Бетти Смит: Maggie-Now

"His first obligation is to me and the baby," said Tessie.

"And," said Denny, finally losing his temper, "after that to your mother and your brother. ."

"Why, Denn!" said Tessie, immediately hurt.

Denny loosened his tie, ran his fingers through his hair, started pacing and said: "The sooner Otto builds that place in Hempstead and the sooner I get OUt there away from all this, the better I'll like it!"

Tessie was instantly ashamed of herself. "Aw, Maggie-Now, honey, I'm sorry for blowing up. But you're so swell that it makes me as mad as anything the way you give in to your father."

"Oh, I don't mind humoring him, Tessie."

"That's all right for you!" Tessie flared up again. "But it makes it hard for Dennis and me. You give in to your father, he expects Dennis to give in. You cater to him and everybody else has to."

"Papa's dependent on me and I'm used to it, I guess."

"Get unused to it," said Tessie. "Because it's going to be tough for you when you get old and nobody. ."

"I'll always treat you as though you were company,"

quoted Lenny. "Remember, To ss? "

"Yes. And," she quoted, "I'll always treat you like a girl I just met that I'm anxious to make a little time with.

Remember when you said that to me?"

1 4! 1 "You said, I will always love your sister and. ."

"And I do! I do!" She put her arms around Maggie-Now and started to cry. "I didn't mean it, Maggie-Now. Honest!

I'm so wrong. I shouldn't talk to you that way. But I'm so on edge all the time. The baby cries all night long and I

get behind in my housework and I'm alone all day and.

"

"Listen," said Maggie-Now. "HONV long since you and Denny went out together?"

"Why. . why it must have been last February. Yes, I

remember. I was showing so much by then I didn't want to go out and then the baby came and. ."

"Look! You and Denn,` go out tonight. You can catch the last part of the show at The Bushwick. Or have coffee and waffles someplace. Anything to get out together."

"But the baby!"

"Leave her with me ovcrnigllt.'' "I couldn't!"

"You can and you will," said Denny.

"But the baby needs. ."

"Maggie-Now's been taking care of kids all her life."

"But I mean the formula and the diapers."

"Matty's about the same age as Mary Lorrainy," said MaggieNow. "I can use the same formula. And I've got hundreds of diapers. Nova you and Denny go out and have yourselves a time."

Tessie held out until Dtnny said: "Let's go out and celebrate our first big fight."

There was a thin covering of snow on the ground now.

MaggieNow watched Denny and Tessie go down the street. Tessie took a running slide but her high heels threw her off balance and Denny caught her and washed her face with snow. She broke loose, scraped up a handful of snow to throw at Denny. He caught her arm and made her drop it and she squealed and he laughed and they ran off down the street, hand in hand.

Maggie-Now watched them out of sight. Just kids, she thought tenderly. She took a moment to watch the snow dancing about the lighted orange globe on the corner. The globe meant there was a fire alarm box there. The white snowflakes flashed orange as they went past the light She went back to the kitchen and added half a cup of water to [4~3]

the simn Bring oatmeal because it was getting a little thick. She checked the orphans, arranging the covers more securely on one and turning another, who was sleeping upsidedown, the right way. She felt of Mary Lorraine, whom everybody was beginning to call Rainy, to see if she needed changing. Lastly, she went Lp to her father's room.

He \vas on his knees on the floor, half under the bed.

"Papa! What are you doing?"

"Looking for me pipe."

"Get right back in bed! Crawling on the floor and all. I

wish you'd rest more, Papa." She got him back into bed.

"Rest, she says! And how can I be resting with me room full of priests praying over me and me family downstairs hollering and fighting and me only son out on the streets with his German girl, jigging and hollering and doing I

don't know what."

"Oh, don't begrudge them a little fun."

"I begrudge nobody nothing. All I ask is that me chilthren leave me body get cold, first. before they hold me wake." He jumped out of bed.

"Get back ill bed! I've had enough out of you for one day. Get your sleep because you're moving to Mrs.

O'Crawley's in the morning."

"No you don't, me girl. No one is shoving me into the O'Crawley's arms. I'll find me own room. I'll find a room in some widder woman's house; a widder woman who'll be glad to marry the likes of me with me pension and all and carrying insurance."

"Mrs. O'Crawley's a widow," she suggested.

"Too old! She's fifty-five."

"You're sixty-four yourself."

"How did me age get in the conversation?"

"Oh, Papa," she sighed, "if you only would marry again!"

"What would you do without me insurance then? Answer

'e that."

"I don't want your insurance, Papa. I hope you live nany years to come."

"That I will! T hat I chili! " he shouted.

"You don't have to holler so."

"I'll holler all I w ant," he shouted, "and I won t die, either. 1'1] live! I'll live just for spite!"

1 }~! 1 "Live, then!" she hollered back. "Who cares?"

"I'll bury~youse all!" he roared. "I'll live to bury youse all!"

His curse rang through the house. The little orphan boys downstairs trembled in their cribs. Mary Lorraine Moore whimpered, wet her diaper, woke up and cried.

Maggie-Now changed the baby's diaper, pulled a rocking chair up close to the kitchen range and sat there rocking Mary Lorraine and talking to her.

"I'm going to hold you all I want tonight and rock you and sing to you. Because you're my baby. My brother is your father and my father is your grandfather and your grandmother was my mother. You have the same blood and bones and flesh that I have. So you're my baby. At least, until tomorrow morning."

PAT left the next day for Mrs. O'Crawley's. At last, he had decided to marry the widow. He would have to figure out the best way to tell her. It never occurred to him to ask her. He would have told her some time ago but for one thing: She had two dead husbands and Pat, being superstitious, believed that everything came in threes.

He rationalised his decision to marry her: Every year a priest comes and gives me the last rites and me family leaves me f or dead. I can lick that. But wheel two priests believe I'm dying, that's tough. With the Ridder now, I'll only die the once, iilstead-a every year.

Tessie came to pay a visit to her baby's godmother and Pat. From his window, Pat saw her arrival. He sent Mick Mack back to his own room, saying, "Here comes me daughter-in-law, the Informer." Pat turned off his radiator.

The Informer will tell me daughter that I sit in a cold room and Maggie-Now will worry her head off, he thought with satisfaction.

~4~5] She left the baby with the widow and came up to see Pat. "I brought you some new clay pipes," she said.

"Where's the tobacco?" he asked.

"You've got tobacco."

"What'd you come here for?"

"Just for a visit."

"You came so you could inform on me to me daughter."