Ten days with her

Dublin, Friday, 3 January 2003, 2pm:

I walked up to Catherine as she stood waiting for me beside the taxi rank at Heuston Station.

Cork, Sunday, 13 January 2003, 6.25pm:

I walked away from Catherine to get the 6.30 train to Heuston Station, Dublin.

In between, I spent ten days with the most amazing girl I’ve ever known. I love her so much more than ever and more and…this is going to work. If I’m meant to do anything on this planet, it’s to be with her. Last night I had a dream about my Dad buying a new car, talking to me about it. My sister and Mam were there, along with my sister’s friend. The whole family, really. And I woke up taking a big breath. They all seemed to far away, like they were my distant past already. Catherine was still asleep beside me, and I looked at her for a while. She’s got this simple brilliance about her, that while she sleeps she looks utterly gorgeous without any effort. She’s a huge part of my future, I’m so convinced of it now. Ten days together would either make or break us. And I think it’s made us.

In between that shiny new winter’s afternoon last Friday week and now, Catherine met my family, went for a meal with us for my sister’s 18th birthday, met some of my cousins, met Embryo and Cassie again for the first time, impressed my mother no end, went to Galway with me, spent three days in a huge hotel room, leaving only for morning fry-ups and drinks in the evening, went to Cork and introduced me to more of her friends and during all of this I fell in love with her again a hundred times. Walking away from her is getting more and more difficult, missing her isn’t as bad as it used to be because we both just know it has to be like this for now. That said, when I get home tonight, it’s going to be so disjointed and strange and I’ll be so lost without her.

But this time next year, everything will have unfolded beautifully.

j