Fragments of Sean - 4. A Family Dinner

"Hi, dad," Sean said in a subdued voice.

"Good to see you, son. Don't just sit there. Dinner's almost ready. Go in the house and let your mother know you're home. She's been worried about you." Gary's voice was warm and welcoming.

As Sean exited the passenger side of the car and started walking to the front door, his dad leaned in through the driver's side window to speak to me.

"I can't thank you enough for what you've done, Johnny. Please come in and have a cup of tea or coffee before you go. You can park the car up by the old caravan," he said, pointing further up the driveway where, some twenty yards or so away, there was an old touring caravan resting on concrete blocks. There were four vehicles parked at the gable of the house. I recognised one of them as Gary's jeep, and assumed the others probably belonged to some of Sean's siblings.

As I got out of my car after parking next to the caravan I could see Sean's mother talking to him on the doorstep. A few children had also spilled out of the doorway, and a small girl ran across and clung onto Sean's leg. It looked as though it really was a family dinner and as I was walking back towards the house I began to worry that I might be intruding on private family time. Sean's mother broke away, shooing both Sean and the children into the house, and walked up the driveway to meet me. Sean leant down to scoop the young girl into his arms as he went inside.

"Johnny, thanks for finding him. I've been so worried," she said as she reached me.

"No bother, Celia," I replied. "He actually contacted me first. Texted me this morning asking if I could pick him up."

"Well it was really good of you to pick him up," she said, taking my arm as we walked the few yards back to the house.

"You'll stay for dinner," she suddenly said, making it sound more like a statement than an invitation.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly impose. Gary said it was a family dinner."

"Nonsense! You're staying for dinner, and I won't take no for an answer."

"Well, if you insist. But will there be enough food?"

"Don't you be worrying about that. There's always plenty. We usually finish up with lots of leftovers after one of our family dinners. You might as well enjoy some of it, rather than it all just being fed to the dogs."

"Okay then. If you put it like that, how can I possibly refuse?"

We were still standing outside the front door. Before opening it, she stopped and gripped my arm more tightly. Pulling me close, she whispered urgently into my ear.

"Not a word to anyone about what Sean said to his dad," she said. "What happened is between the two of them, and no one else. I particularly don't want Paul to know about it. He'd only get all high and mighty, and likely spoil what's supposed to be a pleasant dinner."

I nodded. Paul was Sean's eldest brother. I'd never actually met him, but Sean had once told me he worked as for some security firm at a shopping centre in Galway City. He'd also mentioned something about him having served a few years in the Royal Navy when the family were living in England.

I was introduced to all those of Sean's family who had so far followed his parents to Ireland, two older sisters, Sally and Mary, and Paul, his eldest brother. Sally's husband, James, was also there, along with their three young children, Jack age five, Celia, aged three (or three and a half, as she insisted on telling me when her mother told me she was only three), and James Junior, who was not yet two. Sally was obviously carrying child number four inside her. Mary was the older of the two sisters, a single mum with a thirteen year old son named Gary after his grandfather, but who I was to find out was more often just referred to as Sonny, and an eleven year old daughter, Elizabeth. I was also introduced to Paul's current girlfriend, Jeanette, a stunningly beautiful thirty-something brunette with long wavy hair. Celia, who was doing the introductions, simply introduced me as a friend of Sean's.

After the introductions, the children drifted into the back garden, where they occupied themselves throwing a Frisbee about, with a border collie dashing to and fro between and around them, retrieving the Frisbee for them whenever one of them failed to catch it. Sean had disappeared into the bathroom saying he wanted to have a quick shave and to freshen up before dinner. Paul and James were watching a football match on the TV in the sitting room, each nursing an open bottle of beer. The women were in the kitchen busily preparing food, from where there were certainly some good smells emanating.

I was standing just inside the living room doorway, wondering whether to watch the football with Paul and James, when Gary approached me from behind.

"Celia tells me you're staying for dinner," he said. "If you fancy watching the football with these two lazy good-for-nothings would you like me to get you a can or bottle out of the fridge?"

"No thanks, Gary. I'll be driving home later. I make it a point never to drink and drive. Never know when you might get breathalysed nowadays. Don't know how I'd get by if I lost my license."

"Sure, one won't do you any harm," said James from where he was sat in one of the armchairs.

"It's not the one that worries me," I replied. "It's the others that I'll inevitably have if I do have the first one."

"Sure, just have the one then. No one's forcing you to have any more."

"Ignore him, Johnny. I was only trying to act like a good host," said Gary.

"Well it's not as though one is going to put him over the limit," continued James. "And the food will soak most of it up, anyway."

"Stop it, James!" said Paul rather forcibly. "He said he doesn't want any alcohol. Just respect that, and stop trying to make him change his mind. There's too many people with alcohol problems as it is, without other people trying to force drink on them." I wondered if Paul was referencing Sean's drinking problem with that statement.

"Yea, you're right," said James. "Sorry, Johnny."

"No worries," I replied.

"So you gonna watch the game with us" asked Paul.

I glanced at the screen and saw the match was still in its first half.

"Nah, I think I'll pass, thanks. No sense in getting interested. Dinner will probably be ready well before the final whistle," I replied.

After what Celia had said to me on the doorstep, I was also worried that Paul might starting to talk about Sean's drinking problem, so thought it wise not to spend too much time in his company.

"In that case, maybe you could give me a hand moving some things onto the patio," said Gary. "I don't think these two lazy sods will move out of either of those two armchairs until they're called for dinner.

"Be glad to," I said.

"Yea, yea, yea," retorted Paul as we were heading down the hallway to the kitchen. "As I always used to say when I was a kid, dad, you can call me anything you want as long as you don't call me late for dinner."

Gary laughed and explained to me that when all the children had still been young there were that many of them that he was always getting their names mixed up. Apparently Steve, another son of Gary's who still lived in England, would say 'too early in the morning' instead of 'late for dinner'.

We were to eat at a long wooden table on the patio at the back of house, which had eight matching wooden chairs with removable soft cushions. I helped Gary bring four more chairs from the kitchen, and Sally sent her husband out to their SUV to retrieve a folding high chair for James Junior to sit in. I hadn't been sure we'd all fit, but there was plenty of room for everyone at the table, so they'd obviously done this before. I did a mental calculation and worked out that thirteen of us would be sitting down to dinner. But, not being in the least bit superstitious, I didn't worry about any possible significance in that number.

The dinner turned out to be delicious, and full of friendly family chat and good-natured banter. As we were tucking into a desert of apple crumble and custard, Sonny, who was sat almost opposite to me, looked across at me with a curious look.

"So are you, like, Uncle Sean's boyfriend?" he unexpectedly asked.

I struggled trying to finish chewing the food in my mouth so that I could swallow it and answer.

"Sonny!" exclaimed his mother. "That's hardly a question to be asking at the dinner table."

All the chatter at the table ceased as everyone heard Mary scolding Sonny. I reached for my glass of water and took a mouthful to try to finish swallowing the food in my mouth.

"Why not?" Sonny responded. "You've told me Uncle Sean is gay, and I know what gay means. So why is Johnny having dinner with us all if he isn't his boyfriend?" I got the impression he was simply curious.

I looked cross at Sean, who was sitting next to Sonny. He had his head lowered, and looked to be blushing slightly. I also got the impression that he was desperately trying not to laugh.

" Gary Michael Moran! That's enough now. You're being totally inappropriate," his mother snapped.

"No, it's okay, Mary," I said. "I'm not offended or anything by his question.

I turned and addressed Sonny.

"No, Sonny. I'm not your Uncle Sean's boyfriend. I'm just a friend of his."

"So how come you've been invited to the family dinner?"

"Sonny..." Mary started again.

"Leave him be, Mary," said Gary. "He's only being curious."

"So why is Johnny here, gramps?" asked Sonny, in a voice that sounded like he genuinely was simply curious. There was no real hint that he was implying I shouldn't be there.

"Your Uncle Sean was away for the weekend, Sonny," said Celia, answering for her husband. "Johnny was good enough to go and pick him up today, so he wouldn't miss the family meal. I asked him to stay for dinner as a way of thanking him."

"Oh, right, Nana. Sorry Johnny."

"Nothing to apologise for," I replied. "You didn't upset me with your question. I just couldn't answer you right away, as my mouth was full of apple crumble. Sorry if the other grown-ups had a go at you about it before I could finally answer."

"Oh, it was only mum," he said. "I'm used to it. She's always telling me to think before I speak." There was laughter around the table at that comment.

"Well don't ever be afraid of asking me questions," I said with a smile. "How can you expect to find things out if you don't ask?"

As I was just about to put the final spoonful of desert into my mouth, Sonny piped up again:

"So you're really not Uncle Sean's boyfriend then?"

"No, Sonny. Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm just one of your Uncle Sean's friends."

"Okay. But I am disappointed. It's time Uncle Sean got himself a boyfriend. Same as it's time mum got herself one." I saw his mother give him an exasperated look.

"Okay, that's the final straw!" said Sean in mock annoyance. "Time for the tickle monster" He leaned towards Sonny and wiggled the fingers of both hands.

"No! No, no, no!" laughed Sonny, looking slightly apprehensive. "Not the tickle monster. Please, Uncle Sean!"

"What's the tickle monster?" I asked.

"It's how I deal with this little monster when he gets too annoying," answered Sean with a laugh. "I turn into the tickle monster and tickle him until he behaves himself."

"Sounds like fun to me," I replied, reaching my hands across the table towards Sonny and wiggling my fingers at him.

"Don't! Mum! Gramps! Someone! Don't let them do it!"

"Okay, boys! Enough of the theatrics," said Gary, trying to sound as though he was serious. "Let's at least finish dinner first."

"And no tickling my son," said Mary. "Either now or after dinner. I haven't brought a dry pair of underpants with me for him."

"Mum!" screamed Sonny, sounding mortified as his face turned several shades of red.

"I swear I have the weirdest family in the world," said Sonny's sister, in a voice that made her sound far more grown-up than eleven years. Just about everyone at the table dissolved into laughter at that comment.

After the dinner finally wound down Gary carried several large pots of coffee out from the kitchen. The adults sat around chatting and drinking mugs of coffee, whilst also keeping a discrete eye on the children, who were throwing the Frisbee about in the garden again, although with not quite the same vigour as earlier now that their stomachs were full. James offered me a cigarette.

"Thanks, but I normally roll my own," I said, reaching my hand into my pocket for my tobacco.

Realising that I had left it in the car, I excused myself and headed up to the car. Having retrieved the tobacco, I turned around to see Gary walking up the drive towards me. I sat on the tow bar of the old caravan and started rolling a cigarette, wondering what he might want.