‘No, it wasn’t!’ I said.
An I’m tryin te think wha name te call her when Sister asks me gently, ‘Was it you, Martha?’
‘No, Sister!’ I said.
An then a young one owned up an suddenly said, ‘It was me, Sister, an I’m sorry, Sister, an I’m on me honour, Sister.’ An we all went out te the playground. It was freezin cold in the yard, an I didn’t run aroun. I was too cold an stood in a corner outa the wind. I didn’t bother te play wit the other childre, cos they wouldn’t play wit me anyway. The nun appeared an told us te gather up in two lines. Cleopatra was tormentin me in the other line. She kept flickin her hair an sayin she was goin te tell on me. I was ragin an tryin te think how I’d get me own back when suddenly Sister called me outa the line. As I passed Cleopatra, she cackled at me. ‘Now, I told ye I was goin te get ye inta trouble. Ye’re fer it!’
Sister brought me inta a little room off the school yard an it had shelves of clothes. She put me sittin up on the table an took off me rags an put a lovely warm frock on me an a snowy-white soft cardigan wit pearl buttons, an a pair of white knee socks an a pair of red sandals. Then she combed me hair an lifted me down an stood back te admire me. Then she rushed over te the sink an dipped a corner of the towel under the tap an wiped me face an damped me hair down. I walked out the door wit springs on me feet, an I was lovely an warm. The childre were still lined up an were very quiet when we appeared. An they all looked me up an down. I bounced past Cleopatra, an her jaw was hangin down te her belly. Then she tightened her mouth an squinted her eyes at me. I threw back me head an flicked me hair, an patted me new cardigan an marched past her.
When I got home, Charlie was sittin outside in a big pram wit springs an a hood. It was lovely. I ran up te the room an asked, ‘Can I take him fer a walk?’
‘No!’ me ma said. ‘Have yer tea an bread an go out an watch the pram.’
I was outside sittin on the steps an fed up lookin at the pram. The babby was asleep. I wouldn’t have been able te get the pram down the steps, cos it was too heavy, so I couldn’t push the pram off an take him fer a walk. A young one from school was passin an asked me te go wit her fer a message down te Summerhill. I said, ‘No, I can’t. I have te mind the babby.’ But she wouldn’t believe me an kept on askin. I was dyin te go, so I said, ‘Yeah, OK.’
We were on our way back up Summerhill when suddenly I got an awful blow tha sent me flyin out onta the road an nearly under a car. I didn’t know wha hit me until Jackser picked me up by me neck an kicked me back onta the footpath. I didn’t get time te get me wind back before he had me offa the ground again an was shakin me. ‘I told ye! I told ye!’ he said as he boxed me. ‘Not te leave the child alone. Ye were told te mind the pram.’ I was convulsin up an down, me whole body was shakin, an great sobs were comin outa me. Loads a people were aroun, but nobody bothered te interfere. He kicked me again, sendin me flyin te the ground, an roared, ‘Get up! Get movin, cos I’m goin te kick ye all the way back te tha pram.’
14
Jackser took me off on his bike te collect the bread from the convents. I sat up on the crossbar an held on te the handlebars. Jackser was gettin ready te jump onta the bike, but first he had te do his habits. ‘Now! Well ...’ an then he started te suck air up inta his nose very fast an at the same time stretch an shake his right arm inta the air while bendin his head te the ground. He can’t help it, he does tha after he gets an idea or before he does somethin interestin. He bursts the arse offa all his trousers doin that, an he always has te sew his coat under the arms. But this time he was tryin te hold the bike wit me on it an do his habits at the same time. The bike started te see-saw out onta the road, till me feet were touchin the ground, an then back te Jackser, faster an faster. I started te squeal an went, ‘Ah, Mammy, help!’
Jackser stopped suddenly an said, ‘What! Wha the fuck is tha about?’ I jumped offa the bike at the same time as he went back te his snortin an salutin an bendin, an he lost his balance, toppled over the bike an rolled onta the road. He lay there lookin very white, an he said, ‘I’m done fer! Run in an get Sally. Tell her te get the ambulance. I’m damaged!’ I kept lookin at him, not knowin wha te do, an a man came along on a bicycle an picked him up an said, ‘There now, you’ll be all right. Ye just gorra fright.’
Jackser held onta the railins, an I went up te tell me ma. ‘Ma! Ma!’ I said, ‘Jackser fell off his bike an ye’re te come down.’