This Town

Chapter Twenty Four

It was July 20th and I was at home with Siobhan, trying to pack up everything I would need. The problem was is we had no idea how long I'd be gone. I could be gone a couple of days or a couple of months. Luckily, she seemed to be mostly in a chipper mood and was very helpful in picking out my clothes and making sure I packed basic toiletries and whatnot. We listened to old records as we packed and talked.

We spent a good portion of the day doing that but once we finally felt we had gotten everything, we attempted to disappear for some alone time but my mum and dad stopped us.

"Hold on, you two," my mum said as we were about to walk out the door.

"Yeah, mum?"

"We haven't had dinner yet. It'll be ready shortly. And Siobhan, you are staying for dinner and you're father will be here in a bit as well. We thought Niall would like to have you two here for our last meal at home for what could be awhile."

"Oh, thank you, Maura. I'd love that. But I kind of had something planned for Niall..." she trailed off. I could see she felt bad for not wanting to stay.

"Oh," my mum said.

"But, it can wait!" Siobhan said quickly, "Food actually wasn't on my agenda for the evening. Plus, I can hardly say no to your cooking."

My mum smiled at her in the way she always did, as if she was her own daughter. I couldn't help but take that moment in and feel my mind at ease knowing that they would have each other, for however long I was gone.

Once her father had arrived, we sat down for my mum's world famous roast.

"Mum, roast, on a weekday?" I joked.

"Of course. I know it's your favorite and it'll be your last home cooked meal for what I hope will be a little while, at least."

"Mum, you're coming with me."

"I know, but depending on how long you're there, I might have to come home for a bit. Although, we'll always make it to the performances. Speaking of, Dylan, I hope you and Siobhan will take us up on our offer to have you come out for the first show, if Niall makes it."

Siobhan looked at her dad. "What offer?" she asked.

"Oh, I asked your dad if it would be okay to bring you along for some of the shows, with hope that Niall makes it, which we all know he will." My mum said, smiling again.

She turned back to her dad, "Oh, I didn't know about that."

"I hadn't made up my mind on whether or not you'd be able to, sweetie. It will depend on school and work and other factors."

"Okay," she said softly. She knew why her father hadn't already agreed - money. "I'd love to go and support him, though. But even if I can't, Niall knows he'll hear me cheering all the way from this old town to the big city of London." She squeezed my hand beneath the table and didn't let go.

"We're more than happy to pay for it since we're inviting you," my dad said.

I shot him a look. I know they all knew about their money issues, because we had quite a few ourselves. But that sort of thing is always a source of pride for people and I know she and her dad remained tight lipped about how much they actually had.

"Thank you, Mr. Horan. That's very kind of you but I couldn't possibly. If I come to a taping, I'll find a way to pay for it myself. I've been saving up from working at the shop with my dad," she said, casting a glance at him.

"Yes, Bobby, Maura, I do appreciate the offer. But we'll see how things go first. It's Siobhan's last year of school and I don't want her missing any of it. But we'll definitely try, Niall. We both want to be there for you."