MARY AND FATHER AND LETTER 1963

AN IRISH SCHOOL GIRL AND HER FATHER AND A LETTER FROM NUNS IN 1963

Mary's father is sitting
in the lounge reading
a newspaper before dinner

Mary comes into the room
and sits in the armchair
by the window
and peers out

her father lowers
the newspaper
there's talk of you
from the nuns
he says

she turns and looks at him
is there
good I hope
she says

no it's not
he says

o well there you are Da
you can't please all
of the people
all of the time

never the time
with you it seems
with the nuns
he says
he shakes out
the newspaper
making noise

what's it this time?
she says
sitting back
in the armchair
letting her backside comfy

words you've said
he says
raising the paper
and peering over the top

what words?
I speak civil
and  I answer
the feck questions
about God
and the religion
and maths etc.
what word is this?
she says

he sighs
wishes she were
a young little girl still
not some 14 year old
know it all
with a mouth on her
he lowers the paper
and takes out a letter
from his waistcoat pocket
(slightly screwed up)
and offers it to her
here read it yourself
he says

she leans out of the chair
and takes the letter
from his hand
and sits back down again
and unfolds the letter
and reads

he lifts the newspaper
and reads a sports page

I never did
Mary says
never in my precious
to Christ life have I said that

she reads on
staring at the page
as if it had criticized her
(which it did)
they're like
the fecking Gestapo
she mutters

I was not kissing Magdalene
I was whispering
something to her
Mary mutters to the page
(and her father
if he was listening)
and I never did
call Sister Clare
a virgin waster
Mary muttered on
then she refolds the letter
and puts it
on the arm of the chair
and gazes at her father

well?
he says
what have you to say
for yourself?

she gazes at him
once he'd have
tanned her behind
and sent to bed without dinner
but he'd gone soft
on her since
she'd grown tits
and tried negotiation instead

what's for dinner?
she says

wait and see
he says

so what about the contents
of the good nun's letter?
he says

it was one of those days
she says
womanly things
gets to me

her father lifts
the newspaper
and says tiredly
I see.