The women peered inta the room an spotted me. ‘Ah, could we take the child to one of our club meetings? We’re having one today. It’s for the children, and our club is just around the corner. We hold them on a Sunday.’
‘No!’ Jackser roared.
‘Well, could we come in and maybe say a little decade of the rosary?’
‘Youse have had all the time I’m givin youse. Now gerraway from me door.’
He went te bang it shut, but the woman put her foot in the door an said, ‘I implore you to see it in your heart to let the child come around to the club. It’s only for an hour, and we’ll bring her back.’
‘Youse are not gettin yer hands on her te corrupt her wit yer religion. I’m havin no religion in my house. An furthermore, it’d suit ye better if ye were te offer te feed the childre. They’re starved fer the want of a bit a food. I can’t work any more, I had te give it up. I was a night watchman on a buildin site in England, an the coke fire te keep me warm at night destroyed me lungs. I used te sit hunched over the fire, tryin te keep meself warm, an only a hut over me te keep out the elements. I’m destroyed, I’ll never be able te work again. Now fuck off wit yerselves.’ An he slammed the door.
They were back the next Sunday. ‘We offered our prayers for you,’ they said te Jackser when he opened the door. ‘We prayed to our Blessed Mother to intercede with Our Lord, you would open your heart to God’s love and mercy. Please let us take the child around to our club.’
Me ma said, ‘Maybe ye should let her go. Tha way we’d get a bit a peace!’
‘Right!’ Jackser said. ‘But after this no more! Ye’s are comin the hound wit me, an I’m master in me own home. Me word is law.’
Me an the Legion women went aroun the corner te an old church. I was all excited, cos I was gettin outa the room an goin somewhere. The club was a big room wit a table an benches. There were about four women runnin in an outa the kitchen, makin sambidges an tea. An I could see plates of fluffy pink an white biscuits. Young ones were sittin along the benches an had copybooks an pencils in front of them. I thought we were all goin te school when I saw this. The young ones looked very important te me. One said, ‘Sister! Will ya be readin out the Maria Legionis te us? I have all me good deeds fer the week wrote out. Me big sister helped me. Look at all I done, Sister!’ an she slapped the copybook down in front of the woman an started makin a big noise suckin on her pencil.
‘Lookit what I done, Sister! I done a lot more than her.’
‘I was kilt helpin me mammy all week, so I was.’
‘No, ye wasn’t,’ another one shouted. ‘I saw ye out on the streets, day an night, playin an havin a great time!’
‘How would you know?’ Sucky Pencil roared back. ‘You musta bein doin nothin yerself, then!’
‘I saw ye from the winda. I was helpin me mammy polish the oil cloth on the floor wit me ma’s lavender polish. I was waitin fer the tin te be emptied so I could get it an play piggybeds on the street.’
‘Ye’re a liar! Youse don’t have oil cloth on yer floor.’
‘Children!’ said the sister. ‘No fighting! Our Lady’s watching.’ Then the two women arrived from the kitchen carryin trays wit sambidges an biscuits, an another woman came in wit a big kettle an white tea cups wit matchin saucers. The woman poured out the tea, an it had milk an sugar already poured inta it. I was handed a plate wit sambidges, an I helped meself te a ham sambidge. The plate was put in front of me, an I supped the tea an took a bite of the sambidge. It was good butter, an the ham was gorgeous. I kept me eye on the plate of sambidges, an I tried not te guzzle down what I was eatin. But as I reached out te take another one, hands came from nowhere an cleaned out the plate. I looked an saw the young one beside me. She had a sambidge in each hand, an she’d put two more under her, an she was sittin on them. I swallied me spit an decided te ask her fer one.
‘No! They’re mine.’
‘But I only got one,’ I said.
‘Well, ye won’t be so dopey next time, will ye?’ she said.
I lost me rag an said, ‘Aw, fuck off! Stick them up yer arse! I hope they poison ye!’
An yer woman roared up at the woman, ‘Sister! Sister! Tha new young one is after tellin me te fuck off, so she is!’
‘Mary Cissy! That’s not nice language in front of the Statue of Our Lady.’
‘She did, Miss, Sister! We heard her, too. She told her te fuck off,’ they all roared.
‘Yeah, an she told me te fuck off as well!’ another young one said.