Rainbow's End (38 page)

‘You Miz Nolan?’ he asked, scowling suspiciously. ‘If y’are, dem boys said you’d gi’ me tuppence for dis bit o’ paper.’

He gave a rich snort and wiped his running nose on his raggedy jacket sleeve.

Knowing the twins, Mrs Nolan immediately produced the tuppence, handed it over, and snatched the piece of paper. She unfolded it, read . . . then fell back a couple of steps, uttering a keening wail. ‘Oh, me sons, me sons! What’ll I do, what’ll I do? They’ve gone . . . They’ve left us! Oh Kenny, Kenny, fetch Liam home . . . the twins have gone for to be soldiers!’

Maggie and Liam had never had a quarrel, yet within a week of leaving the household they had their very first row. It was Liam’s mother who caused it, of course, although in this particular instance not knowingly. Maggie had asked him to go back home, she had assured him that the quarrel was hers and not his, and she thought herself to be disappointed when he did not do as she suggested, but of course inwardly she was delighted. Liam was on her side and that was the way she wanted it to be. Maggie’s nerves were racked, naturally enough, because she was not living in her own home, or the place she had grown to believe to be her own home, but with Mrs Collins and furthermore she was sleeping with Kathleen and Kathleen was a kicker – not only a kicker, but a spreader-out. Maggie was used to sharing a small space with a number of people but not a very small space with a slut, and that was what Kathleen was. And the job hadn’t materialised. Mrs Collins kept saying, ‘You’ll get somethin’, my dear, don’t you worry,’ but so far Maggie hadn’t managed to get anything except jobs on the market stall with Mrs Collins and her friends. Naturally, she was grateful for such work, but it didn’t bring in the sort of money which would have enabled her to feel herself independent and Liam, far from pressing the matter of marriage, seemed suddenly to have drawn back from it. Property was so expensive in Dublin, even the tiniest room would have cost more than they could possibly afford and although a postman’s wage was a good one, until Maggie herself started earning decent money there was little they could do apart from wait. So perhaps the row wasn’t entirely Mrs Nolan’s fault, perhaps it was also due to the stresses and strains of the way Maggie was living. Certainly at one time she would never have snapped out at Liam the way she had.

Liam had suggested, quite quietly and kindly really, that he and Maggie should go back to the Nolan house and at least talk to Mrs Nolan. ‘I’ve seen me Mammy,’ he said half defensively. ‘I’ve spoken to her, Maggie. She’s willing, if you are, at least to talk things over.’

But Maggie didn’t want to talk things over. She did not want to see Mrs Nolan again – she just wanted a job and Liam and the security which at the moment was so painfully lacking. ‘If you’re so keen, Liam, go back yourself,’ she had said, almost shouted. ‘Leave me here, I’ve other things to do.’

And after all, when he thought about it, all he had done was obey her. He’d gone back, he’d talked to his mother and a couple of days later he had come round to the market stall in what can only be described as a state of considerable perturbation. ‘You’ll not believe it, Maggie,’ he said, ‘But Mammy says the boys have gone.’

‘The twins? Where have they gone?’

There was a long pause, before Liam answered. ‘They’ve left home,’ he said gloomily. ‘Me Mammy’s in a terrible state, our Maggie. She doesn’t know which way to turn. She wants me to look for ’em.’

‘Look for ’em, Liam. Where, for God’s sake? Why can’t she look herself? Has she told the polis?’

‘No. They left a note. They’ve gone.’

‘Liam. Will you be sittin’ yourself down now and tell me for what it is you’re talking about,’ Maggie said impatiently. To her it sounded remarkably like a story made up by Mrs Nolan in order to get Liam’s attention. ‘The twins wouldn’t go – they’re only kids.’

‘Well, they have – they’re gone. Mammy reckons they’ve gone . . .’ He swallowed. ‘They’ve gone to the war.’

For a moment Maggie could only stare at him. ‘The war! But . . . Liam, they’re only fourteen! They’re not even big or grown-up lookin’ for their age. Nobody would take them for more than . . . well, not more than fourteen or fifteen, I suppose.’

Liam had come to her on the market stall. Maggie, looking round, was certain that everyone within a radius of fifteen feet was listening intently to what they were saying. ‘Look, keep your voice down, Liam,’ she said, ‘or come back this evenin’ when it’s quiet.’

‘No. I’ve got to tell you now. They’ve gone for soldiers, Maggie. They’ve gone to Liverpool.’

‘I don’t believe it.’ Maggie said – but she did – she knew the twins of old. If there was one thing they could do it was make trouble and this was trouble-making on a super scale.

‘Well, Mammy believed it and she’s awful unhappy,’ Liam said defensively. ‘I’ve got to help her, Mags, I can’t . . . I can’t just do nothin’. I’m goin’ over to Liverpool – I’m goin’ to find them. I’m goin’ to tell the authorities they’re only fourteen.’

Maggie stared at him. ‘Goin’ to Liverpool – but, Liam, what about your job?’

‘There are some things more important than jobs,’ Liam said sulkily. ‘I’ve got to go – you know I have – if it was your brother . . .’

‘They nearly are my brothers,’ Maggie said grimly, ‘and I know what little buggers they are. Sure an’ I’ll be bound they just said that out of divilment. They just said that to annoy your mammy.’

‘They ran away because of you,’ Liam said, ‘It said in the note – she’d kicked Maggie out and so they were goin’ as well.’

It gave Maggie pause, but not for long. ‘Liam,’ she said, ‘I don’t want you to go off to Liverpool. I want you to wait. When did the boys go? Two days ago? Well then, wait a week.’ She looked up at Liam and saw with dismay his soft brown eyes had hardened,

‘Me mam is goin’ . . . me mammy is goin’ frantic, Maggie. Don’t you understand? She . . . she asked if you’d go home.’

Maggie felt fury well up inside her. Not only did Mrs Nolan want to take Liam from her but she wanted her to retract, to go back, to behave like a skivvy, to live like a skivvy! ‘No Liam, you can’t ask it of me.’

‘Just for a few days,’ Liam pleaded. ‘Just while I’m away, acushla.’

‘Your Mam will spend all the time naggin’ me,’ Maggie said crossly. ‘I can’t do it, Liam, it’s too much to ask.’ But in the back of her mind the thought of being away from Kathleen’s kicks and filth for a few days was tempting – but it would mean giving way. She knew if she went back that Mrs Nolan would keep telling her that she wanted her son back and blaming her for his loss; reminding Maggie what a good job Liam had got and generally undermining the younger girl’s defences.

‘Maggie, Mam is after havin’ to give up her job,’ Liam said in a mutter. ‘You don’t want that to happen – the family is fallin’ apart. Sure an’ ’tis a small enough t’ing to ask – just to go back for a few days while I’m in Liverpool.’

‘It’s a big thing,’ Maggie said. ‘A very big thing. I can’t do it. And, Liam, I’m not askin’ you – I’m tellin’ you – don’t go off to Liverpool. If you go off to Liverpool, then when you come back I shan’t be here. It’s a trick – your mammy is playin’ off her tricks on us. You’ve got to listen to me.’

Liam tightened his lips and turned away from her. ‘You’re selfish, Maggie,’ he said coldly. ‘You’re not thinkin’ of anyone but yourself. I promised me mammy and I’m goin’.’

Before Maggie could say another word Liam had turned and vanished into the crowd.

Mrs Collins had turned to her kindly. ‘Don’t you worry, love. He’ll be back. He’ll be back. You might just go and have a word with the woman now.’

But Maggie couldn’t see it like that. She felt it would be letting herself down. Instead she began ostentatiously piling potatoes into a pyramid on the stall with the big ones in the front – not even bothering to answer Mrs Collins, though that didn’t mean to say it didn’t worry her. Over the course of the next couple of days she was torn two ways – half of her truly wanted to go back to the Nolans, to tell Mrs Nolan that she was prepared to stay with her whilst Liam was away, but another part of her was firm. She would not go back to the place where she had been treated so badly, knowing the chances of being treated badly again, and that if she did so Mrs Nolan would think she had Maggie on the run.

Liam had gone. He hadn’t taken any notice of her attempts to persuade him to change his mind. He’d gone. He’d been given leave from the Post Office, though they hadn’t been pleased. They told him if he wasn’t back promptly his job might be forfeit.

‘There’s plenty after jobs like mine,’ he said. ‘Ah come on, Maggie, come on, come back to the building.’

‘I’ll think about it,’ Maggie said heavily. So there she was now, working on the stall, sleeping with Kathleen, waiting anxiously for Liam to come home, seeing a week go by, ten days, a fortnight, knowing that she couldn’t go round to Mrs Nolan to find out what had happened to Liam, whether he was back or whether he had stayed, hating the thought of giving in.

‘You want to go round, alanna,’ Mrs Collins had said. ‘Give the woman a chance. You needn’t go back there to live. Just go round and see what’s happening.’ But Maggie was very reluctant to do so. She could not forget the language, the words that Mrs Nolan had used, and in a way she didn’t want to see what she was missing. She hadn’t settled in well to the Collins house because it wasn’t the sort of place she was used to.

Naturally, she couldn’t explain this to Mrs Collins but Connor, working on a stall further up the pavement, had gone with her one morning for a cup of tea at a nearby tea-stall and she had confided in him. ‘I’m thinkin’ it’s a mistake I’ve made all round,’ she said rather wildly. ‘Oh, I don’t know, Conn, I don’t know what I ought to do for the best.’

‘Leave it ’til she’s missin’ you real bad,’ Conn said, ‘and then go back and offer to stay again but for a wage, this time. Tell her if she treats you like a skivvy then you ought to be paid a dacint wage.’

Maggie looked at him with considerable respect. ‘I might just do that,’ she said. ‘I might.’

‘Hey, you’re lonely.’ Connor laughed. ‘It’s not your type of place. Mrs Collins is a lovely woman but sure an’ it’s a tiny, filthy little house she’s got there. Now come on, think sensible. Besides, Liam is going to need all the help he can get if he’s lost that nice job of his.’

‘Yes, I know,’ Maggie said. ‘I still can’t think what made him do it. I’m sure the whole thing is moonshine. If you knew Seamus and Garvan like I do . . .’ She didn’t finish the sentence – no one knew Seamus and Garvan as well as she.

Would they really make trouble of this nature? Maggie was sure in her heart that they would. But time and unhappiness wore her down. Now two whole weeks had passed and she still didn’t know what had happened to Liam. For all she knew he might have come back. He might have been working in the Post Office quite happily and was just punishing her for the way she had behaved. She ought to go back to Mrs Nolan and find out what was happening.

So that evening she went back along the familiar roads and into the familar courtyard. In fact she didn’t have to go up to the flat because Ticky was playing with one of his friends outside. The little boy gave a shriek of joy when he saw her and rushed towards her. ‘Oh Maggie, Maggie, we missed you, we missed you,’ he gabbled. ‘Where’s ya bin, what’s ya done? Have you seen our Liam?’

‘Oh God, is he still away, love? Hasn’t he come back from England?’

‘No, no, and me mammy’s worried sick, so she is. She says she’s afraid he might have to go for a soldier for to find the twins.’

Maggie’s heart missed a beat. ‘Go for a soldier? Why would he do that?’

‘Well, when they get to Liverpool, it says in the letter, they scatter around a bit, so they do, and if the twins haven’t give their own names, sure they could be anywhere.’

‘I wouldn’t be surprised if the twins were still in Dublin,’ Maggie said sourly. ‘Does your mammy have an address for Liam?’

‘No, I don’t think so. She’s not in – she’s gone out – that’s why I’m playin’ out here.’

‘Oh, right. Well, I’ll . . . I’ll call on her tomorrow, perhaps. Tell you what Ticky – tell Mammy I came round to see her and I’ll come round again in the next couple of days,’ Maggie said. She wondered, though, how anyone could assume the twins would be big enough to join the army, though she supposed they might have just got ordinary jobs in Liverpool.

Back in Mrs Collins’s little house she told her and Kathleen that she was going back next day to see Mrs Nolan. ‘Liam’s not come home yet,’ she explained. ‘It’s worried I am, Mrs Collins. He never meant to stay away for more than a week. I do hope his job isn’t forfeit.’

‘You go an’ see Mrs Nolan, alanna,’ Mrs Collins said comfortably. ‘Even if it’s only for a few words. Everyone was too hasty, eh?’

Now, with the prospect of going back to see Mrs Nolan in the back of her mind, Maggie was working on the stall, piling potatoes and weighing them out into brown paper bags. It was a busy Saturday and the street was crowded. She had just called out to Connor that she wouldn’t mind a drink, when she happened to glance up. Across the heads of the people around the stall on the opposite side of the road she saw Garvan – or was it Seamus? – mooching along with his hands in his pockets looking as normal and ordinary as anyone she’d ever imagined. Maggie dropped the potatoes she was holding. ‘Garvan,’ she shouted. ‘Mrs Collins, look – there’s Garvan – or is it Seamus?’

Mrs Collins screwed up her eyes and peered but she didn’t really know either of the twins well enough to identify them and she couldn’t see at which boy Maggie was pointing.

‘Hang on,’ Maggie shouted at her customer. ‘Hang on. I shan’t be a moment.’ And she plunged into the busy road.

Seamus strolled along the pavement in the soft sunshine keeping an eye on Garvan who was striding ahead, but not attempting to catch up with him. The twins rarely quarrelled but they had quarrelled over their return to Dublin that very morning.