Match

By S. Wightman

When a former police officer in Ireland walks into a local pub, he has no idea that when he leaves, he'll be taking the first steps that will change forever the lives of the Match brothers, Eoghan & Shane, as well as Eoghan's daughter, Saoirse.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jun 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781483555881

Book preview

Epilogue

Part 1

Prologue

I would rather die of passion than of boredom.

~ Vincent van Gogh

Eoghan (pronounced: ‘Owen’) Match, songwriter and singer for the Match Brothers, was asleep in bed when his girlfriend – before passing out – vomited on the bed where she was lying next to him. Saoirse (pronounced: ‘Seer-sha’), Eoghan’s darling eight-year old daughter, found the woman like that, the bed reeking of vomit, and awakened her dear Da to tell him the good news about their first album.

COUNTERPUNCH

The Match Brothers first album, Counterpunch, had just reached the top 10 in UK and in America. The two brothers, Eoghan and Shane, rarely played an instrument in performance anymore. Instead, they simply handed out sheets of music to whatever band happened to be available to provide the sound behind the songs they’d written. Eoghan and Shane often swapped off on the vocal parts. It all depended on how they were feeling at the time.

One night you might hear Eoghan singing the main vocal part for a particular song of theirs and the next night it could be sung by Shane. They were currently in London for a series of performances and the show last night had been one of their best. Much of the credit went to the hall they played in – the acoustics were fantastic – though the British band that backed them did an amazing job as well.

Shane didn’t much like the English, but even he thought they’d added something to the show. Eoghan, being older, knew better. Musicians, actors, artists – they were of a kind. When they performed their magic nothing else mattered. Not country, nationality, religion, politics, history or the time of day. The guitarist and leader of the Niles Wood Band hit every beat exactly as Eoghan and Shane had written them for each of their various songs. It didn’t always happen that way they well knew from long experience.

Not all backing bands were created equally and not all musicians were capable of the same fluidity and subtlety. Shane had already asked Niles and his band to back them in the studio for their second album. These sessions would be recorded in less than six weeks. Neither Shane nor Eoghan had any trouble writing to a deadline and much of their songwriting for the next album was already finished. They wrote every day, regardless of whatever else was going on.

EOGHAN MATCH

Eoghan opened his eyes and groaned. Saoirse’s mum had died six years ago. Once he’d gotten over his grief a few years later, Eoghan had begun trying to find a woman who could both cherish his little girl and put up with his choice of career. In the intervening years, Eoghan had dated many women, but none seemed right for both him and Saoirse. Even at eight-years-old his daughter was wiser than most adults. She had a gentler sense of humor than his as well.

She was, however, quite willing and able to scold the women in his life whom she deemed unworthy with a skill that few adults could match. On more than one occasion Eoghan had had to leave the room because Saoirse’s pointed comments had made it impossible for him to keep a straight face. A subtle ruling from ‘the princess’ Saoirse was more than enough motivation for him to ditch whatever dreadful mating choice he’d made.

The current mistake was a beautiful English girl who, evidently, had issues that required more of her attention than any personal relationship ever would. Eoghan helped her into the shower, then dressed her and called a cab for her. When he was dressed he took Saoirse to breakfast. In truth, Eoghan didn’t believe it possible for him to find another woman equal to his lovely Shannon. She was probably the only woman Saoirse would’ve approved of, but she was forever gone.

SHANE MATCH

Shane joined them, kissing his bonny niece on the top of her head, as always, and asking after his older brother’s latest attempt at finding happiness. Saoirse rolled her eyes, smiling her smile that implied ‘he’ll get there eventually’ and they all laughed about it because it happened so often as to be endearing – Eoghan’s bad luck, that is, not her reaction to it. As they ate, Saoirse brought Shane up to date on the climb of their first album from out of nowhere to the top 10 position.

Shane then began teasing Saoirse who, after a week of rehearsals and their first live performance in England last night, had developed something of a crush on the guitarist and leader of the backing band: Niles Wood. Shane wasn’t a fan of the English in general or in principle, but Saoirse liked Niles and that couldn’t help but change his view of things. Eoghan, Shane knew, had yet to pick up on his brilliant strategy. If Shane was interested in a woman, he’d introduce her to Saoirse right off. That’s all it took. Saoirse’s reaction was all. If Saoirse reacted favorably, he’d get to know the girl. If not, well, Shane could be charming, especially when disengaging.

SAOIRSE MATCH

To Saoirse, Shane was the Mad Hatter and as usual her analysis was spot on. Shane was by turns charming and distant. When he was writing he was in another world. When he wasn’t he was the life of the party. It all depended upon the particular hat he was wearing at the time.

Her father, on the other hand, was always open, friendly and gregarious. He was the ‘most wonderful man in the world.’ Niles Wood – Saoirse tingled – was something else indeed. Saoirse was always mute in his presence and her uncle Shane was the only one who seemed to notice. That was why he teased her so about it. She didn’t mind, it made her feel like one of the boys. Her boys: Eoghan and Shane.

FERGIE DUNNE

Fergus ‘Fergie’ Dunne, manager of the Match Brothers, joined them for coffee when he arrived at the hotel. Looking like a cabbie, Fergie had been a provincial police officer in Ireland before he discovered the brothers in a pub in Galway. Shane was singing and Eoghan was backing him on an acoustic guitar. The retired police officer had come in for a drink, or two, and left the pub as the manager for the March Brothers.

He was here to congratulate them on the quick rise of their first album for which he’d invested his retirement money. Upon hearing every new song they wrote, Fergie would put his hand over his heart and beg them to stop writing about his pain. It was just too much. Fergie was Saoirse’s ‘adopted’ Seanathair (grandfather) – they weren’t related in any way. He referred to Eoghan and Shane as the lads and behaved much like a beloved guard- dog around the three of them.

To say that Fergie was responsible for their success was, rightly, true. Neither Eoghan nor Shane were particularly ambitious and had, when they’d first started out, been performing merely as a way to meet women. Fergie understood immediately, but also saw the potential in the young lads. They were aimless and openhearted and he’d been determined to protect them from those who might be tempted to take advantage. At the heart of it, Fergie was not the kind of man to be on the wrong side of.

When the lads were writing or performing, Saoirse spent her time with Fergie. Early days, she’d played in his office while he conducted business on behalf of the lads. Her earliest memories of Fergie were of being in his office and playing contentedly on the carpet while he made phone calls or spoke with the occasional visitor. Later on, when the lads started playing in places other than pubs, he would escort the young lass to their shows and hold her up so she could see them performing.

Saoirse always ran to him whenever he showed up, giving him her biggest hug. She loved the gentle giant who had given her the nickname the princess. As Fergie escorted Saoirse back to