I shot up in the seat an roared, ‘Hey, Mister! Tha’s me ma’s seat!’ An he didn’t move an inch! ‘Hey! I’m talkin te ye, Mister!’ An I shook his arm. He lifted his head an looked at me under his hat fer a second an went back te his comfort as if I hadn’t said a word. I looked aroun me at the other people, an they acted as if nothin was wrong. I sat gapin at him, ragin. Then I used me two hands an tried te push him offa the seat. ‘Are ye bothered or wha?’ I roared.
He shook me off wit his elbow, liftin his head, an muttered outa the side of his mouth, ‘Whist! Go away outa tha!’ an settled himself back inta more comfort. Then me ma appeared in the door, an I saw her face begin te shake an her eyes blink at the cheek of someone takin her seat. She walked over slowly an looked at me, blinkin an coughin. ‘Wha happened?’ Cough! Blink! ‘Wha’s this man doin in my seat?’
‘He won’t get up, Ma! An he’s pretendin not te hear me.’
Me ma coughed an blinked. ‘Eh! Excuse me, Mister! But tha’s my seat ye’re sittin in,’ an she poked his shoulder wit her finger. ‘Do ye hear me? Jaysus! He’s not takin a blind bit a notice a me! Come on! Get up!’ me ma said, shakin him.
An he looked up at her fer a second an said, ‘Find somewhere else! I’m here now,’ an he nodded his head te the door an then dropped it back inside his overcoat.
Me ma looked aroun in desperation, an a woman nodded her head at me ma, mouthin, ‘Keep away from him, he’s not all there.’
I stood up. ‘Ma! Leave it, you sit here, don’t mind him,’ an I headed fer the door.
‘Where are ye goin?’ me ma asked nervously.
‘I’m not sittin beside him, but there’s nowhere decent left te sit.’
‘Jaysus! Tha’s an awful pity we lost the seat. We’ll never get a bit a sleep now!’ me ma kept sayin.
‘Look, Ma, go on, sit down. I’m just goin te take a wander. Ye’ll be all right.’
An she looked at the seat an said, ‘Well, don’t be gone too long, then.’
I wandered aroun, feelin the boat rockin, an heard singin an laughin. An I followed the noise up the stairs an saw a crowd a men drinkin an laughin. The room was blue wit the smoke. I looked aroun an saw a gang a fellas hangin onta the counter an throwin back glasses a porter, an shoutin at each other an laughin. ‘Go on there, me boy! Give us another belt.’ An a big roarin red-neck culchie threw back his head an roared in a hoarse voice, ‘When Irish eyes are smiling’.
‘Tha’s it! Tha’s it!’ roared a mallet-headed fella wit a flat nose, an threw back his head an lowered the glass a porter down his neck, an slammed the glass back on the counter, wipin his mouth wit the sleeve of his donkey jacket, an slammin his hobnailed boot hard down on the floor, an givin a scream like a red injun. ‘Tha’s the stuff!’ he roared, lowerin his head an shakin his fist in the air.
I pushed me way through the crowd an stopped beside him. ‘Hey, Mister!’ I said, tappin yer man on his arm.
He looked down at me. ‘Wha?’ he barked.
‘Isn’t he a lovely singer?’ I said, pointin at yer man croakin his lungs out, nearly stranglin himself throwin his head back, an the veins on his neck blue an stickin out.
‘Ah, by Gawd, he’s tha all right,’ he agreed, noddin his head up an down, nearly tears in his eyes, an lowerin another pint a porter down his neck. ‘Where did you come out of? Are ye lookin fer someone? Is it yer father ye’re after?’
‘No, Mister! I’ve got no father! He’s dead.’
There was a silence while he tried te figure this out. I wasn’t goin te tell him I had none, cos he wouldn’t have any time fer me knowin I was a bastard. ‘Tha’s terrible!’ he said. ‘When did he die?’
‘Eh! Before I was born!’ He looked at me. ‘Yeah! Me ma said he was drownded at sea, on the way back te Ireland.’
‘Oh, tha’s shockin! Shockin altogether!’ he said, shakin his head an thinkin about it.
I looked closely at his face, an he was studyin mine. He’s a boxer, I thought, makin me face look very mournful. ‘An what are ye doin in here?’ he asked me. ‘This is no place for you,’ he said, lookin aroun at all the men drinkin.
‘I lost me seat, Mister! I was sittin down beside me ma, ready te go te sleep, an a man came in an pulled me offa me own seat an took it fer himself, an me ma is nearly cryin. An the man won’t take any notice of us when we tell him te give it back. An everyone is afraid te say anythin te him.’