A Nest of Singing Birds Read online

  ‘She loves Anne,’ Carrie said fondly. She took off her niece’s coat and gave her a biscuit. Anne went to play in the corner of the kitchen with Carmel.

  As soon as she sat down Julia burst out, ‘I’ve just been to our Minnie’s and I don’t know why I ever go there. She makes my blood boil. Making nasty remarks about Bridie who wouldn’t hurt a fly and saying I look ill and Pat should keep Maureen at home to help me!’

  ‘Don’t let her upset you,’ Carrie said soothingly. ‘You know she’s never happy unless she’s causing trouble.’

  ‘I tried to keep my temper but it was one nasty remark after another. She finished up asking if Anne’s nerves were bad because she was fidgeting, then tried to make out she was only concerned about my family.’

  ‘The wicked faggot,’ Carrie said. ‘The truth is, she’s eaten up with jealousy. You’ve known her ways long enough, Julia. Don’t let her get you down.’

  ‘I’m a fool to let her annoy me,’ Julia agreed. ‘I’m sorry I raved on before I even said hello properly.’ She smiled. ‘When I said I had to go she said it was because there was more comfort in your house.’

  ‘There’s more comfort in anybody’s house than in hers,’ Carrie declared. ‘And it’s got nothing to do with the furniture either. It’s because of her vicious tongue. I’d never go there but imagine the carry on if we didn’t. She’d be right down upsetting Ma.’

  ‘You’re right, Carrie,’ Julia said. ‘I suppose really we should pity her for her bitter nature. Where are the twins?’

  ‘Out in the back garden making the most of it before they start school,’ Carrie said. ‘They’ll be filthy dirty, the scallywags.’

  She had been making tea and pouring a glass of milk for Anne as she talked. Julia became calmer as she sipped her tea. ‘You won’t know yourself when the twins start school,’ she said. ‘Will Theresa take them?’

  ‘Yes, and she won’t stand any nonsense from them for all she’s only ten,’ Carrie laughed. ‘She’s a proper bossyboots.’

  ‘Like our Eileen,’ said Julia, then sighed. ‘She won’t have any trouble with Anne though.’ She looked fondly at her youngest child as she played with the baby. ‘I’ll miss her out of the house.’

  ‘You will,’ Carrie agreed. ‘She’s full of life for all she’s so good.’ There was a sudden commotion at the kitchen door and two small boys erupted into the room, struggling with each other. ‘Mum, he’s got my stone,’ one cried. ‘I dug it up and he’s took it.’

  ‘Taken it,’ Carrie said, pulling their soil-covered hands apart. ‘Give it to me and behave yourselves. Say hello to Auntie Julia and Anne.’ Beaming smiles replaced the scowls and they chorused, ‘Hello, Auntie Julia. Hello, Anne.’

  ‘Desmond, you’ve lost a tooth,’ Julia exclaimed.

  ‘Yeth, the tooth fairy took it and left me thixpence,’ he said. ‘Dom tried to pull his out but it wouldn’t come.’

  ‘Never mind. You shared your sixpence with Dominic and he’ll share his with you when his tooth comes out,’ his mother said.

  ‘Theresa said she only got threepence when her teeth came out, and Shaun said he only got a penny,’ Dominic announced.

  ‘The tooth fairy must be getting better off,’ Julia said with a smile at Carrie. She glanced at the clock. ‘I’ll have to go. I wish I could stay longer but I want to be in when they come home as it’s Tony’s last day.’

  ‘Is he pleased about the apprenticeship?’ her sister asked.

  ‘Made up,’ replied Julia. ‘Benson’s is a good place to work and engineering will just suit him. He’s always messing about with old bikes.’ ‘I think it’s important for a lad to like his job because he’s in it for life,’ Carrie said. ‘Not like a girl who’s only there until she’s married. And Tony should do well. He’s a hard-working lad.’

  ‘I nearly forgot!’ Julia exclaimed. ‘And it was one of the reasons I came. Tony told the milkman he won’t be able to help on the round when he starts work and Mr Meadows asked him to recommend a reliable lad. Would Shaun like to do it?’

  ‘But what about Joe? Doesn’t he want it?’

  ‘He can’t. He’s on the list of servers for Mass at six o’clock in the morning and he’s got the choir three nights a week. If Shaun would like it, he could go with Tony to see Mr Meadows tonight or tomorrow.’

  ‘He’d be made up but I might be sorry,’ Carrie laughed. ‘If he gets any money he’s right round to the pet shop for more hamsters or white mice. I’ll send him round tomorrow.’

  ‘It’s hard work but good money for a lad,’ Julia said. ‘Six shillings for six days. Meadows’ son does the Sunday round with him.’

  She took Anne’s hand and moved to the door just as a burly man wearing a leather apron came through from the garden and greeted her.

  ‘Hello, Fred,’ she said. ‘I’m hopping round everyone today like a hen on a griddle, and I’m just off again.’

  ‘Wait till I get my apron off and I’ll walk down with you,’ he said. ‘I’ve got to call into the shop.’

  Fred Anderson always described himself as a cobbler. He owned a small shop where two elderly men worked repairing the shoes that were brought in, but his chief income was from the skilled work he did with leather in the hut in his garden.

  There he made shoes for customers who could afford to have them hand made, and designed and made handsome desk fittings and bags and purses in supple leather. He also repaired harness and it was his proud boast that he could mend anything that was brought to him, even small objects from the Museum.

  Fred’s house was bigger than the Fitzgerald house in Magdalen Street with larger and more luxuriously furnished rooms and a garden front and rear. Carrie and Fred had five children, Shaun and Theresa bom before the war, and the twins and Carmel when Fred returned from the trenches.

  ‘Carrie thinks wars are a good idea,’ he often joked. ‘Gave her a break to get her strength up before she had the twins to deal with.’

  Julia felt that it was tactless of Fred to make this joke before people who had lost family or friends in the war and often thought of dropping a hint to him or Carrie but the opportunity never arose. She was too fond of both of them to risk hurting their feelings.

  Now he took off his apron and put on a jacket while Carrie kissed Anne and gave her some sweets and the twins shouted: ‘See you at school.’

  ‘I pity the teacher who has those two in her class,’ Fred said as they walked away, but Julia said soothingly, ‘I’m sure they’ll soon settle down, and they’ll have each other to ease them in.’

  ‘Anne won’t give any trouble, and she’ll do well at school,’ Fred said, smiling down at the little girl.

  ‘These young ones have a big advantage,’ Julia said. ‘With the others going through the school before them. Yours and mine have all been well behaved so the teachers will be well disposed towards these younger ones. They’ll have brothers and sisters in the school to look after them, too.’

  ‘Aye, that’s true,’ Fred agreed, then suddenly laughed. ‘Des and Dominic might break the mould as far as behaviour goes, and queer the pitch for Carmel.’

  ‘Now don’t go borrowing trouble, Fred,’ Julia said firmly, ‘I’m sure they’ll behave very well.’

  ‘Aye and pigs might fly, but they’re most unlikely birds,’ Fred laughed. They had reached the shop and he bent down and put a threepenny bit in Anne’s hand. ‘Get an ice cream or some sweets, love,’ he said. ‘Ta-ra then, Julia. Tell Pat I’ll be in the Mere about eight o’clock if he feels like a pint.’

  He went into his shop and Julia hurried away, an anxious frown creasing her forehead as a nearby church clock struck four-thirty.

  ‘Dear God, I’ll have missed seeing Tony and no potatoes done or anything. I don’t know where the time’s gone,’ she murmured as she sped along with Anne trotting beside her.

  Chapter Two

  When they reached home Julia was relieved to find that Eileen and Stephen had laid the table and Joe had peeled the po
tatoes. ‘Aren’t I well blessed with such good children?’ she said, thankfully sinking into her chair and changing her shoes. ‘Is Tony long gone, Joe?’

  ‘No, Mum, only about twenty minutes,’ he said. ‘He’s got things to show you, but he’ll tell you about it when he gets back.’

  ‘Ah, God, I wanted to be here when he got in from school but the time just flew away from me,’ she mourned. Joe made tea and brought a cup to her. ‘Thanks, son,’ she said. ‘I’ll have five minutes before I start, seeing you’ve all helped me.’

  Eileen had taken off Anne’s coat and told her to hang it on one of the hooks which were across the middle of the door. ‘You’ll have to do this yourself when you start school so you might as well start practising now,’ she said. ‘She took a piece of chalk from the dresser. ‘Come on and I’ll show you a new game.’

  ‘Will you teach me how to whistle too, Eil?’ Anne asked as the two little girls ran out to the backyard.

  ‘No, because I’m always getting told off for it in school,’ Eileen said, but she began to whistle the merry notes of a jig, ‘The Blackbird’.

  ‘Will you listen to her?’ her mother said. ‘Sure she sounds as sweet and clear as a blackbird herself.’

  The evening meal was ready when their father and Maureen returned from work, and Tony from the milk round. Pat Fitzgerald was a big man with a weatherbeaten face and a hearty laugh. He was a bricklayer by trade with his own small building business, and was a loving but strict father to his children.

  When he came home the children gathered round him as he sat in his armchair, and Terry showed him the paper lantern he had made while the other children chattered to him until Julia called them to the table. Maureen helped her mother to serve the meal of liver and bacon, cabbage and potatoes then Pat said grace before they began.

  Anne sat next to her father and he said fondly, ‘And what have you been doing today, queen?’

  ‘I went to Grandma’s with Mummy,’ she said. ‘And Grandma Fitz’s and Aunt Minnie’s and Aunt Carrie’s.’

  ‘You had a full day be the sound of it,’ Pat said looking down the table at his wife.

  ‘We only dashed round this afternoon,’ she said. ‘We couldn’t stay long anywhere but I wanted to make the most of Anne’s last day at home with me.’

  ‘Long enough at a couple of places, I suppose,’ he said meaningfully.

  ‘Indeed,’ she said with a smile, but when Eileen said: ‘I don’t like going to Grandma Houlihan’s. She’s so holy,’ her father checked her sharply.

  ‘That’s no way to talk about your grandma, Eileen. Some of that same holiness wouldn’t do you any harm.’

  ‘I like going to Grandma Fitz’s and Aunt Carrie’s,’ Anne said.

  ‘That’s because Uncle Fred gave you threepence,’ Stephen teased her.

  ‘No, it isn’t,’ Anne said indignantly, and Maureen said, ‘We know it isn’t, pet. Stephen was only joking.’

  ‘So you finished at school today, Tony?’ Pat said. ‘How did you go on?’

  ‘It was the gear, Dad. Father Magee came in and gave us a talk, then he gave all the lads who were leaving a missal and a shilling. Then Mr Bolton gave us our references and said he wished us success in life on behalf of all the staff. The class gave us three cheers.’

  Well, you got a good send-off, anyway,’ said Pat.

  The dinner plates had been cleared away and Julia was taking a huge rice pudding from the oven. ‘Let’s see your character, Tony,’ Pat said. ‘Before your mother starts on the pudding.’ Tony took his reference from the dresser and handed it to his father, who read it and handed it back with a pleased smile. ‘That’s very good, son. Have you seen this, Julia?’

  ‘No, I missed Tony after school,’ she said, busily serving the rice pudding. ‘I’ll look at it when we’ve finished.’

  Tony looked downcast but folded the reference and put it back on the dresser without comment.

  ‘You did well, lad,’ Pat said. He looked round the table at the other children. ‘I hope you’re all going to work hard and leave with a good character like Maureen and Tony. See how they’ve both got good jobs while other boys and girls are out of work or in dead-end jobs.’

  We could work for you, Dad,’ Stephen said, but his father shook his head. ‘No. I don’t want any of you to go into bricklaying if you can avoid it. It’s too chancy. You never know when you’re going to be rained off.’

  When the meal was finished and cleared away, Pat asked if Eileen and Joe had done their practising. Neither had and he said, ‘Right, Joe. Into the parlour and get yours done and leave the way clear for Eileen.’

  Joe obeyed and soon the sweet strains of the violin floated from the parlour. He played some exercises first, then his mother’s favourites: ‘The Snowy-breasted Pearl’ and ‘The Londonderry Air’.

  Tony had shown his mother the missal he had been given and his reference and been praised by her. Now he sat at one end of the table sorting cigarette cards while his father sat at the other end.

  Pat had taken a thick notebook and a stub of pencil from his pocket. He was studying the book and writing in it with a frown on his face.

  ‘Leave the old sums and rest yourself, Pat,’ Julia said. ‘Let your tea settle before you start worrying about them.’ He looked up and smiled ruefully. His lips and tongue were dyed purple from the indelible pencil he had been sucking. ‘I think I’d better go back to school meself,’ he said. ‘Can’t get me sums to turn out right.’

  ‘Never mind. Sit down and have your smoke and they might work out better when you’re rested,’ she said.

  Pat sat down in his armchair with Julia sitting opposite knitting, her feet on a stool.

  ‘Our Minnie was going on again about Maureen staying home to help,’ she said quietly while all the family were occupied. ‘I told her we wouldn’t dream of it. I said Maureen was happy in the wool shop, and anyway all the children helped with the work. We’ve good children, thank God, Pat.’

  He was pressing tobacco into his pipe with quick angry movements. ‘What the divil has it got to do with Minnie?’ he demanded. ‘It’d suit her better to be looking after her own. Keeping an eye on young Brendan.’

  Julia looked up in alarm. ‘Brendan?’ she exclaimed. ‘What’s the matter with him?’

  Pat turned his head and looked into the fire. ‘Nothing,’ he said hurriedly. ‘He’s just – just a bit wild, that’s all. Me and Fred had a word with him. He’ll be all right now.’

  ‘Minnie said nothing. She doesn’t know there’s anything wrong, I’m sure.’

  ‘She doesn’t need to know. It was nothing,’ Pat said. ‘I’m sorry I spoke.’ He put his pipe in his mouth and began to light it as a sign that he would say no more.

  Julia said with a sigh, ‘Minnie doesn’t show him much example with that bitter tongue of hers. And no father to guide him, poor lad.’

  Pat took the pipe from his mouth. ‘Aye, poor Francis,’ he said. ‘It’s for his sake me and Fred tried to guide the lad.’

  Anne had come to stand by her father and he lifted her up on to his knee. ‘Ah, me baby’s a baby no longer,’ he said. ‘Here you are a big girl nearly ready for school before I knew what was happening.’ She nestled against him.

  Joe had come from the parlour and Eileen was about to go in to start practising, but Tony said quickly, ‘Can we have prayers before she starts, Dad? I want to go to the Boys’ Club for a game of ping-pong.’

  ‘Right, we will so,’ said Pat, lifting Anne from his knee and taking rosary beads from where they hung on a nail beside the fireplace.

  The family knelt down and Pat began. Their voices rose and fell as he recited the first half of the Hail Mary and the family responded with the second part. He then prayed for the people they knew who were ill or in trouble, and concluded with a prayer for: ‘All those who have gone before us, O Lord. My father and my brothers and sisters, Julia’s father and brothers and sisters, for Francis Connolly, and for our beloved son, Patrick
. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.’

  The family replied, ‘Amen.’

  Anne leaned against her father listening to the rise and fall of the voices as they prayed. Too young to analyse her emotions, she only knew that she felt safe and happy, surrounded by her family. Even Patrick was present, she felt, as her father prayed for him.

  When the prayers were finished the family stood up and Tony snatched his jacket from behind the door and sped off to the Boys’ Club. Eileen went into the parlour but as soon as she began to play Joe and Stephen stood outside the parlour door and began to sing in falsetto voices: ‘“Nelly Bly, Nelly Bly, blinks her little eye.”’

  Eileen burst out of the parlour just as her father shouted, ‘Cut that out now, lads. Leave Eileen in peace for her practising.’

  Joe and Stephen retreated into the kitchen, laughing as Eileen belaboured them with rolled-up sheet music, and Julia said soothingly, ‘Take no notice, Eileen. Go on with the music. It sounded grand.’

  It was true that Eileen played well. Although she was a well-built girl, a tomboy who was always ready to join in the boys’ games of football or cricket, she had long, slim fingers and a delicate touch on the piano.

  Maureen went upstairs to change her dress, taking Anne with her to put her to bed. When the little girl was tucked into the bed she shared with Eileen, she begged Maureen to tell her a story.

  ‘I can’t tonight, love,’ Maureen said. ‘I’ve got to get ready for the social. I’ll tell you one tomorrow night. Go to sleep now.’ She went into the bathroom and when she returned Anne was fast asleep.

  Maureen changed into a pale green dress with a white embroidered collar, then she took a tiny jar of Tokalon vanishing cream from a drawer and smoothed a little on to her face before passing a powder puff lightly over it.

  She went into her mother’s bedroom to look at herself in the long pier glass there, examining her face carefully to be sure that the cream and powder would not be evident to her father. Maureen was now seventeen, a tall slim girl with large brown eyes and dark hair cut with a fringe and a middle parting. She was attractive but knew that it was unlikely that she would be asked to dance by a young man at the social.