Dad, will you tell me the story about Coo Coo?
Cuchulain. Say it after me, Coo-hoo-lin. Ill tell you the story when
you say the name right. Coo-hoo-lin.
I say it right and he tells me the story of Cuchulain, who had a dif-
ferent name when he was a boy, Setanta. He grew up in Ireland where
Dad lived when he was a boy in County Antrim. Setanta had a stick and
ball and one day he hit the ball and it went into the mouth of a big dog
that belonged to Culain and choked him. Oh, Culain was angry and
he said,What am I to do now without my big dog to guard my house
and my wife and my ten small children as well as numerous pigs, hens,
sheep?
Setanta said, Im sorry. Ill guard your house with my stick and ball
and Ill change my name to Cuchulain, the Hound of Culain. He did.
He guarded the house and regions beyond and became a great hero, the
Hound of Ulster itself. Dad said he was a greater hero than Hercules or
Achilles that the Greeks were always bragging about and he could take
on King Arthur and all his knights in a fair fight which, of course, you
could never get with an Englishman anyway.
Thats my story. Dad cant tell that story to Malachy or any other
children down the hall.
He finishes the story and lets me sip his tea. Its bitter, but Im happy
there on his lap.
For days Malachys tongue is swollen and he can hardly make a sound
never mind talk. But even if he could no one is paying any attention to
him because we have two new babies who were brought by an angel in
the middle of the night.The neighbors say, Ooh,Ah, theyre lovely boys,
look at those big eyes.
Malachy stands in the middle of the room, looking up at everyone,
pointing to his tongue and saying, Uck, uck.When the neighbors say,
Cant you see were looking at your little brothers? he cries, till Dad pats
him on the head. Put in your tongue, son, and go out and play with
Frankie. Go on.
In the playground I tell Malachy about the dog who died in the
street because someone drove a ball into his mouth. Malachy shakes his
head.No uck ball.Car uck kill dog.He cries because his tongue hurts and
he can hardly talk and its terrible when you cant talk. He wont let me
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