Fintan says, Come with me, Patrick. My mother will give us some-
thing, and Paddy says,Ah, no, me nose is bleedin.
Dont worry.Shell put something on your nose or a key on the back
of your neck. Francis, you must come, too.You always look hungry.
Ah, no, Fintan.
Ah, do, Francis.
All right, Fintan.
Fintans flat is like a chapel.There are two pictures, the Sacred Heart
of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Jesus is showing His heart
with the crown of thorns, the fire, the blood. His head is tilted to the
left to show His great sorrow. The Virgin Mary is showing her heart
and it would be a pleasant heart if it didnt have that crown of thorns.
Her head is tilted to the right to show her sorrow because she knows
her Son will come to a sad end.
Theres a picture on another wall of a man with a brown robe and
birds sitting all over him. Fintan says, Do you know who that is, Fran-
cis? No? Thats your patron, St. Francis of Assisi, and do you know what
today is?
The fourth of October.
Thats right and its his feast day and special for you because you can
ask St. Francis for anything and hell surely give it to you.Thats why I
wanted you to come here today. Sit down, Patrick, sit down, Francis.
Mrs. Slattery comes in with her rosary beads in her hand. Shes
happy to meet Fintans new friends and would we like a cheese sand-
wich? And look at your poor nose, Patrick. She touches his nose with
the cross on her rosary beads and says a little prayer. She tells us these
rosary beads were blessed by the Pope himself and would stop the flow
of a river if requested never mind Patricks poor nose.
Fintan says he wont have a sandwich because hes fasting and pray-
ing for the boy who hit Paddy and me. Mrs. Slattery gives him a kiss on
the head and tells him hes a saint out of heaven and asks if wed like
mustard on our sandwiches and I tell her I never heard of mustard on
cheese and Id love it. Paddy says, I dunno. I never had a sangwidge in
me life, and we all laugh and I wonder how you could live ten years like
Paddy and never have a sandwich. Paddy laughs, too, and you can see
his teeth are white and black and green.
We eat the sandwich and drink tea and Paddy wants to know where
the lavatory is. Fintan takes him through the bedroom to the backyard
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