On Christmas morning he lights the fire early so that we can have sausages and bread and tea. Mam sends me to Grandma to see if we can borrow a pot for the pig’s head. Grandma says,What are ye having for yeer dinner? Pig’s head! Jesus, Mary an’ Joseph, that’s goin’ beyond the beyonds.Couldn’t your father get out and find a ham or a goose at least? What kind of man is he at all, at all? Mam puts the head in the pot, just covered with water, and while the  pig  is  boiling  away  Dad  takes  Malachy  and  me  to  Mass  at  the Redemptorist church. It’s warm in the church and sweet with flowers and incense and candles. He takes us to see the Baby Jesus in the crib. He’s a big fat baby with fair curls like Malachy. Dad tells us that’s Jesus’ mother there, Mary, in the blue dress, and his father, St. Joseph, the old man with the beard. He says they’re sad because they know Jesus will grow up and be killed so that we can all go to heaven. I ask why the Baby Jesus has to die and Dad says you can’t ask questions like that. Malachy says,Why? and Dad tells him be quiet. Mam is in a terrible state at home.There isn’t enough coal to cook the dinner, the water isn’t boiling anymore and she says she’s demented with worry.We’ll have to go down the Dock Road again to see if there’s any coal or turf lying around from the lorries. Surely we’ll find some- thing on the road this day of all days. Even the poorest of the poor don’t go out on Christmas Day picking coal off the road.There’s no use ask- ing Dad to go because he will never stoop that low and even if he did he won’t carry things through the streets. It’s a rule he has. Mam can’t go because of the pain in her back. She says,You’ll have to go, Frank, and take Malachy with you. It’s a long way to the Dock Road but we don’t mind because our bellies are filled with sausages and bread and it’s not raining.We carry a canvas bag Mam borrowed from Mrs. Hannon next door and Mam is right, there is no one on the Dock Road.The poor are all at home hav- ing pig’s head or maybe a goose and we have the Dock Road to our- selves.We find bits of coal and turf stuck in cracks on the road and in the walls of the coal yards.We find bits of paper and cardboard that will be useful in starting the fire again.We’re wandering around trying to fill the bag when Pa Keating comes along. He must have washed himself for Christmas because he’s not as black as he was when Eugene died. He wants to know what we’re doing with that bag and when Malachy tells him he says, Jesus, Mary and Holy St. Joseph! Christmas Day and ye don’t have a fire for yeer pig’s head.That’s a bloody disgrace. 99