‘Is tha right now?’ he said, his eyes narrowin.
‘Yeah!’ I said, shakin me head up an down sniffin. Me eyes was very sad altogether, lookin inta his face.
He tightened his jaw an took hold of me arm an said, ‘Show me where this bowzie is!’
I rushed out, makin sure he was followin me. ‘Go on, I’m right behind ye!’ he said, in a hurry te meet the robber.
‘There he is!’ I pointed, pointin me finger at yer man stretched out in me ma’s seat.
The boxer took a short run at yer man an lifted him by the coat an dragged him te his feet. Yer man’s eyes swung aroun in his head, not knowin wha was happenin te him. His hat flew off, an he shook his head, ‘Me hat! Where’s me hat? Who are you?’
The boxer grabbed him by the arse of his trousers, an had another hand grabbin his coat tight aroun his neck, an rushed him out the door. ‘Go on, ye blackguard! Pick on someone yer own size!’
‘Me case! Gimme me case!’ An the boxer dropped the man, who staggered, still tryin te figure out wha was happenin te him.
Then the boxer lunged in an grabbed the suitcase an smacked him wit it, sendin him flyin back up the passage. ‘An don’t be back here botherin people!’ he shouted.
I stood stock still, an me ma’s eyes was blinkin like mad. People were starin wit their mouths gapin open at the suddenness of it all. ‘Are ye all right now?’ he came steamin back inta the room an looked at me ma.
She nodded her head up an down, smilin, an said quietly, ‘Yes! Thanks very much, I was afraid a me life a tha fella.’
The boxer looked aroun the room, an people who caught his eye nodded at him, sayin, ‘I’m glad he’s gone.’ The hard man wit the nervous wife puffed out his cheeks an rolled his eyes. He said nothin but was lookin te say, ‘I’m glad tha’s over.’
‘Ah, ye’re all right now,’ the boxer said te me, pattin me on the top of me head. ‘He won’t be back in a hurry.’ Then he put his hand in his pocket an took out a roll a money, an peeled off a ten bob note an handed it te me. ‘Here! Take tha fer yerself,’ an he was gone.
I stood lookin at the red ten shillin note in me hand. An me ma said, ‘Jaysus Christ! Who was tha, Martha?’
‘Oh, just someone I met, Ma.’ An I handed her the ten shillins an sat down in me ma’s seat.
She laughed as she put the money wit the rest of it. Then me ma started te roar laughin. ‘Yer man didn’t know wha happened te him!’ an she bent over, tryin te get the big laugh outa her.
Other people started laughin, an the woman who nodded at me ma said, ‘Is he a relation of yours, love?’
‘No!’ I said. ‘I never met him before in me life!’
There was silence fer a minute, an then everyone started te roar laughin. ‘Ah, Jaysus! Tha’s a good one! An tell us then, how did ye meet him?’
I told her wha happened, an everyone was listenin an laughin in between me story. An when I finished, they were rubbin their eyes an sniffin from all the enjoyment. ‘Ah, but I think he was a poor unfortunate,’ another woman said. ‘He wasn’t weighted down too heavily up there,’ an she pointed te her head. People nodded their heads in agreement, lookin sad.
‘I don’t know about tha!’ me ma said. ‘He was mad in the right way te pick on her,’ an me ma pointed te me.
‘Oh! I don’t know about tha,’ the woman said. ‘He certainly picked on the wrong one when he picked on tha child.’ An everyone started roarin laughin again. An people started talkin te each other an tellin their stories, about why they were leavin Ireland, an who they were goin te stay wit until they got settled. Me ma listened, an I felt very tired an started te nod off, very content in meself.
34
I woke up, an me ma was shakin me. ‘We’re here, Martha!’ she said quietly. I looked aroun, an everyone was gettin their things together an movin off. ‘Come on!’ me ma said. ‘We have te try an get on the train.’
We followed the crowd off the ship an inta the station. ‘Now boarding, the London for Euston,’ the voice said comin outa the loudspeakers.
‘Hurry,’ me ma said. An I rushed after her through the crowd, listenin te the whistles blowin an the roar an the steam puffin outa the steam engines. An the noise of people’s feet runnin on the platform, tryin te make it onta trains. An the different voices of the culchies, an the Dubliners, an the English, all mixed together. An the air smelt different. An the excitement ran through me. Nothin bad could happen te us now. We were on our own. An we didn’t have te worry any more. Me ma jumped on the train, an I hesimitated, lookin down at the tracks, afraid I’d fall down. Then I gave a jump, an I was up. An the whistle blew, an the train shook, an the noise was deafenin, from the roar of the steam. An I followed me ma down the train, lookin fer a seat. ‘Sit down here!’ an we sat down next te the tilet. ‘We’ll stay here,’ me ma whispered. ‘An when we see the ticket collector comin, we’ll hide in the tilet.’