When the Music Ends (The Winter Rose Chronicles) (26 page)

            "Sean,
Mom, listen. I’m so happy that Erin is going to have a baby. She wants
one so bad, has ever since…" Sheridan trailed off, not sure how
much to reveal to her mother.

            "Ever
since she lost the last one?" Ellen finished for her daughter. They both
stared at her. "Erin told me the other day."

            "Yes,
since then. Well anyway, this is really going to be hard on her. She’s
facing one of the most difficult parts of pregnancy, the beginning, during her
last semester of college. And it’s going to be a doozy. She has some
really hard music classes, not to mention her last semester of English and a philosophy.
She also has to do her senior recital, which is basically the culmination of
her entire course of study. If it doesn’t go well, she won’t
graduate."

            "It’ll
go well. She’s too good for it not to."

            "I
know, but this is Erin we’re talking about. Do you think she will believe
that? She’s already stressed about it. And she’s going to have to
do all of it alone, without you, Sean."

            Sean
grimaced. He hadn’t thought of that part. His wife had to leave in the
middle of January to finish school and wouldn’t be back to stay until the
middle of May. That was a long separation during a pregnancy. She would be only
a couple of months from delivery when she got back.

            Ellen
shook her head. "Not the best timing. But there’s nothing to be
done for it really. What point are you trying to make Sheridan?"

            "Just
this. When I was going through a crisis pregnancy, everyone closed ranks around
me and just showered me with love and affection and support, Erin most of all.
I appreciate what all of you did for me, but Erin was the one who went to
school with me, defended me from the others students, and made them leave me
alone. She was the one who went to college with me when I was devastated by
grief and made sure I didn’t give up on life. I owe her more than I can
ever repay."

            "Danny,
it’s not a debt. Erin wanted to help you because she loves you."

            "I
know. I love her too and I want to help her. The bulk of the burden for getting
her through this semester is going to fall on me, since I’m the one who
lives with her, and that’s fine. I’m ready for it. But I think
it’s time for the Murphy clan to close ranks around one of its own again.
Erin gave and gave to this family until it almost broke her. It’s time
we all gave something back. Sean, it’s almost second nature to you to be
there for Erin. You have been from the beginning, but I think you need to do
more. She’s not one to ask for anything, so you might want to press her a
little, give more than you think she needs. Big gestures will almost certainly
be appreciated."

            "Of
course. Do you think you might be willing to…clue me in from time to
time? I’m not really all that intuitive, especially over
distances."

            "Of
course. Now Mom…"

            "I’ve
been trying."

            "You’ve
been great. I can’t believe the change. Well done. But just remember
always how fragile she is. The Murphy bluntness doesn’t go over very
well. She’s pretty sensitive."

            "I
realize that now." Ellen looked at her children a little sheepishly. "Don’t
worry dear. Erin is one of us, and I intend to be as much a mother to her as I
am to you."

            Sheridan gifted her mother with one of her breathtaking smiles and the little conference
broke up.

            That
afternoon, Erin woke up from her nap before it was time to make Christmas
dinner, so Sean took her out for a little drive. It was quite cold, but the sun
was shining on the snow, making it glitter. As they approached the car they
noticed, on the limbs of a heavily dusted pine, a little red cardinal that
chirped pleasantly at them.

            "Where
are we going?" Erin asked softly, reluctant to break the penetrating
silence of the muffling snow.

            "It’s
a surprise."

            Sean
drove his wife through town to a pretty little neighborhood near the hospital.
The houses there were old and very big, but mostly well kept up. He pulled to a
stop in front of one that didn’t match its neighbors at all. It was an
eyesore, covered in peeling paint, the front porch pillars half rotten, the
steps badly decayed. The only good thing about the appearance of the house was
the massive maple tree, nude now, sleeping, but waiting in breathless
anticipation for spring. When the leaves appeared, it would be glorious.

            She
looked at him questioningly. He didn’t say a word, just helped her out of
the car and escorted her along the safest path to the front door. He pulled out
a key and let them into a house that appeared to be in the last stages of
decomposition. Dust billowed from a wrinkled and stained gray industrial carpet.
Flypaper hung from the sagging, water stained ceiling, already completely
covered in dead insects. The walls sported rags of peeling wallpaper in several
different patterns. Erin looked at the devastation and finally said,
"Sean, what is this place?"

            "This,
Erin, is our home."

            "Is
this a joke?"

            "No,
baby. It’s ours. I’ve already bought it. I know it looks a little
shabby now, but by the time you’re done with school, it will be ready.
I’m restoring it."

            "You
are? Can you fix something that’s such a mess?"

            "Sure.
It’s what I do. I’ve worked on places worse than this. Most of what
you see is actually cosmetic. This place has excellent bones, and under all the
muck, some great details as well. Just wait and see how it comes to
life."

            "I
trust you Sean, but it’s a little hard to picture.

            "No
harder than it is for me to look at a piece of sheet music and understand how
the instrument will sound."

            "Good
analogy," she grinned, "That I understood."

            "Okay,
let me show you the parts I’ve already finished."

            "Show
me everything. I want to understand."

            Sean
gave his wife a dazzling Murphy smile, proving it hadn’t all gone to his
sister, and escorted her out to the rest of the house.

            The
young couple thoroughly enjoyed the rest of their holiday together. The week
after Christmas they began attending a class twice a week that would prepare
them to have their marriage sanctified by the church. This pleased Sean’s
mother very much. Erin still didn’t want to bother with a big wedding,
especially not as she had been married for over a month and was already
pregnant. They did chose a date, about a week before she had to leave to return
to school, to say their vows before the priest and those family members who
cared to attend.

Erin sent a card to Motley, inviting her mother, but received no
reply of any kind. She didn’t want to call, because her mother could be
so caustic and she didn’t feel like listening to any ugly comments. Her
father was marginally better. He was still selfish and obsessively absorbed in
his work, but he was never mean. She called him.

            "Daddy?
This is Erin. How are you?"

            "Hi
pumpkin. I haven’t heard from you in a while. I’m great. I just landed
an investment job in the Cities that’s going to bring in some really good
figures."

            "That’s
great Dad. Good job. Um, I wanted to ask you something."

            "What’s
up?" His tone was tepid, distracted, and she suspected from the tapping
sound in the background that he was typing an email while he talked to her.

            "Well,
I’m getting married." She knew how her dad hated long conversations
when he was at work, and explaining how she was both already married and
getting married would take far too much time out of his day.

            "Really?"
That had gotten his undivided attention, and Erin couldn’t help smirking
a little. "Congratulations. To whom?"

            "Do
you know Murphy Construction and Renovation?"

            "Sure,
I’ve done investing for them. Roger Murphy is a good guy."

            "He
is. Do you know his son Sean? Well that’s who I’m marrying."

            "Sean
Murphy? Well done pumpkin. I’ve worked with him too. He’s loaded.
He’ll really be able to take good care of you."

            "Sean
is loaded?" Erin knew Roger earned a good income, but she had not really
known that Sean himself would be considered wealthy.

            "Oh
sure. I’ve invested a ton for both of them. Sean’s in really good
shape. He’s also a nice kid. You did good."

            "Thank
you. He is very nice. Anyway, we’re getting married next Saturday, at
seven, at Our Lady. It’s going to be really small, just us, the priest,
and his family, but I would like it a lot if you would come too. Can you do
that daddy?"

            "Next
Saturday? Hmmm. I think I have a meeting with some representatives from a real
estate firm in Japan. I’m not sure I can get away, but I’ll
see."

            Erin tried not to feel disappointed. That was as clear a rejection as she ever got from her
father. She hadn’t expected he would make time for her, and it
didn’t matter really, but she still dared to hope, occasionally, that one
of her parents would actually care enough to stand by her, just once.

            She
didn’t cry, but was still staring glumly at the phone when Sean arrived
home from work a few minutes later.

            He
took one look at his wife’s gloomy face and scooped her into his arms for
a long and thorough kiss, complete with wandering hands. That cheered her up
considerably.

            "So
I take it he’s not coming?"

            "Nope.
I didn’t really think that he would."

            "You
know something, Erin? You look like a girl who needs to be made love to."

            "Oh,
yes please," Erin replied eagerly, "Just let me get the casserole
out of the oven before it burns."

            The
casserole didn’t burn. The Murphys did get a little scorched however, in
the best possible way.

******

            The
next day, at work, Sean talked to his dad about the upcoming wedding, and
Daniel’s refusal to attend. Roger was appalled by the other man’s
lack of concern for his daughter, and the two men agreed immediately about what
needed to be done. Then Sean called Daniel at work.

            "Hello,
this is Sean Murphy," he said to his father-in-law.

            "Sean,
how are you?"

            "I’m
great. I guess you heard yesterday that your daughter and I are getting
married?"

            "Yes.
Congratulations."

            "Thank
you. Don’t you think it would be nice for you to be there? You only have
one child, and a wedding is kind of a big deal."

            "It
is, and I’m really sorry, but I just can’t get away from work. It
will be fine though. She understands."

            "Oh,
she understands all right. She understands that your work is more important to
you than she is. And that’s not fine at all."

            "I
don’t think that’s fair to say. I care about Erin."

            "Do
you? When have you shown it? When did you attend her concerts, her high school
graduation, anything? Are you going to go to her college graduation in the
spring? Based on what evidence is Erin supposed to know that you care about
her? She has no idea. In fact, from observing you, she thinks she’s a
burden and a nuisance. Is that really how you see her?"

            "Of
course not."

            "She’s
very much like you, you know, driven, an achiever, and smart."

            "I
know. I wish she would have invested her energy in something worthwhile."

            "She
has. Her music is amazing."

            "I
guess if she has you to support her, she can just play around with that oboe
and not worry about getting a real career."

            There
was nothing to be said to that insensitive comment. It made Sean a little mad,
but there was no point in arguing. He returned to the subject at hand, "Anyway,
I want you to come to the wedding. It would mean a lot to Erin. She needs her
father there."

            "I’m
sorry. There’s just no way."

Sean closed his eyes in frustration. He had hoped it wouldn’t
come to this. When he spoke again, his voice was hard and cold.

            "I
suggest you make a way. You’re not the only investor in town you
know."

            "What
does that mean?"

            "It
means that family is very important to the Murphys, and if you show such
disrespect to yours, then Murphy Construction and Renovation will never work
with you again."