brushing herself off as well.
“Such a good point. Now. What color was the kitten?”
“Gray tabby,” Emer said promptly, but not loudly enough to be heard by anyone inside. “It was so little and cuuuuute! And then its mommy came and took it away in her mouth.”
Uchenna looked at Emer in complete admiration. “You think so fast,” she said. “I wish I could do that! I just freeze.”
They went in the side door. Sure enough, Uchenna’s dad was actually coming through the kitchen toward the utility room: as he saw them, he stopped. “Well, about time,” he said, though not in a particularly angry voice. “What was all that about?”
“There was a kitten crying!” Emer said with complete assurance as they went into the kitchen. “We thought maybe it was lost—”
She went on spinning the tale while Uchenna’s dad, looking more sympathetic than anything else, put the first of a couple of plates of Indian food into the microwave and fired it up. Uchenna took over from Emer once or twice and told about the nettles over the wall (which was true) and how the kitten was in the nettle patch and couldn’t find its way out (which could have been true if there had been a kitten…) and then let Emer take over from her again.
Finally, when the microwave went off for the second plate, her Dad waved a hand at Emer to stop her as she started extolling the cuuuuuuteness of the kitten. “Please,” he said, amused. “My blood sugar. So you two did your good deed for the day. Fine.” Then he frowned a little. “But you need to not be doing them at night. Not around here.”
“Especially if it’s out in those fields,” her Mam said, wandering into the kitchen as Uchenna and Emer sat down at the table, and her Dad handed them cutlery from one of the kitchen drawers. “I don’t know if I want you out there at all, whether it’s night or day! There are people roaming around there who’re up to no good, Uchenna.”
Hearing that, Uchenna made it a point to look at her Mam and nod very seriously, like she was actually agreeing, since it was always a bad sign when her Mam called her by her name. “You must have heard about the folks over in the next circle who had a break-in the other night,” her Mam said. “The thieves came right over the wall. Made off with all their garden furniture, even some of their plants, would you believe, how they did all that without somebody hearing them I have no idea—”
Emer looked a little haunted, hearing that. But Uchenna thought, Oh jeez, God knows what Daddy would have done to Jimmy if he’d caught him. I’m so glad he didn’t come out till after we were all gone—
“—so you should really stay out of there,” Uchenna’s mam said, “you hear now—”
“Flora,” Uchenna’s Dad said, “give her a break. She can’t live entirely on concrete: everybody has to go over the wall sometime. Daylight’s safe enough. But not alone, Chenna.”
“No, Dad,” she said.
He sighed and sat back, looking over at the laptop now sitting on the kitchen counter as if it was something he’d prefer to avoid. “Hardly know why they bothered with those walls,” he said. “If someone wants to steal from you, they’re going to find a way, doesn’t matter whether there’s a wall there or not—”
“Which reminds me,” her Mam said, sounding more concerned now, “did you see what’s down at the junction with the Naas Road? A couple caravans are parked there all of a sudden.”
“Uh oh,” her Dad said. “Time to put a lock on the toolshed…” For a couple of caravans turning up on the roadside was how a Traveller encampment got started. Pretty soon it was five caravans, or ten, if there was room for them on the spot: and then the county council had to call in the Gardai, and it would take months to get the Travellers to leave, and whether they did it in a week or two or stalled for months, all their garbage would still be left behind.
“I thought they were going
“Such a good point. Now. What color was the kitten?”
“Gray tabby,” Emer said promptly, but not loudly enough to be heard by anyone inside. “It was so little and cuuuuute! And then its mommy came and took it away in her mouth.”
Uchenna looked at Emer in complete admiration. “You think so fast,” she said. “I wish I could do that! I just freeze.”
They went in the side door. Sure enough, Uchenna’s dad was actually coming through the kitchen toward the utility room: as he saw them, he stopped. “Well, about time,” he said, though not in a particularly angry voice. “What was all that about?”
“There was a kitten crying!” Emer said with complete assurance as they went into the kitchen. “We thought maybe it was lost—”
She went on spinning the tale while Uchenna’s dad, looking more sympathetic than anything else, put the first of a couple of plates of Indian food into the microwave and fired it up. Uchenna took over from Emer once or twice and told about the nettles over the wall (which was true) and how the kitten was in the nettle patch and couldn’t find its way out (which could have been true if there had been a kitten…) and then let Emer take over from her again.
Finally, when the microwave went off for the second plate, her Dad waved a hand at Emer to stop her as she started extolling the cuuuuuuteness of the kitten. “Please,” he said, amused. “My blood sugar. So you two did your good deed for the day. Fine.” Then he frowned a little. “But you need to not be doing them at night. Not around here.”
“Especially if it’s out in those fields,” her Mam said, wandering into the kitchen as Uchenna and Emer sat down at the table, and her Dad handed them cutlery from one of the kitchen drawers. “I don’t know if I want you out there at all, whether it’s night or day! There are people roaming around there who’re up to no good, Uchenna.”
Hearing that, Uchenna made it a point to look at her Mam and nod very seriously, like she was actually agreeing, since it was always a bad sign when her Mam called her by her name. “You must have heard about the folks over in the next circle who had a break-in the other night,” her Mam said. “The thieves came right over the wall. Made off with all their garden furniture, even some of their plants, would you believe, how they did all that without somebody hearing them I have no idea—”
Emer looked a little haunted, hearing that. But Uchenna thought, Oh jeez, God knows what Daddy would have done to Jimmy if he’d caught him. I’m so glad he didn’t come out till after we were all gone—
“—so you should really stay out of there,” Uchenna’s mam said, “you hear now—”
“Flora,” Uchenna’s Dad said, “give her a break. She can’t live entirely on concrete: everybody has to go over the wall sometime. Daylight’s safe enough. But not alone, Chenna.”
“No, Dad,” she said.
He sighed and sat back, looking over at the laptop now sitting on the kitchen counter as if it was something he’d prefer to avoid. “Hardly know why they bothered with those walls,” he said. “If someone wants to steal from you, they’re going to find a way, doesn’t matter whether there’s a wall there or not—”
“Which reminds me,” her Mam said, sounding more concerned now, “did you see what’s down at the junction with the Naas Road? A couple caravans are parked there all of a sudden.”
“Uh oh,” her Dad said. “Time to put a lock on the toolshed…” For a couple of caravans turning up on the roadside was how a Traveller encampment got started. Pretty soon it was five caravans, or ten, if there was room for them on the spot: and then the county council had to call in the Gardai, and it would take months to get the Travellers to leave, and whether they did it in a week or two or stalled for months, all their garbage would still be left behind.
“I thought they were going
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