father and mother. Malachy and Michael run up to me in the lane and
say, God, youre walking very slow. Cant you run anymore?
Its a bright day and Im happy till I see Dad sitting in the kitchen
with Alphie on his lap and theres an empty feeling in my heart because
I know hes out of work again.All along I was sure he had a job, Mam
told me he did, and I thought there would be no shortage of food and
shoes. He smiles at me and tells Alphie, Och, theres your big brother
home from the hospital.
Mam tells him what the doctor said, that Im to have plenty of
nourishing food and rest.The doctor said beef would be the right thing
for building me up again. Dad nods. Mam makes beef tea from a cube
and Malachy and Mike watch me drink it.They say theyd like some too
but Mam says go away, ye didnt have the typhoid. She says the doctor
wants me to go to bed early. She tried to get rid of the fleas but theyre
worse than ever with the warm weather were having. Besides, she says,
they wont get much out of you all bones and little skin.
I lie in bed and think of the hospital where the white sheets were
changed every day and there wasnt a sign of a flea.There was a lavatory
where you could sit and read your book till someone asked if you were
dead.There was a bath where you could sit in hot water as long as you
liked and say,
I do believe,
Induced by potent circumstances
That thou art mine enemy,
And saying that helps me fall asleep.
When Malachy and Michael get up for school in the morning Mam
tells me I can stay in bed. Malachy is in fifth class now with Mr. ODea
and he likes to tell everyone hes learning the big red catechism for Con-
firmation and Mr. ODea is telling them all about state of grace and
Euclid and how the English tormented the Irish for eight hundred long
years.
I dont want to stay in bed anymore.The October days are lovely
and I want to sit outside looking up the lane at the way the sun slants
along the wall opposite our house. Mikey Moloney brings me P. G.
Wodehouse books his father gets from the library and I have great days
with Ukridge and Bertie Wooster and all the Mulliners. Dad lets me
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