“Rory. Nice to meet you.”
“Hi, Rory. Are you looking for a husband?”
I choked on the liquid swirling in my mouth and swallowed it down. He was old enough to be my father. “Ehm, no, not really.”
“You know, you’re a lovely lass. You may find yourself a match here. It might even be me.”
I leaned back and smiled politely. “Thank you, I’ll, uh, keep that in mind. But no,” I reiterated, “I’m not looking for a husband.”
“You know, I’m a farmer out in County Tyrone. It’s north of here, in Cookstown. I’m a dairy farmer with hundreds of cows. Been in me family for generations. Very successful farm.”
I nodded, trying not to be rude, but also not entertaining a continuing conversation.
He didn’t seem to notice my shifting body turning away or my arms across my chest, as he continued talking. “Yeah, so I come here every year, looking for a wife. Life can be lonely when you’re working all day. It would be nice to come home to a warm meal every now and then.”
I choked down another sip. “I’m sorry, Seamus, but I’m actually just visiting. From America. I don’t have any plans of settling here in Ireland, but it was nice meeting you.” I turned before he could reply and set out to find the matchmaker. Maybe coming here alone wasn’t such a great idea.
I felt Seamus’s eyes on me as I walked away and tried to disappear amongst a group of women in the far end of the pub. When I was confident Seamus had moved onto another unsuspecting woman, I scanned the room for the older man with the ancient book.
He sat at a table with an older couple not too far from where I was standing. I slinked over to them and stood a few feet away, waiting my turn to speak with him.
The couple placed their hand on the old book and all three adults appeared to be praying or meditating. When the couple rose from the table, they hugged and moved toward the dance floor.
I stepped toward the table as he flipped through his book, the brown and yellow pages falling out of the binding and onto the pub table, which he scooped up and shoved back inside.
“Hi, are you Willie Daly? The matchmaker?” I asked. Getting closer, he gave off Santa Claus vibes with his round belly, bushy eyebrows, and rosy cheeks.
“I am. Would you like to sit down?”
He motioned at the seat across from him and I obediently sat. “My name is Rory. I’m visiting from Boston.”
“What can I do for you?”
I didn’t know how to respond because I didn’t know how this worked. “Eh, this is my first time, so I don’t know. I made an appointment for half-two. Do you want me to find you then?”
“Ah, no, this will be fine.”
I fell into the chair beside him and leaned forward. “I was hoping I could meet with you and you could lead me in the right direction to find my match.”
Willie closed the book and secured it with the strap. “Certainly. Please fill out this quick questionnaire.” He handed me a piece of paper and a pen and waited silently for me to fill it out. On the sheet of paper I saw three sections: Physical Attributes. Personal Attributes. Life goals.
I wrote down the first thing that came to my mind for each section. Taller than me. Healthy/fit. Kind. Thoughtful. Faithful. Motivated/goal-oriented. Good with money. Good with kids. Personal Goal: Marriage-house-kids. It wasn’t specific but hit all the marks of what I considered the attributes a good husband would carry and how my future would unfold.
Willie stuffed it in the back half of his book without even reviewing it or asking further questions. I pushed my eyebrows together, curious about this process.
“Okay, Rory from America, your desires are now in the Book of Love. They will stay here until you find a match.”
“What is the Book of Love?” I asked.
“The Book of Love is over 100 years old and belonged to my father and his father before him. This book carries the desires of all the lonely lads and lasses looking for love. It’s the magic behind matchmaking.”
Willie analyzed my eyes, nose, mouth, and hands, and then continued. “You will find someone but it is someone you least expect. It’s actually someone you already know.” His eyes rose back to mine and I couldn’t look away, enchanted by his prediction. “You must open your heart to new possibilities, or love will not grasp you. When you find yourself falling, you must not doubt yourself. Open your heart and follow it. Love is right around the corner.”
Disappointment crossed my face at his rather generic prophesy.
He took my hand and placed it on the Book of Love. “I want you to close your eyes for eleven seconds and think of your future. Imagine yourself with your perfect match. Keep your hand on the book so it can transfer its power to you. Ready?”
I nodded, closing my eyes.
