Dear reader,

This is week 2 of the series of character interviews during social distancing 2020. After checking in on Valerie and Ryan in their lovely house in Blackrock, County Dublin last week, I’ve decided to move north-west to County Sligo and see how Kathleen and Colin, from the Irish Hearts series, are doing.

*** Please note: this is unedited, so please excuse any typos or mistakes***

G: Hello there, lovebirds!
K: Hi!!! *finger waves*
C: Hi, Grace! How you doin’? *Puts on his strongest New York accent and flashes dimples.*
G: Your dimples won’t work on me, Colin. Save them for your wife. *I wink, even though I do love his dimples.*
C+K: *laugh*
G: So, what has married life been like so far?
C: We love being married, don’t we, babe? *stares adoringly at Kathy.*
K: I think he mostly loves calling me his wife because it makes him feel more respectable when he introduces me to people. *laughs.*
C: *Wraps an arm around Kathy.* I’m proud of calling you my wife. I’m the luckiest man on earth and I want everyone to know it—and to envy me. *flashes his dimples again.*
G: Aww, Colin. You’re so sweet.
C: *Shrugs.* I’m just honest. I don’t know where I would have ended up if this wonderful woman hadn’t come into my life. I’d still be hopping from “flower to flower”, never giving my heart to anyone.
K: And I would still be in a wheelchair, lonely and miserable, waiting for life to pass me by. You saved me, too.
G: I suppose you can say you saved each other, thanks to Declan too.
C+K: *nod and smile.*
G: So, guys, how do you keep yourselves busy during lockdown? Colin, did you have to close your physiotherapy practice?
C: *nods.* It wouldn’t be safe to keep it open. It’s going to hit us financially, of course, but since it was my choice to either keep on working or closing it, I preferred to keep Kathleen and Gran safe. If someone has an emergency, we’ll meet at the studio and I’ll obviously use gloves and face masks, but so far my patients have all been happy to wait and reschedule.
K: Besides, he’s been training them all remotely, anyway. *smiles broadly, pride sparkling in her eyes.*
C: Yeah, I send daily workout videos to all my contacts and offer personal training sessions to those who need them—via Skype, of course.
G: Well, that’s a great idea! Actually, I could use a personal trainer to help me get off the couch and make sure I still fit in my pants after this lockdown. Would you have a free slot in your schedule?
C: *chuckles.* Sure, Grace. It’s the least I can do to thank you for choosing me as Kathleen’s Prince Charming.
G: It was my pleasure! *winks.* Kathy, what about you? Do you work out with him?
C: *grins wickedly and guffaws. Then turns it into a fake cough when Kathy elbows him.*
K: Men. *rolls her eyes.* I prefer yoga, to be honest. Meditation and stretching, that kind of stuff. Though I enjoy working out in the garden, when the sun is out, and Colin supervises me so I don’t do something that could hurt me. And sometimes we power-walk on the beach.
G: You’re so lucky to be living by the beach. I envy you. Do you take Gran for walks too?
C: We just stick to the stretch of beach close to our backyards, to make sure we don’t bump into too many people. Though, as you know, Rosses Point isn’t exactly a crowded place in the off-season. And since Gran needs to take short walks, we sometimes take her with us. We’re lucky we live just two houses over from hers, so we don’t have trouble checking in on her daily.
G: I’m glad to hear that. Say hello to her next time you see her. I haven’t seen my 93-year-old Grandma since end of February, save for a couple of video calls when my aunt goes visit and she can call us. It’s tough but it’s for her own safety too. As long as she stays cooped up in her house, she can’t get infected.
C: Yeah, we only take her for short walks on the beach and we’re always wearing a face mask around her, just to be safe. We want to make sure she’s around to see her great-grandchildren.
G: Ahem… is there something I should know?
C: *chuckles.* No, I meant… eventually, when we have kids, we want them to spend time with their great-grandmother.
G: Kathy? Are you hiding something?
K: *shakes head, smiling.* Don’t worry, you’d be the first to know.
G: Well, I should hope so! Anyway, I’ll let you off the hook for now. Let’s talk about your books. Are you working on something new or is lockdown messing with your writing schedule? I’ve been finding it hard to write these days.
K: *nods.* Actually, I’m working on a story and it’s coming along pretty well. But no spoilers, sorry. I’ll only say it features someone the three of us know quite well…
G: Hmm… let me guess: someone who threatened to break Colin’s legs?
C+K: *laugh.*
K: The one and only! But don’t tell him. I want it to be a special wedding gift for him and Claire.
G: Aww, that’s sweet! Are they going ahead with the preparations? I bet it can’t be easy with all that’s going on.
K: It’s a bit complicated, but I know they’re taking one day at a time and see how it all turns out. It won’t be a big deal, anyway, just family and a small bunch of friends. But they’re not in a hurry since they’re still working on the renovations of the house they bought.
C: David is so besotted I know he can’t wait to marry Claire. He was making fun of me when Kathleen and I were engaged, and it’s finally payback time.
K: You just love teasing him.
C: *laughs.* I can’t help myself. He deserves all of it, babe.
G: Well, I can’t wait to talk to him and Claire then, and get all the updates on what they’ve been up to since I last spoke with them. And I obviously can’t wait for the wedding. It’s been too long since I was in Galway.
K: And after the wedding, you have to come up to Sligo with us.
G: I’d love that! You know Sligo has a special place in my heart.
C: We count on it.
G: Okay, guys. I’ll let you go back to your social distancing routine, now. I loved chatting with you and I hope to see you soon again.
K: It was lovely to hear from you, Grace!
C: Thanks for checking on us. I’ll let you know my available times for the personal training sessions, and I’ll forward some videos you can work on, starting tomorrow.
G: Um… oops, I thought you’d realize I was joking.
C: I’m always serious about my job. There’s no kidding when it comes to physical well-being. *flashes dimples again.*
G: Okay, I promise I’ll try not to slack. (those dimples! Ugh!)
C+K: Bye, Grace. Stay safe! *wave.*
G: You too, guys. Big hugs!

Did you like this interview? Let me know in the comments!

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