‘Ah, I don’t mind them. I have me big sister. She’d tear them alive!’
‘Ye’re great in class!’ I said. ‘Do ye know yer letters an can ye do sums?’
‘Yeah, I know me letters. I watch me sister an she learnt me.’
‘Ye’re lucky,’ I said. ‘Look! Will ye learn me a few letters, cos I’d love te be able te write me name. An then maybe sometime I’d be able te learn te read. Will ye help me? Will ya? An I’ll give ye me currants on a Friday.’
‘Yeah, course I will, Martha,’ an the bell rang. I felt lovely an warm inside me, an Lilly linked her arm wit me. An we stuck together, laughin an duckin outa the way at the slaughter tha was goin on, te get first in the line.
The teacher gave me a new copybook an pencil when I was goin home. ‘Now!’ she said. ‘Don’t lose these, and you are to bring them to school in the morning with your homework done and clean. No rubbing out, please! I’ve written down what you are to do. Now run along and be here before the bell rings, or you will be locked out and marked absent, and the school inspector is keeping his eye on you! That’s all!’
‘Yes, Miss! No, Miss! Thank ye, Miss!’ an I flew out the door, happy wit school, afraid of her, an wishin I could do me homework, an she’d smile at me an I’d be one of her good girls.
When I got down onta the street, Lilly was waitin fer me. ‘Wha kept ya?’ An I told her about the teacher. ‘Ah, don’t be mindin her, her bark’s worse than her bite. She’ll be all right when ye get te know her,’ Lilly said. An we linked arms until we got across the Diamond an on te Sean McDermott Street. Then she turned right back up te Summerhill, an I turned left, draggin meself home.
Me heart was down in me belly now, an the fear was back in me chest. I started te run, an I was wonderin where te hide me copybook an pencil. Jackser tore the pages outa the last one, an me brother scribbled an chewed wha was left of it.
When I got back, I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. I knocked a bit harder an listened. It was all quiet. They must be all gone out. I sat on the stairs fer a minute te think. I know what I’ll do, I’ll sit on the steps out on the street. Maybe I might get someone passin who’ll give me a hand te do me sums an show me wha the letters are. Ye never know yer luck! I’m goin te be like Lilly an get tha teacher te think I’m great!
I sat there waitin. A few aul biddies passed me, tellin each other a pack of lies. ‘I’m not tellin ye a word of a lie, may I be struck stone dead,’ one aul one said. ‘An the smell of porter offa her, this hour of the day.’ The other one said, ‘An was it enjoyable, after all tha?’ An then the two of them stopped fer a rest, hangin onta the railins beside me.
‘Ah, lookit tha young one wit the mouth gapin open, listenin an takin in everythin!’
The other one looked at me, annoyed her story was interrupted. ‘Shut yer mouth, you, before ye catch flies!’ Then she shook herself an fixed the bottle of porter she had hidden in her shawl. ‘Come on, Nellie, I need te do me piss.’ An they moved past me, leanin in an outa each other te keep themselves movin. The smell offa them was like how me an Charlie smell first thing in the mornin after pissin the bed. An it only eases when we’ve been in the fresh air fer a while.
I looked up an down. There’s nobody aroun. I didn’t think I was goin te get anyone te stop an talk, an I don’t think they’ll be back fer a while. I know what I’ll do! I’ll go up an see Lilly! Yeah, great idea. No, I won’t bother bringin me copybook, cos I’ll be worryin about losin it, an I won’t be able te play. I dashed up the stairs an looked fer some place te hide it. It’ll be grand on the top landin. Nobody goes up there, an the aul woman who lives there won’t rob it.
I ran up the hill onta Parnell Street, turned right an crossed Gardiner Street, an up Summerhill. I didn’t know where she lives, but it should be easy te ask someone. As I came up Summerhill, a gang of young fellas – they were all about six, seven an eight years old – were playin cowboys an injuns. There was about six of them. ‘Hey, lookit her!’ they roared. ‘Let’s get her!’
I stopped fer a minute te think which way I’d run. An before I knew it they were chargin aroun me doin an injun war dance. ‘I’m lookin fer Lilly!’ I squeaked, pretendin I wasn’t afraid. ‘Do ye’s know where she lives?’
They stopped, an the bigger young fella, he was about nine, stabbed me in the chest wit his finger an said, ‘Where do ye come from? Ye’re not allowed up here!’