Lucky Me by Cindy Callaghan Page B

COURSE YOU CAN!” he said to Mrs. Buck. “Really, TEN DAYS?Actually, don’t answer that if you can’t talk. . . . YOU CAN’T TALK,” he repeated.
    Mrs. Buck nodded.
    â€œOh, you’re right,” Paddy said. “I think she hears just fine.
    â€œFollow me now,” he continued, and scurried down a slender hallway doing a quickstep. “Here we are. The lily room. Just right for spring, don’t ya think? My sis and the lass can sleep here, and the lad can use the sofa.”
    We thanked him.
    He said, “My third wife, Elizabeth, God rest her soul, she got laryngitis once and lost her voice for three days. . . .
    â€œA cup of tea will crown ye. Out back,” he said, and dashed away.
    I asked, “What did he say?” I dropped my duffel.
    â€œHe’s bringing tea to the backyard for us.”
    Mrs. Buck directed us to the back door, while she headed toward the kitchen. Finn went outside first, and he had to bend down so that his head wouldn’t hit the top of the doorframe. I walked through with no problem.
    It was a postage-stamp-size backyard surrounded by a fence that crawled with ivy. A wrought iron table and two chairs sat in the grass.
    Paddy darted out through the low door. In a flash thetable was covered with cookies, cheese and crackers, and tea. It was just what I needed, because I was famished, despite the big piece of soda bread I had eaten earlier.
    Paddy asked, “A bit of cow in your tea, lass?”
    â€œHuh?”
    Finn interpreted, “Do you want milk in your tea?”
    â€œOh, yes please.”
    â€œGimme a ring if you need me.” Paddy left a golden bell on the table.
    I nibbled on a cookie. “I can feel my luck changing since we found CiCi and have gotten closer to Anna. Can’t you?”
    He leaned close to me and lifted the four-leaf clover off my neck. “You really believe in luck, don’t you?” He dropped the silver chain and sat back with a cookie.
    Then I toyed with the clover. “Do you think I’m too superstitious?”
    â€œI don’t know. Maybe you’re just the right amount and I’m not enough.”
    â€œDon’t you have any good luck charms? Something that when you see it or hear it, or whatever, it makes you think it might be lucky?”
    â€œWell, I guess I have a favorite number. Maybe I think it’s lucky.”
    â€œYou do? So do I. What’s yours? Wait. Let me guess. Four?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œNine?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œOdd or even?”
    â€œEven.”
    â€œMine too. Maybe it’s the same. Is it ten?”
    â€œNo. Yours is ten?”
    â€œYup,” I said.
    â€œWell, that’s kind of cool.” He held up his wrist. “Look at the time. It’s twelve minutes after ten. Your lucky number is ten and mine is twelve, so between the two of us, this is a very lucky minute.” We looked at his watch, which changed to thirteen after ten. “And it’s over.”
    I said, “Now I’m always going to think of you when it’s 10:12.”
    He spread some cheese on a cracker. “I like that. Kind of like a secret code.”
    â€œKind of.” We munched quietly.
    â€œI’ve been wanting to ask you something,” Finn said.
    â€œSure. What?”
    â€œIt’s about your cell phone. Do you have games on it, like that guy on the park bench?”
    â€œOh, yeah. That phone has everything. You can totally use it. But—”
    â€œWhat? If you don’t want me to use it, I understand.”
    â€œNo. It’s not that. It’s just that I don’t remember seeing it lately. I’ll be right back.”
    I hustled to the lily room and scrambled through my purse and new duffel full of stuff. Shoot! My phone wasn’t there. How could I possibly live without my phone?
    I gave Finn the bad news and held back my tears. He assured me that it would be okay.