me.There are crowds of noisy men and stale smells that remind me of Dad when he comes home with the smell of the whiskey on him. The man behind the bar says,Yeah,sonny,whaddya want? You’re not supposeta be in here, y’know. I’m looking for my father. Is my father here? Naw, sonny, how’d I know dat? Who’s your fawdah? His name is Malachy and he sings Kevin Barry. Malarkey? No, Malachy. Malachy? And he sings Kevin Barry? He calls out to the men in the bar,Youse guys, youse know guy Malachy what sings Kevin Barry? Men shake their heads.One says he knew a guy Michael sang Kevin Barry  but  he  died  of  the  drink  which  he  had  because  of  his  war wounds. The barman says, Jeez, Pete, I didn’t ax ya to tell me history o’ da woild, did I? Naw, kid.We don’t let people sing in here. Causes trouble. Specially the Irish. Let ’em sing, next the fists are flying. Besides, I never hoid a name like dat Malachy. Naw, kid, no Malachy here. The man called Pete holds his glass toward me. Here, kid, have a sip, but the barman says,Whaddya doin’,Pete? Tryina get the kid drunk? Do that again, Pete, an’ I’ll come out an’ break y’ass. Mam tries all the bars around the station before she gives up. She leans against a wall and cries. Jesus, we still have to walk all the way to Classon Avenue and I have four starving children. She sends me back into the bar where Pete offered me the sip to see if the barman would fill the twins’ bottles with water and maybe a little sugar in each.The men in the bar think it’s very funny that the barman should be filling baby bottles but he’s big and he tells them shut their lip. He tells me babies should be drinking milk not water and when I tell him Mam doesn’t have the money he empties the baby bottles and fills them with milk. He says, Tell ya mom they need that for the teeth an’ bones.Ya drink water an’ sugar an’ all ya get is rickets.Tell ya Mom. Mam is happy with the milk. She says she knows all about teeth and bones and rickets but beggars can’t be choosers. When we reach Classon Avenue she goes straight to the Italian gro- cery shop. She tells the man her husband is late tonight, that he’s prob- ably working overtime,and would it be at all possible to get a few things and she’ll be sure to see him tomorrow? 27