Aw, God, please look. Our name is Meagher.Will you look?
I know bloody well yeer name is Meagher and I looked.
The children claw at him up on his bicycle and he kicks at them,
Jesus, will ye get away from me.
Once the Angelus rings at six in the evening the day is over.The
ones with the telegrams are having their supper with the electric light
blazing away and the ones that didnt get the telegrams have to light
candles and see if Kathleen OConnell might let them have tea and
bread till this time next week when surely with the help of God and
His Blessed Mother the telegram will come.
Mr. Meehan at the top of the lane went to England with Dad and
when the telegram boy stops at Meehans we know well be next. Mam
has her coat ready to go to the post office but she wont leave the chair
by the fire in Italy till she has the telegram in her hand.The telegram
boy rides down the lane and swings over to Downeses. He hands them
their telegram, takes the tip and turns his bicycle around to head back
up the lane. Malachy calls, Telegram boy, do you have something for
McCourt? Ours is coming today.The telegram boy shakes his head and
rides away.
Mam puffs on her Woodbine.Well, we have all day though Id like
to do a bit of shopping early before the best hams are gone at Barry
the butcher. She cant leave the fire and we cant leave the lane for fear
the telegram boy might come and find no one at home.Then wed have
to wait till Monday to cash the money order and that would destroy the
weekend entirely.Wed have to watch the Meehans and everyone else
parading around in their new clothes and staggering home with eggs
and potatoes and sausages for Sunday and sailing off to the films on Sat-
urday night. No, we cant move an inch till that telegram boy comes.
Mam says dont be too worried between noon and two because so
many telegram boys go for their dinner and there will surely be a big
rush between two and the Angelus. We dont have a thing to worry
about till six. We stop every telegram boy. We tell them our name is
McCourt, that this is our first telegram, it should be three pounds or
more, they might have forgotten to put our name on it or our address,
is he sure? is he sure? One boy tells us hell inquire at the post office.
He says he knows what tis like to wait for the telegram because his own
father is a drunken oul shit over in England that never sent a penny.
Mam hears him inside and tells us you should never talk about your
father like that. The same telegram boy comes back just before the
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