106
"Who was that brought you home?"
"Twinkle Hake. Do you remember him? The geography teacher."
Tommy frowned. "What were you doing with him?"
Sadie told him antr about Kevin meeting him on the Lagan path.
Tommy was impressed by Mr Blake's kindness but troubled that Sadie
was going to see Kevin again.
"Where'11 it all end?" he wanted to know.
"I can't think about that," said Sadie. Beginnings were more
interesting. "But do you know what happened to me this morning?"
"No, but I soon will."
"The old bitch in the hat department said to me, 'I hear you're
keeping company with a Mick'."
"And what did you say?" asked Tommy, resigned to hearing the worst.
"I told her to go hell and she gave me the sack."
"Will you never learn to keep your mouth shut?"
"Why should I? She opened hers first."
"What'll Ma say when she hears you're out of work??"
"I'm not going to tell her till I egt another job."
A loud bang near by made them jump. It had sounded like the
crack of an explosion. Almost at once other noises followed the
first one: screaming, shouting, commotion. It was coming from the
next street.
They ran round the corner. Mrs McConkey's shop was going up in
flames
