Mr. Dimino asks me about Mam and Dad and who cooks for us. I
tell him we get food from Mrs. Leibowitz and Minnie MacAdorey. I tell
him all about the diapers and the nappies and how they get shitty any-
way and he laughs.Angela, you listenin to this? Thank God youre Ital-
ian, Angela. He says, Kid, I gotta talk to Mrs. Leibowitz.Ya gotta have
relations can take care of you.Ya see Minnie MacAdorey, tell her come
in see me.You kids runnin wild.
Two big women are at the door.They say,Who are you?
Im Frank.
Frank! How old are you?
Im four going on five.
Youre not very big for your age, are you?
I dont know.
Is your mother here?
Shes in the bed.
What is she doing in the bed on a fine day in the middle of the day?
Shes sleeping.
Well, well come in.We have to talk to your mother.
They brush past me into the room.Jesus,Mary and Joseph,the smell
of this place.And who are these children?
Malachy runs smiling to the big women.When he smiles you can
see how white and straight and pretty his teeth are and you can see the
shiny blue of his eyes, the pink of his cheeks. All that makes the big
women smile and I wonder why they didnt smile when they talked
to me.
Malachy says, Im Malachy and this is Oliver and this is Eugene,
theyre twins, and thats Frankie over there.
The big woman with the brown hair says,Well, youre not a bit shy,
are you? Im your mothers cousin, Philomena, and this is your mothers
cousin,Delia.Im Mrs.Flynn and shes Mrs.Fortune and thats what you
call us.
Good God, says Philomena.Those twins are naked. Dont you have
clothes for them?
Malachy says,Theyre all shitty.
Delia barks. See.Thats what happens.A mouth like a sewer, and no
wonder with a father from the North. Dont use that word.Thats a bad
word, a curse word.You could go to hell using a word like that.
43