make your acquaintance, Molly Murphy. And I'm most grateful for what you've done for my family."
I started laughing. "Anyone watching us will wonder what's going on. A married couple with two children and we're shaking hands like two strangers."
He laughed, too, then the smile faded. "My poor Kathleen. If only there was some way ... if only we could think of some way."
"Maybe a way will present itself," I said, although I couldn't see how. "Maybe Ireland will get home rule. Maybe we'll chase out the English once and for all."
"Amen to that," he said. "If I thought there was any chance of that, I'd be on the boat tomorrow, raring to fight!"
"Your young ones need you now," I reminded him. "You'll have to be mother and father to them."
A worried look crossed his face. "I've no experience of raising children. What will I do? You'll come back with us for tonight, will you? It's nothing fancy. I've been living with my cousin and his family until Kathleen got here. I'd been saving for a place of our own but I wanted her to help choose it. It's very important to a woman to choose her own home."
I looked at him kindly. Kathleen certainly hadn't married for looks, but there was no denying that her man had a good heart.
"Of course I'll come back with you. I've nowhere else to go," I said.
"Thank you. That's grand. I'm feeling it's not going to be easy for the children. I'll have to tell them the truth, won't I?"
"Eventually," I said. "Let them go on hoping for now, until they're settled in at least."
He nodded, still fighting back tears. "She didn't say a thing when she wrote to me," he said and he stared out across the bleak waters. "Why didn't she tell me?"
"She only just found out when she had the medical exam. She didn't know herself before that."
"Oh, so she's not suffering very much yet, then?" "She seems just fine," I lied, remembering the hollow eyes and the cough. "Who knows, maybe she'll get better yet."
Young Seamus pushed his way through the crowd, followed by a disheveled Bridie. "We saw it--New York City and there was a building with hundreds and hundreds of floors."
"It went right up to the clouds," Bridie added.
"It did not!" Seamus said scornfully. "But it was taller than the church spire at home. Are we going to live in a building like that, Daddy?"
"Almost like that," Seamus the elder said. "We are up on the fourth floor. I hope you've got good strong legs because there's a lot of stairs."
"They must have very good legs to walk up to the top of those buildings," young Seamus commented.
His father reached out and ruffled his son's hair. "They have things called elevators in those grand buildings. I saw one for myself the other day. You'll not believe it. You step in this little box and it takes you up, like by magic. You don't even feel it, but when you get out, you're at the top of the building."
"By magic?" Bridie looked excited.
"Is this a magic city, Daddy?" "Absolutely. Any dream can come true here, so they say. You just have to work at it for a while ... sometimes for quite a while," he added under his breath.
The ferry boat was coming in to its dock. We jostled our way up the gangplank and then we were on shore. I was standing in America, a free woman with a whole new life ahead of me.
Seamus took his son's hand. "Come on, young'un," he said with a crack in his voice. "Let's go home, shall we?"
The sun had set while we had crossed on the ferry and the city was plunged into twilight. As we left the dock and went among those tall buildings we were in nighttime gloom. Gas lamps cast anemic pools of light, but between them lurked frightening shadows. A clock on a church tower chimed five.
"Daddy, how soon do we get to your house?"
Seamus's little voice echoed my own uneasiness.
"We have to cross to the other side of town," Seamus the father said. "This is the West Side and we live on the East Side. It's a fair walk but you can do it, I know. And it starts getting brighter, too, as we get
I started laughing. "Anyone watching us will wonder what's going on. A married couple with two children and we're shaking hands like two strangers."
He laughed, too, then the smile faded. "My poor Kathleen. If only there was some way ... if only we could think of some way."
"Maybe a way will present itself," I said, although I couldn't see how. "Maybe Ireland will get home rule. Maybe we'll chase out the English once and for all."
"Amen to that," he said. "If I thought there was any chance of that, I'd be on the boat tomorrow, raring to fight!"
"Your young ones need you now," I reminded him. "You'll have to be mother and father to them."
A worried look crossed his face. "I've no experience of raising children. What will I do? You'll come back with us for tonight, will you? It's nothing fancy. I've been living with my cousin and his family until Kathleen got here. I'd been saving for a place of our own but I wanted her to help choose it. It's very important to a woman to choose her own home."
I looked at him kindly. Kathleen certainly hadn't married for looks, but there was no denying that her man had a good heart.
"Of course I'll come back with you. I've nowhere else to go," I said.
"Thank you. That's grand. I'm feeling it's not going to be easy for the children. I'll have to tell them the truth, won't I?"
"Eventually," I said. "Let them go on hoping for now, until they're settled in at least."
He nodded, still fighting back tears. "She didn't say a thing when she wrote to me," he said and he stared out across the bleak waters. "Why didn't she tell me?"
"She only just found out when she had the medical exam. She didn't know herself before that."
"Oh, so she's not suffering very much yet, then?" "She seems just fine," I lied, remembering the hollow eyes and the cough. "Who knows, maybe she'll get better yet."
Young Seamus pushed his way through the crowd, followed by a disheveled Bridie. "We saw it--New York City and there was a building with hundreds and hundreds of floors."
"It went right up to the clouds," Bridie added.
"It did not!" Seamus said scornfully. "But it was taller than the church spire at home. Are we going to live in a building like that, Daddy?"
"Almost like that," Seamus the elder said. "We are up on the fourth floor. I hope you've got good strong legs because there's a lot of stairs."
"They must have very good legs to walk up to the top of those buildings," young Seamus commented.
His father reached out and ruffled his son's hair. "They have things called elevators in those grand buildings. I saw one for myself the other day. You'll not believe it. You step in this little box and it takes you up, like by magic. You don't even feel it, but when you get out, you're at the top of the building."
"By magic?" Bridie looked excited.
"Is this a magic city, Daddy?" "Absolutely. Any dream can come true here, so they say. You just have to work at it for a while ... sometimes for quite a while," he added under his breath.
The ferry boat was coming in to its dock. We jostled our way up the gangplank and then we were on shore. I was standing in America, a free woman with a whole new life ahead of me.
Seamus took his son's hand. "Come on, young'un," he said with a crack in his voice. "Let's go home, shall we?"
The sun had set while we had crossed on the ferry and the city was plunged into twilight. As we left the dock and went among those tall buildings we were in nighttime gloom. Gas lamps cast anemic pools of light, but between them lurked frightening shadows. A clock on a church tower chimed five.
"Daddy, how soon do we get to your house?"
Seamus's little voice echoed my own uneasiness.
"We have to cross to the other side of town," Seamus the father said. "This is the West Side and we live on the East Side. It's a fair walk but you can do it, I know. And it starts getting brighter, too, as we get
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