The Wake - Table of contents

The Wake - episode 21

Willie Henry tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. “God that’s a quare wan,” he said.

“Are yous in here to have a good time or are yous in here to drink?” Seamus said. He pulled at his tie and it came away and he put it in his jacket pocket.

Out of nowhere Aisling’s face came to me. I got myself into a state that day and beat her sore and she cried and I unstrapped her and took her in my arms. What the hell’s wrong with her now lying with this one Audrey anyway? Didn’t she say she was unstable? Okay, let her go and get treatment then.

“Your mother won’t mind us drinking?” said Jim.

“Not at all,” I told him. She would but I didn’t care. To hell with her, her and her phoney show. All the neighbours know she’d no time for Maud. She knows they know but she goes through with it anyway. Would somebody please explain that one.

“Naw but I was saying,” said Seamus. “About Maud. I’d say there was money there. There’s no surviving relatives is there Jeremiah?”

“Not that I know of,” I said. “My mother always told me there was nobody. I wouldn’t be surprised if she left the whole lot to the church.” Neither I would. She spent that much time in the cathedral the sacristan nearly had to put her out every night when he was locking up. And didn’t spend a penny if she could help it, wouldn’t even buy a newspaper. Vera you wouldn’t lend me yesterday’s Derry Journal would you. There’s a death I wanted to see in it. And you never saw it again. I heard of ones before like that. There was the old doll went about like a pauper down in Wicklow, no, Wexford it was I think, left tens of thousands she’d stashed away under the stairs to the church, relatives up in arms. It’s like those people Luther went on about that bought indulgences and paid for a new stained glass window in the chapel as long as their name was put on it. How could I burn in hell if my name’s up there in lights behind the altar?