October first - one month later.

There might be mitigating factors in this tragedy which would be interesting to go over more objectively through and certainly "cleansing" but a stain's a stain. You can't meditate this type of pain away. You can MEDICATE it away but how sad and lonely is that place that has no voice. but not punching even can never truly be achieved. It reminds me of the time i lost my entire family (four siblings and all their children) after the reading of my mother's death. One of those seriously life changing event which might be traumatic if i wasn't such as the Mulligas' are made - strong and sour, ready to take anyone on! wiser than you might think and puffy - thinking they're something a tad better than any one else.

There was one Mulligan, though, Gerry the eldest's, eldest son. He was an odd boy - saw him squish a frog one day to see what it was made of - he didn't know that it was wrong to do that. Jesus. Ach, as a teenager, young adult and on to adulthood he needed watching. He had the good fortune of getting hired by the factory in town and he did a steady, menial, semi-mindless job of putting one bolt on the hatchet and passing it down the line - this kind of job. Got paid for that and he contributed to the household generously. This was his redemption ticket and he knew it.

Margie, his sister was way past her prime at twenty-seven and was not what you'd call a comely woman. Over time it soured her and it become too difficult to keep the facade up and - oh, that beautiful smile she saved for the gentlemen - she became resigned to being single but her family were ever hopeful.

You'd think it might've been easier for the eldent McGregor, but the challenges kept up. After the last child, his wife had a stroke. Not much to do but keep her clean, fed and in the wheelchair but hell, it takes alot of his time. Margie picked up the slack but she didn't mind. It's not that she had anything elso to do. Her mother's disability just became part of the family's life. The neither objected or critized how life had changed, they just adapted.