I was out on the street playin, but there was no one aroun te play wit. I was standin there, leanin against the railins, mindin me own business when a young fella came along an gave me a shove. Then he started laughin at me an callin me names. ‘Eh! Skinny, smelly, ye can’t catch me!’ I was ragin, an I looked at him. He was bigger than me. Then he started throwin stones at me. I could feel me heart poundin, but I waited. I’m not lettin him get away wit tha.
As soon as his back was turned an he bent down te pick up somethin from the ground, I charged. I grabbed him by the jumper an knocked him down. He rolled over an started te lash out wit his legs, still callin me smelly. But I dropped me knees on his stomach an grabbed his hair. Then I stood up, still holdin tight te his hair. ‘Do ye give up?’ I shouted.
‘No! I’m goin te get ye fer this,’ he roared, so I pulled his hair tighter te the ground, an he couldn’t get a hold a me. ‘Ah, let go!’ he shouted.
‘Do ye give in?’
‘Let go! Lemme go! Ma! Ma! Mammy! I give in, I give in!’
Then a man came along, an I let go. The young fella ran off. I was lookin at the man te see if he would roar at me fer fightin, but he just laughed. He was all dressed up, an he must be back from England, I thought. He called me over, an he was still laughin, but I hesimitated, ye never know ... Then he put his hand in his pocket, an I shot across the road. He handed me two shillins, an he said, ‘Ye’re a little topper, tha young fella won’t be back fer more.’ An he looked down at me. ‘Jaysus, them eyes a yours are spittin!’ An he bent down te me. ‘Listen, you remind me of meself when I was your age. Only fight when ye have to. There’s other ways of beatin them.’
‘How, Mister?’ I asked.
‘Work hard an get away from them. Be yer own man. Don’t look down on anyone, but don’t look up te anyone either.’
‘Where do ye live, Mister?’ I asked him.
‘I’m livin in England, an I have me own buildin business now. I never looked back.’
‘Do ye have childre?’
‘No! I’m not married,’ then he laughed an said I’d be grand. ‘I’d better hurry,’ he said. ‘I’m meetin me brothers. Go on down an get a few sweets, an don’t spend the money all at once.’ Then he was gone. I watched him go, hurryin down Summer Street, an I wanted te run after him an ask him will he take me back te England wit him. But I knew I’d have te take me mammy an me little brother. An somehow I knew me mammy wouldn’t suit him. She’s too quiet fer someone like him. Or maybe he wouldn’t like her hairy legs. I felt I’d lost somethin, an I turned aroun an started te walk home. I was lookin at the shiny two shillins, an I started te run. I’ll bring this up te me ma an watch her face break inta a laugh. Me world is grand an everythin is lovely when I see me ma laugh, cos it means everythin is OK.
I ran up the stairs an rattled the doorknob an banged the door. ‘Ma! Ma!’ I shouted. ‘Open the door.’
Jackser shouted, ‘Wha do ye want? Get out an play.’
‘I have money, I got money, Jackser! I have two shillins!’
I heard Jackser laugh, an then me ma laughed an said, ‘Jaysus, I wonder where she got tha!’ Then I heard the bedsprings creak, an Jackser got up an opened the door. He was holdin his hand over the front of his shirt, an his legs was bare. I dashed inta the room an flew over te me ma in the bed. An I handed her the money.
Jackser was strugglin wit the leg of his trousers, an he started snufflin. His arm shot up in the air a few times, an his head went down te the ground, an he lost his trousers, exposin his hairy arse. ‘Oh, fuck me,’ he said, an pulled them up an started snufflin again. When he was finished, he said, ‘Sally! Send the young one down an get me five Woodbines. I’m dyin fer a smoke!’
‘Right,’ she said. ‘An get me a bottle of milk. An make sure ye bring back the right change.’
‘OK, Ma. An can I have a penny fer meself?’
‘Yeah, go on, then.’
On me way out the door, I knocked on me friend te ask her if she wanted any messages doin. ‘Come on in, Martha, she said. ‘How are ye?’
‘Do ye want anythin at the shop, Maizie?’ I asked.
‘Ah, no. Paddy’s bringin me back fish an chips on his way back from the pub later. How’s yer mammy?’
‘She’s grand, Maizie.’
‘An how’s the babby? I haven’t seen him out recently. The pram’s gone outa the hall. I suppose tha Jackser fella pawned it, did he?’
I said nothin, an I went over te play wit Chrissie. She’s gorgeous. She’s nearly three, an she has fat cheeks an her mammy dresses her lovely. She always has standy-out frilly frocks an lovely big bows in her hair. Her mammy makes ringlets when she washes her hair, an they curl down her back. She showed me her new doll her granny Kelly bought her. I wanted te sit down on the floor in front of the fire an help Chrissie te dress the doll, but Jackser will kill me. I have te go an get his Woodbines.