Between Us And Them And Me And you

Between Us And Them And Me And you

By Paul McCann

 

When the troubles began , it was clear to see the beautiful Belfast we once knew had disappeared . The young couples who used to go out walking together hand in hand and discos were young people used to meet had gone .

Against the odds and impossible as it seems Kieran and Angie met each other on a sidewalk in the city centre . They had both been randomly body searched by the police and army who were not interested in their complaints about being detained . Both Kieran and Angie were on their way for a job interview and now they were going to be late and as a result would probably not get the job .

The security forces at the gates didn’t care the least about them losing out on securing a job and made it worse by detaining them longer because of their protesting .

Finally, when Kieran and Angie were told they were free to walk away it was way too late for their interviews . They both had lost an opportunity to gain employment and with the same feeling of disgust and anger they decided to go for a drink in a bar .

After a few drinks , they were getting on well , sharing a few jokes as they defused their anger with a few laughs . They seemed attracted to one another and when they discovered that they lived on separate sides of the peace line both of them just sat there and looked at each other . At the end of the night Kieran asked if he could walk Angie home .

“Are you wise ?”

She asked ,

“Who cares . I know how I feel “

He said and Angie laughed and said .

“ You’ll get shot and I’ll get hammered if we get caught together “

"Listen between me and you there’s us and them so why can’t we give it a try ?”

He said

They kissed on the corner and made a date for the following night in the same bar .

After she went into her house, he said a prayer “

“Mother of God , she can’t help being a prod, help me get out of here in one piece “

He kept his head down and said nothing to no one as they passed him by on the street .

Kieran had no idea how to make an exit from their side of the peace line and he was a little lost so the only thing he could do was to wait until someone else was going to leave the area .

He put his hands in his pocket and jingled the dough around his fingers . He though to himself ,

“I’m going to get stitched up here tonight if I don’t get out of heresoon “

His heartstrings were playing old lonesome me and the tune was going around in his head like a broken record . Suddenly two men wearing donkey jackets with caps on their heads were making their way off to work . He followed closely behind and luckily for Kerian he was able to manage to get out through the barrier the way the night shift workers had just done .

Kieran run across to the other side of the road and a few women wearing scarfs scowled at him as if he was  one of the other kind .

•  

He dared not tell any of his family about Angie for fear of getting told to leave so he kept it a secret . The following night Kieran and Angie met at the bar in the city .

Kieran said

“ I’d love us to go to New York . If only we had the chance and I had the money we could just go and make a life for ourselves there, “

But they knew that both of them were broke and as much as they wanted to go, they couldn’t so they had to stay where they were and try to do their best with what they had .

In Belfast there was only one way to stay alive and you don’t mix with the other kind because if you did nobody would want you and you’d have to leave . That how it was . No one was any better off and it you be the worst in the world if you got involved with anybody from the other religion . Sao most people knew exactly how to stay alive . But when love takes a hold of your heart you don’t think with your head anymore and for these two young lovers all they wanted was to be together .

As the months passed , their love got stronger and they found out more about each other, They had a lot in common already.Every night they listened to Heart to Heart a programbetween 10 pm and midnight on Radio Uptown . They loved all the music played on that show and they also enjoyed cooking and movies about science fiction .

They met each evening somewhere to share things about their day . They made up a story about them doing a course at evening college which allowed them the freedom to get out to meet at the place they decided each time they met . They also were doing some odd jobs for people and saved up all their pennies . They were lucky in securing someday cleaning jobs with the well-off people around town . Then every so often they went to a few of the dances outside Belfast where no one would see them together . They loved dancing together and always had a bit of a laugh at their relationship .

Kieran would often say

“See you. It’s true Angie . As sure as God, you’ll get me shot one day “

And she would say to him .

“Awh run away on , I’ll tell you if you don’t stop complaining I’ll kill you , before they do “

Kieran sometimes had a habit of daydreaming and she nicknamed him Eyes Wide Shut while Angie’s love for sweet cakes earned her the nick name Sugar Plum from Kieran .

They were good together and felt safe in each other’s arms .Times were hard times but they had each other and they wanted so much to tie the know and get married . They often discussed who would be change their religion and, in the end, they decided maybe they could just live together without getting married .

They have so much to share and a lifetime to do it . Sometimes it was like they were living out a dream in some never-ending scene in a story with no end .They often had adventures seeking out new places and being with each other as often as possible.

One night as Kieran left Angie homea crowd of lads seen him make his waythrough the peace line and cross over the road and the next night they were waiting for him . Kieran was given an awful bashing and they warned him to keep to his own side of the peace line and the same lads warned Angie and her parents not to have any more to do with those from the other side . Both sets of parents objected to them being together and forbid them to leave the family home.

After this life was awful for the young sweethearts who were torn apart between opposite sides of the peace line .

However, love will always find a way and one night Kieran had had an idea and wrote a note to the DJ who presented the Heart-to-Heart program on Uptown radio , He asked a song request to play Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen with love always from Eyes Wide Shut .

Angie was listening to the show the night her song was played and she followed up with a song request on the Heart-to-Heart program . The DJ announced on ait ,

“The next song on this evenings show , is a special request for Eyes Wide Shut from Sugar Plum and it’s Runaway by the Corrs .

Kieran was over the moon when he heard the message and put in another song request for Sugar Plum on the Heart to Heart show ,“Marry You “ by Bruno Mars . and the following night Angie responded with a request to play a song by Yes called “Owner of A Lonely Heart, for Eyes Wide Shut . Then song requests continued then a special message went over the airwaves from Eyes Wide Shut for a Billy Joel songcalled New York State of Mind with a message from Eyes Wide Shut . See you soon Sugar Plum . Hope you’ve got your bags packed ...

The next evening on the Heart-to-Heart Program on Uptown Radio there was a special request from Sugar Plum to Eye Wide Shut with a song by Lindisfarne called Meet Me On The Corner “

Early on next morning Kieran slipped quietly from the house with a suitcase in his hand and he made his way across the other side of the road and standing there on the corner by the peace line was Angie with a suitcase in her hand . They embraced each other and made their way to the Airport with two tickets of leave to New York .

On the kitchen table in both of their homes a note was left for their parents and family.

Angie wrote ,

We cannot live with bigotry and hatred . Love is all that matters . Kieran and I have decided to leave and begin a new life elsewhere . Please do not worry we are going to be ok .

On Kieran’s kitchen table he wrote

Don’t look on anger at out decision , we are not doing this to hurt you . Angie and I love each other and are going to make a life for ourselves somewhere where we can live in peace

.Both of them boarded the flight with pockets of dreams to share and a love for one another that would make anything possible .

 

The End