Free The Young Wan by Brendan O'Carroll Page A

things went through her mind. What if her mammy had gotten lost? Who would come here and open the door? Maybe her mammy and daddy had gone away and forgotten all about her? Sobbing softly, she fell asleep. When she awoke, it was now dark and she was so cold she was shivering. She had never been on this side of the door when it was dark, Mammy wouldn’t allow her. Agnes started to become very frightened. Suddenly there was a bang from the downstairs street door, and she heard footsteps climbing up the stairs. She started to panic now. There were no more stairs up, so she could only go down! This was no good, the footsteps were coming up and getting closer. In the corner she spied a crumpled sack, so she went to the corner and covered herself with the sack. She was sobbing with fear, and in an effort to stop the sobbing she held her breath. It didn’t work: the sobs just came out louder. The footsteps got louder, until she could tell they had reached her landing. Then they stopped. Just for a moment; now she could hear them again, coming toward her corner.
     
    “Who’s that in the corner?” the deep voice boomed. Agnes began to cry out loud. She was so scared she had not recognized her father’s voice. Bosco lifted the sack from off his daughter and smiled when he saw her there, squashed up as small as she could get, crying with her eyes tightly shut.
     
    “Agnes? Agnes love, what are you doing out here?” Bosco asked as he lifted the child into his arms. She opened her eyes and, on seeing her father, wrapped her arms around his head so tightly that he could not breathe. He had to peel her off his face.
     
    “Oh, Daddy, Mammy won’t let me in,” she cried. Holding Agnes with one arm, Bosco moved to the door. He fished a key from his pocket. A quick twist and he pushed open the door. The flat was in darkness. Bosco flicked on the light switch.
     
    “Connie?” he called. There was no answer. Still carrying Agnes, he looked into the two bedrooms. Both empty. Back in the main room he spotted a note on the table. He gently put Agnes down and read the note.
     
    “Oh my God,” he exclaimed as he read, and then dropped the note and began to run around the rooms, grabbing clothes and stuffing them into a bag. He opened his free arm and stooped low.
     
    “Come,” he said to Agnes. Bosco carried her down the stairs, and when they got outside he took her hand. Together they walked through the dark streets. When they arrived at Bosco’s Auntie Florrie’s place Agnes recognized it. Bosco banged on the door, and Conor, Florrie’s husband, opened it. Bosco placed Agnes by the fire and went into the kitchen to talk to Florrie and Conor. When he came out again, he walked straight to Agnes and knelt down beside her.
     
    “Agnes love, Auntie Florrie is going to mind you here tonight. I’ll come and get you after school tomorrow.” Agnes began to cry.
     
    “It’s all right, sweetheart,” her father soothed her. He lifted her tiny chin. “And I’ll tell you what. When I come and get you tomorrow? I just might just have a big surprise for you.” He smiled. Agnes wiped her eyes. “Surprise?” she repeated every child’s favorite word. Her father nodded and smiled. She kissed her daddy, and then he was gone. She was so hungry, but she didn’t say anything to Auntie Florrie, it wouldn’t be manners, so when she was put to bed her tummy was so empty it was paining her. She still had not gotten over her ordeal, and even as she slept the odd huge sob would stagger from her lips. Next morning, she came down the stairs to find Aunt Florrie all jolly in the kitchen. Agnes sat at the kitchen table and within minutes had devoured two bowls of porridge.
     
    “My gosh,” Florrie exclaimed, “you like your porridge, don’t you?”
     
    Actually, Agnes hated porridge, but she was so hungry that she would have eaten Uncle Conor had Auntie Florrie served him up.
     
     
     
    As soon as Agnes arrived at school, she went in