XIV
In the morning The Abbot gives me the money to go to Kathleen
OConnells for bread,margarine,tea,milk.He boils water on the gas ring
and tells me I can have a mug of tea and, Go aisy with the sugar, Im not
a millionaire.You can have a cut o bread but dont make it too thick.
Its July and school is over forever. In a few weeks Ill be delivering
telegrams at the post office, working like a man. In the weeks Im idle
I can do anything I like, get up in the morning, stay in bed, take long
walks out the country like my father, wander around Limerick. If I had
the money Id go over to the Lyric Cinema, eat sweets, see Errol Flynn
conquering everyone in sight. I can read the English and Irish papers
The Abbot brings home or I can use the library cards of Laman Grif-
fin and my mother till Im found out.
Mam sends Michael with a milk bottle of warm tea, a few cuts of
bread smeared with dripping, a note to say Laman Griffin isnt angry
anymore and I can come back. Michael says, Are you coming home,
Frankie?
No.
Ah, do, Frankie. Come on.
I live here now. Im never going back.
But Malachy is gone to the army and youre here and I have no big
brother.All the boys have big brothers and I only have Alphie. Hes not
even four and cant talk right.
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