‘No! No! Don’t tell them anythin.’
‘No, she isn’t.’
The money was whipped back, an there was some more shoutin.
‘Yes, she is!’ I said, reachin out fer the money, but they put it back in their pockets!
The hooley was goin on upstairs. Old Mrs Coleman had died; she lived in the room above us wit her grandson Neddy. We heard the bang on the ceilin, an me ma shouted te Nelly, ‘It’s Mrs Coleman, quick! We’d better run up, there’s somethin wrong.’
Neddy came runnin down the stairs, an he was white as a sheet. ‘Me granny collapsed when she was tyin her boots te get ready fer Mass. Come up quick!’
‘You stay there,’ me ma said te me. An they ran up the stairs, leavin me behind wonderin wha was goin on.
Now the house was crowded wit people. All me aunts were upstairs keepin the wake when me ma sneaked outa the house. ‘Come on,’ she said te me. ‘Quick! Before they miss us.’
We went up aroun High Street an met Dickser at the Corn Market. She gave him the money, an he asked her if she wanted a walk. She said, no, she had te hurry back. They’d have plenty of time fer tha when they got te England, an they both laughed. Dickser gave me a penny, an when I examined it, it was all bent an black. I didn’t think they would take it in the shop, an I was disgusted.
On the way home, the ma asked me if I wanted a single, an we went inta the chip shop. We ate the chips comin home in the dark, an they were lovely an hot. When we got te our hall door, there were people spillin out onta the street. There was a coupla young ones an young fellas loungin against the walls. The young fellas hid the bottle of porter they were drinkin under their coats, an they stopped laughin an pushin each other when they saw us comin. ‘G’night, missus,’ they said te me ma.
We walked on inta the dark hall. We could hear the singin an the buzz of voices comin from upstairs. Me ma fell over a body lyin at the bottom of the stairs. She gave an awful scream, an the mound of coats moved te show a head wit bloodshot eyes starin up at us in confusion. ‘Jaysus, it’s Hairy Lemon! Get out, ye dirty aul sod,’ me ma shouted at him.
The young fellas rushed in, an when they saw me ma was all right, they laughed an said, ‘He won’t harm ye, missus. We’ll put him out fer ye, if ye want.’
‘Ah, leave him. So long as he doesn’t come up an murder me in me bed, I don’t care.’
The door opened on the landin, an Cissy came out. ‘Who’s that? Who’s down there?’ she shouted.
‘It’s only me, Cissy. Hairy Lemon gave me an awful fright. He’s sleepin at the bottom of the stairs.’
I dashed inta the room, an it was lovely an warm. The fire was roarin red, an the fryin pan was on top of the fire wit sausages an rashers sizzlin away. The lamp had a new wick, an it was burnin brightly, throwin shadows on the walls. Me cousin’s head shot up from the pilla, an he was delighted te see me. ‘Cissy told me a story,’ he said. ‘An I saw Mrs Coleman. She was dead! An I got lemonade, an biscuits, an cake. Me ma’s up there, an Cissy is mindin me. You should a been here, ye’ve missed it all. I got everythin!’
I was lost fer words an started te cry. I was not goin te be outdone.
‘Ma, bring us up te the wake, Ma. I want te go te see Mrs Coleman.’
‘No! Ye’re goin te bed, it’s too late.’
‘Ma, I want te.’
‘If ye don’t stop tha keenin, I’ll leave ye down wit Hairy Lemon!’
Then Cissy said te me ma she’d take me up fer just a minute, an Barney was outa the bed in a flash. ‘I’m comin, too. Me too, Cissy!’
So we banged up the stairs ahead of Cissy, an the landin was crowded. Nelly was draped over two old women sittin wit black shawls draped aroun them, their noses blocked tight wit the free snuff they were shovin up. They had bottles of stout lined up an were shovellin ham sambidges, an cake, an pig’s cheek inta their mouths like there was no tomorrow. Nelly was dozin wit the bottle of porter in her hand but stirred herself when she saw us comin.
‘Ah, me beauties! Me lovely childre! The light a me life, come here an give us a kiss.’
She dribbled all over Barney an tried te catch me. Barney was tryin te climb up on her lap at the same time she reached out fer me, an the chair toppled over. Nelly went backwards, takin Barney an the old women wit her, cos she grabbed a hold a them. The pig’s cheek an the porter spilt over them, an they all ended up in a heap on the floor.
Nelly said, ‘Fer the love a Jaysus!’ An the old women screamed, ‘Help! I’m kilt!’ An Biddy, who was wrapped aroun two old men an a woman, stopped singin an squinted over te see wha was happenin an said, ‘Ah, nobody’s hurt; it’s only Nelly enjoyin herself.’