XII There’s a letter from Dad. He’s coming home two days before Christ- mas. He says everything will be different, he’s a new man, he hopes we’re good boys, obeying our mother, attending to our religious duties, and he’s bringing us all something for Christmas. Mam takes me to the railway station to meet him. The station is always exciting with all the coming and going,people leaning from car- riages, crying, smiling, waving good-bye, the train hooting and calling, chugging away in clouds of steam, people sniffling on the platform, the railway tracks silvering into the distance, on to Dublin and the world beyond. Now it’s near midnight and cold on the empty platform.A man in a railway cap asks us if we’d like to wait in a warm place. Mam says, Thank you very much, and laughs when he leads us to the end of the platform where we have to climb a ladder to the signal tower. It takes her  a  while  because  she’s  heavy  and  she  keeps  saying, Oh, God, oh, God. We’re above the world and it’s dark in the signal tower except for the lights that blink red and green and yellow when the man bends over the board. He says, I’m just having a bit of supper and you’re welcome. Mam says,Ah, no, thanks, we couldn’t take your supper from you. He says,The wife always makes too much for me and if I was up in 268