted and called him multiple times a week, always finding a way to remind him where he was from and where she insisted he still belonged. He may have been away from Claddagh for most of his life with no plan to return, but because of his sister, he still knew where he came from, and he would always feel a connection to their heritage.
“It’s all really, really ridiculous,” Seamus said as he lowered himself onto the couch.
“Lucas said whatever you did was part of a plan he cooked up, right?” He arched his eyebrows at Seamus. “I would expect nothing less.”
