sick all the time, Dad takes longer and longer walks into the country,
and we play outside as much as we can and far from the lavatory. Dad
doesnt complain about the River Shannon anymore. He knows now
the lavatory is worse and he takes me with him to the Town Hall to
complain.The man there says, Mister, all I can tell you is you can move.
Dad says we cant afford to move and the man says theres nothing he
can do. Dad says,This is not India.This is a Christian country.The lane
needs more lavatories.The man says, Do you expect Limerick to start
building lavatories in houses that are falling down anyway, that will be
demolished after the war? Dad says that lavatory could kill us all.The
man says we live in dangerous times.
Mam says its hard enough keeping a fire going to cook the Christmas
dinner but if Im going to Christmas dinner at the hospital Ill have to
wash myself from top to bottom. She wouldnt give it to Sister Rita to
say I was neglected or ripe for another disease. She boils a pot of water
early in the morning before Mass and nearly scalds the scalp off me. She
scours my ears and scrubs my skin so hard it tingles. She can afford tup-
pence for the bus out to the hospital but Ill have to walk back and that
will be good for me because Ill be stuffed with food and now she has
to get the fire going again for the pigs head and cabbage and floury
white potatoes which she got once again through the kindness of the
St.Vincent de Paul Society and shes determined this will be the last
time we celebrate the birth of Our Lord with pigs head.Next year well
have a goose or a nice ham and why wouldnt we,isnt Limerick famous
the world over for the ham?
Sister Rita says, Now would you look at this, our little soldier look-
ing so healthy. No meat on the bones but still. Now tell me, did you go
to Mass this morning?
I did, Sister.
And did you receive?
I did, Sister.
She takes me into an empty ward and tells me sit there on that
chair it wont be long now till I get my dinner. She leaves and I won-
der if Ill be eating with nuns and nurses or will I be in a ward with chil-
dren having their Christmas dinner. In awhile my dinner is brought in
by the girl in the blue dress who brought me the books. She places the
tray on the side of a bed and I pull up a chair. She frowns at me and
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