Chapter Twenty-One - ‘The George Residence for Children and Young Persons’
In the summer of 2018, Mary Fanning and Brandon Northrop went into business together, along with another two business partners; Grace and Harry Northrop.
Between them, Mary Fanning and Brandon had slowly emerged at the realisation of what they intended to do for the rest of their lives, and as for Grace and Harry Northrop, they loved Brandon so much that it just felt natural to be as much a part of his future as they could. Also, being able to help other children like their deceased son, gave them a purpose in which George’s memory could be kept alive.
Harry and Grace Northrop had planned to leave their estate to Brandon when they died, but then realised that if they sold up and cashed everything in now, they could liquidate enough capital to enable Brandon to be an equal partner with Mary in their joint business venture.
Having had only one child late on in their married life, Harry and Grace Northrop had amassed significant savings over the years. They each had inherited goodly sums after their parents died; monies which they wisely invested in stocks and shares.
So, they sold their house and freed up all their assets. The sale of their house, their savings, and all stocks and shares realised €1.8 million. Along with the financial assets of Mary Fanning and the personal skills of all four adults concerned, the seeds of a good business venture were sown and were given firm root.
The parties purchased a large mansion house on the Copper Coast, Waterford. The property had ten rooms, a large dining hall, and stables, outbuildings, and ample ground to extend in future years if required. The size of the building would enable three bedrooms to be used by operating staff; one for Grace and Harry Northrop, one for Brandon, and one for Mary Fanning; leaving seven rooms that would become the sleeping quarters for seven special residents, including Mary’s daughter.
The Copper Coast is Waterford’s own UNESCO Global Geopark. It has fifteen miles of shoreline, comprising of cliffs, coves, and sea stacks. Getting its name from the ancient copper mines that once covered the area, the Copper Coast is full of fascinating history and hidden coves. Prominent in the skyline is the Metal Man at Newtown Head, where a huge sailor perches on a pillar; letting sailors know that they're entering Tramore Bay.
The Metal Man became a favourite place that Mary Fanning and Brandon would visit together whenever they could get a few hours off to relax.
As Ireland’s oldest city, founded in the 9th century by the Vikings, Brandon considered County Waterford as an ideal place to establish their residential home for cerebral palsy children and young adults. There would be lots for them to see, and all four adults strongly believed that young people who have cerebral palsy ought not to be deprived of cultural aspects of their surrounding environment and country’s history.
Mary and Brandon and his adopted parents called the property they purchased ‘The George Residence for Children and Young Persons’. By the summer of 2018, they were ready for opening the establishment, and having registered the residential home as charitable status, they were eager to begin their business venture.
The home was exclusively an establishment for children and young people with special needs who required residential, educational, and personal care, for which the State did not traditionally make provision. Continued funding would come from charitable bodies plus the occasional grant. Additional money would be raised through holding charitable events.
The parties planned to start off with seven child residents, and only after they’d established a reliable stream of funding backup during the immediate years ahead, did they hope to extend by building an Annex to house some more residents.
Parents of the child residents were encouraged to maintain regular contact with children and staff at the residential home and to join in some of the activities, just as they might do if their children lived with them.
It was hoped that monies could also be raised to eventually build two flats within the grounds where the long-term residents could move into after attaining the age of eighteen, to establish independent living with staff support on hand, as and when required. It remained the aim of all the resident’s parents, if possible, to one day see their young child establish semi-independence in one of the flats in the grounds of the residential home.
Naturally, the first resident to occupy ‘The George Residence for Children and Young Persons’ was Mary Fanning’s daughter, young Mary. Before the spring of 2019 was through, the home had its full complement of seven child residents.
Grace and Harry Northrop oversaw the cooking, cleaning, and general maintenance, assisted by a full-time cook, cleaner, and a repair person who also doubled as gardener. Mary Fanning undertook the general management of the establishment, buying in professional workers for anything they couldn’t cover themselves, and which various charity funders didn’t provide. Brandon became the Care Manager of the home, and there was a doctor on call, as required.
Between them, Mary Fanning and Brandon had slowly emerged at the realisation of what they intended to do for the rest of their lives, and as for Grace and Harry Northrop, they loved Brandon so much that it just felt natural to be as much a part of his future as they could. Also, being able to help other children like their deceased son, gave them a purpose in which George’s memory could be kept alive.
Harry and Grace Northrop had planned to leave their estate to Brandon when they died, but then realised that if they sold up and cashed everything in now, they could liquidate enough capital to enable Brandon to be an equal partner with Mary in their joint business venture.
Having had only one child late on in their married life, Harry and Grace Northrop had amassed significant savings over the years. They each had inherited goodly sums after their parents died; monies which they wisely invested in stocks and shares.
So, they sold their house and freed up all their assets. The sale of their house, their savings, and all stocks and shares realised €1.8 million. Along with the financial assets of Mary Fanning and the personal skills of all four adults concerned, the seeds of a good business venture were sown and were given firm root.
The parties purchased a large mansion house on the Copper Coast, Waterford. The property had ten rooms, a large dining hall, and stables, outbuildings, and ample ground to extend in future years if required. The size of the building would enable three bedrooms to be used by operating staff; one for Grace and Harry Northrop, one for Brandon, and one for Mary Fanning; leaving seven rooms that would become the sleeping quarters for seven special residents, including Mary’s daughter.
The Copper Coast is Waterford’s own UNESCO Global Geopark. It has fifteen miles of shoreline, comprising of cliffs, coves, and sea stacks. Getting its name from the ancient copper mines that once covered the area, the Copper Coast is full of fascinating history and hidden coves. Prominent in the skyline is the Metal Man at Newtown Head, where a huge sailor perches on a pillar; letting sailors know that they're entering Tramore Bay.
The Metal Man became a favourite place that Mary Fanning and Brandon would visit together whenever they could get a few hours off to relax.
As Ireland’s oldest city, founded in the 9th century by the Vikings, Brandon considered County Waterford as an ideal place to establish their residential home for cerebral palsy children and young adults. There would be lots for them to see, and all four adults strongly believed that young people who have cerebral palsy ought not to be deprived of cultural aspects of their surrounding environment and country’s history.
Mary and Brandon and his adopted parents called the property they purchased ‘The George Residence for Children and Young Persons’. By the summer of 2018, they were ready for opening the establishment, and having registered the residential home as charitable status, they were eager to begin their business venture.
The home was exclusively an establishment for children and young people with special needs who required residential, educational, and personal care, for which the State did not traditionally make provision. Continued funding would come from charitable bodies plus the occasional grant. Additional money would be raised through holding charitable events.
The parties planned to start off with seven child residents, and only after they’d established a reliable stream of funding backup during the immediate years ahead, did they hope to extend by building an Annex to house some more residents.
Parents of the child residents were encouraged to maintain regular contact with children and staff at the residential home and to join in some of the activities, just as they might do if their children lived with them.
It was hoped that monies could also be raised to eventually build two flats within the grounds where the long-term residents could move into after attaining the age of eighteen, to establish independent living with staff support on hand, as and when required. It remained the aim of all the resident’s parents, if possible, to one day see their young child establish semi-independence in one of the flats in the grounds of the residential home.
Naturally, the first resident to occupy ‘The George Residence for Children and Young Persons’ was Mary Fanning’s daughter, young Mary. Before the spring of 2019 was through, the home had its full complement of seven child residents.
Grace and Harry Northrop oversaw the cooking, cleaning, and general maintenance, assisted by a full-time cook, cleaner, and a repair person who also doubled as gardener. Mary Fanning undertook the general management of the establishment, buying in professional workers for anything they couldn’t cover themselves, and which various charity funders didn’t provide. Brandon became the Care Manager of the home, and there was a doctor on call, as required.
~~~~~
By the spring of 2020, something unexpected happened between Mary Fanning and Brandon.
Although Brandon had previously indicated to Mary that he’d occasionally harboured ‘feelings for men’ (while never mentioning such to his adopted parents), he was now presented with a cauldron of emotions that confused his mind and questioned his sexual identity.
He tried to rationalise them away, but it was futile. Brandon could no longer deny that the feelings he now held for Mary Fanning were of a sexual and passionate nature, and which had gradually grown stronger over the past year. He had to eventually conclude that the feelings he held for Mary to be real.
The longer time went on, the closer Brandon and Mary grew. The couple found themselves thinking and feeling about each other in ways they would have previously considered unimaginable. Since November 2019, they’d found it increasingly pleasurable to be in the other’s company at every opportunity and sought each other out at every pretext.
Their visits to ‘The Metal Man’ became more frequent and were of longer duration. Often, Harry and Grace Northrop would smile at each other as the two went out the door saying, “We’re just nipping out for an hour’s break. See you soon.”
There was no denying what was happening; they were falling in love. Both started to get sexual feelings whenever they were alone and in some form of close interaction.
The first sign of this happened one morning when Mary was changing the bed sheets of one of the residents who’d ‘had an accident’. She needed to take down a dry bed sheet from the overhead clothes hanger and it required two pairs of hands to fold properly, so she asked Brandon to give her a hand.
As the couple folded the bed sheet, they couldn’t prevent themselves from looking lovingly into the eyes of each other as they moved closer in the folding process. With each fold and step forward, their heartbeat quickened, and each adult started to inwardly glow in sensual anticipation as the anticipated touch of their hands came ever closer. The couple completed the task, secretly wishing that somehow, one of them would let the sheet slip to the floor and thereby obliging them to start the folding exercise all over again!
The mere touch of each other’s fingers was sufficient to increase the blood supply to their heart, and sufficient enough to even consider the bold imaginings of an embrace or kiss.
Such feelings initially left Brandon and Mary equally as confused.
Brandon recognised that he now held sexual feelings for Mary, which were much stronger than the feelings he’d occasionally had for men in the past but had never acted on. Mary was certain enough about her own sexuality not to deny that she also held sexual feelings for Brandon.
After months of continuing to receive such feelings for each other, one summer’s evening while resting in a field within sight of their favourite ‘Metal Man’, Brandon kissed Mary fulsomely and she responded in kind. Minutes later the couple were passionately embracing and rolling in the grass as they laughed.
Suddenly, with the rapid movement, Mary’s loose flowing summer dress rode up her leg, revealing her thigh and the white of her knickers. Brandon looked Mary in the eye as he slid his hand up inside her dress and started caressing her thigh and buttocks. She made no move to stop him as her eyes looked back lovingly into his.
Just then, Brandon abandon all sexual advance; his Roman Catholicism had stopped him dead in his tracks as soon as he realised where he was heading. He apologised to Mary. As they returned to the residential home that evening, both parties knew without question that they were falling in love.
Although Brandon had previously indicated to Mary that he’d occasionally harboured ‘feelings for men’ (while never mentioning such to his adopted parents), he was now presented with a cauldron of emotions that confused his mind and questioned his sexual identity.
He tried to rationalise them away, but it was futile. Brandon could no longer deny that the feelings he now held for Mary Fanning were of a sexual and passionate nature, and which had gradually grown stronger over the past year. He had to eventually conclude that the feelings he held for Mary to be real.
The longer time went on, the closer Brandon and Mary grew. The couple found themselves thinking and feeling about each other in ways they would have previously considered unimaginable. Since November 2019, they’d found it increasingly pleasurable to be in the other’s company at every opportunity and sought each other out at every pretext.
Their visits to ‘The Metal Man’ became more frequent and were of longer duration. Often, Harry and Grace Northrop would smile at each other as the two went out the door saying, “We’re just nipping out for an hour’s break. See you soon.”
There was no denying what was happening; they were falling in love. Both started to get sexual feelings whenever they were alone and in some form of close interaction.
The first sign of this happened one morning when Mary was changing the bed sheets of one of the residents who’d ‘had an accident’. She needed to take down a dry bed sheet from the overhead clothes hanger and it required two pairs of hands to fold properly, so she asked Brandon to give her a hand.
As the couple folded the bed sheet, they couldn’t prevent themselves from looking lovingly into the eyes of each other as they moved closer in the folding process. With each fold and step forward, their heartbeat quickened, and each adult started to inwardly glow in sensual anticipation as the anticipated touch of their hands came ever closer. The couple completed the task, secretly wishing that somehow, one of them would let the sheet slip to the floor and thereby obliging them to start the folding exercise all over again!
The mere touch of each other’s fingers was sufficient to increase the blood supply to their heart, and sufficient enough to even consider the bold imaginings of an embrace or kiss.
Such feelings initially left Brandon and Mary equally as confused.
Brandon recognised that he now held sexual feelings for Mary, which were much stronger than the feelings he’d occasionally had for men in the past but had never acted on. Mary was certain enough about her own sexuality not to deny that she also held sexual feelings for Brandon.
After months of continuing to receive such feelings for each other, one summer’s evening while resting in a field within sight of their favourite ‘Metal Man’, Brandon kissed Mary fulsomely and she responded in kind. Minutes later the couple were passionately embracing and rolling in the grass as they laughed.
Suddenly, with the rapid movement, Mary’s loose flowing summer dress rode up her leg, revealing her thigh and the white of her knickers. Brandon looked Mary in the eye as he slid his hand up inside her dress and started caressing her thigh and buttocks. She made no move to stop him as her eyes looked back lovingly into his.
Just then, Brandon abandon all sexual advance; his Roman Catholicism had stopped him dead in his tracks as soon as he realised where he was heading. He apologised to Mary. As they returned to the residential home that evening, both parties knew without question that they were falling in love.
~~~~~
Further discussion over the months ahead between the couple, plus a visit to see a sexual therapist, led to Brandon being informed that he was probably a man of low bi-sexual orientation. He was told that if that assessment proved to be accurate, then marrying a heterosexual woman he loved would be most unlikely to present any marital problems or identity issues for him in the future.
After months of mental struggling, one late evening Brandon and Mary was sitting in the lounge, winding down after a busy day. They were having a glass of wine each, when, out of the blue, Brandon proposed marriage to Mary.
Mary was caught off guard with the unexpected proposal and didn’t immediately answer. Seeing her tussling with her answer, Brandon said, “I guess you’ll be worried about any shadow of doubt relating to my sexual orientation, Mary,” adding, “I can’t say that I blame you.”
“I can’t deny that it concerned me somewhat until a few months ago, Brandon,” Mary replied, adding, “It’s just that if we married, I couldn’t bear the thought of you ever being tempted by another; especially a man.”
Having got to my age, Mary, and never having acted upon my sexual feelings for any man, I don’t see why I would act on them now, or in the future. I cannot envisage ever being unfaithfully to you, Mary Fanning. I love you, Mary! I think I’ve been in love with you ever since the age of 9 years when you wrote that letter on my behalf!”
Mary looked at Brandon and smilingly said, “I love you, Brandon Northrop, and yes, I will marry you! Name the day but give me and your parents at least six months to prepare. Also, they’ll be no sampling the goods before you’ve paid for them with a marriage ring; especially if we’re going to do this the Catholic way.”
Brendon smiled and said, “They’ll be no funny business from me, Mary Fanning until I’ve put that ring on your finger, but I can’t promise that I’ll never pop into your bedroom by ‘mistake’ in the middle of the night, when I’m half asleep and have been to the bathroom in a sleep walk.”
Mary smiled, and the couple kissed fulsomely. At that moment, Harry and Grace Northrop entered the lounge and found their adopted son and Mary still in a loving embrace.
“Does this mean what it looks like; what we think it means?” Grace asked.
Arm in arm, both Mary and Brandon smiled and together replied, “Yes!”
“In that case, you’d better fill another two glasses from that wine bottle over there on the table because this calls for a celebratory drink,” Grace said as she smiled at Harry.
After months of mental struggling, one late evening Brandon and Mary was sitting in the lounge, winding down after a busy day. They were having a glass of wine each, when, out of the blue, Brandon proposed marriage to Mary.
Mary was caught off guard with the unexpected proposal and didn’t immediately answer. Seeing her tussling with her answer, Brandon said, “I guess you’ll be worried about any shadow of doubt relating to my sexual orientation, Mary,” adding, “I can’t say that I blame you.”
“I can’t deny that it concerned me somewhat until a few months ago, Brandon,” Mary replied, adding, “It’s just that if we married, I couldn’t bear the thought of you ever being tempted by another; especially a man.”
Having got to my age, Mary, and never having acted upon my sexual feelings for any man, I don’t see why I would act on them now, or in the future. I cannot envisage ever being unfaithfully to you, Mary Fanning. I love you, Mary! I think I’ve been in love with you ever since the age of 9 years when you wrote that letter on my behalf!”
Mary looked at Brandon and smilingly said, “I love you, Brandon Northrop, and yes, I will marry you! Name the day but give me and your parents at least six months to prepare. Also, they’ll be no sampling the goods before you’ve paid for them with a marriage ring; especially if we’re going to do this the Catholic way.”
Brendon smiled and said, “They’ll be no funny business from me, Mary Fanning until I’ve put that ring on your finger, but I can’t promise that I’ll never pop into your bedroom by ‘mistake’ in the middle of the night, when I’m half asleep and have been to the bathroom in a sleep walk.”
Mary smiled, and the couple kissed fulsomely. At that moment, Harry and Grace Northrop entered the lounge and found their adopted son and Mary still in a loving embrace.
“Does this mean what it looks like; what we think it means?” Grace asked.
Arm in arm, both Mary and Brandon smiled and together replied, “Yes!”
“In that case, you’d better fill another two glasses from that wine bottle over there on the table because this calls for a celebratory drink,” Grace said as she smiled at Harry.
