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Just this morning, I met Maeve and Shawn, the two siblings that I hadn’t met prior to today. Shawn looks just like his two brothers, and Maeve is petite with auburn hair the same shade as Maggie’s.
Kane’s parents flew in from Ireland yesterday to be here for their daughter.
Off to the side, Joey’s parents sob in grief, his mother carrying on about her baby, her only child being gone.
Part of me feels bad for them, but the other part sees it for what it is. An act.
The priest says his last words, finishes with an “amen,” and then the crowd begins to thin. Many come to offer Maggie their condolences. Which is awkward because she barely replies, not looking away from the casket holding the body of her late husband.
Joey’s parents don’t come to say anything to the O’Callaghans. They don’t even spare Maggie a glance, which also has me confused. Do they not like her, just as Maggie’s siblings didn’t care for Joey?
Someone says something to Maggie that has her blinking rapidly. “What?”
“We need to get her home,” Kane mutters. Keegan nods, and they flank Maggie and start to escort her to the car, holding her hands on each side. Suddenly, a woman rushes up to Maggie, stopping us all in our tracks.
“You don’t know me,” she says, her face blotchy from crying, her hands gripping at torn tissues. “I’m Beth. I was with Joey when he died.”
We all stop and go still, listening intently.
“I’ve been with Joey for over a year,” Beth continues.
Our eyes all fly to Maggie. Her face doesn’t change much, aside from her eyes narrowing on the other woman. And then, to our utter shock, Maggie starts to laugh. She tips her head back in the rain, letting the drops fall on her face, and laughs as if she’s just heard the funniest joke ever told.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” Fiona, Kane’s mother says, scowling at her daughter.
“Joey was right,” Beth yells, pointing at Maggie. “You are crazy. No wonder he was with me. No wonder he wanted to divorce you and marry me.”
“That’s enough,” Maeve says, stepping forward. “You made your scene, and now you can leave.”
“She needs to hear it,” Beth insists. “She needs to know what a piece of shit he thought she was. How dare she play the part of the widow when I’m the one he loved? When I’m the one who was his true partner.”
Before we can blink, Maeve advances on Beth and punches her, square in the nose.
“Oh my God!” Beth shrieks. “You broke my nose!”
“And I’ll be breaking more than that if you don’t get your fat arse out of my sight,” Maeve says, her Irish shining through in her anger.
“I’m going to sue you! I’m going to sue all of you. I should get all of what Joey left behind. Not her.”
“Get her out of here,” I say to Kane, who’s already jumped into action with his brothers. They physically move Beth, carrying her down to her car. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but by the time they reach her vehicle, she jumps in it and screeches away.
Maggie’s still giggling. Maeve and Fiona try to calm her.
“It’s a mess, that’s what it is.” I glance over at Tom, the patriarch of the O’Callaghan family. His face is lined with age and worry as he watches his sons walk back to us. “And not the best of circumstances for Kane to bring a woman as fine as you around the family.”
“We all have moments,” I reply with a shrug. “I offered to stay away, but Kane insisted I come with him today. And I like Maggie, very much.”
“Me, too,” he says with a kind smile. He pats my arm gently. “Let’s get back to the house and out of this rain, shall we?”
“I think that’s a good plan all around.” I watch as Kane walks right to me, takes my hand, and leads me down to his car. “You don’t want to wait for the others?”
“Feck no,” he says and opens the door for me. When he gets into the driver’s seat, he has to take a long, deep breath to calm himself. “What’s wrong with her? She’s acting as crazy as that woman accused her of being.”
“You know, sometimes, it’s either laugh or cry,” I admit. “It could still be shock. Grief. Exhaustion. I don’t know if she’s sleeping well.”
“She slept for two days straight,” he replies. “And now we have dozens of people coming to my house for the wake, and my sister, who just lost her husband, just laughed at the woman claiming to have had an affair with Joey.”
“Most people don’t go to the wake, do they?” I blink slowly.
“Enough will. Probably because they’re curious.”
“If that Beth woman shows up—”
“She won’t,” he interrupts. “She won’t be back.”
