Charlie And Midge - Chapter 4

Charlie And Midge

A Novel

By Paul McCann

 

Chapter 4

 

The Travellers Farewell   

 

Charlie woke up and it was a new day. The golden sun was shining as  the sky spread its blue canvas as far as you could see . The birds were singing in the trees and Lucky started barking and scratching at the inside of the door . Charlie jumped out of bed to allow Lucky to go out and then gently shook Midge  .

” Hey wake up Midge , we have to go and tell your Mammy and Daddy about us moving .;

Midge lay there for a while and then she gave a half-hearted response  .

“All right “

Charlie could tell by the sound of her voice that she was a little upset and looked at her face . She had a few tears in her eyes and Charlie asked .

“Is everything all right Midge”

Midge replied ,

 “I’m just a little emotional Charlie . See this is the only life I’ve ever known and I know change is a good thing for us but I’ve so many memories here . I’m not sure how Mammy and Daddy will take it as well . “

CharlIe replied ,

“I know it will be hard at first Midge but its you and me against the world and we both need to move ahead on our own and make a go of it in the world together . I’m sure they will understand “

 

“I know they only want the best for us Charlie and it’s not as if we’re going to another country never to return “

Charlie said ,

:That’s the spirit Midge . We need to become independent as a married couple and catch up with the present and meet new people and see new places . This move is a change for the better for us both ,“

“It makes me realise I’ve been living in a glass house most of my life . So I do see the advantages with moving into a different environment . My lifer changed when I met you Charlie and now both our lives are one . Since we’ve been married I feel more adventurous and ready to take on new challenges .“

Lucky was barking outside and jumped up to look in the window . Charlie and Midge laughed and opened up the door . Lucky came in and was very excited and jumping up and licking them both on their faces .

“Good morning Lucky boy , my what a great friend you are to us “

Lucky started barking and Midge and Charlie gave him some attention that he had not received for a long time before they both got dressed and had  breakfast .

Midge took her bag from the cupboard and took out the old tin box and called Charlie .

“Charlie said ,

“Oh I forgot about that old box Midge  “

Midge replied ,

“Oh Charlie you should see what’s inside “

She opened the old  tin box and took out the bag with the stones and poured them all out on to the kitchen table . The stones sat their in a pile sparkling in many colours . There was a silence in the room .

Charlie said

“Midge I think we have found something here. “

Midge replied ,

“Aren’t they beautiful Charlie “

“Daddy knows a lot about gems and I’m sure he can tell us what they are”

They all walked up to the  big farmhouse to have a talk with Midges parents . about moving to Safe Harrbour . The walk to the farmhouse was much different than before . They had a wolfhound at their side and they both had this feeling of walking up the lane for the last time . The roses looked redder and the trees looked larger. The leaves looked greener and the birds sang louder . They were soaking everything in the moment . When they got to the farmhouse Mr and Mrs Powers came to greet them and were really taken by Lucky . Mr Powers threw a few sticks for him to fetch .

Midge had always been living in a sheltered environment on the farm and never really had anything to worry about  . Her parents  never thought that their only child would get married one day and move away . Maybe part of that was them being over protective in a loving way .

But now that it had happened , things had changed and they had to accept the fact that their little girl had grown up into a woman with a life of her own to live .

Charlie would now be the person to look after Midge and there was no contesting that . The news of them moving away from the farm went over better than expected and had an unexpected surprised when Midge opened the bag and poured out the  gemstones that was inside the bag .

Mr Powers was overwhelmed and as he had a look at the stones his excitement grew . He called a contact of his who was a jewellery maker and local historian .

Desmond Blair was respected by many as a man of knowledge and maker of the finest hand made Celtic jewellery . If anyone would know the value of these stones it would be him .

As the news of the move to Safe Harbour sunk in Mrs Powers had decided instead of a house warming party in the new home it might be better to organize a farewell get together on the farm with some of her musician friends . So she began to make some phoner calls inviting some of her friends and telling them to spread the word out on the travellers grapevine about the farewell shindig at the farm .

Later that day Desmond put a price of informed the Powers that the stones were worth a small fortune . He had heard about a ship that had been wrecked a long time ago and some of the locals who lived around the harbour went out in little boats to rescue everyone they could . It was said that on that ship there was a collection of diamonds , emeralds and ruby’s that were being sent on the ship to be used in making new a crown for the King and Queen of Lir but it was thought that the stones were lost at sea when the ship sank . Now Desmond was thinking that these stone were those that went missing a long time ago . He hesitated but suggested that the stones were priceless . He said he could possible use them himself to make a collection of brooches , rings and necklaces that would be sold at auctions .

The excitement on the farm that day almost uncontrollable with everyone laughing and dancing at the news of the treasure that had been found .

Within a day or two there was action a plenty with gypsy caravans starting to arrive on the farm .  As they gathered around they were made welcome by Mr and Mrs Powers . Midge and Charlie were introduced to one and all who arrived ..

Almost as soon as they came they started to take out their instruments and play their

Jigs and reels and the shindig had begun .  .

The music was alive and wouldn’t stop until it was over . At night their was a glow of laughter and sound around the campfires that were jumping with golden flames pumping and leaping into the night sky . There were singers and tunes never heard before . There were other well known tunes like Lord Baker thirty of its verses that were remembered by a few and sung on a gypsy tongue that was hard to translate .

There were tinkers lullabies and songs about the colours of the country . Folk songs with their stories , history being made and also being retold . Underneath the starry sky the gypsies stayed and played their music with some of the language in the ancient tongue of the travellers .

On other occasions there would be a lull in the atmosphere and in that moment came a presence of silent retreat where contemplation rested easy and poetry was recited and stories were told of mystical times around the land and Charlie and Midge would sit there listening to the tales with ears opened to another world .

The farewell for them was a reflection on the past as well as a looking ahead into the future and the moving into a new home in safe harbour .

The Powers farm was also going through the same adjustment going into a future from the present with hope and happiness for all who would come and go there .

One night as Charlie and Midge were sitting there in front of a campfire Mr and Mrs Powers came with a bag of potatoes wrapped in silver foil to put into the embers of the fire and also a bottle of fire water or Poitin as it was known as . It was an illegal drop of alcohol that was brought by some of the gypsies  to be drank at the shindig .

It had to drunk under the light of the moon with music playing and people singing .

It had to be shared around from hand to hand around an open fire and all there were to share a song , a poem . a story or a prayer to continue the tradition of the travellers .  That night as they shared a sip of the Poitin music and stories a plenty came and even Mr Powers himself sang a song called “Lost Sons Of Erin”  :that had been taught to him by his parents who had been connected with the sea .

Midge had never heard him sing before and was happy that he did .

The song about those who went to sea on boats and never returned to the shore .

It was one of those nights when the fire was still and the sight of the embers were glowing all night with a hypnotic feeling that almost left you with an experience of  escapism from life . It was an enchanted night that was appreciated by all there .

Charlie recited a poem he knew and Midge played a tune on the accordion .

Mrs Powers played along with the musical instruments that the gypsies had brought  along . It was a real folk session that would never be forgotten . T

here’s always a custom with many travelling people who never like to say farewell , its more of a hello than a goodbye and that’s the feeling that was being shared at the shindig at the Powers farm .  Travellers have no real fixed abode or home of their own except for their caravans and frequently come and go around the country living here and there on some spare ground on the fringes of villages and they became known as tinkers as well because of their ability to fix things and mend broken bits and pieces . As they travelled around they also brought their stories and songs , dancing around their campfires , showing up at carnivals where they work for a bit of  extra money . Tinkers of their time however the plastic age came and killed their way of life . Plastic things didn’t get broken as easy and gradually the movement of the travelling people started to come to a stop except for those who still carried their music around to places where they were made welcome .  Some of them still lived with colour in their lives a little on the wild side of life but gentle in the way they understood the nature of life around them . With a wild fire in their heart and a super sensitive gift they were able to tell d fortunes and read tea cups , In their caravans they would live like a community from another place and time .

Meeting the travellers and listening to their stories and songs was an invaluable time for them . It allowed them also to see their own need to move around and meet different people and to survive in whatever way they could on their own . Thery had a wanting to share a life together and face everyday struggles in a regular everyday lifestyle  . They both wore gold rings on their fingers and had love in their hearts . They embraced everything together and moved ahead in this new plastic age with credit cards and computers and social media with so much still to learn , they  wanted to put some roots down and move on so their new home in Safe Harbour was for them the beginning of a journey in their relationship together .

 One night when Charlie went to bring some more firewood for the campfires from one of the sheds on the farm  Midge sat with her parents tried to explain to them the reason for moving away and said  ,

“ Mammy and Daddy , I love you so much and I am eternally grateful for everything you have given Charlie and me but we need to try and be on our own so we can grow together in our relationship .“

Her parents were sad but understood . Her mother embraced her and her father cried . Part of him was still living in the past and had him thinking what he was going to do now that his daughter was leaving . He admitted he was feeling a bit lost in what to do because he had always provided for Midge and looked after her in every aspect and now he felt as if he had no more say in her life .

Midge reaffirmed her love for him was still the same and to trust the way things were going. She explained in a nice way that she was able to make her own way in life now without him always being around . She thanked him for all the guiding advice . he had given over the years and reluctantly Paddy knew he had to accept how it was .

He told Midge that there would always be a warm welcome on the farm if things didn’t work out for them in Safe Harbour . They moment they all had a chance to talk about their feelings and even though it was hard , they knew it was a good things for Midge and Charlie to do .

In the modern world some words are never said and the old ways have to change and sometimes for the better  . Old customs are buried in holes somewhere in time  swallow by the hunger of progress . Mr and Mrs Powers had seen too many winters come and go in their fields with the long wait for springtime to arrive . They had watched their little daughter grow but never noticed how fast that took . Now Midge had grown up into a woman . Midge could now understand why many unmarried women still remained at home with their parents on some farms around the country The same could also be said for the amount of single men on farms as well.

The travelling people were a different breed altogether , they were able to  move on into the present as things were changing around them . The plastic world  came all of a sudden , with new ways of thinking but couldn’t accept their ways so in their need to survive the travellers learned to live beyond the pale , adapting and adjusting to this new way of life .

The same could be said now for Midge who was trying to change with the times and assure her parents that she would be ok live outside the farm .

After the shindig was over , it was time for Midge to start packing things into boxes and Midge was not coping well with that at all . She had too much to pack and knew that she had leave everything behind . In that letting go Midge started to realise that most of the things shew had been hoarding would never be used .

Then she questioned why she never was able to get rid of anything before . Charlie was encouraged by what he saw as something inside Midge’s had clicked like a penny going into a in a slot on a carnival sideshow . Days and nights of packing cardboard boxes left them exhausted but also excited about the move .

 

End Of Chapter 4

Charlie And Midge

A Novel By Paul McCann

 

 

Link to Chapter 5

https://www.abctales.com/story/mcscraic/charlie-and-midge-chapter-5

 

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