The Ballymara Road (36 page)

Little Harry had sidled up to Maura, holding out the purchase he had made with the sixpenny piece Tommy had given him for the morning.

‘Look, Mammy, I got this for you.’

Harry held out a square glass ashtray, washed and sparkling. It was one Maura had used herself when visiting another house on the four streets and it had been donated as a contribution to the bric-a-brac stall.

‘There’s a glass sugar bowl, on three legs, as well. Shall I get that, with another penny? We don’t have a sugar bowl.’

Maura looked at her son, whose pain was, she knew, as great as her own, yet his only thought was of how he could ease hers. She pulled him into her side.

‘The money is for you to buy sweets and things with, Harry. It’s for you to have a nice day with, not to buy things for me.’

As she ruffled his hair, Harry squeezed his mother’s waist and said, ‘I’m going to buy the sugar bowl.’

‘I don’t know what I did to deserve a lad as good as that,’ said Maura to Nana Kathleen who was serving next to her.

But Kathleen was preoccupied with something else. She had noticed a woman with a baby, who had been looking hard at Maura and was now walking up to the stall. There wasn’t a woman at the Rose Queen fair not known to either Maura or Kathleen. This woman wasn’t from the four streets, Kathleen could tell that much straightaway. But she did look familiar.

Kathleen nudged Maura, who was wrapping a slice of giggle cake in greaseproof paper for the youngest McGinty girl.

‘That’ll be a ha’penny, queen,’ she said.

The crestfallen look told Maura in a flash that the child had no money.

It was a look Maura knew well. She could smell shame a mile away.

Maura thrust the cake into the little girl’s hand. ‘Well, there you go, then, you have it anyway. I need to be rid of it now.’

The child’s look of despair instantly vanished, to be replaced by one of gratitude. As she walked away, Maura watched her break the cake and hand half to her little brother, whom she was holding tightly by the hand.

‘That bastard McGinty. He doesn’t deserve to have kids as good as that,’ said Maura.

‘Are you Maura Doherty?’

It was a voice Maura did not recognize. She looked up to see the best-dressed woman she had ever laid eyes on, with an accent she could not identify, but which had a trace of Irish in it somewhere.

Maura looked instantly suspicious. ‘Yes, I am. Why?’ she replied. ‘Do I know you?’

‘No, you don’t, but you do know my sister-in-law, Brigid.’

‘Brigid?’ Maura looked incredulous. ‘Brigid doesn’t live here any more. She moved back to Ireland months back.’

‘Yes, I know,’ the woman replied. ‘My mammy visited her yesterday.’

‘Your mammy?’ said Kathleen, joining in the conversation. ‘Mrs McGuire, would that be now?’

‘Yes, that’s right. I am Mary, her daughter. I live in America.’

‘Jesus, by all the saints, would that be ye, so? That means ye are the sister of Sean, who ran off with my son’s wife, Alice.’

‘I am that, yes,’ she replied wearily. ‘And it is their sin, not mine. I am not here to talk about them, Maura.’ The woman’s voice began to tremble as she looked down at the baby in her arms.

The thought flashed through Maura’s mind that it was the sickliest baby she had ever seen.

‘This baby, Maura, is your grandson. I adopted him from the Abbey. He is the baby your daughter Kitty gave birth to. He is very ill and needs your help.’

Maura could not speak, but as she looked towards the Green, her eyes searching for Tommy, she saw her once again, on the very spot where Maura had first laid eyes on her on the day of Bernadette’s funeral. Alice, standing on the corner of the street, tucking her hair back into her hat.

Jerry had lifted Joseph out of his pushchair. The excitement of the children running around was all too much for him and he wanted to be on his feet, not pushed by his da.

‘Come here, little fella,’ said Jerry as he bent down to unclip his reins.

Once on his feet, Joseph grasped the handle of the pushchair, which Jerry slowly propelled along, and toddled down the street.

‘Let’s visit Nana Kathleen on the cake stall, shall we, and see what treats she has for ye?’

‘Shall I look after Joseph, Jer?’ Little Paddy appeared out of nowhere.

‘Aye, go on then, Paddy,’ said Jerry, failing to hide the relief in his voice.

He put his hand into his pocket. ‘And here’s a threepenny bit, Paddy. I’ll go and help Tommy now. You keep in my sight so I know where ye go. And buy yerself and Joseph a cake and play one of the games.’

‘Aye, I will, Jerry, thanks, Jerry.’

Little Paddy tied to the pushchair handle the piece of string he used as a dog lead for Scamp and lifted Joseph into his arms. He half staggered as he wheeled the pushchair towards the cake stall. Scamp had become a local canine hero. It hadn’t taken many minutes before everyone on the four streets knew that Paddy’s little friend had found a murder weapon.

‘I was thinking of charging people to stroke Scamp,’ Little Paddy had confided to Harry, ‘but I changed me mind. I don’t want Scamp to get above himself. ’Tis magic, Harry, that the
Echo
took our photo with Scamp. Who would have known that us playing in the graveyard would lead Scamp to the mallet, to be sure it was a miracle, it was.’

Little Paddy was delighted to have money in his hand. He had felt slightly detached from the fun, not having had a penny with which to join in, but that was Little Paddy’s life, always on the outside. Nothing in his life was quite enough.

He wasn’t loved enough, fed enough or respected enough. The kids on the four streets sensed who was the weakest in the pack and it was always Little Paddy everyone made fun of. His only true friend had been Harry, until now. Little Paddy and Scamp were enjoying hero status for having found the murder weapon, which had elevated Little Paddy to a level of contentment he had never known existed before today.

Harriet was aware that some of the children would have been excluded from the fun because they had no money, so she made sure much of the entertainment was free. However, she was also mindful of the fact that the aim of the fair was to raise funds for the new library.

Jerry waved across at Tommy, who was red in the face from blowing his brass whistle, trying to impose some sort of order on the eighty children running around, demanding to know which race was next.

Jerry ran over to help his mate and, as he did so, he noticed Harriet walking into the tea tent with one of the Rose Queen judges.

‘Well, if she wasn’t the priest’s sister, I would say that they was flirting outrageously now, wouldn’t you?’ he said to Tommy.

‘Jesus, I haven’t a fecking clue. Would ye stop that fight at the finishing line, Jerry? It was definitely Brian what won, will ye tell them for me.’

Little Paddy, having struggled with Scamp and an objecting toddler, put his foot down and, with it, Joseph back into his pushchair. He was already salivating at the thought of buying one of the huge cheese scones that he had watched Maura pile high on a plate. Little Paddy had had only a slice of bread and dripping for breakfast and his stomach had begun to rumble the second Jerry had placed the money in his hand.

‘Let’s go and get some grub, eh?’ Little Paddy said to Joseph who had voiced no objection to being put back in his pushchair, now that he was being pulled along by Scamp. Little Paddy spun the pushchair round to head towards the cake stall, but his progression was halted suddenly in midflight.

‘Oh, Holy Jesus, Joseph, is that yer mammy?’

It took Little Paddy only seconds to recognize the woman walking towards them. Her eyes were fixed on Joseph, and she appeared sadder than Little Paddy had ever seen her when she lived on the four streets.

‘Hello, Alice,’ said Little Paddy nervously. ‘Have ye come back?’

Alice glanced around. She was safe; everyone was busy. With her plain headscarf pulled low over her forehead and tied under her chin, she looked very unlike the Alice who had left the four streets only months before.

‘I have, Paddy. I’ve come to collect Joseph. I’m taking him with me now.’

At the sound of his mother’s voice, Joseph sat up in his pushchair and his bottom lip began to tremble. His mother had been absent for a large part of his very short life, but he knew her. He knew her features and her voice, and he put out his arms. He wanted to be close to her and feel her.

But Little Paddy swung the pushchair round, away from Alice. Joseph strained against the reins, beginning to turn red in the face and working himself up into a scream as he attempted to scramble his way out.

‘Right, well, ye see, Alice, Jerry has paid me, like, threepence to look after Joseph, so I can’t let him go until I take him back to Jerry first.’

‘Don’t be silly, Paddy.’

Alice spoke firmly but no louder than was necessary so as not to attract attention. The last thing she wanted was to alarm Little Paddy or her beloved son. The sight of him made her heart crunch in pain. She had been thousands of miles away, and here she now was, only six feet from him, yet the barrier between her and the child was just as if an ocean lay between them.

‘Don’t be silly, Paddy,’ Alice said again, her tone laced with tension. ‘I am his mammy and, look, he needs his mammy. He wants me to pick him up.

‘Shh, Joseph, Mummy’s here,’ she whispered, moving forward and bending down to unclip the reins.

Little Paddy broke out in a sweat. He knew this wasn’t right; he couldn’t run off and leave Joseph but he had no idea how to stop Alice either.

‘Oh God, no, please don’t get me into trouble, Alice. Shall I shout for Jer to help ye?’

Little Paddy looked around frantically. Jerry was down at the bottom of the green, organizing children to collect their prizes. Tommy had lined up a group of children for the next race. There were adults everywhere, but each was busy and distracted, and not one was looking his way. Music drifted over from the accordion, competing with the sound of children squealing and laughing.

‘Oh God, please, please help,’ Little Paddy whispered to himself, jumping up and down frantically. He shouted to Harry, standing on the side of the green, watching the games with Declan.

Little Paddy knew Harry couldn’t join in the races and so he shouted louder, ‘Harry, Harry, over here!’

But the noise drowned him out and Harry didn’t so much as turn round.

Little Paddy looked at Alice.

‘Please, Alice,’ he begged, ‘I think Jer will be mad with me and ye know what my da’s like. Please, Alice, don’t take him until I fetch Jer.’

Alice was struggling with the reins. When Little Paddy had fastened them and put Joseph back in his harness, he had accidentally crossed the leather straps. Alice paid no attention to Little Paddy. It was as if he weren’t there and she was in a world of her own, where only Joseph existed.

‘Oh, for goodness’ sake.’ Her voice was heavy with frustration. ‘I will just take the pushchair with me. Sit down, Joseph, Mummy is here now.’

Joseph held out his hands. Alice leant forward and wrapped her arms round the son who had so obviously missed her. It tore her heart apart that he remembered her, that he loved her and wanted to be in her arms, that he did not pull away or condemn her for leaving him. Love was forgiveness and her baby son had needed no words. He had only his open arms. Alice knew she was forgiven. Leaning against the pushchair, she held him tightly, but he didn’t object. His crying subsided as hers began and her hot, salty tears ran onto his scalp, darkening his blond curls. Alice was not a woman known to cry, until today.

Joseph, comforted, allowed Alice to stand as she held onto his hand. He grasped her fingers tightly. He was not about to let her go or leave his sight. As she stood, she pressed the pushchair handle down and spun it round, ready to head towards the Dock Road.

Little Paddy had broken out into a sweat. He felt faint with fear and knew that, at any second, he would have to do something.

‘Alice.’ Little Paddy sounded stronger than he felt. ‘Please don’t take Joseph. I might have to do something drastic. The dog is tied to the pushchair. I might have to set him on to ye or sumthin’.’

Alice seemed not to hear as she strode quickly away. Suddenly Little Paddy saw Jerry wave towards him and then break into a sprint. He heaved a huge sigh of relief.

‘Paddy, hold onto the baby,’ Jerry shouted as he ran, but Alice was already on her way down the road.

Scamp now took exception to being separated from Little Paddy and, with one bound, he leapt up, bit Alice on the arm and lodged his teeth in her coat sleeve. Alice screamed. Joseph screamed. Little Paddy screamed. The air was filled with growling, snarling and screaming, and then as Joseph began to cry, Alice found her voice.

‘Get this dog off, Paddy, get him away,’ she yelled, as the dog’s yellow teeth refused to dislodge from the woollen cuff of her Macey’s coat.

In a split second, Jerry had reached the pushchair and detached the dog, while Little Paddy untied his well-knotted string dog lead from the handles.

‘Thanks, Paddy, ye did a good job there. Take Joseph to Kathleen, please, will yer,’ said Jerry.

Little Paddy felt sick with relief. ‘Aye, Jerry. D’ye want the threepence back?’

Little Paddy held out the coin and was thankful that Jerry didn’t notice. He quickly popped it back into his trouser pocket and ran with the pushchair over to Kathleen, bumping into Harry on the way.

‘Jesus, Harry, Alice came back from nowhere. She just appeared like a ghost and scared the feckin’ shite outta me she did. She stared at me with her weird eyes and I swear to all that is holy, she was trying to turn me into stone and then when it didn’t work, she tried to kidnap Joseph and run away with himself sat in the pushchair. Scamp wasn’t having that and attacked her, hung from her arm with his teeth he did and bit her, and then Jerry came and paid me for looking after Joseph and saving him. I’m away to Nana Kathleen with Joseph now, so we can be safe in case she comes after us and tries it again.’

Harry looked at Little Paddy gravely.

‘Paddy,’ he said, placing both hands on his hips, ‘you have to stop telling lies and making stuff up, or, I swear to God, you will get locked up one day.’