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‘That boy in Mrs Greene’s front garden is staring at us again Una,’ Aideen whispered. Her lowered voice full of excitement at this unusual turn of events. ‘I wonder why he’s not in school.’ She paused once they were out of his earshot to bend down and pull her ankle sock up. It kept rolling down and disappearing inside her Mary Jane in the most annoying manner. ‘I wish my shoe would stop trying to eat my sock,’ she said straightening and jiggling her satchel, so the strap would stop digging into her shoulder. It was heavy with the weight of the books she carried.
The Brennan twins were on their way home from school. Mrs Greene lived six doors down from their house in the row of red-brick terrace houses where the sisters had lived their entire lives to date. All the houses had bay windows and front doors with shiny brass knockers. It was a matter of pride Una knew to make sure your door knocker gleamed. She’d been sent out to polish theirs often enough! To say the boy was standing in the front garden was a stretch of the imagination too. He was leaning on the railings in front of the square patch of grass to the left of the path leading to Mrs Greene’s blue door. It had been green until a month ago.
Una risked a glance back over her shoulder. He was still watching them, and she quickly looked away. ‘I meant to tell you, but you fell asleep before I could and then I forgot. I heard Mammy telling Daddy last night, he’s Mrs Greene’s nephew. His mammy’s not well so he’s come to stay with her. He looks lonely if you ask me. I’d hate to be sent away if our mam was sick. Imagine if we had to go and stay with Aunt Finola?’ The thought of their thin-faced spinster aunt who was a firm believer if you spared the rod you spoiled the child, made both girls grimace.
A thought occurred to Una. ‘Perhaps they don’t have twins where he comes from. Maybe that’s why he’s staring at us. We’re a novelty.’ She felt very grownup using a big word like novelty. She’d seen it in a book and had asked Daddy to explain what it meant, storing it away to use at the appropriate time—like now.
‘Where do you think he’s from?’ Aideen’s ringlets bounced as she walked the short distance to their front door, she was the quieter and more reserved of the sisters.
‘I don’t know but I think we ought to find out. If Mammy says we can let’s see if he wants to come to the canal with us to look for eels.’
The smell of stewed tea and the cabbage remnants of last night’s colcannon assailed their nostrils as they stepped inside their door. The tea, Una deduced her nose twitching meant Mammy’s friend Maire had called. She liked her tea brewed strong enough for a mouse to trot on! Tea, Una had overheard her mammy saying had been rationed, Maire would not like that. Una liked to keep an ear out. Adults didn’t tell their children very much about anything and listening in was the only way she learned what was going on.
She was sorry she’d missed Maire or Mrs Reynolds as she and Aideen called her, she was a source of wonderment to the sisters. It was in the way she’d weave a story. Even the dullest tidbit sounded interesting when relayed by Mrs Reynolds. Whenever she paid a visit, the twins tried to make themselves invisible in the corner of the room so as to be privy to whatever tale she was telling.
The last time she’d called, it had been to show their mam her new coat. She’d leaned in toward Alice and whispered, ‘I paid,’ she’d looked over her shoulder. Who she thought might be eavesdropping was a puzzle to the girls who were suddenly desperate to know how much she’d paid for her coat. Annoyingly her hand had gone up shielding her mouth as she whispered the figure to Mammy who made an appropriate, oohing sort of noise. It was terribly frustrating but fascinating all at the same time.
Mam had spotted her daughters breaking their necks to try to hear what was being said. ‘Maire, we’ve got ears flapping. Girls go and play.’ Yes, most frustrating. The smell of tea had been strong that afternoon too, Una recalled.
Sister Mary Clare had been explaining all about the emergency at school. She said it gave the government special power. She also said that Ireland might be neutral in the war, but they were still feeling the effects with food and fuel shortages. Finbar O’Shea had told them at break he’d heard his parents talking about deer going missing from Phoenix Park. Una wasn’t sure if she believed him. So far her tummy hadn’t felt the effects of rationing and right now all she cared about was eels and her soda bread and jam.
Mammy was peeling potatoes at the sink, she had an apron tied around the waist of her floral frock—it seemed to Una she had a frock for each day of the week.
Alice Brennan put her peeler down, wiping her wet hands on her apron as she turned to greet her girls. They’d both swooped on the soda bread with its thick smearing of butter and jam she’d put out for them and between bites were full of noisy news about their day at St Mary’s. She smiled as Una chattered on over the top of her sister, her eyes were wide with the drama of Deirdre O’Malley’s misdemeanours. Deirdre, Una said was always scratching her head, and her finger nails were dirty—she hailed from a part of Phibsborough where they didn’t care if their doorknockers were shiny. Today she informed her mammy in the self-righteous manner of someone who would never feel the thwack of Sister Mary Clare’s wrath, she’d used the ruler when Deirdre answered back.
Una had barely finished relaying her tale before she’d moved on in her typical style.
‘Mam can we go down to the canal to look for eels? We thought we’d ask Mrs Greene’s nephew if he wants to come with us. He looks lonely doesn’t he Aideen.’
Aideen nodded, she’d given up on trying to get a word in edge wise and so she contented herself with nibbling on her bread.
‘What about your homework?’
‘We’ll do it as soon as we’ve helped clear away the dinner things later won’t we Aideen? Sure we only have a little math to do, anyway.’ This wasn’t true, they had rather a lot of maths to do but it could wait. She had some very complicated sums to work out in the guise of a shopping list but first things, first. Eels!
Alice looked out the window. It was lovely out. It had been so for the last few days, summer it would seem had come early. The fresh air might burn off Una’s boundless energy, she decided agreeing they could head out so long as they were back in plenty of time for dinner. ‘Your daddy better not have to come looking for you.’ She tried to sound menacing, but their lovely sandy-haired giant of a father was not in the least bit frightening.
‘And Una,’ Alice added frowning, ‘go and put your old cardigan on if you’re going to be playing about by the canal. I didn’t see you wearing that this morning when you left the house, or I’d have made you go and change.’ Her elder daughter could be sneaky at times. She must have smuggled it out in her satchel when she left for school this morning.
‘Sorry Mammy I only wanted to show Clodagh how pretty it was and how clever you are.’ She gave her mammy a winning smile.
When Mammy wasn’t cooking or doing some household chore, she had her nose buried in the latest edition of Woman’s Own. It was her treat she maintained. It kept her abreast of the goings on in the Royal family and also provided her with the patterns with which she knitted the girls woollens.
‘You know better.’ Alice didn’t come down in the last shower, but she had no wish to take things further this afternoon. She was in too good of a mood, the weather had seen to that. Una, tinker that she was, was walking a thin line after her antics with little Aoife next door though and would be brought into line if she crossed it again.
It was not even a week since Mrs Kelly had rapped on their door as Alice scraped the dinner plates. The woman who always looked harried and rightly so given her brood of seven, had her baby dangling off her hip and a tearful Aoife at her side.
‘Your Una left Aoife trussed like a chicken to the lamppost and went in for her dinner,’ she said and Alice could see where Aoife got her tattletale tendencies from.
‘Una!’ She called over her shoulder. She’d heard Bridie Kelly bellowing at her lot next door often enough. An apology was called for from her daughter if she didn’t want to feel the lash of her sharp tongue too.
Una had appeared looking sheepish. ‘We were only playing cowboys and Indians Mam.’ She demonstrated her war cry before continuing, ‘Aoife was my prisoner. I was going to untie her after dinner, only I forgot. Sorry Aoife.’
Alice bit her lip to stop herself from smiling, Una didn’t fool her. She knew young Aoife had told on her one time too many and her daughter knew how to bear a grudge. ‘Well I think you need to tell Aoife you’re sorry and sound like you mean it this time don’t you?’
Una had grudgingly acquiesced and peace had been restored but not before she’d gotten a cursory telling off from Alice. She was a wild one at times was Una.
She picked up a potato and her peeling knife once more. Una had been told she’d miss out on the family’s annual trip to Dublin Zoo if she put one more foot wrong between now and then. That girl of hers thought all she had to do was flash her smile and she’d get off scot free. She shook her head and went back to peeling the spuds.
Una thundered up the stairs, she had no intention of changing. She loved the cardigan’s pretty blue colour and its flower border. The soft wool mammy had knitted it with didn’t itch and scratch like her clumpy old yellow one. Oh, she knew alright she wasn’t supposed to wear it to school or for playing in, but she also knew it looked well on her and she wanted to impress Mrs Greene’s nephew. She looked down at those pretty flowers and felt torn, but only for a second and leaving the hated yellow one in the drawer, she raced back down the stairs.
‘Una! How many times have I told you not to run down the stairs? When you break your legs don’t coming running to me’ Alice’s voice floated out from the kitchen.
Aideen was waiting by their front gate, still chomping on her soda bread. Her eyes widened as her sister flew out the front door. ‘Why are you still wearing it? You heard Mammy.’
‘My old one’s itchy.’ She shrugged off Aideen’s concern. ‘C’mon, he’s still there.’ She set off down the street, keen to make her getaway and find out more about this newcomer.
Aideen did what she always did and followed behind her sister.
‘I’m Una Brennan and this is my sister Aideen, we’re twins in case you didn’t know. We’re both ten,’ Una stated boldly coming to a halt outside Mrs Greene’s front gate. Her nephew had moved to sit on the front step and was swinging a chestnut tied to a piece of string back and forth. ‘And you can’t play conkers on your own.’
‘I know that, and it’s not called a conker. It’s a chessie and I’m the champion at home.’
‘Have you not seen twins before?’ Aideen piped up, keen to get off on the right foot with this boy.
‘Of course, I have, I’m not a culchie.’
Una wasn’t sure if she believed him. ‘Where are you from then?’
‘Cork City. My mam’s not well and Da can’t look after me as well as her so I’ve come to stay with my aunt until she’s better.’
‘Are you an only child then?’ This was incomprehensible to Una.
He nodded.
‘Well what’s your name?’
‘Leo.’
‘We’re going to look for eels in the canal. Do you want to come, Leo?’
His eyes lit up and shoving his chestnut back in the pocket of his shorts, he stood up.
‘You’d better tell Mrs Greene you’ll be back in time for your dinner,’ Una bossed.
Leo disappeared in the house, reappearing a beat later followed by his aunt.
‘Hello girls.’ Mrs Greene’s matronly form appeared in the doorway.
‘Hello Mrs Greene.’
‘So, you’ve met young Leo here.’ She said looking pleased he’d made some friends. ‘He’s staying with me awhile and will be starting at Saint Theresa’s on Monday.
‘You can walk with us to school Leo and watch out for Sister Mary Clare she’s very fond of her ruler, so she is.’
Ida Greene’s mouth twitched, ‘Oh I’m sure Leo won’t be on the receiving end of that now will you Leo. He’s a good lad.’
Una wasn’t so sure, he had a twinkle in his eye that said otherwise.
‘Well you’d best get on your way if you’re going to be back for your dinner and don’t fall in the canal any of you! That cardigan’s far too pretty to be getting a soaking in there Una.’
The trio made their way down the street. As they rounded the bend a huddle of pigeons fighting over slops flapped indignantly back to the rooftop from which they presided over the neighbourhood. Aideen didn’t like the pigeons she thought that they might try to peck her. Una informed Leo of this adding that it wasn’t the pecking you needed to worry about it was the other sort of deposit that was more of a problem. He laughed, and she felt very pleased with herself.
They kept their eyes open for sticks on the way which could be used to poke at the water, settling for sturdy twigs at the foot of a Willow tree. The twins lead the way across the expanse of grass—it was long and tickled their shins—that would take them to the towpath.
‘Oh, look at the swans.’ Aideen pointed to two regal birds gliding down the water towards the reeds on the other side.
‘Here looks a good spot,’ Una declared more interested in eels than swans. She made her way to the water’s edge and kneeling down began poking at the water with her stick. The other two followed suit.
‘I saw a fish!’ Leo exclaimed, and the girls gathered around him as he pointed into the green water. Bubbles rose to the surface and Una fancied she caught sight of a tail, but she couldn’t be sure.
‘What’s it like in Cork City then?’ she asked, keeping her eyes trained on the water.
Leo told them that from what he could see it wasn’t all together that different from Dublin.
‘What’s wrong with your mammy?’
‘She’s something wrong with her heart.’
Aideen squealed. ‘There!’ A sinewy black shape was just visible before it slithered down into the murky depths.
‘Don’t lean too close, Una.’
Mindful of falling in, Una poked her stick back in the water to see if she could get it to move again but nothing happened. Time was getting on, they’d best head home if they didn’t want to get into trouble. She didn’t want to be marched home by Daddy because Mammy would be sure to see her and know she hadn’t done as she was told.
Una didn’t know how it happened but one minute she was clambering to her feet, brushing the dirt from her knees, the next she had the sleeve of her cardigan snagged on Leo’s stick. He jerked it and the wool pulled away with it.
‘Stop!’ Una shrieked as Aideen got in the mix and tried to disentangle the stick. It was too late though the damage was done. ‘Look what you’ve done. It’s my best cardigan,’ Una wailed staring at the hole. She burst into tears, there’d be no hiding it from Mammy.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to.’ Leo was stricken. ‘It was an accident.’
‘You should have been more careful!’
Leo walked off, not wanting the twins to see him upset.
‘It’s not Leo’s fault Una, you shouldn’t have shouted at him. You should have worn your old one, like Mam told you to.’
Una knew her sister was right, but it didn’t help matters. She’d have to sit home on Saturday while the rest of them went to the zoo. She wouldn’t get to see her favourite animals the elephants and she would not get an ice cream from the hokey-pokey man. She felt sick. Why, oh, why hadn’t she done as she was told?
It was a subdued duo who made their way back down the streets from which they’d come. They could see Leo in the distance half running, half walking. Una knew she would have to say sorry for the way she’d behaved toward him. She hadn’t meant to be horrible, she was angry at herself not him. The fun had gone from the afternoon just like the sun was slipping behind the clouds. Una dragged her heels feeling sicker with each step that took her closer to home.
‘I’ll tell Mammy it’s my one, sure they’re identical, aren’t they?’
Una felt a flare of hope flicker and then splutter out. ‘She won’t believe you Aideen, she’ll know it was me not listening and doing as I was told.’
‘I’ll tell her I was showing off,’ she nodded toward Leo and Una knew that was exactly what she’d been doing. She’d been showing off by wearing the cardigan. Her sister had her pegged. Aideen knew her as well as she knew herself. ‘Come on,’ she said. ‘Give it to me, and I’ll put it on.’
‘Thank you.’ Una’s voice was muffled as she shrugged out of the cardi, knowing she’d never admire the pretty flower border without feeling sick again.
‘I wouldn’t want to go to the zoo without you anyway,’ Aideen said taking it from her and handing her, her old yellow one that itched.
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A child’s ear-piercing shriek roused Una bringing her back to the present. She glanced over to see the culprit’s arms flung out sliding down the slide to where her mammy was waiting to catch her at the bottom. She brushed a leaf that had fallen onto her lap away. Aideen had indeed taken the blame for her over the hole in that cardigan although Una was certain mammy had her suspicions as to what had really happened. She hadn’t said a word though as she set about darning it, mending it so you’d never know it’d been there. Una knew though.
Her gaze flicked back to the house across the road. She and Aideen had always looked out for each other. It was the way it was. Until one day they hadn’t. The shadow from the tree in the patch of grass out the front of the house was stretching long, signalling it was getting late in the day. Una got to her feet taking a moment to ease her aching joints which had seized from sitting too long. She’d go and see Aideen tomorrow. She definitely would, she vowed.