The bus pulled up to Kylemore Abbey, and the Victorian granite castle nestled in the heart of Connemara towered over us. The gray slabs matched the gray sky, but despite the gloomy setting, my mouth fell open. I leaned over Jaime and pressed my face against the window, remaining still. I memorized the image of the marvelous, granite castle pressed against the green and brown mountain, focusing on every color, angle, and sensation.
“Two hours to explore the abbey,” Declan announced over the loudspeaker. “Then we are onto Spiddal. Don’t be late. The bus doesn’t wait for anyone.”
Jaime, Zoey, Marissa, and I climbed off the bus and approached the castle.
“Did you know,” I said to my new friends, “that Jaime is from Connemara?”
“Do you speak Irish?” Zoey asked.
“I do. It was a required course in school. My grandparents still live here and only speak Gaelic,” Jaime replied.
“Have you been to this castle a million times?” Marissa asked.
“Yes, but not during the prime tourist season. The property has Victorian walled gardens, and my class sponsored a rosebush. Do you want to see it?”
Marissa giggled. “Do you know where it is?”
“It can’t be too far,” Jaime replied.
We walked through the castle, and he pointed out random facts about the architecture, history, and local area. After circling through the rooms on the first floor, we settled at a table to eat scones and drink tea. “You are quite the walking encyclopedia,” I said.
“Eh, no more than any other Irish folk.”
I locked eyes with his, grateful for his help. “I love hearing stories, so anytime you feel like sharing, I’m all ears.”
Jaime’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I have lots of stories to share.” Anticipation traveled up and down my spine, and I looked away to break up the intimacy of the moment.
“Do you guys want to check out the miniature gothic church or walk the gardens?” Zoey asked.
“We only have thirty minutes.” Marissa’s gaze circled the room. “Do you think that’s enough time?”
Jaime grinned. “Declan said two hours, but we’re on Irish time. You’ll soon realize if you’re ten minutes late, you’re early.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the laissez-faire approach to life.
“I say we check out the gardens.” Zoey scanned the map she held in her hand. “They don’t look too big.”
“I don’t know,” I said, biting my bottom lip and picking at my cuticles. “What if we miss the bus?”
“Yeah, I don’t think we have enough time.” Marissa flipped her hair back and leaned on her hand.
Zoey sipped her tea quietly. “I think we should go for it. It’s not like we’ll visit Connemara again. We need to explore everything, while we can. Don’t worry, Rory. We’ll make it back in time. Marissa, I promise.” Her eyes pleaded with us.
“I thought you weren’t a tourism kind of girl,” I said.
Zoey shrugged. “Eh? I guess the moment got to me.”
“It’ll be grand.” Jaime gathered our dirty dishes and brought them to the dish bucket. My mouth dropped open and I quickly closed it. Why isn’t he this conscientious at home?
“Ready?” he asked. “I’ll show you the way.”
Zoey and Marissa immediately followed him toward the exit.
As much as I wanted to go, I still wasn’t sure, and my brain debated the pros and cons of taking such a calculated risk as I watched my friends file out the café. Reaching a decision, I grabbed my bag and raced after them. “We have to hurry! We can’t be late.”
We passed familiar people from the bus as we made our way outside, the crowd of tourists diminishing as we approached the garden. Jaime led us through the tall blue-green door that propelled us into another world.
Rows of color dotted my vision like paint speckles flung from a paintbrush for as far as I could see. “Wow, this is beautiful.” I turned to Zoey and Marissa and saw the same glimmer of awe reflected in their pupils. “I feel like I’m in Alice in Wonderland and the Queen of Hearts is going to pop out from behind the fountain.”
