I was just, a little sherry to get her into heaven.
Heaven? We had heaven, Ann, I, our daughter, Emily.Youll never
lay your pink piggy eyes on her. Oh, Christ, I cant stand it. Here, more
sherry.
Ah, no, thanks.
Ah, no thanks.That puny Celtic whine.You people love your alco-
hol. Helps you crawl and whine better. Of course you want food.You
have the collapsed look of a starving Paddy. Here. Ham. Eat.
Ah, no thanks.
Ah, no thanks. Say that again and Ill ram the ham up your arse.
He waves a ham sandwich at me, with the heel of his hand pushes
it into my mouth.
He collapses into a chair. Oh, God, God, what am I to do? Must rest
a moment.
My stomach heaves. I rush to the window, stick my head out and
throw up. He leaps from the chair and charges me.
You,you,God blast you to hell,you vomited on my wifes rosebush.
He lunges at me, misses, falls to the floor. I climb out the window,
hang on to the ledge. Hes at the window, grabbing at my hands. I let go,
drop to the rosebush, into the ham sandwich and sherry Ive just thrown
up. Im pricked by rose thorns, stung, my ankle is twisted. Hes at the
window,barking,Come back here,you Irish runt.Hell report me to the
post office. He hits me in the back with the whiskey bottle, pleads,Will
you not watch one hour with me?
He pelts me with sherry glasses, whiskey glasses, assorted ham sand-
wiches, items from his wifes dressing table, powders, creams, brushes.
I climb on my bike and wobble through the streets of Limerick,dizzy
with sherry and pain. Mrs. OConnell attacks me, Seven telegrams, one
address, and youre gone all day.
I was, I was,
You was.You was. Drunk is what you was. Drunk is what you are.
Reeking. Oh, we heard. That nice man rang, Mr. Harrington, lovely
Englishman that sounds like James Mason. Lets you in to say a prayer
for his poor wife and next thing youre out the window with the sherry
and the ham.Your poor mother.What she brought into the world.
He made me eat the ham, drink the sherry.
Made you? Jesus, thats a good one. Made you. Mr. Harrington is a
refined Englishman and there is no reason for him to lie and we dont
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