Ireland and married Cuchulain and thats why to this day she is called
Great Bladdered Emer.
Mikey and Malachy laugh over this story though I dont think
Malachy understands it. Hes young and far from his First Communion
and hes only laughing over the piss word. Then Mikey tells me Ive
committed a sin by listening to a story that has that word in it and when
I go to my First Confession Ill have to tell the priest. Malachy says,
Thats right. Piss is a bad word and you have to tell the priest because
tis a sin word.
I dont know what to do. How can I go to the priest and tell him
this terrible thing in my First Confession? All the boys know what sins
theyre going to tell so that theyll get the First Communion and make
The Collection and go to see James Cagney and eat sweets and cakes
at the Lyric Cinema.The master helped us with our sins and everyone
has the same sins. I hit my brother. I told a lie. I stole a penny from my
mothers purse. I disobeyed my parents, I ate a sausage on Friday.
But now I have a sin no one else has and the priest is going to be
shocked and drag me out of the confession box into the aisle and out
into the street where everyone will know I listened to a story about
Cuchulains wife being the champion woman pisser in all Ireland. Ill
never be able to make my First Communion and mothers will hold
their small children up and point at me and say, Look at him. Hes like
Mikey Molloy, never made his First Communion, wandering around in
a state of sin, never made The Collection, never saw James Cagney.
Im sorry I ever heard of First Communion and The Collection.Im
sick and I dont want any tea or bread or anything. Mam tells Dad its a
strange thing when a child wont have his bread and tea and Dad says,
Och, hes just nervous over the First Communion. I want to go over to
him and sit on his lap and tell him what Mikey Molloy did to me but
Im too big to be sitting on laps and if I did Malachy would go out in
the lane and tell everyone I was a big baby. Id like to tell my troubles to
the Angel on the Seventh Step but hes busy bringing babies to moth-
ers all over the world. Still, Ill ask Dad.
Dad, does the Angel on the Seventh Step have other jobs besides
bringing babies?
He does.
Would the Angel on the Seventh Step tell you what to do if you
didnt know what to do?
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