Gavin Corbett - This Is the Way

Conchita told us she had one brother and three sisters. She was the second youngest. The sister younger than her was at home. One of her other sisters was studying in Utrera. The brother was learning to be a priest in another part of Spain and the family would not speak to him. The other sister went to Mexico and the family would not speak to her neither.

I expected her to ask about Aaron and Margarita and Beggy but she did not say anything about this. After she said about her brother and sisters I seen my father was waiting too. There was water shining at the bottom of his eyes but it did not mean he was crying, it meant he was quiet and he was waiting. At the end of the dinner when Conchita had not said anything about my brother and sisters I says to myself Mister FX has told her about my brother and sisters and my mother too. I seen my father knew as well that Mister FX had told Conchita. We were relaxed.

In the morning Mister FX called at our door. He waited in the kitchen until Conchita got into her clothes for school. I did not like being around Mister FX but I was having my breakfast and I would not move. He went to the freezer and opened it, he looked in it.

He says how often do you clean out your freezer.

I says I don’t know.

He came back to the table he says Anthony I want to show you something special.

He had with him a case. He clicked open the case and took out a hard leather box. The leather box was dirty and battered. He says wait until you see this.

He pulled the lid off the top of the leather box slow, his hand was shaking. There was toilet paper in the box and he lifted up the toilet paper. Then he lifted with the tips of his fingers something out the box and put it next me on the table. It was like a shell or a bit of a broken plate, a thick curved flake, grey but nearly yellow.

I says what’s this.

That is a relic of Blessed Eoin O’Duffy says Mister FX.

Part of his body I says.

He says yes it is from the top of his head. I am in the process of petitioning for the upgrading of Blessed Eoin O’Duffy to sainthood status with our pontiff David. It was Blessed Eoin O’Duffy who cured your father of depression.

I says I don’t want that near me I’m having me breakfast.

He says it is very special.

I says get it away from me I’ll be sick.

Okay okay says Mister FX and he raising his eyebrows and his head shaking with the nerves in it, and he put the bone back in the box.

I could not eat the rest of my breakfast, I made a great show of tipping it in the bin.

Okay all right no need no need says Mister FX.

My father came in then he says everything all right. Then Conchita came in, she had on the black jumper she was wearing the night before and black trousers and make up. The three of us looked at her, she was beautiful.

My father wanted the four of us to go in his car. He said he would leave Conchita and Mister FX at the bus stop and leave me to work.

I says to my father I’m going in me own car.

We went out and my father and Mister FX and Conchita stood around my father’s car. My father says come on. I laughed loud. Conchita was looking at me and she was touching the handle of the back door of my father’s car. I says again to my father I am driving me own way to work.

Will you do one thing for me Anthony my father says. Will you come here look at something for me before we go.

He got in the car the driver side and he opened the door the passenger side he says to me get in. I got in and my father looked around see that Mister FX and Conchita weren’t looking. They weren’t looking, they were talking to each other. My father turned back around, I expected him to say something.

I says what.

He says just, and he lifted his hand.

I says what that mean.

He says don’t Anthony.

I says I’m not doing nothing.

He says help me here.

It’s help me now I says.

I respect you Anthony he says.

Don’t make me laugh I says you don’t respect me.

He says do you respect me.

What’s this sort of question I says.

A shadow came in the car and we seen Mister FX looking in the window at us. My father nodded at him then Mister FX went back to talking to Conchita.

Right, that it, can I go I says to my father.

My father was pushing his finger in the radio where the music cassettes went. He says there’s a music cassette in here help me get it out.

I says what music cassette.

He says I don’t know it’s been in the radio since I got the car.

I says I don’t have time for this I have to get to work, then I hit the button beside the hole and a music cassette came in the hole but it would not come out of it. I says have you got something to stick in the hole.

My father says put your finger in.

I says me finger won’t go in have you got a pencil.

He says I don’t have a pencil.

I says the radio is broken I don’t have the time, and I got out the car and got in my own and I drove to work.

In work a lot of the time Mylo Meeley would say to me how is your father and when he said it this time I told him we had a Spanish girl in the house like the one he had. Mylo could not believe it, he said it to me where did we get her.

I says through a fella we know.

Mylo was very interested in Conchita and he asked questions about her. He said to me was she in Ireland to learn English.

Yes we are going to teach her English I says. I said to him Mister FX had told us to take it slow with her.

What part of Spain is she from says Mylo.

I says near the sea. I said to him what she said about the fish on the train. I said to him all about how the part of Spain Conchita was from was like Ireland.

She told you all this says Mylo.

Yes I says.

She knows more English than she let on to your father’s friend says Mylo.

I told the girl called Lorna in work about Conchita and she says what does she look like. I says to her she has red hair and yellow skin and black eyes.

Lorna says she sounds gorgeous and it sounds like you like her.

I says quick at Lorna she’s only a young one, she’s at school.

She might still be old enough for you says Lorna.

I went in the toilet and I wanted to box Lorna, that is the way I am. But I will say it again, I thought Conchita was a good looking girl, it was true.

There were certain things with Conchita at the start though had my father afeard, had both of us afeard. After that dinner that first night we thought she would be loud and my father was not a talker and neither am I. But the rest of the evenings that first week she stayed in her room and then my father was disappointed, he was worried. He went to her door he says are you all right there Conchita. One evening we were eating the dinner by ourself and my father was wondering about her, went upstair he says to her again are you all right in that room. Conchita said she been lying there reading the new catechism but then later she said it that all the girls in Spain had televisions in their room.

Later my father and me were watching the television. My father was sitting in his favourite seat, a seat that was up against the set, and I was seated on the couch to the side against the wall. He turned to me. He was twisted in his chair and he looked at me.

He says Anthony that girl comes from a foreign country. We must show her the ways to do things in this country he says.

Again I laughed loud at him I don’t know why. I didn’t say nothing but I thinks turn back and look at the television and think better about what you want to be saying.

Another day I came home from work I seen Conchita sitting on her own at the kitchen table. She had her hands together like she was praying. She had the look on her face that was serene, it was a look of patience. She says hello Anthony your father has gone to get me something.