Thursday - 2/4
BRADY PUB
Shane was wrapping up lunch with Roman and Cassie.
SHANE: Well, I know I said around Christmas that Rex would be back to his normal self soon, and thankfully, according to the ISA’s medical team, he is.
CASSIE: Oh, thank goodness!
ROMAN: That’s such great news! When can we see him?
SHANE: How does tomorrow sound?
CASSIE: That soon?
SHANE: Indeed. The doctors tell me he’s in stable enough condition to travel. I can either have him sent out here, or send you two to pick him up and return.
CASSIE: I need to see my brother as soon as possible! We’ve been separated for so long!
ROMAN: I’d love to see Rex A.S.A.P., as well.
SHANE: If either or both of you would like to come, you’re welcome to. And, you’ll have ISA protection for the full length of your journey.
Roman nodded.
ROMAN: Let’s do it, then.
SHANE: I’ll arrange a flight for first thing in the morning for the two of you. Now, speaking of flights, I have one of my own to catch.
Shane, Roman and Cassie stood up.
ROMAN: Well, thank you so much, Shane.
CASSIE: Yes, thank you!
Shane shook hands with Roman, then hugged Cassie.
SHANE: Of course. Safe travels.
ROMAN: You too.
Shane nodded, and left. Cassie sighed with relief.
CASSIE: Wow! I can’t believe Rex is finally okay and that we’re gonna see him again soon!
ROMAN: I know. I’m excited, too! It will be so nice having the both of you back here in Salem.
Roman and Cassie hugged.
CASSIE: I’ve gotta call Mom! She’s gonna love hearing this news!
Cassie pulled out her cell phone and went into the back of the Pub.
ST. MARY’S CHURCH - GALWAY, IRELAND
Claire and Chase had followed Father Healy and were now sitting at a table in his office. The priest was looking at a bookshelf and pulled out a rather old looking book.
HEALY: Here’s the one.
He set the book down on the table.
HEALY: Would you be liking any tea, or perhaps a biscuit?
CHASE: Tea sounds great, thank you.
CLAIRE: Sounds good to me.
On the other side of his office, Father Healy had a small kitchen area. He turned on the kettle on the stove, then came and sat down, and opened the book.
HEALY: Right, let’s see here.
CLAIRE: Father, what you said earlier, did you know my great-grandpa?
HEALY: Aye, I did. Not half as well as I should like to, unfortunately. But, as I say, I’ve been going here since I was a wee lad many years ago. The one who knew Shawn Brady well was my predecessor, Father Mallory. Now there was a good man if ever there was one. Folks were simply devastated the day he passed. But, that’s another story entirely. Back to your great-grandfather. From what I recall, he was a good seventeen or so years my senior. In fact, I was still a lad when he went off to America, followin’ that one lass to open up a fish market.
CLAIRE: That’s my Great-Grandma Caroline.
HEALY: The very woman. So, alas, we were in completely different circles, him being seventeen years my senior and all. But, from what I remember, he was a kindly man. Best of his whole family, so he was. Ah, here they are.
Father Healy had been flipping through the book this whole time. He stopped at a page, set the book down, and pointed to a picture of an older man with four children.
CHASE: That’s Shawn?
HEALY: Aye, and his family. That’s his da, Pete, there. Never seen a man so devoted to his family, nor one more stubborn. Pete was a good man, at heart, but temper like a wild boar if you got him angry. Still, as I say, he loved his family dearly. The lass next to him is his eldest, Colleen. Was training to be a nun, so she was, until she got mixed up with that Italian fella.
CLAIRE: Santo DiMera. My parents and grandparents told me all about their history.
CHASE: Unfortunately, the Bradys and DiMeras back in Salem are still fighting after all these years.
HEALY: Sadly, there are some wounds that take a long time to heal. Generations, as it were. Growing up where I did when I did, sure I saw a lot of that. Best we can do is pray for peace and try to show others the love that our Lord shows us. Now, where was I? Ah, that’s right. There next to Colleen is your man, Shawn Brady. If I’m correct, this photo’s from his confirmation. Now, the lad standing next to Shawn is his brother, Eric.
CHASE: That must be who your uncle was named after.
CLAIRE: Probably.
HEALY: It’s many days that Father Mallory and all of us here prayed for that boy. I can only hope that he saw the error of his ways before it was too late. And then we come to the young lass next to him, Molly. Now there was a spitfire. A true Irish lass, so she was. It’s a few years older than me, she was, and had old Pete wrapped around her finger.
CLAIRE: It’s so cool to see this!
The kettle whistled. Father Healy turned it off and poured three cups. He put a small glass of milk, a plate with a few cubes of sugar, and a plate of cookies on a tray, and brought it over to the table. He handed the cups to Claire and Chase.
CLAIRE: Thank you.
CHASE: Yes, thank you very much.
CLAIRE: Father, there’s still something that confuses me. Maybe it’s just a difference between the Irish and American phrasing, but there’s something about the way you reacted when you heard Great-Grandpa’s name.
HEALY: Aye, I’ll not deny there was. When I say I didn’t know Shawn that well, I meant on a personal level, but I certainly know of him. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that most of the people in this community know of Shawn Brady, or at very least have heard the name. Most of them only refer to the man as Himself. You see, Shawn in his younger days was much like his da. Kindest man you could ever meet, unless you did something to hurt his family. He would not stand for that. He got a reputation as a young man for the crowd he hung around with. It was a rough crowd, so it was. There were rumours flyin’ all about the place that they were in with the IRA, but I’ve my doubts about that. It cannot be denied, however, that they knew how to get things done, even if they had to use less than pleasurable methods. They had connections, as it were. Not to the IRA, mind, just...to put it politely, underground connections.
CHASE: You mean, like, the mob?
CLAIRE: That would actually make a lot of sense. I remember my parents telling me about how my Grandpa Bo was trying to find out information that Great-Grandpa didn’t want him to know about the Brady-DiMera feud years ago, and these guys who looked like they were part of the mob tried to stop him.
CHASE: Seriously?
CLAIRE: Yeah. it didn’t help, they all figured it out, eventually.
HEALY: As I say, he had certain connections. However, he only used them when he thought it necessary. And he did a lot for the community at this ol’ place. Come along, there’s something else I’d like you to see.