Chapter Twenty-Four

Miss Carson called Wattie from the morning assembly and beckoned him to follow her.

He walked behind her most dutifully with his trousers beating mercilessly against his red knees as he went.

“Wish ah had long breeks” he muttered to himself.

They passed along the school corridors and eventually arrived at her office when she produced a key from the top pocket of her blouse and proceeded to open the door as she spoke.

“There is something in here an object, I wish you to remove,” she said as she screwed up her face and her eye twitched. Wattie looked at her innocently and quite subconsciously his own eye began to twitch with hers. She glared at him.

“Is there something wrong with your eye, boy?” she enquired and twitched again twice.

“N. N. No, Miss,” he stuttered and she stared at him for another moment before she pointed to a corner of the room where a blanket was spread loosely on the floor. Something stirred under it and Wattie stood back in alarm.

“There,” she said. “There ... over there ... remove it. It got in here somehow but it must be removed at once.”

Wattie frowned for a moment in confusion and then his eyes lit up with delight.

“A wee dug, Miss,” he called out, “It’s a wee dug,” and Miss Carson scanned the heavens, beseeching patience from some source or other before she corrected her pupil.

“A little DOG ...James Surely?”

But Wattie was nearly fourteen and wouldn’t be easily fooled. He smiled and a look of pure condescension spread across his face.

“Looks awfy like a wee dug tae me, Miss,” he confirmed and carried the animal away happily in his arms.

“Amo Amas, Amat...Amamus ... Amatis,. Amant ...”

Wattie could hear the girls of class ‘1b’ rhyming off their Latin in their usual dulcet tones as he left the building with his treasured charge in his arms. He was told to remove the wee dug but no-one told him where to take it so he headed home to his Mammy. Rita was standing at her street doorway, talking to a neighbour, with her stout arms crossed firmly over her ample bosom as he approached.

“Look Mammy! A wee dug,” he screamed, interrupting his mother’s conversation which by the earnest look on her face was something of great importance.

“I can see that,” she said, needing no interpretation of her son’s vocabulary, “but what’s it doin’ here?”

“I’m gonna keep it Mammy. That’s what I’m gonna do,” he squealed as Rita uncrossed her arms and her mouth fell open as she cocked her head to one side.

“A wee bitch is it James?” she enquired, screwing up her eyes and looking at the belly of the animal in her son’s arms. “Well, we’re no’ keepin’ nae wee bitch in this hoose, so you can think again an’ take it back where you got it from. Nothin’ but a wee flea-bag, is that thing, I’d say.”

Rita closed her eyes in disdain and Wattie looked down in disappointment as she stormed into the house, still making her comments of the fate that would befall them if they kept the animal. “She’ll have wee yins every time a wee dug looks at her, that’s what. She’ll have to go James. She’ll just have to go.” she muttered, but with firm resolution in her voice, but Wattie ignored her protests as he went into the kitchen and poured some milk into a saucer.

“Naw “, Rita Watts screamed “Naw naw No’ ma best china, James. You’re goin’ mad, laddie. Get oot o’ here. OOT, ah say. Look! Oh! God she’s pissin’ everywhere. Get her oot,” she hollered and Wattie stroked the wee bitch as she dripped her way out to the backyard in his arms.

“I’ll make a wee kennel for you ... that’s what I’ll do,” he said as Rita slammed the back door on him and drew the bolt.

“I think it’s time I put that yin in long breeks,” she said and snorted, “That might help. Cos he’s goin’ to that bloody university if it kills me.”

***

Willie sat silently in the classroom knowing that the atmosphere was strained. There was a more than usual hush about the place and every time he looked up Finnecan was staring at him. The tension was overpowering.

At length, the bell rang. Desks were opened and hurriedly shut again with a bang as pupils scampered everywhere to leave the classroom. Willie was last to leave apart from the Master and as he stood up with his satchel on his shoulder, he glanced under his eye at his enemy, but Finnecan stared back without blinking an eye. Willie left the room and closed the door quietly behind him but he could see Finnecan through the glass partitioning as he walked along the corridor. The Master’s eye never left him until he was out of sight.