Jackie

Jackie Collins is a celebrated Irish-American writer who travels to Dublin (Ireland) to find her Irish soul and meets a mysterious Irishman named Tom who might be IRA.

Alright, I'm signing off with this complicated IRA love-story inspired by the Jim Sheridan film The Boxer. Thanks so much for reading,

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Jackie Collins boarded an Aer Lingus flight from JFK (NY) to Dublin (Ireland) in the summer of 2020. She had decided to retire from writing after amassing over $30 million in assets, with her popular American novels about crime-noir finding their way into Barnes & Noble bookshelves across the USA. Jackie wanted to find her Irish roots and decided to travel back to Ireland and discover the foundations of her interests in popular psychology writing. Was it because she was Irish-American and Irish people had a fondness for social psychology and folk mysticism? Jackie was headed to Dublin to discover herself.

When Jackie arrived in Dublin, all she could think about was how much she loved the atmosphere and color of green Ireland, with the iconic city of Dublin and the surrounding natural country of Ireland. Jackie came across a children's day-school in the countryside which hosted about 30 young children in a daycare environment. Jackie decided to spend 1 entire week volunteering as a teacher's assistant at this daycare center. Here, Jackie learned about the simple splendor of the natural innocence and raw beauty of Ireland.

Jackie was truly having a great time. She then traveled back to Dublin, the main city, and began exploring the various areas of the Irish city. She drank and ate at iconic pubs and symbolic restaurants and read books at the quaint bookshops. A few people crossed her path and recognized her American literary celebrity and requested her autograph, with one fan claiming she was a huge fan of her Queens (NY) female detective novel The Terrorist. Jackie realized her education at the Ivy League school Dartmouth College and her experience writing about pedestrian imagination was contributing to the richness of her exposure to the 'street poetry' of Dublin.

Jackie met an intriguing and dashing young Irishman named Tom Collins, who obviously shared her surname. He seemed drawn to her and crossed paths with her while she was walking in the Dublin Park and he was sitting on a bench making a charcoal drawing of a mermaid. Tom introduced himself and told Jackie he was a college graduate and amateur artist and looking to really find himself before landing a major job. Tom was living off some family money while doing private artwork before looking for a job. Jackie was incredibly drawn to the charming Tom Collins and asked to see his artworks at his apartment. The two started dating, and Jackie offered to hook up Tom with some of her literary contacts in the USA who might be looking for graphic artists willing to create novel cover-art. Tom was excited about the well-paying prospect. Jackie and Tom quickly became a handsome Irish couple, spending the warm summer months in Dublin (Ireland) together. Tom seemed perfect for her.

Tom was an excellent chef. He invited Jackie to his apartment often and they made love and then he cooked some quaint and tasty authentic Irish dish or perhaps an Irish dish with an American flair, since he knew his new girlfriend Jackie was Irish-American. They spent so much time together that Jackie joked and suggested she might want to come out of retirement just to write a novel about him, the charming young Irish artist (and chef!). Tom giggled and thanked her before giving her a special small plate of his experimental new Irish beef pot pie. It was so delicious, and Jackie was relishing the dish while basking in the sunlight coming through Tom's apartment window while she lay nude on his white bed. It was a perfect Irish day for Jackie Collins.

Tom told Jackie he was going to be gone and away for an entire week but would return to greet her and embrace her and make love again and cook for her. Jackie was curious and bewildered to know why her new dashing Irish beau was suddenly vanishing for a whole week that summer. She had no choice but to tell him she'd await his return eagerly! Tom gave Jackie the keys to his Dublin apartment and told her she'd be able to just relax there until his return. Jackie planned to do just that, perhaps drinking wine and writing some freehand poetry while Tom was away, apparently on a business-trip to Belfast to try to sell one of his charcoal drawings to a Belfast prospector. During that week when Tom was gone, Jackie saw the TV news-story of a terrible terrorist bomb attack on a Dublin police barracks that was hosting a group of British Protestant policemen and soldiers flown in from Belfast (Northern Ireland) on some kind of diplomatic visit about Protestant controls.

Tom returned after his promised week and embraced Jackie. She told him of the terrible news-story she saw on TV about the terrorist bomb attack on the Dublin police barracks hosting the group of British policemen from Northern Ireland. Tom told her not to worry about these random terrible modern stories on TV about uncontrolled Protestant-Catholic troubles in Ireland (or Northern Ireland). Tom told her the exciting news, however, that he might be able to procure the travel funds to go with her to America after making some art sales with a special prospector in Belfast. Jackie was so happy for her Irish beau, and he decided to make her a special lovely portrait of bucolic Irish green flowers. Jackie was in love. She had found her Irish heart...and soul.

Tom told Jackie he was going to be gone for just half-a-day one morning after they made love. He promised he'd be back by sunset. Jackie smiled and told him she'd wait for him with a full heart. She turned on the TV and was watching a special documentary on IRA history and Protestant-Catholic troubles in Northern Ireland on BBC. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Jackie opened the door to discover a member of Scotland Yard was there to talk to her. Detective John Brown of Scotland Yard introduced himself to a surprised Jackie Collins and explained he'd tracked the American literary pseudo-celebrity to Tom Collins' apartment. He told her Tom was an active underground radical operative of the P-IRA (Provisional Irish Republican Army) was plotting a visit to America to make a terrorist attack on Wake Forest University during a Protestant conference at the Religion Department at the school about modern institutional securities for religious groups in Europe. Jackie knew now she was knee-deep in IRA complexity.

Detective Brown explained that IRA man Tom Collins, Jackie's new mysterious beau, was the main suspect in the Dublin police barracks bombing which resulted in the deaths of more than 10 British policemen visiting from Northern Ireland. Detective Brown told Jackie she'd be an invaluable source of help for Scotland Yard police if she just helped the British authorities track and detect Tom Collins' next move and confirm whether or not he intended to visit Wake Forest University during his visit to America. Jackie didn't know what to respond at first but realized she had no choice and calmly told the detective she'd do everything possible to ask Tom if he intended to visit Wake Forest for any reason. Brown gave Jackie his private mobile-phone number and told her to contact him immediately for any criminal assistance. Jackie thanked the Scotland Yard detective and considered her next move in her new covert dealings with the possible IRA terrorist Tom Collins.

JACKIE: I'm so pleased you're in America with me now, Tom.

TOM: I'm excited to be in this exciting country with my new darling!

JACKIE: You're so mysterious, Tom.
TOM: Hehe, what do you mean, babe?
JACKIE: Well, you go on your own for these mysterious art-sales trips.
TOM: You know I'm an aspiring artist trying to find my niche now.
JACKIE: Well, I'm getting you those novel-cover art company contacts!
TOM: Sure; I'm totally grateful for this; it's partly why I was able to come to America with you.

JACKIE: I have a sneaking suspicion you're going to Wake Forest University soon.
TOM: What?
JACKIE: Are you intending to travel to Wake Forest while you're in America with me, Tom?
TOM: Why're you asking me this, Jackie?
JACKIE: I have a suspicion you're planning this trip.
TOM: Well, honestly, I was going to attend this Protestantism conference on modern security.

JACKIE: Why?
TOM: There're some free-speech considerations about Protestant-Catholic troubles.
JACKIE; So what?
TOM: It might affect the kinds of free-speech art markets new age Irish artists should seek!
JACKIE: Are you worried about the repercussions of Northern Ireland troubles, Tom?
TOM: Who isn't, Jackie?

JACKIE; Tom, a man approached me on the street in Dublin claiming you might be a terrorist.
TOM: What? Who?
JACKIE: Are you a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, Tom?
TOM: Why're you asking me this?

JACKIE: You don't need to know the identity of this man, but is it true?
TOM: What if it was; would you be suddenly suspicious of my love?
JACKIE: Tom, I want to know if I know the man I'm courting.
TOM: Jackie, I want us to get married someday.
JACKIE: I don't want to marry a terrorist!
TOM: Jackie, you have no idea about the complications of Protestant-Catholic strains.
JACKIE; Like what?
TOM: These terrorists are trying to detangle centuries of Protestant-Catholic confusion.

JACKIE: Are they freedom-fighters...or terrorists?
TOM: You don't understand; the world cares about Israel-Palestine but not about Northern Ireland!
JACKIE: You sound like some kind of Belfast sympathizer, Tom.
TOM: You sound like one of the characters in your paranoia-themed crime-story novels, Jackie.
JACKIE: Don't be smug and cruel, Tom.
TOM: As an Irish-Catholic, I'm actually stunned that Israel-Palestine gets so much more attention.
JACKIE: Why're you really visiting Wake Forest University, Tom?
TOM: Jesus Christ...alright, Jackie.

JACKIE: Alright, what?
TOM: I'm a sentinel of the Provisional Irish Republican Army.
JACKIE: A sentinel?
TOM: Yes, a sentinel is a munitions-runner, messenger, and freelance terrorist.
JACKIE: So you are a terrorist!
TOM: I'm a freedom-fighter.
JACKIE: What's the difference, Tom?
TOM: The difference is that I fight for the Irish-Catholic minority in Belfast.
JACKIE: Why is this minority group so in need of defense?
TOM: They have little support from Parliament or from the American media.
JACKIE: How would terrorism improve anything?
TOM: The world needs to know Israel-Palestine isn't the only conundrum.
JACKIE: I'm scared of you now.
TOM: Go your own way, darling; I do love you; but I have to undo centuries of religious hell.
JACKIE: I don't want to marry a terrorist.
TOM: Jackie, I'm leaving you one of my paintings.
JACKIE: Why?
TOM: Look at it; think on it and consider why an evil terrorist thinks of you as his destiny.
JACKIE: Alright, Tom.
TOM: Farewell.

Tom and Jackie Collins parted ways. Weeks later, Jackie stopped watching TV, afraid to see any news-story of a terrorist attack on Wake Forest University during the Protestantism conference and discovering her ex-boyfriend Tom Collins had a role in it. Jackie decided to write a new online short-story about the fictional predatory alien creature the Xenomorph, from the popular Alien sci-fi horror-film franchise. The short-story, titled Xeno, explored why a potential contact with a terrifying alien intelligence just might remind us why civilization is so reflective of complete danger. It became a popular online diorama and received thousands of likes and comments. Jackie Collins considered it a symbol of her newfound pensive evaluation of how a love-story suddenly became a tale of darkness.

TOM: Everything is settled for the Belfast initiative in December.
IRA: What about Jackie Collins, Tom?
TOM: She doesn't know a thing!
IRA: You're knee-deep with her emotionally, Tom!
TOM: I'm not distracted, Jerry!
IRA: I know that, but I worry about your thoughts.
TOM: I'm not an emotional juvenile.
IRA: Maybe you're letting love interfere with work.
TOM: Even terrorists have some wiggle-room for destiny.
IRA: Maybe, Tom; maybe.

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"Money is everything" (Ecclesiastes)