Chapter Four
'Early Manhood'
Upon leaving school, instead of going away to the University of Dublin that his Great Aunt Hetti had initially planned for Liam during early years, the fifteen-year-old boy started work in Waterford as a coal worker's helper. Despite the dirty nature of the work, Liam thoroughly enjoyed driving his boss's horse and cart around and he didn't mind humping the large sacks of peat, coal and coke from cart to house as the pair travelled their round between the borders of Waterford, Tipperary and Kilkenny.
Liam was glad to have left school. In many ways he was pleased to have entered adult life now and glad to have the opportunity of moving away from the role of prankster. He had no other desire now than to taste some real life and to meet some real characters; characters he would get to know from his daily coal round and not the fictional ones one read about in books.
Liam was glad to have left school. In many ways he was pleased to have entered adult life now and glad to have the opportunity of moving away from the role of prankster. He had no other desire now than to taste some real life and to meet some real characters; characters he would get to know from his daily coal round and not the fictional ones one read about in books.
Liam's boss was called Ned. Nobody apart from the Post Mistress ever knew his surname as he refused to tell them ever since he'd first moved from Donegal to live in an old cottage off the Waterford Road sixteen years earlier. Even the sign over his coal yard bore no name apart from 'Coal Yard.'
With the exception of his cat, Moll, he lived alone and didn't give anyone the impression of having any other relatives alive. Nobody knew if he'd ever married or had fathered children and he most certainly wasn't the type of man to tell you. He looked like a character out of a Charles Dickens novel. Others of a less charitable nature frequently joked that Ned's background was mired in mystery, though firmly rooted in a family of travelling tinkers from around the Donegal area. Ned was a man that some people approached cautiously at his place of work and most folk avoided, especially when he'd been drinking and had drunk a skin full of porter.
With the exception of his cat, Moll, he lived alone and didn't give anyone the impression of having any other relatives alive. Nobody knew if he'd ever married or had fathered children and he most certainly wasn't the type of man to tell you. He looked like a character out of a Charles Dickens novel. Others of a less charitable nature frequently joked that Ned's background was mired in mystery, though firmly rooted in a family of travelling tinkers from around the Donegal area. Ned was a man that some people approached cautiously at his place of work and most folk avoided, especially when he'd been drinking and had drunk a skin full of porter.
However unsartorial in appearance Ned appeared, Liam instantly took to his boss and considered him to be a fair man. In truth, Ned had been a man of alcoholic disposition for many years now and would frequently arrive at the coal yard by 6am and start to prepare his cart for the day's deliveries.
When Liam arrived at work by 7am, the cart would have been filled and the couple would set off on their daily round and deliver fuel together until noon. When noon arrived, Ned would consider his day's work to have been at an end. The time to start the day's drinking in one of his many drinking establishments from where he hadn't yet been barred had arrived.
Catch him sober and one couldn't hope to meet a less offensive chap in the whole of Ireland, who invariably kept to himself and his own company. Yet, to give him an accidental prod, a bad word, a sideways glance or to bump into him while passing after he'd downed his sixth pint of porter was to invite a ferocious onslaught. When drunk, at the first perceived slight of his character by another, Ned would automatically come out fighting. The Donegal devil would burst through the gates of hell and batter you senseless with the first object that came to hand.
When Liam arrived at work by 7am, the cart would have been filled and the couple would set off on their daily round and deliver fuel together until noon. When noon arrived, Ned would consider his day's work to have been at an end. The time to start the day's drinking in one of his many drinking establishments from where he hadn't yet been barred had arrived.
Catch him sober and one couldn't hope to meet a less offensive chap in the whole of Ireland, who invariably kept to himself and his own company. Yet, to give him an accidental prod, a bad word, a sideways glance or to bump into him while passing after he'd downed his sixth pint of porter was to invite a ferocious onslaught. When drunk, at the first perceived slight of his character by another, Ned would automatically come out fighting. The Donegal devil would burst through the gates of hell and batter you senseless with the first object that came to hand.
All work delivering the coal and fuel for the second half of the day would fall solely on Liam's shoulders, and while he'd no gaffer watching how quickly he worked, Liam was only allowed to knock off when he'd made his last delivery, whatever the hour of day happened to be. Despite the uncertainty of his hours of work, Liam loved his job and all the rich characters he met from day to day. He particularly liked it best after Ned had left for the day around noon and relinquished the responsibility for the completion of the day's round to himself. Often, Liam could be caught pretending to be Ned's 'partner' as opposed to his 'helper/lad' if ever a stranger approached to make inquiries.
During his first year with Ned, Liam took it upon himself to name the horse that had pulled Ned's cart for a number of years now. Ned was so eccentric in his behaviour that he hadn't even bothered to name the creature. To Ned, the only animal he'd ever named was his house cat. She was the only female he had ever given his heart to since he'd left Donegal; the only female creature he would care for again. As for his 14-year-old Irish Cob, a Piebald Gypsy Mare; to Ned the Cob represented no more than a cart horse designed to pull coal. So long as the horse was regularly groomed, well fed, straw bedded and shod, Ned considered the creature to have been well-enough treated and that the giving of a name to it would have been wholly superfluous.
Ned used to tell Liam if asked, "No need to name the critter, lad. Everyone between here and Kilkenny knows she's mine and pulls my carts. I want a working critter, not a friend, lad. No need to be calling the critter anything particular; it's only a working Cob!"
Liam simply ignored Ned though and during the morning part of their joint round he would never refer to the Cob other than saying, 'Come on lass' or 'Whoo...ho.. lass!' Come noon however, after Ned had left for the pub and until the time came for Liam to go home, the Irish Cob would affectionately be called 'Lafferty's Lady'.
Liam simply ignored Ned though and during the morning part of their joint round he would never refer to the Cob other than saying, 'Come on lass' or 'Whoo...ho.. lass!' Come noon however, after Ned had left for the pub and until the time came for Liam to go home, the Irish Cob would affectionately be called 'Lafferty's Lady'.
Liam had held his position delivering coal with Ned for three years before tragedy struck. It happened one late summer's day. Business was slow and the couple knew that trade wouldn't pick up until the colder months of the year arrived. The working week of Liam was temporarily shorter and he was finishing his round around mid-afternoon most days. As he returned home one afternoon, he saw a crowd of people outside his great aunt's cottage. Something was clearly wrong as the huddled crowd of neighbours lowered their voices to a polite whisper as Liam entered the cottage. Liam heard four young girls whisper something about 'her being on her last legs'.
Liam rushed inside to find his great aunt confined to her bed with the village doctor in attendance. His aunt was holding her rosary beads as she never went to bed without them and never fell asleep without them in her hands.
"What's wrong, Aunt?" Liam asked anxiously. "What's happening?"
"Don't fret," his great aunt said as she tried to reassure him, adding in a faint voice, "Doctor Brewer here is sorting me out grand now.... aren't you doctor? Between him and my Maker, I will be fine."
The doctor clearly had no intention of being placed in a position designed to falsely reassure someone, let alone a young man in his late teens whose only relative was terminally ill and would be most unlikely to see out the next month. While being unable to breach his patient's confidentiality, he declined to lie to Liam and instead said, "Your aunt is very poorly. I'll leave it to her to tell you anything else she wants you to know. Meanwhile, please make sure that she takes these medications as prescribed and you mustn't hesitate to contact me if she suddenly worsens."
That evening, Liam visited Ned's place on the Waterford Road to tell him that he might have to miss some work during the immediate weeks ahead as his great aunt was unwell and he was the only one around to help her. It was 9pm when Liam arrived at Ned's place. His great aunt had fallen asleep early and Liam had asked a neighbour to sit in until his return from seeing Ned.
As Liam approached Ned's place, despite it being dark, he could see that the property's upkeep had been much neglected over the years. There were a number of loose tiles on the roof that required replacement, the paint work needed doing and the gate which once swung open and closed no longer swung at all as it rested up against the wall in a permanent fixture of enforced retirement.
Liam knocked gingerly on the door and while their were no neighbours of Ned's to disturb, he didn't know how his boss would respond to an unsolicited visit to his home at this late hour of the day; particularly if he found Ned worse the wear for drink.
Liam knocked gingerly on the door and while their were no neighbours of Ned's to disturb, he didn't know how his boss would respond to an unsolicited visit to his home at this late hour of the day; particularly if he found Ned worse the wear for drink.
The door opened and Ned seemed surprised to see his work helper standing there.
"What's up lad?" he asked Liam, adding, "Is it the horse? Has something happened to the horse?"
"No," replied Liam. "Laf.........the horse is fine. It's my Aunt Hetti who's taken bad. I shall need to take some time off work."
Just then, Liam heard the meow sound of a cat from behind Ned. The cat was obviously trying to get out of the house when it spotted the door partially opened. As Ned shooed the cat back inside, Liam caught a glimpse of the room within. It seemed somewhat sparse in respect of furniture items, but looked homely enough. On the sideboard, Liam saw the picture of a man holding a child in one arm and the reins of a horse in the other.
"What's up lad?" he asked Liam, adding, "Is it the horse? Has something happened to the horse?"
"No," replied Liam. "Laf.........the horse is fine. It's my Aunt Hetti who's taken bad. I shall need to take some time off work."
Just then, Liam heard the meow sound of a cat from behind Ned. The cat was obviously trying to get out of the house when it spotted the door partially opened. As Ned shooed the cat back inside, Liam caught a glimpse of the room within. It seemed somewhat sparse in respect of furniture items, but looked homely enough. On the sideboard, Liam saw the picture of a man holding a child in one arm and the reins of a horse in the other.
At the side of that photograph was another of a young lad and a girl stood by another horse. The clothes the two young children wore looked somewhat shabby and torn.
"Sorry to hear about your aunt, lad," Ned said as he returned to the attention of his nightly visitor. "You take whatever time you want. It's the quiet season and me and the horse can manage. I'll say a prayer for the old girl. Good night now."
After speaking, Ned closed the door, bringing the conversation to an abrupt end. As Liam walked back to his great aunt's home he mused upon the conversation he'd just had with Ned. Brief though it was, it was still longer than any prior conversation they'd ever had. Often the couple might only speak a few words to each other daily and Liam had even known days when Ned had never spoken a word in response to his comments; times when his boss's only reply had been a nod of the head, a facial grimace or a hand gesture! And then there was the photograph of the man, child and horse. 'Was this a much younger Ned in the arms of his father?' Liam thought, 'And the girl; perhaps she was his sister?"
"Sorry to hear about your aunt, lad," Ned said as he returned to the attention of his nightly visitor. "You take whatever time you want. It's the quiet season and me and the horse can manage. I'll say a prayer for the old girl. Good night now."
After speaking, Ned closed the door, bringing the conversation to an abrupt end. As Liam walked back to his great aunt's home he mused upon the conversation he'd just had with Ned. Brief though it was, it was still longer than any prior conversation they'd ever had. Often the couple might only speak a few words to each other daily and Liam had even known days when Ned had never spoken a word in response to his comments; times when his boss's only reply had been a nod of the head, a facial grimace or a hand gesture! And then there was the photograph of the man, child and horse. 'Was this a much younger Ned in the arms of his father?' Liam thought, 'And the girl; perhaps she was his sister?"
By the time Liam had returned to his Aunt Hetti's cottage he was tired. He thanked the neighbour for having watched his aunt during his absence and bade her 'Good night'. His aunt was sleeping, or so he thought as he started to bank up the fire in the lounge area to warm up the house. Then she opened her eyes and called his name. "Liam, is that you, Liam? Come here lad. Your Aunt has something to say to you."
Liam approached his aunt's bedside and sat by her outstretched hands. She still held her rosary beads as she'd done when he'd left her earlier that evening.
"See that box over there, Liam? Fetch it here, please," she asked in a faint voice.
Liam fetched the box across as requested from beneath the dresser where it had been secretly lodged.
"Now listen carefully, Liam. Inside this box you will find all that you will need after I'm gone. There's my Post Office book with £4,989 deposited. It's all the money I possess since I had to pay out for re-thatching the roof two years ago, but it's now yours. You will also find the deeds to the cottage and my last will and testament leaving you the place and all my belongings. Any jewellery you find about the cottage that you neither want or cannot use, sell. There is also a note written by your mum before you were born that she left here for me as she left home after the death of my father. Don't read the note until after I'm gone, lad. I know that I'm not one for ever making an exhibition of my feelings lad, but believe me when I tell you that I've always loved you as though you were my own child. In many ways, I've always seen you as the child I should have given birth to. Pray for my soul, Liam. Now leave me to rest a while, lad. I'm so so tired."
"See that box over there, Liam? Fetch it here, please," she asked in a faint voice.
Liam fetched the box across as requested from beneath the dresser where it had been secretly lodged.
"Now listen carefully, Liam. Inside this box you will find all that you will need after I'm gone. There's my Post Office book with £4,989 deposited. It's all the money I possess since I had to pay out for re-thatching the roof two years ago, but it's now yours. You will also find the deeds to the cottage and my last will and testament leaving you the place and all my belongings. Any jewellery you find about the cottage that you neither want or cannot use, sell. There is also a note written by your mum before you were born that she left here for me as she left home after the death of my father. Don't read the note until after I'm gone, lad. I know that I'm not one for ever making an exhibition of my feelings lad, but believe me when I tell you that I've always loved you as though you were my own child. In many ways, I've always seen you as the child I should have given birth to. Pray for my soul, Liam. Now leave me to rest a while, lad. I'm so so tired."
Liam took the box and left his great aunt's bedroom and went into the kitchen. He brewed himself some tea as he reflected upon his aunt's words. In all the time he'd known his Great Aunt Hetti, he'd never once heard her be openly expressive in her feelings of love for him or indeed any other person. Suddenly, Liam heard a muffled groan from his aunt's bedroom and rushed back to tend to her needs.
No sooner than Liam had looked upon her face, he knew that she had died. For the first time in many years he felt totally alone in the world. His last remaining relative had died.
No sooner than Liam had looked upon her face, he knew that she had died. For the first time in many years he felt totally alone in the world. His last remaining relative had died.
Liam didn't know how he'd manage to get through the following week. Being the sole surviving Lafferty to fly the family flag, it was left to the young man to make the funeral and burial arrangements for his Great Aunt Hetti.
Hetti Lafferty had left expressed wishes to be buried in the graveyard of 'St Michael's Catholic Church' in the Portlaw plot where her niece Lucy lay and not in the Kilbunny graveyard alongside her dear mother and father. Hetti had always felt guilty about not having looked after her niece Lucy better in life. So determined not to abandon her in death as she'd abandoned her to the nuns in life at the mere age of seven years of age, Hetti elected to remain alongside her niece forever more. It was her final act of atonement before she went to meet her Maker.
Hetti Lafferty had left expressed wishes to be buried in the graveyard of 'St Michael's Catholic Church' in the Portlaw plot where her niece Lucy lay and not in the Kilbunny graveyard alongside her dear mother and father. Hetti had always felt guilty about not having looked after her niece Lucy better in life. So determined not to abandon her in death as she'd abandoned her to the nuns in life at the mere age of seven years of age, Hetti elected to remain alongside her niece forever more. It was her final act of atonement before she went to meet her Maker.
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