my brothers to have bread and tea. Dad and Mam sit at the table and
Grandma sits under the Sacred Heart with her mug of tea. She says, I
dont know under God what Im goin to do with ye.There is no room
in this house.There isnt room for even one of ye.
Malachy says,Ye,ye,and starts to giggle and I say,Ye,ye,and the twins
say,Ye, ye, and were laughing so hard we can hardly eat our bread.
Grandma glares at us. What are ye laughin at? Theres nothin to
laugh at in this house.Ye better behave yeerselves before I go over to ye.
She wont stop saying Ye, and now Malachy is helpless with laugh-
ter, spewing out his bread and tea, his face turning red.
Dad says, Malachy and the rest of you, stop it. But Malachy cant, he
goes on laughing till Dad says, Come over here. He rolls up Malachys
sleeve and raises his hand to slap his arm.
Are you going to behave yourself?
Malachys eyes fill with tears and he nods, I will, because Dad never
raised his hand like that before. Dad says, Be a good boy and go sit with
your brothers, and he pulls down the sleeve and pats Malachy on the
head.
That night Mams sister, Aunt Aggie, came home from her job in
the clothing factory. She was big like the MacNamara sisters, and
she had flaming red hair. She wheeled a large bicycle into the little
room behind the kitchen and came out to her supper. She was living
in Grandmas because she had a fight with her husband, Pa Keating,
who told her, when he had drink taken, Youre a great fat cow, go
home to your mother. Thats what Grandma told Mam and thats
why there was no room for us in Grandmas house. She had herself,
Aunt Aggie, and her son Pat, who was my uncle and who was out sell-
ing newspapers.
Aunt Aggie complained when Grandma told her Mam would have
to sleep with her that night. Grandma said, Oh, will you shut your gob.
Tis only for one night an that wont kill you an if you dont like it you
can go back to your husband where you belong anyway instead of run-
nin home to me. Jesus, Mary an Holy St. Joseph, look at this house
you an Pat an Angela and her clatther of Americans.Will I have any
peace in the latter end of my life?
She spread coats and rags on the floor of the little back room and
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