As Peggy started up another chorus of ‘Happy Birthday to You’ encouraging half the passengers to join in (having done the same at breakfast and lunch), Katie smiled, delighted at the fuss and attention she was getting. She’d already had a good gawp at the First Class passengers and some of their fancy rooms and Harry had brought a tray of cakes to the cabin a little earlier, the like of which Katie had never seen before, all fancy little tarts and buns and delicate slices of madeira cake.
‘They were for some fancy woman’s afternoon tea,’ he’d explained, clearly delighted with himself. ‘They were sent back to the galley because the lady isn’t partial to these particular types of cakes.’ His exaggerated, upper class accent had sent the girls into a fit of the giggles as they scoffed them all in a hurry and then felt sick.
And yet for all the day’s amusement, and the plans for dancing and singing that evening, Katie wished that her family was there to celebrate with her. She thought of her family back in Ireland, her Mam and Da and her brother William and wondered how it must have felt to watch them all leave a few mornings ago – such a sight they must have been clattering out of Ballysheen. She thought of her sister Catherine, waiting for her in New York and wondered how she would look after all these years of city living. She had heard that it can turn your face pale, what with sitting indoors a lot of the time and the fumes from the motor cars making you cough.
If she knew her sister at all, she imagined that she would be happily occupying herself getting ready for her arrival. She would have the house spotless from top to bottom and would no doubt have taken to getting extra pillows and bedding for her comfort after this strenuous journey stuck on board a stuffy ship with barely a board to sleep on. How she’ll laugh, Katie thought to herself, when I tell her of the luxury we have known, of the knives with the flags emblazoned on them, the electric lighting and fresh running water in our cabins and the hand towels with the hand stitched words ‘White Star Line.’ Katie’s stomach flipped slightly at the thought of seeing her sister in just a matter of days.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Peggy who was fussing at her to hurry up and eat her dinner.
‘For the love of God Katie Kenny, would you ever stop daydreamin’ and eat that bloody corned beef and cabbage. We’ve a party to be havin’ and we can’t start it until you’re there, what with it being for your birthday an’ all.’
Katie laughed. She was so fond of her friends Peggy and Maggie and was so glad of their company. It had made the journey so much easier travelling all together. ‘Right so, I’m hurryin’. Oh, and will we be expectin’ the pleasure of young Lucky Harry for the hoolie tonight?’ she asked, winking at Peggy, fully aware of the affections she had formed for the steward.
‘Might be,’ Peggy replied coquettishly, ‘Might not. I might have other men asking me out tonight for all you know. I saw that rich millionaire one lookin’ at me upstairs!’
The girls laughed then as they finished their meals and rushed off to wash before starting their evening’s merriment.
‘D’y know what girls?’ Katie added as they neared their cabin. ‘I think this is my favourite birthday ever. I’ll never forget this day as long as I live.’
CHAPTER 20 - Private journal of Maggie Murphy
April 14th, 1912
Day 4 at sea
2.30pm
Katie is having a fine birthday altogether what with Peggy singing endless rounds of ‘Happy Birthday’ and Harry bringing posh cakes and showing us the First Class decks and now we’re just back from another huge lunch. Lord my stomach aches - I think Mr Durcan was right about the forty tonne of spuds being on board – I feel as if I’ve ate half of those for lunch alone.
It’s a clear, bright day so we’ve all come up on deck to walk off some of the food and get some wind in our cheeks. I’m sitting on a chair looking at nothing but endless ocean as far as my eyes can see. The seagulls are screeching above my head. Peggy and Katie are leaning over the white, iron railings around the side of the ship. They like to look over the edge and try to catch the spray on their faces. I daren’t at all, it makes me feel dizzy being so high up and it’s such a long way down and with the waves crashing and booming against the ship it’s enough to scare the life out of you just looking. I don’t even want to think how far down that ocean goes - it sends a shiver down my spine.
Katie was fretting for a while earlier when she thought she’d lost the piece of string which she’d used to take the measurement for little Nora O’Donoghue’s finger. She’s promised to send a ring back from America to Nora and was careful to measure her finger with the string before we left home, so she could be sure of the correct size. The string turned up under her mattress of all places. Peggy had her on that a rat must’ve taken it and was planning to use it to make its nest in her bed. Peggy is so wicked sometimes.