Page 146 of The Missing Sister

After she’d said goodbye to the pigs and the chickens, Merry walked across the field to say goodbye to the cows, then climbed up on a fence and looked over the valley. She tried her best not to feel frightened at the thought of her new life in Dublin, because at least she knew that Ambrose would be there. He had said she could stay at his home during what the school called ‘exeats’. Ambrose had explained it meant pupils were allowed out of school for the weekend, and ’twould be too far to travel home.

‘I’ve been waiting for you, Merry.’

She jumped as she heard a voice from behind her.

‘Bobby Noiro!’ She turned round to look at him. ‘Why can’t you be saying hello like a normal person?’ Merry complained.

‘You’re leaving today?’

‘Yes, Bridget’s daddy is driving us to the train station in Cork.’

‘He’s a British sympathiser,’ he scoffed. ‘That’s how he made all his money.’

‘Might be, but ’tis better than dragging my case to the station on foot,’ she said, by now immune to his barbed comments.

‘I’ve got something for you,’ he said and reached inside his trouser pocket to pull out a small black book. ‘’Tis a very special book, Merry. ’Tis my grandmother Nuala’s diary. The one I told you about. You read this and you’ll understand.’ He put the book in her hands.

‘Oh Bobby, I can’t be taking this! It must be very precious to you.’

‘Well, I’m giving it to you because I want you to know about her life and see what the British did to us, and how my family fought for Ireland and freedom. ’Tis my gift to you, Merry. Read it, please.’

‘I... thank you, Bobby.’

He stared at her for a while, the irises of his dark blue eyes almost black. ‘You’ll come back, won’t you?’ he asked eventually.

‘O’course I will! I’ll be home for Christmas.’

‘I’ll be calling you the missing sister till you’re back, like in the Greek story you told me once about the Seven Sisters and Iron,’ he said. ‘And I’ll be needing you back here, Merry. You’re the only one I can talk to.’

‘’Tis Orion, and sure, you’ll be grand without me,’ she replied.

‘No.’ Bobby shook his head fiercely. ‘I need you. We’re different to everyone here. Bye now, Merry. You take care of yourself up there in Dublin city. And remember, you’re mine.’

With a shiver, Merry watched him run off across the field. And for the first time, felt glad she was going far away.

Hearing a car, Merry saw Bridget’s daddy driving up the hill towards the farm, so she jumped off the fence and ran back across the field.

John, Katie and Nora had come out to say goodbye with Bill and Pat, the younger boys’ hair brushed and their faces scrubbed so they wouldn’t embarrass themselves in front of Emmet O’Mahoney. Merry felt tears prick her eyes as she saw that Daddy had come out of the house in a fresh shirt too. He walked towards her and placed a rough kiss on her cheek.

‘Your mammy would be proud of you, Merry,’ he whispered in her ear. ‘And so am I.’

She nodded, not able to reply because she was too choked up.

‘You take care of yourself in Dublin city, and make sure you do lots of learning.’ She felt him slip a coin into her hand and hug her, and she suddenly wanted nothing more than to stay at home.

She got into the car, sitting on the plush leather back seat next to Bridget, and trying not to cry. As the car drew out of the courtyard and she waved goodbye to her family, she remembered her mother’s last words to her:

You’re special, Merry, and don’t you go forgetting you are. Promise?

She had made her mother a promise. And she would do her best to keep it.

June 2008

‘And from then on, when I went home for the holidays, Bobby always called me the missing sister,’ I sighed. I felt exhausted; I had been speaking for over two hours, with Ambrose helping by filling in the gaps about the part he and Father O’Brien had played behind the scenes.

‘It must have been devastating when your mum died.’ Jack shook his head sadly. ‘You were so young.’

‘It was. I still think about her every day, even after all this time,’ I admitted. ‘I adored her.’