Enzo (Jinx Tattoos 1)

Aibhlinn laughed. “Well, I should hope so. I was born and raised there.”

“Trust me, Lucky Charms, I know.”

Aibhlinn snorted. “You’re horrible, you know that?”

“Eh, made you laugh, didn’t it?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

“That it did, my friend. Long story short, he starts telling me he was about to screw some tart when I called and he didn’t know what the hell he was doing anymore.”

“And what did you say?” Sophia asked.

“I told him to stop. I mean, if it’s not making you feel good why keep doing it? He plunged head long into this self-debilitating speech that sounded like a heartbreaking apology to me.”

“For what?” Sophia said.

“I’m not sure. Not being with me, or being too fucked up to be with me? There are so many under currents going on between us, it’s a wonder we don’t drown in all the words left unsaid and the emotions pent up and unexpressed.”

“And ... what do you plan on doing about that?”

“I’m going to lay it all down on the line. I’ve been working on a series of paintings for Mom’s show. I’m going to let him know the time for trying for more between us is now or never. If he doesn’t take the invitation, I’m going to change things. I don’t think he realizes how much more our friendship is.”

“I’m glad to hear this. I know how you feel. I get why, and I’ve seen you two together. It’s one of those connections some people never find with another person. But you’ve been in limbo for far too long, mama.”

“I know, but not by choice. It’s not that no man has compared, because I don’t do that when I date. It’s just that I don’t seem to fit as well with any other man I’ve come across.”

“Preach,” Sophia said.

She s

ighed. “If he doesn’t step up, I’ll have to treat him like an addiction I have to wean off and use in moderation.”

“Powerful choices and words, Ms. Leahy,” Sophia warned.

“It’s time.”

“You know I have your back whatever you choose,” Sophia said.

“And this is why I love you to the moon and back. What’s been going on with you?”

“Sadly, nothing as exciting. I did get a few new pieces commissioned, and I think I’ll take a vacation after my payment. I feel ... stagnate. I’ve gotten lost in the mechanics of life. You know, paying bills, attempting to stay relatively healthy, and hitting the grind hard to go for my goals. I feel like I’ve lost something important.”

Aibhlinn frowned. “Are you feeling uninspired, love?”

“To say the very least. It’s like I’m floating in the ether, not truly tethered to anything. I need to rediscover my focus and have new experiences. It’s impossible to feed the place that creates when I’m not putting anything new and exciting in.”

“Where are you thinking about going?” Sophia asked.

“I don’t know, England maybe. Or the Emerald Isle ... but only if you agree to go with me.”

“I just finished up my last obligation for my current contract. So, let me know and I’m game.”

Sophia beamed. “Thank you.”

“Are you kidding me? Showing you around my old stomping grounds would be my pleasure,” Aibhlinn said. Maybe I need to get back to my roots and disconnect, so I can reboot.

They finished their lunch, and she headed to the place she always went to for solace: her church. She took her religion seriously. Coming from a country where people literally died for their beliefs, she could never treat it as something casual. Her father had died for what he saw as the cause. He wanted to see a united, independent Ireland.

How one could kill with car bombs, and weapons, but attend Mass nearly daily and be so devote to Catholicism, she could never understand. The dichotomy smacked of hypocrisy and a serious lack of understanding of the scripture. But how could he have a chance for anything different when the belief had been forced down his throat from the time he was a boy?