screws up her face.You, she says, thats your dinner an Im not bringin
you any books.
The dinner is delicious, turkey, mashed potatoes, peas, jelly and cus-
tard, and a pot of tea.The jelly and custard dish looks delicious and I
cant resist it so Ill have it first theres no one there to notice but when
Im eating it the girl in the blue dress comes in with bread and says,
What are you doin?
Nothing.
Yes, you are. Youre atin the sweet before the dinner, and she runs
out calling, Sister Rita, Sister Rita, come in quick, and the nun rushes
in, Francis, are you all right?
I am, Sister.
Hes not all right, Sister. He do be atin his jelly an custard before his
dinner.Thats a sin, Sister.
Ah, now, dear, you run along and Ill talk to Francis about that.
Do, Sister, talk to him or all the childer in the hospital will be atin
their sweet before their dinner an then where will we be?
Indeed, indeed, where will we be? Run along now.
The girl leaves and Sister Rita smiles at me. God love her, she
doesnt miss a thing even in her confusion.We have to be patient with
her, Francis, the way shes touched.
She leaves and its quiet in that empty ward and when Im finished
I dont know what to do because youre not supposed to do anything
till they tell you. Hospitals and schools always tell you what to do. I wait
a long time till the girl in the blue dress comes in for the tray.Are you
finished? she says.
I am.
Well, thats all youre gettin an now you can go home.
Surely girls who are not right in the head cant tell you go home
and I wonder if I should wait for Sister Rita.A nurse in the hallway tells
me Sister Rita is having her dinner and is not to be bothered.
Its a long walk from Union Cross to Barrack Hill and when I get
home my family are up in Italy and well into their pigs head and cab-
bage and floury white potatoes. I tell them about my Christmas dinner.
Mam wants to know if I had it with the nurses and nuns and she gets a
bit angry when I tell her I ate alone in a ward and thats no way to treat
a child. She tells me sit down and have some pigs head and I force it
into my mouth and Im so stuffed I have to lie on the bed with my belly
sticking out a mile.
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