by Martha Long
‘Come on, take off that coat,’ he said, makin me open it, because it was covered in wet sick.
‘Jesus,’ he said, takin it from me wit two fingers then holdin it, not knowin wha te do wit it.
‘I can clean it, Mister Policeman,’ I said, lookin up at him in case he wanted te get rid a me one an only good coat. It was the only one I had. Me Communion one Mammy bought me!
He turned on the tap an lifted me up, sayin, ‘OK, blow your nose and throw water onto your face and wash it.’
‘Wha, will I put me two hands together?’
‘Yes of course, now hurry! They’re waiting outside, we have no time!’
I put me hands together an threw water on me face an blew me nose but it was all stuck. ‘Mister Policeman, me nose is blocked it won’t come out,’ I said, wit him hangin me over the sink danglin on me belly.
‘Keep blowing and putting the water on, and will you hurry?!’
I blew and put more water on me face but nothin happened.
‘Come on,’ he said, turnin me around te see how I looked, then wantin te put me on me feet.
But just as we looked at each other, I gor a tickle in me nose an suddenly shot out wit a big spray a snots an a thick lump a sick.
‘Oh sorry,’ I said, seein him close his eyes an slowly open them, then lookin at me wit his eyelashes coverin in bits, an even more, drippin offa his face an chin. He went very still not movin fer a few minutes, then dropped me te the floor lettin me land wit a bump on me arse. Then he was all action.
I watched as he rushed te drown his face in water blubberin his mouth an shakin his head, makin all sorts a noises te give himself a good wash. I picked meself up an then the pair of us stared again.
‘Wha do we dry ourselves on?’ I said, lookin up at him then around wit me face wet, an now me wet snots. It was drippin down me frock makin me all dirty an wet. ‘I think I’m worser now,’ I muttered, lookin down at meself gettin all dirty filthy scruffy.
‘I’m never havin kids,’ he muttered, then whipped himself around te look an grabbed up a dust cloth. He wiped his face then grabbed at mine givin it a hard rub, before throwin it inta the trough, sayin, ‘Out! Come on,’ an rushin me out an inta the open air lettin me breathe again. Then we stood on the footpath wit him lookin up an down seein wha we do next.
I watched his head movin then when he turned te look down at me I said, ‘Ye have a black face, but around yer eyes it’s all white! Is mine black too?’ I said, liftin me chin te look straight up at him.
‘Ohhh fuckin Jesus!’ he said, givin his big boot a stamp on the footpath. ‘Did anyone ever tell you … Oh never mind! Where’s these bloody people?’ he said, cryin wit the want on him te now get rid a me. I can tell these things. But sure the cloth must a been dirty, I thought, it certainly was smelly!
Then we spotted the little black motor car drivin along slowly wit the two cruelty people lookin out at us.
‘Oh here we are!’ the policeman suddenly squealed, soundin like he was half cryin half laughin when the motor car pulled up. ‘In you get,’ he said, whippin open the door an flyin me te land on the back seat. ‘Now, is that it? Are you all prepared to start off on the travel, oh and the business at hand. Do you have all the necessary court papers for the child to be taken in to the convent?’
‘Oh indeed we do. Thank you so much. It all went very well according to plan. And we have you to thank for playing your part in this whole affair,’ the woman smiled, lookin at him but me too I think, because she has two crossed eyes, an they can look in different directions at the same time.
The skinny man drove off slowly, starin straight ahead an liftin his neck up te make sure, he could see over the windashield.
‘Goodbye now, little girl! It was nice knowing you,’ said the policeman happily, givin me a little wave, then turned and moved off. I watched him comin up behind us, he was makin his way outa the castle, then we drove through the arch and the big entrance gates headin te make out inta the traffic. We had te sit waitin in the castle yard entry fer all the bicycles, horses an carts te pass, an even a big cattle lorry. It was probably comin from Smithfield, tha’s where you have the market te buy an sell all the animals.
The lorry was now makin its way through the city and down te the North Wall, headin fer the cattle boat. They bring the cows an even horses te be slaughtered over in England, then they get sold fer the English people’s dinner. But they don’t eat the horses, Mammy said, they go te the French, because they love horse meat. But we wouldn’t eat tha, because we like our horses.
We turned left then right makin our way slowly through the traffic.
‘Oh dearie me! Let us hope, Miss Wallis, we are not unduly delayed,’ said the skinny man starin wit one eye ahead lettin the other one fly te the gunner-eyed woman. Tha’s wha we say – ‘gunner-eyed’ – when people’s eyes are crossed.
‘Oh I think we ought to offer a little prayer, Mister Willows,’ she said, flyin open her handbag an whippin out her rosary beads.
I dozed off in the back seat listenin te them singin their prayers in a low keen. Then me eyes shot open when it changed.
‘Oh this fifth decade of the Rosary should be for a safe journey. Oh yes! We will offer this to Saint Christopher, the patron saint of all travellers.’
‘Most excellent idea,’ said Skinny, givin his neck a jerk wit his agreein.
They finished tha long list a prayers an now Skinny said, wit the two a them takin it in turns te pick someone or somethin in need of a prayer, ‘I think this ought to be for our wonderful patron Father Flitters, for without him we would not today be doing such a wonderful job and with such ease. His engineering of this case, right to the smallest detail has been faultless, impeccable,’ he said, not able te get over Father Flitters bein so good. ‘Oh, his handling was masterful,’ said Skinny gettin all carried away not able te get over it.
‘Oh but sure of course, the man is my hero! A saint,’ she breathed.
‘A holy man,’ Skinny interrupted, flyin his head at her without takin his eyes off the road.
‘Oh such a power of a man, they are only born once in a lifetime, they are so few and far between,’ she whispered, nearly cryin then lettin it out in a sigh. Then she turned te Skinny givin I think a smile, but instead looked like she was snarlin wit her nose an mouth gone twisted.
* * *
‘Well now! Was that not marvellously timed? Here we are arrived and we just finished saying ten whole decades of the Rosary,’ sang Skinny, gettin all delighted wit himself an pullin up the motor car te stop.
I looked seein we were stopped right outside a hotel an a row of shops.
‘Oh it is true, Mister Willows, you are a marvel indeed,’ gushed the aul one restin her arms stretched on her handbag. For some reason she was gettin all excited, wit her eyes turnin starry she was tha delighted.
‘I better go and check on himself,’ she said, pushin out her chest and fixin her hair. ‘Would you mind?’ she asked, pointin te his mirror tha tells you when somethin’s comin behind.
‘Oh but of course, Miss Wallis. Let me help,’ he said, twirlin the mirror fussin an fixin until she said, ‘Lovely! I can see now what my face looks like. A bit of lipstick would not go amiss. What do you think, Mister Willows?’ she said, pushin out her lips, makin a kiss te show him!
He went dead still like a statue an stared, wit his own lips makin a kiss, then he coughed, sayin, ‘Ahem! I think your, em, is absolutely divine if you, Miss Wallis, don’t mind me passing remarks?’
‘Oh my goodness noooo! I think you are, em, a very interesting man, Mister Willows!’
‘Really?’ he said, soundin shocked an delighted all at the same time.
‘Oh yes! For a widower you have kept yourself in fine trim. I have often said this to my sister Maud, what a fine man you are, Mister Willows!’
‘And you for a spinster … oh my goodness! That was an unfortunate turn of phrase! I did not mean—’
‘No of course you didn
’t, Mister Willows! Now I really must hurry, thank you indeed I am very much obliged. So! I shall be back at my post come Monday morning, wide eyed and bushy tailed!’ she laughed, lettin it out in a terrible cat’s scream. Then she turned on me, givin me an annoyed look like I was goin te interfere wit the idea she had painted fer herself, tha thinkin she’s a picture of beauty. But she’s not, wit her cross-eyed look an her fat body an hairy chin. She’s as good-lookin as any gorilla tha you’d find hangin out in the zoo. No! Changed me mind, they’re better-lookin!
‘Come along, child, don’t dawdle, we do not have time to waste,’ she said, grabbin hold a me by the arm an pullin me out an tossin me on the footpath, tha made me stagger an nearly trip. Then she reached in again an pulled out a little brown suitcase left sittin on the back seat, then she slammed the door shut.
He took off wavin his arm slowly without lookin back, then he was gone an so was the aul one. Me eyes stared an I had the idea fer a split second there was somethin I should work out. It hit me just as she came flyin back out of a sweet shop givin an unmerciful screech.
‘How dare you not stick close to my heels?’ she roared, givin a slap te her hip makin me come te her like a dog, one tha’s learnin te do wha it’s told! Me idea tha came was ‘RUN’. But tha went an I woke meself up an quickly moved over seein she was intendin makin fer the sweet shop again.
‘Don’t take one step behind or away from me, stay close to my heel! Do you understand?’ she said, pointin her finger, flingin it up an down at me.
I stared fer a minute an she waited so then I nodded.
‘No manners, badly brought up!’ she snorted, then turned on her black laced-up ankle boots an marched inta the dark sweet shop.
I blinked when we came down the step, then lit me eyes on the cat, it was next te the sweet jars sittin up on the big wooden counter.
‘Give me a packet of sailor’s chew! An erm …’ she said, lookin around, ‘give me a bar of Cadbury’s chocolate! Oh, and a quarter of those nice-looking boiled sweets.’
Then she gave her snarlin smile an the shop woman said, ‘Getting to be dark out there, looks like we might have rain before night falls.’
‘Yes oh you could be right,’ said the aul one, lookin around then back at the sweets gettin measured.
‘Four ounces did you say?’ said the woman, throwin on the scales two more sweets tha was left sittin on the shovel. ‘Are you travelling, going across to the Kingsbridge train station?’ said the shop woman.
‘Yes,’ the aul one said, noddin an openin her handbag takin out a big fat purse an leavin tha open waitin.
‘That will be two shillings an five pence ha’penny.’
The aul one took out a silver half crown an handed it over then put the stuff in her handbag. Then she put the halfpenny change into a charity box sittin on the counter. ‘For the NSPCC,’ she snarled, givin one a her smiles te the shop woman.
‘Very kind I must say,’ said the shop woman, not lookin too impressed wit the ha’penny goin in.
We were outa the shop an crossin the road headin fer the train station, I was hungry now an wantin somethin te eat. But she didn’t open or touch the sweets, they stayed fastened in the bag.
Just as we got te the entrance a the train station a big black motor car pulled to a stop an Father Flitters heaved himself out, then grabbed hold of a shiny brown-leather suitcase, roarin, ‘Goodbye, Doctor O’Connor, thank you for that lunch! Excellent fare, wonderful place and the port! Did we get the year? We did! OK I’m off.’ Then he slammed the door shut and turned himself around lookin te see where he was goin, then he banged his stick on the ground and took off walkin, then into a march makin himself in a hurry.
‘Oh my goodness there he is,’ waved the aul one gettin all excited. ‘Father Flitters!’ she croaked, flappin her fingers an wavin the hand lookin a bit mental.
He ignored her, marchin himself straight past.
‘Reverend Father!’ she screeched, losin the run a herself now, gettin worried he wouldn’t stop fer her. She chased him inta the station forgettin about me trailin behind, an I suddenly decided te make me move. She wasn’t goin te give me nothin te eat anyway, never even mind! The stupid idea I had, she’d give me a taste of her chocolate.
I turned meself back fer the entrance an headed straight inta the hard belly of a man in uniform, the silver buttons put a dent in me forehead.
‘Easy! What’s yer hurry?’ he said, grabbin hold te stop me fallin. ‘Come on, I see your mother’s waitin,’ he said, lookin up at the aul one now managin te get hold a the Father Flitters. He was lookin around, then said somethin te her. She whipped her head seein me gettin brought along held be the arm.
‘Is this yours?’ the uniform man said, handin me over.
The aul one shifted lettin her nose curl makin a face, then held herself away, gettin a bad smell.
‘Don’t let that pup escape, do not take your eyes off that brat for one second!’ Father Flitters barked, lookin at me like he wanted te kill me.
‘Oh yes. Oh my goodness!’ she moaned, puttin her fist te her mouth wit the eyes starin gettin a fright. ‘STAY!’ she roared, ventin her disappointment at me wit him givin out te her. I could see tha was really her annoyance, because she said he was her hero.
‘Do you have the court documents sending this child to the reformatory?’ Father Flitters snapped at the aul one, wit him all red-faced an annoyed.
‘I do, Reverend Father,’ she whispered, bendin down an openin her suitcase takin out a big brown envelope.
He snatched if off her an whipped out the papers. Then he read them an his face shifted into a half-smile lookin satisfied. ‘Good! Everything as I instructed! They have the authority to keep her in saecula saeculorum. My job now is to ensure my will survives even beyond the grave. We, I, will be travelling down there to speak to the Mother Superior in person. Yes by God! I will use all the power at my disposal. No Carney will ever set eyes on the setting sun again, or wake to a new morning, or look up at a sky, never again no, not as a free person anyway. What’s more, I will ensure no Carney will follow after this one, she will be the last of her line. I tell you, Miss Wallis!’ he said, hammerin his fist inta his open hand. ‘This is only the beginning, the first of a long list who will live to rue the day they crossed Holy Mother Church by crossing me! Yes, I will drive them to hell! All of them, one by one they will march to their doom!’
‘Amen to that! And all the devil’s children,’ the aul one said, givin a sniff an blessin herself like it was a prayer.
I heard it all an didn’t understand a word. But somehow it didn’t sound good at all. Certainly not fer me, he kept mentionin Carney, tha’s me. Wha did I do wrong? Why does he hate me? An why does God hate me this much fer it all te sudden happen? I don’t understand nothin, no I don’t know nothin. I just wanted te sit down somewhere an be left alone. If people don’t like me or don’t want te know me, then the best I can have is tha they leave me alone. I’m tired, cold an hungry, an I’m so very lonely without me fambily. So the world can just leave me alone, stop botherin me.
‘Follow me!’ he commanded, an the aul one took off hoppin her foot te march in line, managin te get up beside him.
I trailed behind until she remembered me an turned around lettin out a roar. ‘How dare you stray behind when I deliberately made myself clear you should keep up with me!’
I stopped te listen an stared, wantin te hear wha wrong I was after doin.
‘Come along, you foolish-looking creature! MOVE!’ she shouted when I still stood gapin.
I then woke meself up an flew, wantin te stop an tell her she’s not much better-lookin herself. Anyway, I’m tired an I’m hungry, an the hairy-chin aul cow won’t feed me.
All the peoples was hurryin, but gettin weighed down carryin bags an suitcases. Yet they was killin themselves rushin te get on the train. It was standin on the station blowin an puffin screamin an moanin, wit smoke fartin out, coverin everyone an everythin.
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�Tickets, please!’ the man in the uniform sang, waitin at the little box te stop ye gettin on the train until you show yer ticket.
‘First class. For one,’ snorted Father Flitters snappin over the ticket, then handin another one showin second class fer the woman.
‘Oh you are not travellin together?’ said the ticket man lookin from the priest te the hairy aul one, then down at me.
‘What business is it of yours with whom and how I’m travelling? Mind your own business,’ Father Flitters said quickly, lettin his voice drop a little.
‘Fair enough,’ said the ticket man, not lettin him get the better of him. ‘But what about the child? Is she travellin wit youse?’
‘HOW DARE YOU QUESTION ME?!’ screamed the priest, gettin himself all red in the face then turnin purple.
‘OK I apologise so. The child has her own ticket then! Can I ask tha?’
‘No, mister, I haven’t,’ I said wantin te be helpful, because I felt sorry fer the poor man gettin eatin alive be the Father Flitters.
‘How dare you speak?!’ snorted Father Flitters, spittin rage down at me, then he turned te the ticket man, sayin, ‘Put her in the mail car, she can travel with the cargo.’
‘What?! Aw here! I’m gettin the station master, this is too much fer the like a me!’
‘Fine!’ snapped Father Flitters. ‘If you want me I will be in my first-class compartment. Now, if I was you, I would keep quiet and just make the arrangements to have that matter seen to post-haste!’ Then he cocked his head listenin te wha he just said, sayin, ‘Post-haste! Is that not a witty repartee, Miss Wallis?’
‘Oh, Father, you are marvellous, you remind me just now of the great Noel Coward!’
Then the pair a them moved off an I followed, forgettin I wanted te make me escape, because I wanted now te travel wit the cargo an find out wha tha was.
‘Hey, Dickie!’ the ticket man shouted, roarin to an aul fella pullin a trolley wit wheels an stacked high wit big sacks a mail. ‘Take this young one an put her in the mail carriage.’
‘Wha?’