How exciting to have
Kathleen O'Bryan from A PLACE OF REFUGE written by Janet Lee Barton a September 2013 release from Love
Inspired Romance .
1. Kathleen, tell me the most interesting thing
about you.
I'm not sure there's all
that much interesting about me. I'm an immigrant from Ireland and I lived with
my sister and her husband until recently. Now I want to do all I can to help
her and her boys out of the tenements and on to a better life.
2. What do you do for fun?
Before moving to Heaton
House, the only fun I had was taking my nephews to Central Park. Life hasn't
been much fun up until now. But I love living here and I've gone on several
outings with the other boarders--to Ladies Mile, on picnics and even to Coney
Island. That's all been a lot of fun.
And I love spending time with the boarders. I feel like they are part of
my family now. Well, all except for Luke. He's . . . special. I've never had a
man friend like him before. He came to my aide in the park last year when my
brother-in-law was threatening me. And he was here the night I was brought to
Heaton House beaten and . . . he'll
always be special to me.
3. What do you put off doing because you dread
it?
Going back to the
tenements. I'm afraid I might see my sister bruised like I was. I'd love to
have her out of there so none of us have to go back.
4. What are you afraid of most in life?
That my brother-in-law will
hurt my sister or the boys now that I'm not there to protect them.
5. What do you want out of life?
I want to get my sister and
nephews out of the tenements so that we can all have a chance to have a good
life, one where we don't have to worry where our next meal comes from. And I
want my sister to be able to know people like Mrs. Heaton who has been so kind
to me.
6. What is the most important thing to you?
My faith and my family.
7. If you could change one thing about yourself,
what would it be?
I don't know. The Lord made
me the way I am, and He must have had a reason for doing so. Who am I to second
guess him? I suppose I'd like to have more patience and not jump to conclusions
so quickly. Maybe not find it so hard to trust others.
8. Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why
that pet?
I don't have a pet. It's
been all we could do to take care of ourselves since we came to America. No
need making a pet suffer along with us. Maybe someday my nephews will be able
to have a pet.
9. Can you tell us a little
interesting tidbit about the time period you live in?
Oh, my, it's a time of much
change. Especially for women. So many are entering the workforce and there are
all kinds of jobs for them. Why, Mrs. Heaton's daughter-in-law works at Butterick
and Julia works at Ellis Island. Elizabeth works at the Delineator magazine and
Millicent is a photographer who wants to open her own business. Mrs. Heaton
says we all have so many more choices on what to do than women did when she was
our age. Women don't have to depend on a man to take care of them--they don't
have to settle for anything but love now. And after watching the way my
brother-in-law had treated my sister--I don't think I'd ever be able to trust
my heart to any man. Well maybe one. I believe Luke is the kind of man one
could trust . . . but he'd never think of me that way . . . no matter how much
I might wish he did.
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