door goes in, I climb in Mr.Timoneys window for GulliversTravels and
walk miles to the City Home so that he wont miss his reading.The man
at the gate says,What? You want to come in an read to an oul man? Is
it coddin me you are? Get outa here before I call the guards.
Could I leave the book for someone else to read to Mr.Timoney?
Leave it. Leave it for Jaysus sake an dont be botherin me. Ill send
it up to him.
And he laughs.
Mam says, Whats up with you? Why are you moping? And I tell
her how Uncle Pat doesnt want me anymore and how they put
Mr. Timoney in the City Home for laughing just because Macushla
bit the postman, the milkman and a passing nun. She laughs too and
Im sure the world is gone mad. Then she says, Ah, Im sorry and its
a pity you lost two jobs.You might as well start going to the Confra-
ternity again to keep The Posse away and, worse, the director, Father
Gorey.
Declan tells me sit in front of him and if theres any blaguarding
hell break my feckin neck for hell be watching me as long as hes
prefect and no little shit like me is going to keep him from a life in
linoleum.
Mam says she has trouble climbing the stairs and shes moving her
bed to the kitchen. She laughs, Ill come back up to Sorrento when the
walls are damp and the rain runs under the door. School is over and
she can stay in bed in the kitchen as long as she likes because she doesnt
have to get up for us. Dad lights the fire, makes the tea, cuts the bread,
makes sure we wash our faces and tells us go out and play. He lets us
stay in bed if we like but you never want to stay in bed when theres
no school.Were ready to run out and play in the lane the minute we
wake.
Then one day in July he says we cant go downstairs.We have to stay
up here and play.
Why, Dad?
Never mind. Play here with Malachy and Michael and you can go
down later when I tell you.
He stands at the door in case we might get a notion to wander
down the stairs.We push our blanket up in the air with our feet and pre-
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