from the shed and tells him how Mam is in the hospital and were to
stay with them till she gets out. He says, Grand, grand, and goes to the
shed to wash himself though when he comes back youd never know
he touched himself with water at all hes that black.
He sits at the table and Aunt Aggie gives him his supper, which is
fried bread and ham and sliced tomatoes. She tells us get away from the
table and stop gawking at him having his tea and tells him to stop giv-
ing us bits of ham and tomato. He says,Arrah, for Jaysus sake,Aggie, the
children are hungry,and she says,Tis none of your business.Theyre not
yours. She tells us go out and play and be home for bed by half-past
eight. We know its freezing outside and wed like to stay in by that
warm range but its easier to be in the streets playing than inside with
Aunt Aggie and her nagging.
She calls me in later and sends me upstairs to borrow a rubber
sheet from a woman who had a child that died. The woman says tell
your aunt Id like that rubber sheet back for the next child.Aunt Aggie
says, Twelve years ago that child died and she still keeps the rubber
sheet. Forty-five she is now and if theres another child well have to
look for a star in the East. Malachy says,Whats that? and she tells him
mind his own business, hes too young.
Aunt Aggie places the rubber sheet on her bed and puts Alphie on
it between herself and Uncle Pa. She sleeps inside against the wall and
Uncle Pa outside because he has to get up in the morning for work.We
are to sleep on the floor against the opposite wall with one coat under
us and two over. She says if she hears a word out of us during the night
shell warm our arses and were to be up early in the morning because
its Ash Wednesday and it wouldnt do us any harm to go to Mass and
pray for our poor mother and her pneumonia.
The alarm clock shocks us out of our sleep. Aunt Aggie calls from
her bed,The three of ye are to get up and go to Mass. Do ye hear me?
Up.Wash yeer faces and go to the Jesuits.
Her backyard is all frost and ice and our hands sting from the tap
water.We throw a little on our faces and dry with the towel thats still
damp from yesterday. Malachy whispers our wash was a lick and a
promise, thats what Mam would say.
The streets are frosty and icy, too, but the Jesuit church is warm. It
must be grand to be a Jesuit, sleeping in a bed with sheets blankets pil-
lows and getting up to a nice warm house and a warm church with
nothing to do but say Mass hear confessions and yell at people for their
244