much in the window as could possibly fit without falling over.
“You can see everything!” Benny was amazed. “It’s like being God.”
“Not really, God can see around corners. I can’t see your house, I can’t see who’s having chips in Mario’s; I can’t see over the hill to Westlands. Not that I’d want to, but I can’t.”
Her voice was tight when she spoke of her mother’s people in the big house. Benny knew from old that it was a thorny subject.
“I suppose they wouldn’t …”
“They wouldn’t.” Eve was firm.
They both knew what Benny was going to say: thatthere was no chance of the wealthy Westwards paying for a university education for Eve.
“Do you think Mother Francis might have approached them?”
“I’m sure she did, lots of times over the years, and she always got the door slammed in her face.”
“You can’t be certain,” Benny said soothingly.
Eve looked out of the window down the town, standing as she must often have done over the years.
“She did every single thing to help me that anyone could. She
must
have asked them, and they must have said no. She didn’t tell me because she didn’t want me to feel worse about them. As if I could.”
“In a fairy story one of them would ride up the avenue here on a white horse and say they’d been wanting you as part of their lives for years,” Benny said.
“And in a fairy story I’d tell him to get lost,” Eve said, laughing.
“No, I wouldn’t let you, you’d say thank you very much, the fees are this price, and I’d like a nice flat of my own with carpets going right up to the wall and no counting how much electric fire we use.” Benny was gleeful.
“Oh yes, and a dress allowance of course, so much a month put into Switzer’s and Brown Thomas for me.”
“And a holiday abroad each year to make up for not seeing you much over the past while!”
“And a huge contribution to the convent building fund for the new chapel to thank the nuns for doing the needful.”
Benny sighed. “I suppose things like that
could
happen.”
“As you said, in a fairy story,” Eve said. “And what would be the best happening for you?”
“Two men to get out of a van down there in a minute’s time and tell my father that Sean Walsh is a criminal wanted for six murders in Dublin and that he has to be handcuffed and out of there this instant.”
“It still leaves the business of you having to come home from Dublin on the bus every night,” Eve said.
“Listen, don’t go on at me. For all that you’ve been in and out of our house a thousand times you don’t know the way they are.”
“I do,” Eve said. “They idolize you.”
“Which means I get the six-ten bus back every night to Knockglen. That’s what being idolized does for you.”
“There’ll be the odd night surely in Dublin. They can’t expect you home every single night.”
“Where will I stay? Let’s be practical—there’ll be no nights in Dublin. I’ll be like bloody Cinderella.”
“You’ll make friends, you’ll have friends with houses, families, you know, normal kinds of things.”
“When did you and I have anything approaching a normal life, Eve Malone?” Benny was laughing to cheer them up and raise the mood again.
“It’ll soon be time for us to take control, seriously.” Eve refused to laugh at all.
Benny could be equally serious.
“Sure it will. But what does it mean? You’re not going to hurt Mother Francis by refusing to go to this place she’s sending you. I’m not going to bring the whole world down on us by telling my mother and father that I feel like a big spancelled goat going to College and having to come back here every night as if I were some kind of simpleton. And anyway, you’ll be out of there in a year and you’ll get a great job and be able to do what you like.”
Eve smiled at her friend. “And we’ll come back to this room someday and laugh at the days when we all thought it would be so
“You can see everything!” Benny was amazed. “It’s like being God.”
“Not really, God can see around corners. I can’t see your house, I can’t see who’s having chips in Mario’s; I can’t see over the hill to Westlands. Not that I’d want to, but I can’t.”
Her voice was tight when she spoke of her mother’s people in the big house. Benny knew from old that it was a thorny subject.
“I suppose they wouldn’t …”
“They wouldn’t.” Eve was firm.
They both knew what Benny was going to say: thatthere was no chance of the wealthy Westwards paying for a university education for Eve.
“Do you think Mother Francis might have approached them?”
“I’m sure she did, lots of times over the years, and she always got the door slammed in her face.”
“You can’t be certain,” Benny said soothingly.
Eve looked out of the window down the town, standing as she must often have done over the years.
“She did every single thing to help me that anyone could. She
must
have asked them, and they must have said no. She didn’t tell me because she didn’t want me to feel worse about them. As if I could.”
“In a fairy story one of them would ride up the avenue here on a white horse and say they’d been wanting you as part of their lives for years,” Benny said.
“And in a fairy story I’d tell him to get lost,” Eve said, laughing.
“No, I wouldn’t let you, you’d say thank you very much, the fees are this price, and I’d like a nice flat of my own with carpets going right up to the wall and no counting how much electric fire we use.” Benny was gleeful.
“Oh yes, and a dress allowance of course, so much a month put into Switzer’s and Brown Thomas for me.”
“And a holiday abroad each year to make up for not seeing you much over the past while!”
“And a huge contribution to the convent building fund for the new chapel to thank the nuns for doing the needful.”
Benny sighed. “I suppose things like that
could
happen.”
“As you said, in a fairy story,” Eve said. “And what would be the best happening for you?”
“Two men to get out of a van down there in a minute’s time and tell my father that Sean Walsh is a criminal wanted for six murders in Dublin and that he has to be handcuffed and out of there this instant.”
“It still leaves the business of you having to come home from Dublin on the bus every night,” Eve said.
“Listen, don’t go on at me. For all that you’ve been in and out of our house a thousand times you don’t know the way they are.”
“I do,” Eve said. “They idolize you.”
“Which means I get the six-ten bus back every night to Knockglen. That’s what being idolized does for you.”
“There’ll be the odd night surely in Dublin. They can’t expect you home every single night.”
“Where will I stay? Let’s be practical—there’ll be no nights in Dublin. I’ll be like bloody Cinderella.”
“You’ll make friends, you’ll have friends with houses, families, you know, normal kinds of things.”
“When did you and I have anything approaching a normal life, Eve Malone?” Benny was laughing to cheer them up and raise the mood again.
“It’ll soon be time for us to take control, seriously.” Eve refused to laugh at all.
Benny could be equally serious.
“Sure it will. But what does it mean? You’re not going to hurt Mother Francis by refusing to go to this place she’s sending you. I’m not going to bring the whole world down on us by telling my mother and father that I feel like a big spancelled goat going to College and having to come back here every night as if I were some kind of simpleton. And anyway, you’ll be out of there in a year and you’ll get a great job and be able to do what you like.”
Eve smiled at her friend. “And we’ll come back to this room someday and laugh at the days when we all thought it would be so
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