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1950s,
ma, he sold me for a few cigarettes,
seven stories press,
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martha long
one.â
âNo!â
âYeâre very mean!â I said.
âDonât care, yeâre not gettin any.â
âRight, Iâm not playin wit ye no more!â an I ran home te tell me ma. She was sittin by the fire lookin very annoyed when I dashed in te tell her about Nelly an Barney havin money an grapes an he wouldnât share wit me. âAh! Donât be botherin me about them,â she said. âTheyâre not bothered about us any more. Tha Nelly one is goin off te England tonight, an she wonât be back.â
I went runnin back out te stare at Barney. Yeah! He had his face washed an his hair combed, an he was wearin a lovely coat. Nelly must have picked up tha in the Iveagh Market.
When I got home, the fire was out, an me ma was sittin in the dark, starin at nothin.
Weâre on our own now. Thereâs just me, the ma an me babby brother, Charlie. Me ma doesnât talk much except te say, âShut tha babby up! Give him his soother.â He cries a lot. I think itâs cos heâs hungry. Sometimes me ma canât light the fire, cos weâve no coal. So she canât boil the water te make the babbyâs bottle or make a drop a tea. Iâm always hungry, but the babby hasnât learnt te get used te it yet. He wonât shut up! He just keeps on screamin. Iâm worn out, rockin him up an down on me knee. Sometimes heâll nod off fer me when I give him me finger te suck.
Last night when me ma was givin him his bottle, she suddenly jumped up an said, âRun, Martha, run,â an she was gone like the wind out the door wit the babby in her arms. I turned te ask her whaâs wrong, but she was already down the stairs an flyin through the hall. I banged the door behind me an galloped after her. She was up the hill an aroun the corner before I knew wha was happenin. I pushed meself fer all I was worth, tryin te catch up, but she was halfway up Thomas Street.
âMa!â I screamed. âWait fer me, Ma! Wait fer me!â But no, she just kept runnin, like Ronnie Delaney. Me chest was poundin, an me legs were seizin up, an I still didnât know wha was wrong. I shouted at the top of me lungs, âNo! Iâm not comin, Iâm not movin any more!â
Me ma half turned an shouted back, âThe hospital! We have te get te the hospital! Donât stop, keep goin.â
Itâs the middle of the night, an there isnât a soul on the streets. We fly off Jamesâs Street an turn right down the hill, past the mad house, St Patrickâs Hospital. Me ma bursts through the doors of Dr Steevensâ Hospital an inta the out-patients. âHeâs not breathin!â she shouts. âThe babbyâs not breathin.â Sheâs still runnin when she slams the babby inta the arms of a doctor.
âHe took a convulsion when I was feedin him. He turned blue, an I couldnât get him te breathe.â
The doctors an nurses rushed aroun the babby, an we were put outside te wait. They told me ma te go home; theyâre keepin the babby in. She went te take a look at him, an when she came out she said we have te pray heâll be all right.
* * *
We went te the hospital te collect the babby. He looks lovely, like a little china doll wit big blue eyes an white curly hair. His eyes are like saucers starin out at ye from his tiny white face. I canât squeeze him yet, cos me ma says heâs delicate. So I just keep lookin at him an makin faces, tryin te make him laugh.
8
Me ma says I have te go back te school now, cos Iâm nearly six. So she brings me up te Francis Street, an I start straight away. Iâm in the First Holy Communion class, an today they told us all about St Patrick. Heâs the saint fer Ireland. He was kidnapped by the English an brought here te mind the sheep on a very lonely mountain, an he was only a child! I felt very sorry fer tha poor young fella, so I did. All by himself an no mammy