Бетти Смит - Maggie-Now

"I wasn't born a stable boy," said Patsy, quietly. "You made me one. And Mary. ."

"Miss Mary," corrected Mikc.

[65 1 "Mary," continued Patsy evenly, "don't look on me as just a stable boy."

"Deary me, no," said Mike mincingly. "She loves you."

"Yes," said Patsy quietly.

"And you love her?"

Patsy hesitated before he answered. He said: "I'm attached to her."

"Attached to her! Attached, you say, Mister Pathrick Dennis Moore! And would it be that she's me only child and she and her husband would fall in for all of me property and money when me and The Missus dies have anything to do with this here attachment?"

"Yes," said Patsy. "If I have to put up with the likes of you for a father-in-law, by God, I'd deserve the property and the money."

"Get off me property " bellowed Mike. "Get the hell out of me house! "

"Stable," corrected Patsy.

"You're sacked! No recommendation. Pack up your rags and get! Patsy didn't pack up and he didn't "get," because the next day he and Mary were married by a clerk in City Hall.

THEY came home directly from City Hall. The Missus wept because there hadn't been a big church wedding with a Nuptial Mass. But Mary seemed very happy. From time to time, she looked at the wedding ring on her finger and smiled at Patsy. Patrick Dennis swaggered with his hands in his pockets and grinned at his father-in-law. Biddy stood listening behind a half-closed door with her mouth hanging open in amazement.

Mike Moriarity was the only one who didn't act normal.

He acted as though he were thinking; as though he had been stricken ~ 56 1

speechless. Ibis silence made his wife and daughter nervous.

"Won't you wish me stick, Papa?" said Mary.

"Let's see your papers," he said suddenly. Nervously but happily, she got her marriage certificate out of her reticule and gave it to him. He examined it. "Ha!" he said. "So you wasn't married by a priest?"

"No."

"There wasn't time," began Patsy.

"And you came right home from City Hall?" asked Mike, ignoring Patsy.

"Of course, Papa."

"Good!" He gave an order to his wife. "Missus, get me hat and coat."

"Now, Michael," she started to say.

"Quiet! " he shouted.

"I mean," said The Missus timidly, "couldn't we have a glass of wine first? All of us? Kind of celebrate?"

"There'll be a celebration all right, later on," he said grimly. "But not what you think " "Where you going now?" asked The Missus. Then she said: "Excuse me for asking."

"I'm going straight to Judge Cronin and get this marriage annulled."

"You can't!" wailed The Missus.

"Sure I can. Cronin owes me a favor."

"I mean they're married good."

"Oh, no, they ain't. Didn't you hear her say they came right back from (pity Hall without stopping anywheres?"

"But. ."

"That means the marriage wasn't con. . consa. . It wasn't consumed!" he said triumphantly. He rushed out of the house.

The Missus ran after him. "You can't, Michael," she panted as she caught up with him.

"Don't you tell me what to do.'' "But what will she do with the baby?" wailed The Missus. 'And she not married?"

He stopped so suddenly that his Missus bumped into him. He grabbed her arm. "A hat baby?" he asked.

"Mary's and his."

t6- 1 "How do you know?"

"Biddy told me."

"How does she know?"

"She saw Mary up in his room. In her nightgown, Biddy said. And they was hugging and kissing. ." The Missus blushed.". . and all. Biddy saw the whole thing."

"Why'n't she tell me?"

"Because she was afraid of Patrick. He said he'd kill her if she told. That's what she said to me anyways."

Slowly he walked back to the house with The Missus jogging along beside him. Arriving home, he gave her his hat and coat to hang up, and, without a word to anyone, he went into his den and locked the door. Alone there, he put his head down on his desk and wept.

He wept because all the plans he'd had for his daughter had come to nothing. When she was twenty, he had hoped she'd marry a young lawyer he knew who he thought had a wonderful future. But Mary had been too shy to encourage the young man. Now the young lawyer was Assistant District Attorney. Had a chance of being Governor someday. Moriarity had dreamed of saying, "Me son-in-law, the Governor. ."

As the years went by, he was convinced she'd never marry. Well, there were compensations in that, too. He could count on her to grow old devoted to him; to attend to his well-being if his wife died before him. T hat dream had gone now. And he wept for that.

But fundamentally he wept because he knew his daughter \vas sweet and good and honest. She was too good much too good for someone like Patrick Dennis Moore. That almost broke his heart.

They ate supper together. It was a sad wedding feast. No one knew what to say and everyone was apprehensive of Biddy, who served them with poor grace, banging the dishes down and muttering to herself.

After supper, they went upstairs to the parlor and sat in the chilly room. Mike sat in morose silence while Patsy and the two women tried to make conversation. The Missus asked Mary to play the piano. She requested "Over the Waves." Mary said her fingers were too stiff from the chill of the room. Then her father 1 6~1

broke his silence and asked her to play "Molly Malone."

Because she wished to ingratiate herself with him, she played a chorus of the ballad, then closed the piano.

They sat there. The evening wore on. The Missus dozed in her chair. Black shadows appeared under Mary's eyes.

Patsy began yawning and got The Boss to yawning, too.

No one wanted to be indelicate enough to suggest going to bed. Finally Patsy took charge of the situation. He got up, stretched his arms and yawned.

"I'm going to bed," he said. "I'm that tired." He held out his hand to his wife. "Come, I\lary." EJalld in hand they went to the door.

"Where are you taking her?? asked Mike.

"To me room," said Patsy. "Over the stable."

Mike stood up. "Me daughter wasn't raised to sleep in a stable," he said.

"Neither was my husband," said l\larv.

"Michael," said The Missus timidly, "surely in this big house there is a room. ."

"We'll sleep in my room," said Mary. The two women stood silent, waiting for Mike's outburst. He said nothing.

Patsy went to The Missus. "Good night, me sweet mother," he said. He kissed her cheek. The Missus beamed and gave him a fierce, loving hug.

"Good night," he said to Mike and held out his hand.

Mike ignored it.

Mary kissed her mother, then went to her father, put her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest.

"Oh, Papa," she said, "I'm so happy. Please don't spoil it for me."

Tenderly, he stroked his daughter's hair with one hand and held out his other hand to his son-in-law.

"Be good to this good girl," he said to Mary's husband.

Later, they were married by a priest. The Missus didn't want them to be married in the neighborhood parish. She said they were too well known and people would think it was "funny" her daughter being married without a veil or bridesmaid or Nuptial Mass.

They were married in the adjoining parish of Williamshurg b

~ 69 1 Father Flynn, a priest newly come to the neighborhood.