manhood as certainly as if she had
performed an operation on him. And she had performed an operation on him, on his mind. But this time next week he would be away, and from the time he left the house he would never look on her again. And yet he knew that he would never forget her, for her personality was
imprinted on him as indelibly as a stamp of a concentration camp. But there was one bit of enjoyment he was going to give himself before they parted; he was going to keep his eyes tight on her face when he told her about the money; he was going to draw into himself and hold, like some precious gift, her fury when she realized she had thrown away, not only the fatted calf, but the golden calf.
As the kettle began to whistle the shop door shook and the bell rang, and rising hastily, he pulled the kettle aside, pushed all the travel folders into a drawer, and went out through the shop and opened the door.
"Did I hear the kettle boiling?"
"Oh, hello, Dennis. Aye, you did."
Dennis hurried around the counter, "Lord, it's cold ... ugh!" He took off his coat as he entered the room, then went towards the stove and held his hands above it as Hughie mashed the tea. And for a moment there was a silence between them, the silence of two men who were past the need to fill every minute with sound.
"It won't be a tick, I'll let it draw. Sit yourself down."
Hughie was speaking to Dennis's back now. It was a thin back, narrow shoulders topped by a longish head with dark hair, close cut, almost black, as were his eyes. There was no look of Hannah about Dennis, and very little of Broderick. They said he took after Broderick's father.
His face wore a keen, sharp look, and when he turned it towards Hughie the expression was tight and the eyes hard.
"I suppose you've heard the latest?" he said.
"A bit of it."
"My God!" Dennis shook his head as he sat down.
"What will she think of next? Brampton Hill, number eight of all places! But there's one thing about it; this time the lads arc making a stand."
"Their lines will break."
"Yes, Hughie, as you say, their lines will break, as they've done before. The woman's mad.... Brampton Hill with our lot. Can you
imagine it? But she's determined as I've never seen her before. The house was like hell let loose this morning. Did you know she broke the news to them last night after she came back from the club?"
"Yes, I heard the racket from up in my room."
"Huh! She must have been well fortified and thought the time was ripe.
I was flabbergasted when I went in. I was expecting to get it in the neck straight-away for not calling in and, for what I had to tell her, but that came later. You know, the atmosphere on a Sunday in the house has generally made me laugh, because it's always so full of restrained holy bustle;
this one getting ready for this Mass, the other coming back from
Communion, and the virtue of having gone to the seven o'clock Mass oozing out of her like sweat. But not this morning. It was like going into a house where a bomb had exploded, and the worst thing they could have done they did, I mean the lads, they appealed to me. What did I think of it? You can imagine how she took that. " i Hughie jerked his chin as he poured out the tea.
"I can i-ma sine it.
But how did she take your news? "
"How did she take it?" Dennis took the cup from Hughie's hand and, lifting the spoon, tapped it against the saucer. It was a nervous
movement.
"You know, sometimes I want to laugh in her face, a debunking laugh, or laugh at her... but never with her. At times I forget she's me mother and want to slap her mouth for her. I could have done it this morning quite easily. It was during one of the lulls when the lads were coming up for more breath that I told her. We were in the kitchen alone at the time. I broke it gently, saying, " I've got a bit of news for you, Ma. "
"" Aye? " she said; she didn't even turn from the sink.
"Florence is going to have a baby," I said. I was grinning
performed an operation on him. And she had performed an operation on him, on his mind. But this time next week he would be away, and from the time he left the house he would never look on her again. And yet he knew that he would never forget her, for her personality was
imprinted on him as indelibly as a stamp of a concentration camp. But there was one bit of enjoyment he was going to give himself before they parted; he was going to keep his eyes tight on her face when he told her about the money; he was going to draw into himself and hold, like some precious gift, her fury when she realized she had thrown away, not only the fatted calf, but the golden calf.
As the kettle began to whistle the shop door shook and the bell rang, and rising hastily, he pulled the kettle aside, pushed all the travel folders into a drawer, and went out through the shop and opened the door.
"Did I hear the kettle boiling?"
"Oh, hello, Dennis. Aye, you did."
Dennis hurried around the counter, "Lord, it's cold ... ugh!" He took off his coat as he entered the room, then went towards the stove and held his hands above it as Hughie mashed the tea. And for a moment there was a silence between them, the silence of two men who were past the need to fill every minute with sound.
"It won't be a tick, I'll let it draw. Sit yourself down."
Hughie was speaking to Dennis's back now. It was a thin back, narrow shoulders topped by a longish head with dark hair, close cut, almost black, as were his eyes. There was no look of Hannah about Dennis, and very little of Broderick. They said he took after Broderick's father.
His face wore a keen, sharp look, and when he turned it towards Hughie the expression was tight and the eyes hard.
"I suppose you've heard the latest?" he said.
"A bit of it."
"My God!" Dennis shook his head as he sat down.
"What will she think of next? Brampton Hill, number eight of all places! But there's one thing about it; this time the lads arc making a stand."
"Their lines will break."
"Yes, Hughie, as you say, their lines will break, as they've done before. The woman's mad.... Brampton Hill with our lot. Can you
imagine it? But she's determined as I've never seen her before. The house was like hell let loose this morning. Did you know she broke the news to them last night after she came back from the club?"
"Yes, I heard the racket from up in my room."
"Huh! She must have been well fortified and thought the time was ripe.
I was flabbergasted when I went in. I was expecting to get it in the neck straight-away for not calling in and, for what I had to tell her, but that came later. You know, the atmosphere on a Sunday in the house has generally made me laugh, because it's always so full of restrained holy bustle;
this one getting ready for this Mass, the other coming back from
Communion, and the virtue of having gone to the seven o'clock Mass oozing out of her like sweat. But not this morning. It was like going into a house where a bomb had exploded, and the worst thing they could have done they did, I mean the lads, they appealed to me. What did I think of it? You can imagine how she took that. " i Hughie jerked his chin as he poured out the tea.
"I can i-ma sine it.
But how did she take your news? "
"How did she take it?" Dennis took the cup from Hughie's hand and, lifting the spoon, tapped it against the saucer. It was a nervous
movement.
"You know, sometimes I want to laugh in her face, a debunking laugh, or laugh at her... but never with her. At times I forget she's me mother and want to slap her mouth for her. I could have done it this morning quite easily. It was during one of the lulls when the lads were coming up for more breath that I told her. We were in the kitchen alone at the time. I broke it gently, saying, " I've got a bit of news for you, Ma. "
"" Aye? " she said; she didn't even turn from the sink.
"Florence is going to have a baby," I said. I was grinning
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