Novel chapter 34

 

Chapter 34

To Granda Joe

Carmel was visiting her friend Phyllis who was the caretaker at Doctor Burnstein's surgery, and was, obviously worried about Finbar and poured her heart out to her. It was Phyllis who suggested that he should go for a change of scene and spend some time with his granda in Dublin.

'That sound good in theory.' said Carmel 'but we won't be able to take him. I have go to get back to work.'

'I can take him' said Phyllis 'I'm going over in a few weeks, why don't you let me take him?'

'Well, er.'

' I can take him to his granda and carry on to Limerick. I'll be going on the day boat train, so why not?'

'I'll have a word with Pat.' said Carmel 'and thanks.''

'Which granda?' said Phyllis.

'It won't be mine – he disowned me' said Carmel.

'Oh?'

'It's a long story – you'd be destroyed listening.'

'That sounds like a quote' said Phyllis.

'Playboy' said Carmel 'I got it all from Pat's father.'

Carmel and Pat had long discussions about it and, even though he didn't exactly jump up and down for joy, they could see Finbar was keen. It would mean them telling the school he wouldn't be coming back as Phyllis was due to travel over three weeks away.

They packed a bag for Finbar and he packed what he needed by the way of little books and Patrick put extra ones in his case like The Eagle, which he used to read before the Tommy Bull experience, he packed, himself, the woodman's whistle and when they got to New Street Station, Patrick planned to slip the harmonica to Phyllis with instructions to slip it to Joe.

They had purchased Finbar's ticket – one way – to Dublin and gave Phyllis some money to give to Joe.

The four of them caught the bus outside Sachs' Pharmacy, near Vincent Street, and when it arrived in Hurst Street, Patrick carried the cases to the station and Finbar held on to his mammy's hand as they walked down the hill to the platforms.

Joe said he would be delighted to look after Finbar for a while, answering their letter on the same day.

When it was time for them to board the train, they let Phyllis get on and Finbar and his parents watched her get into an empty compartment. Then Finbar gave Carmel and Patrick and big hug and a kiss each, and he whispered in each of their ears 'I love you mammy' and 'I love you daddy' then he got on the train and walked to the compartment.

When he got there he looked at the sad faces of his folks and then Patrick pressed his nose against the glass to flatten it on his face, and it made Finbar laugh; and Phyllis too. Then he pretended to walk by the window and with each step he bent his knees to make it look as if he was walking down hill. Then the train started to go – slow chuff chuff as it moved along the platform. Carmel waved and blew kisses to Finbar and his daddy ran along with the train till it was gone. They watched together as the train went off with loads and loads of steam filling the platform.

Patrick came back to Carmel and as they met they could each see the tears in each other's eyes. They walked back to Hurst Street to catch the bus.

'Did you slip her the harmonica?' said Patrick.

Carmel nodded.

On the train Finbar knew that the first thing to do, leaving New Street Station, was to make sure the windows were closed. When they cleared the tunnel he opened the window again.

They had stopped at a few stations, Dudley Port, for one, and on to Crewe.

The telegraph cables Finbar could see were still going up and down like empty notes on a stave and they hypnotised him as much as the other times he had travelled and with the sound of the train, jiggerty can, jiggerty can, jiggerty can, jiggerty can, he could feel his eye lids getting heavy and, sure enough, like every other time he had been on this trip, he fell asleep.

Phyllis didn't say too much apart from 'look at the field, down there – I think that's a bull.'

The name 'Bull' woke him up – Tommy Bull.

'Bulls don't have udders.' he said, and went back to sleep.

'Oh.' said Phyllis.

Three Welsh Air Force men got in to the compartment at Crewe and it was an accent Finbar wasn't familiar with. He looked at their mouths to see if they had to form the shape of their lips to sound that way. They passed sweets around and were very nice to Phyllis offering her cigarettes which she took. For a joke they offered one to Finbar but he knew it was a joke. He was wary of grown men. He was okay with Shamshad and Daniel, when they came to see him, even though he didn't say much, and Daniel being as big as a man.

He wanted to be into himself. He had no problem with either of them but knew that he had to get rid of the shock he had endured with Tommy Bull. He had heard that he said he was only joking and playing but his memory went back all those years when he took young boys to sit next to him and covering them with a coat. Those little boys were too young to even know anything about masturbation, Finbar knew that now, but not then so he wanted to be in his mind for a while. He knew he would be okay and in a way, he was thankful to Tommy who had made him aware. If anybody went anywhere near him in future, he would know.

When they were nearly in Holyhead they stopped at a station called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch and that's where the three Air force men got off.

How could a name be that long?

In Holyhead Finbar knew one of two ships could take them: either the Cambria or the Hibernia. For no reason his favourite was the Hibernia and when they got to the platform that is indeed the boat they were taking.

Dun Laoghaire was around four or five hours away so they had to find somewhere comfortable to sit. Around the ship people slept all over the place. Inside and out, in the lavatories on any deck but that was on the over night crossings; this was the first time Finbar had crossed in the daylight which was why he hadn't seen the name of that station before.. It was a bit breezy and not too warm so Phyllis decided they should sit somewhere warm.

Finbar went for a walk alone around the ship. Phyllis was a bit worried about him as they hardly spoke to each other since getting on board. She didn't know too much about any diagnosis of his state, she just knew he was a changed child, unlike the happy chappie from before. Finbar went to the front of the ship – the bow – and as he was standing by the rail he looked up to see the seagulls sending the ship on its way, taking most of the passengers back to the place where they were born and Finbar to see one of his heroes; Granda Joe.

Granda Joe was away with the British army in the first world war and told Finbar about it, many a time, and what it was like in Dublin all those years ago.

Finbar knew the seagulls were only there, with him, for a few miles, and then they would fade away like ghosts in the night. He imagined that were like the human race and what would happen to humanity if they didn't hop on to something that would save them. He had been around the ships and not once did he see a seagull actually on board.
There were restaurants, and places serving light snacks, like a cup of tea, bars for grown ups but Finbar found a restaurant. He had one shilling in his pocket so went to the counter to look at the menu.
One item caught his eye: salad 1/- that's one shilling.
It was a cafeteria style service so he grabbed a tray and entered the queue; he looked for the salad but couldn't see it so asked one of the women behind the counter where the salad was and she pointed to a plate with ham, cucumber and scallions on. 'That's the salad' she said.

Finbar put it on his tray.

When he got to the till the cashier said 'That'll be three and six!' Three and six!! Three shillings and sixpence – three and a half times what he had in his pocket.

'I thought it was a shilling?' he said.

'Where?'said the cashier.

'There'

'Oh that's just the lettuce' she said.

He was embarrassed: he looked at the full salad on the plate; not his favourite meal but it looked nice, it would fill him and keep him from being hungry.
'It's only the lettuce I want!'
So the woman put a load of lettuce onto a plate, he put it on to his tray and he went to the till again and paid; 1/-.

He took a knife and fork from the cutlery tray and found a table.
Sitting down he looked at the meal; it looked at him; all green and crisp and waiting to to be eaten. On the table was salt and pepper. He looked around for some salad cream – and as he looked around he salivated at the thought of the taste of salad cream. Then he started to think about sandwich spread; oooo yummie!!

But he couldn't see salad cream anywhere – he looked at other tables, over to where he had found the the cutlery but nothing. So he decided to get stuck in and eat it and asked himself if he really need a knife?
A big waiter came through the door from the kitchen and he stopped him 'Do you have any salad cream?'
'What?'
'Some salad cream for my . . my salad.'
He looked at Finbar's plate; then looked at Finbar.

Not an expression on his face.

'Salad cream?'

'Yes please!'

He looked at Finbar again and then stared at the lettuce.

'Are you broke?' he said in his Dublin accent.

'Broke? No; I just want some salad cream.'

The waiter picked up the plate and walked off with it.
Finbar put his knife and fork back onto the table. It hadn't been used, they were clean; should he put them in place? Why not?
Was the sharp side of the knife supposed to face in or out; he tried it both ways and it looked better facing outwards. He looked around and people were getting their meals, sitting down and eating, chatting to each other and some of the food looked really good.
He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do; he was only a slip of a kid but if they didn't give him his lettuce back he would have wasted a shilling.
Then the waiter came back, plonked a plate between his knife and fork, and walked away after saying 'there now.'
On the plate was boiled ham, lettuce, cucumber, cold boiled potatoes, scallions and the whole works which he heartily ate.
After he finished he put his utensils at twelve-o-clock, to show he knew his manners and he went back up on deck sitting next to Phyllis. This time he was all smiles, almost back to the old Finbar.

'Where've you been?' said Phyllis.

'I just met a wonderful man' he said.

'That's lovely' said Phyllis 'I brought you a sandwich.'

She opened a wrapped sandwich,

'Salad' she said.

Part Three

Dublin