7 brothers

Susan came from, what was considered to be, a big family. She was the youngest out of eight children! Being the only girl, her brothers protected her like she was a fallen wall flower growing up. Having a relationship, any relationship, was next to near impossible for her, as her brothers, especially Frank who was the most protective, being the eldest, always had a ‘conversation’ whenever a possible suiter came to light. Quickly, they vanished into the darkness, Frank saying, ‘if you hurt her, I’ll kill you!’ before they even got the chance to ask her out.

As Frank had a history with the law and got aggressive quickly, especially when it came to Susan, she found him overbearing and unnecessarily quick to threaten those who liked her. She didn’t experience her first kiss until the age of fourteen, and that was only because she was at a party where they played ‘spin the bottle’ whilst Frank was down in the police station, giving a statement for a role he played in a situation which involved drugs.

After her father passed, her brothers kicked the screening of possible suiters up a notch, and, when Susan hit college years, she decided she had no choice but to put either Dublin or Limerick on her CAO to put some mileage between her and her brothers. They also lived in the arsehole of nowhere, so she had to move away regardless if she wanted to attend college. She knew she needed the freedom to blossom into the woman she was to become.

Her best friend, Veronica, planned on doing the same course as Susan, psychology, and they made a pact to rent a house share together if they both got into their first choice, Trinity College.

Veronica was an only child, and her parents surprised her on her eighteenth birthday with a car. It was more for their peace of mind that she could come home safely and on a regular basis. Susan and Veronica became stuck together like glue, as whenever Veronica came home, Susan was always in the passenger seat!

Each of her brothers were constantly asking Susan if she was seeing anyone over the course of a couple of years. Eventually she caved and admitted that yes, she had she had found someone. One by one, her brothers found an excuse to visit Dublin, and when they did, they stayed with Susan in the hope of shaking this man down and make sure he was good enough for their little sister. It never worked, however. Susan had more sense than to introduce them to the person she was seeing, as she knew that was why they had decided to visit. She was in love, and no brother of hers was going to stand in her way.

For her twenty first birthday, it was decided by her brothers to contact Veronica, to inform her that they were going to throw Susan a kick ass party. They asked Veronica to invite all of her friends, well the ones who were either female or gay, down to their part of the country, and they rented out the hall from the local community centre.

Veronica did her best to keep it hush hush, but, as she was living with Susan for three years at the time, Susan knew Veronica was in cahoots with her brothers just by her demeanour. Susan was glad she knew, however, as she was able to warn any of the men who were in her circle to act camp around her brothers if they didn’t want to be roughed up!

As her twenty first grew nearer, Susan became more excited. She planned on finally introducing her brothers to the person she loved, the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

The day of the party, all of her friends who could make the journey from Dublin, came in spades. Susan was well liked by all, and her brothers were shocked at the volume of people who came and almost flooded the hall. There were speech’s, one by each brother, and, just before they put the microphone away, Veronica got up from her seat and took it. She began to speak, ‘Susan, you have been with me through thick and thin! You have never deserted me, now matter how big a bitch I was being. I’m going to now read your favourite poem by EE Cummings as I know it means a lot to you.

Veronica recites the poem 'i carry my heart with me (i carry it in'

Susan gasped as Veronica got down on one knee. She produced a black velvet box from her jeans pocket. It was a small box that came with a massive question.

‘Susan, you are the love of my life. You are my rock, and that’s why I want to give you this one!’

Veronica opened the box. Susan put both hands over her mouth.

‘Susan Marie Carter, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?’

Susan, who had begun to cry, managed to nod her head as words wouldn’t be able to describe all of the feelings she was experiencing at that very moment. Veronica stood up and Susan put out her left hand to receive the ring. It was a beautiful, princess cut, white diamond, one that was Veronica’s grandmothers. They embraced each other, kissing for the first time in front of Susan’s brothers. She didn’t care about their reaction, whatever it was, because she was finally able to be who she wanted to be with them. She was finally telling them that no matter how many boys, or men, they roughed up, because she found her soulmate when she was playing ‘spin the bottle’ at the age of fourteen!

There wasn’t a dry eye in the room, well except for the confusion that is splattered all over her seven brothers faces. They realised in that moment, that she was the happiest she had ever been, and, although they wished they had known, all seven of them were the first to approach the newly engaged couple to congratulate them. They didn’t feel the need to rough up Veronica, as she had proven herself tenfold over the years!

On the day of the wedding, three years later, Susan walked down the aisle in a beautiful white dress, all seven of her brothers giving her away to the woman of her dreams!