Dublin Delights
Chapter 5

"Oh what a beautiful morning
Oh what a beautiful day
I have a beautiful feeling
Every thing is going my way"

	I opened my eyes to the singing of our pleasant chaperones.  It wasn't exactly something I wanted to wake up to.  A loud sigh bellowed from my lips and I sat up.  I stretched and yawned.  Fully not refreshed, I reached to the top bunk to rouse Doug.  He wasn't so pleased with the idea of having his sleep interrupted.  More extreme measures had to be enforced.  I lied down on my bed and pushed onto the bottom of his with my legs.  He almost fell off, but he was up.  

	"God, dammit Sean, its seven o'clock in the morning.  I get up later on school days."

	"Just tell me would you like Mr. O'Mally, and Mr. Shofield to sing a duet just for you."  That got him.  He sat up and quickly responded.

	"No"

	"Good then, lets get a move on."

	Both of us got up and realized that there were two other people in the room.

	"Lets scare them awake," Doug said.

	"No, then Mark will have something to bitch about all day."

	We made ourselves look decent in the morning sunlight pouring through the window.  Fixing hair, brushing teeth, and all the essentials.  We then dressed in our day clothes.  We tried to be as quiet as possible.  If they woke up it would spoil our plan.  After we were dressed we slowly opened the door and slipped out.  We didn't need much space.

	"Alright, you look left and I'll look upstairs," I said.

	"What do we do when we find them."

	"Hey, no bother, their they are."

	We called Mr. O'Mally and Mr.Shofield over to us by waving our hands and putting fingers up to our mouths in a display of silence.  Once they came, we spilled our little plan to them. It wasn't much, but it was an introduction to the early morning life of Ireland.  They both agreed and we all slipped back into the room, I took my position at the switch and Doug stood watch in anticipation.  Mr. O'Mally and Mr. Shofield took their place beside the bunk bed that the two were sleeping in.  

	Doug yelled, "OK!," and I flicked the lights, flooding the room with a sharp white light.  Mr. O'Mally and Mr. Shofield started the chorus.

"Oh what a beautiful morning
Oh what a beautiful day
I have a beautiful feeling
Every thing is going my way"

	They woke up with such a start that we just bust out laughing.  Derek clunked his head on the railing and Mark almost jumped right off the bed.  I was rolling in laughter, unable to control myself.  Needless to say, but Mark had something to bitch about all day.  

	Doug and I started to walk toward the cafeteria building.  We were very early, but soon the entire group started to pile in.  Aaron, Tim, and Justin joined us at our table.  I gave each of them a good morning and a smile.  I could tell that they didn't get enough sleep last night.  They all looked groggy and sleepy.   Even in the mornings he looks sexy, I couldn't get enough of him.  I drank him all in and closed my eyes picturing him ans smiled to myself.

	"This is going to be a packed day." Justin said.

	"Yea, I know.  You guys get to perform you first Irish show tonight," I stated.
	"But before that we go on this 2 kilometer hike in the Lac Gur area," Tim said.

	"Great more prittle prattle about the Irish history."

	"Come on, it might be a little fun," I retorted, but I knew they were right.

	Breakfast was served.  It looked a lot like an American breakfast, eggs, hash browns, juice, coffee, sausage.  I took a bit of the sausage and I believe that I turned ten shades of green.

	"What the hell is this stuff," I said quietly to our small little group. 

	"Sausage."

	"This is not sausage.  Taste it, you will see."

	Aaron, took a bite and swallowed.  HARD.  "Woa, what kind of sausage is that."

	"Ground lame guts," Mr. O'Mally said as he turned around in his chair ro face us. 

	I had to have turned ten more shades of green.  "Ground lamb What?"

	"Guts," He stated as he turned back to face his food.

	That pretty much finished my breakfast.  I pushed my plate aside and said, "Well now that I am not feeling so well, what do you guys want to talk about."  They were pretty much done with their breakfasts as well.  
	
	Breakfast was quickly over and everyone piled into the bus.  We were going to go on a tour of the Lac Gur area.  The trip was very quite.  Again, I turned inward and thought about my emotional changes that have occurred in the last few days.  It amazed me that these changes could have occurred so fast.  I guess though that I knew, I feel like I have always known.  'You know what would be a lot easier.  Writing a letter, NO, that is avoiding the subject.  But it would be easier, a non-direct confrontation.  That is how I always dealt with stuff like this.  All the more reason not to use that method now.'  I sat in quiet thought.  I looked out the window at the passing scenery.  It is so peaceful.  

	"Sean!"

	I jumped at the sound.  I turned and, oh, shit, it's Aaron. "Yea"

	"What did you want to talk to me about."

	"What?"

	"Last night, you said that you had something to talk to me about."
	"Oh, yea, I did, didn't I," 'Think, think, think, think.  YES.'

	"Well."

	Oh, God. I looked around and the seats around me.  They sat and talked. "There are too many people around, I'll tell you later."

	"Ok, so how are things going in your room?"

	"Oh, my God.  For at least an hour they didn't stop talking."

	"What did they talk about?"

	I looked aver at him, his skin was fair, hairless, perfect.  His hair fell over his forehead in that sexy way that I like it.  His nose, proportionally shaped  Then I saw his eyes.  His jungle green eyes stared right back at me.  They are so deep, I can see into his soul.  We stared like that for what seemed like an eternity.  Time slowed, it nearly stopped.  The bus moved at snail speeds.  Sound became silence and nothing existed except but those eyes, those soul piercing eyes.  I looked away, fearing that he would see my secret.  Suddenly, everything snapped back into place, the would turned at its normal speeds.

	I saw something in those eyes.  Something that he is keeping a secret.  The bus came to a halt and I looked out the window, what I saw is a scene that I never thought excited.  A lake with green rolling hills, an old mission church, and large widespread trees.  The church's roof must have collapsed in its long history.  It must be hundreds of years old.  Creepers grew up the sides.  Mr. Shamus took us to a vantage point next to the church that overlooked the lake.  

	"This is Lac Gur.  This lake has a history that spans hundreds of years.  This church was a missions church used by the followers of St. Patrick.  It was used for services until fire ravages it in the early 1300, we don't know exactly when.  The lake itself was owned by the mission and used a refuge for treasure that people didn't want found.  Infant there has been old crowns and swords found in the fall when the lake is at its lowest point."

	We were allowed to roam around the area and explore the church.  Where the front door used to hang from old hinges we all gathered to take a group photo.  Ms. Kensington gathered, us and stood back.  She focused for at least fifteen minutes.  After the shot we all exhaled and started to breath at a normal pace.  
	
	We were gathered up and took a walk down the road.  We took a side trip off the road and gathered a grouping of large rocks.  Mr. Shamus described that this is a burial site.  Most of us listened at the church, but here people were goofing off.  I knew that we were going to get in trouble for that.  I did my best to avoid Aaron.  I don't exactly know why.  I just knew that he wanted to talk my secret out of me.  I smiled to myself.  This must be killing him.

	We finished the talk at the burial site and walked further down the road.  We walked around the lake and stopped at a vantage point.  From here I could see an old castle through the barren trees.  It looked majestic from here, I can just imagine what it would look like up close.  

	Mr. Shamus spoke up again.  "You see those hills over their.  There are leprechauns who live in those hills who seduce people into following them.  If they get too close to the entrance of their layer, they become the loyal slaves."  We all had a good laugh.  

	We continued walking down the road, along a pasture fence.  Aaron walked up to me, on our way to where ever we are going.

	"Hey, how come, you are trying to avoid me."

	"I'm not."

	"Then why did you move away from me at the burial site when I tried to talked to you."

	Just then I stumbled on a loose stone.  I grabbed onto his shoulder and onto the pasture fence wire.  The wire didn't hold me up well, but his shoulder did.  Suddenly I felt a shock go through my arm from the fence.  Trough my body and my other arm.  It must have traveled to Aaron too because when I got up he looked at me all weird.

	After a second or so, he asked, "What was that?"

	"I felt it, did you feel it"

	"Yea, like an electric shock"

	'Oh, an idea,' " I don't know where it came from"

	"What ever it was, it felt kind of cool."

	"Yea, it did."

	"So, why did you avoid me."

	"I . . ."

	Mr. Shamus spoke up. "This is a recreation of an old village in early Irish history.  The building were mostly made of sod and had multiple families live in them.  Alright, look around and explore.  There is a lot to see.  Eventually go the bus which is down the road a bit."  He went off to talk to the chaperones.  

	"You were saying," Aaron said.

	I looked at him, with a troubled face.  I think he could tell that this was hard for me.
	"Dude, what's wrong."

	"This is hard for me, I don't know how to say this easily."

	"I'm your friend, you can tell me."

	Everyone has moved down the road, but have not boarded it yet.  "Alright, flat and plainly.  You regard me as a best friend, right"

	"Yea."

	"Then it is easy to say that I love you."

	"I love you too, so."

	I felt tears start too swell in my eyes.  He didn't get it.  "No I mean, I love you more than a friend, more than best friends, more than you could know.  I'm attracted to you."  He mumbled something, that I couldn't hear. "What?"

	"I got to go," he said in a faint voice.

	I started to cry, right there, He got up so quickly and ran to the bus.  I have to follow him.  The bus is going to leave soon.  I started to run toward the bus, tears streaming down my eyes.  I wiped my eyes before I got on the bus.  I sat in the closest seat near the door, (behind the chaperones of course) and buried my head in my knees.

	I guess Megan was sitting behind me, because she started to speak to me.  "What's wrong," she said.

	"Nothing, I'm just tired."

	"You don't look tired.  Your eyes are all red."

	"Nothing I feel fine, I'm just tired, that's all, I didn't get to sleep early enough."

	"You looked fine at breakfast."

	"I seriously am fine."

	I turned forward and stared out the window.  'I regret what I did, I knew he wouldn't take it well. GOD DAMMIT.  WHAT A FOOL I AM!!'

	We drove back to the hostel for lunch and a short play time.  Or as most of us call veg time.  I finished my lunch as quickly and silently as possible.  I didn't take part in conversation.  I didn't "feel well."  I looked up to find Aaron.  He was sitting by his and my friends with his back facing me.  I couldn't tell what he was doing or thinking.

	After lunch I threw my self to my bed and just cried, and cried.  I fell asleep.  I needed it.  My final thought being 'I just sacrificed my reputation, friendship, and for what?  I don't know, I just don't know.'
 
