‘Yesh! Go on,’ the aul fella was noddin, leanin his belly against the table an puttin his elbows down wit his greasy fingers in the air, nearly sittin on top of her across the table.
‘Wot wos I sayin?’ she asked the ceilin, as yer man dipped his hand onta the plate an shoved a handful inta his gummy mouth, not botherin te use the fork, an started te chew, his bottom lip stuck out an kept goin up an down, coverin his nose as he tried te eat the chips wit his gums. ‘An nows they’re gone,’ she said, wavin her arms an starin at him wit bulgin eyes, an her lipstick was plastered all over her face, not just on her mouth.
‘Yesh! I wos perceptible te him.’
‘Yes, you wos!’
The woman waved her finger at him in agreement. ‘I sez tha to myself. You wos perceptible to im. You wos onta him right aways, you wos.’
‘Yesh, I wos, washn’t I?’ the aul fella said happily.
‘Right! We’ll be off,’ the fella said, gettin up.
An me ma said, ‘Come on, Martha! He’s givin us somewhere te stay fer the night,’ she said, smilin.
‘No, Ma! Don’t go wit him!’ I watched him go te the door an wait fer us. He was smilin, but I didn’t like the look of flint in his eyes. He’s a vicious bastard, I thought. ‘Ma! Let’s keep goin!’ I said, followin me ma.
‘No, we can’t,’ she said. ‘If we stay on the streets, we’ll be picked up.’
‘Listen te yer mam,’ he said te me, grabbin her arm an rushin her out the door, leavin me te trail after them.
‘He’s no good,’ I muttered after me ma, an he looked aroun givin me a sneer tha was supposed te be a smile, an shook his head at me ma, sayin, ‘She’s a lippy one, an no doubt about tha!’ Then he grabbed her arm again, sayin, ‘Cor, it ain’t half chilly! Let’s be movin,’ an he started te trot, pullin me ma behind him. I had te run te keep up. An I was cursin me ma fer bein so soft.
He turned inta a hall an up stone steps wit an iron banister, an along a cement passage, an put the key inta a door. An he went inta a dark passage an opened another door, an switched on a light. There was a big bed in the corner against a winda, wit a gas cooker in the other corner, an a table an a dresser holdin cups an plates. ‘Roight, let’s hit the bed,’ an he switched off the light an pulled off his shoes an trousers. I sat on a chair, pullin off me boots, an didn’t look in tha direction. I heard the bed springs creakin. An I got in at the bottom, leavin me ma te climb in beside him. I pulled the hairy blankets over me an shut me eyes, bringin me feet up under me an rollin meself tight inta a ball.
Then the noises started, an me ma was complainin. I didn’t want te hear. I put the pilla over me head, blockin out the noise, an waited fer the rockin an creakin of the bed te stop. I was holdin meself very tight, not takin a breath, an I felt I wanted te scream. I can’t stand it. Me ma is a fuckin cow! Why is she wit him? She’s always walkin inta trouble. The noise just won’t stop. I can’t believe she’s lettin him do horrible things te her. Why is she such a fuckin eejit?
‘Ma!’ I roared, pullin the pilla off me head. ‘I want te go now or get some sleep.’ Yer man stopped an pulled away from me ma. An then it was quiet. I was just dozin off when I felt his foot tryin te get between me legs. I leapt up. ‘Get yer bastardin foot away from me!’ I roared at him.
‘Wha’s happenin?’ me ma asked, raisin her head offa the pilla.
‘Sorry! I wos stretchin meself.’
I looked at him, an he turned over, buryin his head under the blankets, an me ma said, ‘Shush, go te sleep.’ I lay down again, movin meself well outa his reach, an lay at the edge of the bed, finally dozin off.
‘Come on,’ yer man was sayin, bucklin up his trousers an searchin the floor fer his socks. Me ma was fixin her skirt, an I jumped outa the bed an looked fer me boots. I didn’t take me trousers off goin te bed. ‘I’ve got te be movin.’ An he tied up his shoelaces an grabbed his overcoat.
I put on me pink coat an waited fer me ma te button up hers. ‘Are we right, then?’ she said te me. An I rushed past him holdin the door open fer us, ready te slam it shut behind us. An we’re on the street again. He gave a half-wave te me ma an hurried off in the other direction.
‘Come on, Ma. Let’s go,’ I said, anxious te be away from him an this place.
Me ma was lookin after him an turned te me. ‘I suppose we’d better get the bus down te the train station?’
‘Yeah, let’s find out where we get it.’
She stopped te ask a woman fer directions, an I moved on ahead, not wantin te be beside her. ‘Wait!’ she laughed, rushin up te me. ‘It’s down here, the woman said. Come on!’ I let her go ahead an trailed after her. When we got on the bus, she asked the conductor te let us off at the train station. I looked out the winda, leavin her talkin te herself. ‘Pity we couldn’t get a place here. We coulda brought the childre over, an we’d be well away from him.’