Catholic blessing and her pregnancy. She seemed satisfied with her findings.
Her father returned with the tea and they all talked about the impending arrival. No apologies were made. Gabrielle doubted that any would be offered. She would instead assume that the gesture of travelling all the way to Belfast was apology enough, so she let it slip.
One question still hung in the air, Max. They had not met him yet and he was due home from work soon.
âMum, Dad, Max will be home soon,â she said.
They looked at each other but didnât make to leave.
âGrand,â her father said affecting false casualness.
Sure enough ten minutes later, the sound of Maxâs key in the door alerted them to his arrival.
Gabrielle held her breath as he entered the living room, her parents eyed the door.
âWell the bus was,â Max stopped mid-sentence and looked at the arrivals.
âMax, meet my parents,â Gabrielle said.
âYou actually came,â Max said eyes wide in surprise, âthank you,â he added humbly.
Her father was immediately on his feet shaking Maxâs hand, and her mother was behind him. It was a surreal scene, something she had never expected.
âPleased to meet you Max,â her father said.
âHello,â her mother said.
An awkward silence ensured so Gabrielle went to the kitchen and put on more tea. She thought she would leave them alone for a while to either get acquainted or knowing her luck and her mother unacquainted. She started to make up some sandwiches and took her time about it.
When she estimated that at least 20 minutes had passed and that the front door hadnât been touched Gabrielle re-entered the room. She didnât know what to expect but certainly not what she found.
She stood in the doorway and surveyed the unlikely scene. Her mother was on the edge of her seat in deep conversation with Max and her father was nodding along knowledgably. Gabrielle released a little cough and walked into the room. She sat the tray on the coffee table and busied herself serving teas; it was as if she was invisible. It seemed her mother had found a fellow conversationalist in Max, they were talking about the boring issues that Gabrielle tended to glaze over at. Yet the pair was engrossed. She looked at her father baffled and he winked at her.
Two hours later her parents left.
Gabrielle may have once found her parents racist, but when she looked at the events that occurred that day she knows they never were. Mixed race relationships have always been a contentious issue, couples this very day face difficulties and lack of acceptance. It was 1974, her parents were from the country a place where they had encountered very few, if any people of colour in their daily lives. Yet when they met Max, when they got over their previous reservations, their concern for their daughter and potential grandchildren, they bonded firmly and quickly. Her parents were never racist they were simply protective and before meeting Max filled with protective trepidation.
Two days after their reunion, Gabrielleâs labour began and they were reunited once again. Gabrielle was engulfed with so much pain, that she was filled with empathy and respect for that brave, brave woman on the maternity ward in Derry. That day Alison my sister was born.
Chapter Twenty
Alison soon became completely and utterly spoiled and enjoyed by her granny, her great granny, her grandfather, her many aunts and of course her doting father. Everyone loved baby Alison; she was a regular in her grandmotherâs house and amongst Gabrielle and Maxâs circle of friends. Wherever she went she was indulged with toys, sweets, games and hours of undivided attention.
Any concerns about Alison becoming too spoilt were short lived. In the Christmas of 1975, just when order was restored to the house, Gabrielle was given a little surprise; she was pregnant again. Just when Alison was sleeping full nights in her own
Her father returned with the tea and they all talked about the impending arrival. No apologies were made. Gabrielle doubted that any would be offered. She would instead assume that the gesture of travelling all the way to Belfast was apology enough, so she let it slip.
One question still hung in the air, Max. They had not met him yet and he was due home from work soon.
âMum, Dad, Max will be home soon,â she said.
They looked at each other but didnât make to leave.
âGrand,â her father said affecting false casualness.
Sure enough ten minutes later, the sound of Maxâs key in the door alerted them to his arrival.
Gabrielle held her breath as he entered the living room, her parents eyed the door.
âWell the bus was,â Max stopped mid-sentence and looked at the arrivals.
âMax, meet my parents,â Gabrielle said.
âYou actually came,â Max said eyes wide in surprise, âthank you,â he added humbly.
Her father was immediately on his feet shaking Maxâs hand, and her mother was behind him. It was a surreal scene, something she had never expected.
âPleased to meet you Max,â her father said.
âHello,â her mother said.
An awkward silence ensured so Gabrielle went to the kitchen and put on more tea. She thought she would leave them alone for a while to either get acquainted or knowing her luck and her mother unacquainted. She started to make up some sandwiches and took her time about it.
When she estimated that at least 20 minutes had passed and that the front door hadnât been touched Gabrielle re-entered the room. She didnât know what to expect but certainly not what she found.
She stood in the doorway and surveyed the unlikely scene. Her mother was on the edge of her seat in deep conversation with Max and her father was nodding along knowledgably. Gabrielle released a little cough and walked into the room. She sat the tray on the coffee table and busied herself serving teas; it was as if she was invisible. It seemed her mother had found a fellow conversationalist in Max, they were talking about the boring issues that Gabrielle tended to glaze over at. Yet the pair was engrossed. She looked at her father baffled and he winked at her.
Two hours later her parents left.
Gabrielle may have once found her parents racist, but when she looked at the events that occurred that day she knows they never were. Mixed race relationships have always been a contentious issue, couples this very day face difficulties and lack of acceptance. It was 1974, her parents were from the country a place where they had encountered very few, if any people of colour in their daily lives. Yet when they met Max, when they got over their previous reservations, their concern for their daughter and potential grandchildren, they bonded firmly and quickly. Her parents were never racist they were simply protective and before meeting Max filled with protective trepidation.
Two days after their reunion, Gabrielleâs labour began and they were reunited once again. Gabrielle was engulfed with so much pain, that she was filled with empathy and respect for that brave, brave woman on the maternity ward in Derry. That day Alison my sister was born.
Chapter Twenty
Alison soon became completely and utterly spoiled and enjoyed by her granny, her great granny, her grandfather, her many aunts and of course her doting father. Everyone loved baby Alison; she was a regular in her grandmotherâs house and amongst Gabrielle and Maxâs circle of friends. Wherever she went she was indulged with toys, sweets, games and hours of undivided attention.
Any concerns about Alison becoming too spoilt were short lived. In the Christmas of 1975, just when order was restored to the house, Gabrielle was given a little surprise; she was pregnant again. Just when Alison was sleeping full nights in her own
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