The red, blue, black, white, silver, gray blurs endlessly zoomed by on the inky, abrasive highway, head lights of every individual motorcar emitting forward toward their specific destination. You could just barely distinguish the glistening hue of each agile motor vehicle with the ebony night cloaking everything in its wake. The towering, silver streetlight flashed bright intermittently on each automobile, illuminating the pigment of every car, brightening the reflectors on the charcoal pavement that lit the pathways of the road.

A luminous, sterling Mercedes strode ahead on the freeway, dashing past each mile apart exit: Union Hills Dr., Bell Rd., Greenway Rd., Thunderbird Rd., Cactus Rd. The silver sedan swiftly merged onto the exiting lane of Cactus Rd., cruising down street by street until finally reaching the cream, white familiar door. The young girl with the rich, mocha skin darkened over the years from the blazing sun of Arizona and her dark brunette hair, jumped from the luxurious vehicle and retrieved the large, half-empty suitcase.

The older man in the gray driver’s seat of the car, left the car to help the young teenager bring her luggage into the house. The petite, ebony woman that came bounding out of her large, white house with her sleepwear on gave the two people, of the silver luxury car, a warm greeting with a big smile. The meager suitcase was easy to roll up the slanted driveway of the grand, cream home but would hit the cracks in the cement causing it to twist and twirl irritably and the younger woman would have a quick fit of annoyance before continuing into the house of her older sister. The eldest girl walked away and left the man with his daughter, the young girl. He said a bitter goodbye to his little girl, sullen with the fact of her disappearance for a week but the young teenager could not be happier with the independence from her parents. She watched her father drive off before walking into the house, beaming with enthusiasm, questions filling her head about what her travels would be like and where they would take her. How long will the flight be? I hope I fall asleep easily on the plane. What should I wear for the departure tomorrow? Will there be cute boys on the same plane as me? I hope so.

The night advanced with the two women folding their clothes, packing their shoes and toiletries, eating ice cream and watching a movie before settling to bed. With the early flight, there had to be an early morning routine. The ladies were up at the crack of dawn, only four hours of dormancy. The long flight guaranteed a long slumber. With a hot shower and a cold breakfast cereal, the gals drove a short route to the house of their close cousin-Susanna Viney- in an old, raggedy white Saturn with the A/C busted. It was morning so it was not as hot as it could be, but the fine bead of sweat sliding down the oldest woman’s face was proof to the daily heat of Phoenix.

Susanna’s silver minivan traveled the long voyage to Sky Harbor airport. People were roaming about, looking for departures and arrival gates. The airport was like a jungle, everyone running to their planes due to their tardiness; shoving and pushing other travelers, brawling for a closer position in the lengthy line for coffee. A hot, expensive brewed coffee from the Sky Harbor Starbucks; great way to get the extensive morning started.

Little sleep was achieved on the distant, five and an half hour journey to New York. The city was foreign to both of the girls, but a dream place as well. With a six hour layover, they decided to visit some of the most famous landmarks. Madison Square Garden. Time Square. Empire State Building. They enjoyed a famous New York sub and bought some of the stylish New York clothing. They had to walk their sore, aching feet back to the train that returned them to the airport, but they couldn’t be happier to finally be on their way to the country they love so much.

As the African-American ladies departed from the Delta Airlines plane, they strolled to baggage claim capturing their large suitcases, they then began their search for their Irish escort, Mena Lynch. The ebony adolescence thought to herself, I didn’t see any cute boys on either flights, but Ireland’s looking pretty stocked. Mena is a middle aged, blonde woman with a high-pitched Irish accent; she is very comical with her witty humor and expressive visages. She led the two travelers out of the large, cold airport and towards her small, gold sedan. The older sister conversed naturally with the nice woman as they relived old memories and updated each other with their current lives. The young lady lounged in the back restlessly, admiring the multiple shades of green the trees had to offer on the side of the freeway, it was nature in motion. The harsh breeze quaked the drooping trees from left to right, as if they were dancing, praising the heavens with their animated leaves.

Not having any time to wash up, the two travelers immediately visited the home of a young couple, David and Brandi Mcgahey, and Peter Lynch who was staying with them while we slumbered in his room. The married couple was easy-going and fun, everyone easily became acquainted. The girls met a lot of other people from the Lynches’ church, including three handsome young men that the young sister quickly got along with. The week they were there, the two sisters explored Ireland numerous times; going to different cities and meeting new people and seeing old friends. Ireland felt ancient to the teenage girl; the stone sidewalks concealed in green moss and the cracked roads running in an endless direction. The buildings were made up of old bricks and wooden panels with chipped paint. Countless castles could be seen throughout this antique country; castles, made of the same stone used to make up the sidewalk, sat in plains, broken and deserted, left for the eyes of tourists. Nothing about the small town we stayed in, Dundalk, was modern. The endless row of stores on the streets were old-fashioned, no space in between them and wooden flooring with dimmed lights and swiveling stools in the bars. The whole town gave the young woman a serene, homey feeling.

The young girl sat on the smooth carpet, surrounded by the faces of pleasant strangers. The little sunlight shone through the stained glass windows, illuminating half of her face while the other half was covered by darkness. She sat, waiting for the afternoon activities the youth group would play today. The teenagers in the congregation had all been very kind to her when she initially arrived; they welcomed her with open arms. Everyone got along very well, going to dinner together past twelve in the morning. Taking long, exciting trips to other cities and greeting her into their homes with gleeful beams and gentle eyes. Laughing with her and having a “good ol’ crack.” She was already one of them although only being there a week, they enjoyed company saying she was a “header” and she was great to have along for the ride. A day passed then two, then three and four until it was time to depart. The two girls’ journey had ended, and home was their final destination. They adored the green travel they were bestowed.