'JACK DOOLEY!'
'Miss.....I was....ooooerr...OOWW!'
'Get up, and pick that chair up.'
'Yes Miss.'
'Put it back where it belongs.'
'Yes Miss.'
'Now sit back at your desk, quickly!'
'Yes Miss, coming Miss.'
'Well Master Dooley, what about your catechism. Has this little bit of quiet time spurred your memory a little?'
'I think so Miss.'
'Let's see then shall we, are you ready to try again.'
'Think so Miss.'
'Well?'
'Err...'
'Yes?'
'are'ey Miss!'
'Yes?'
'I had it before you come in and scared me 'alf to death Miss, now it's just gone out of me 'ead again Miss.'
'Jack Dooley, You'll make a good politician when you grow up! Go on, you've got five minutes of playtime left. Get out before I change my mind.'
'Thanks Miss, bye.'
'And don't slam the ........oh never mind.'

Wednesday is okay I suppose, apart from catechism in the morning and Benediction after school.
It's not worth gettin' off an hour early if you have to go stand in front of Father Clancy for an hour.
My dad doesn't have to go to church all the time, an' he's all grown up. I wonder if God will let me off when I get to be like me dad. I can always go to Mass and Confession an' all that when I'm really old. They all start going to Mass when they get old.
God must get to know them really well when they're old and forget all about when they didn't go. That's it then. That's how you do it.
I wonder how old you 'ave to be when you start goin' again? My dad's more than twenty-five and that's old. He doesn't look old though. Funny that. Miss doesn't look old as well, and she's more than twenty, I heard her tellin' Mister Wilcox that she was twenty one again.
'Little willy' Wilcox thought that was dead funny e' did.
I wonder why?
I see them holdin' hands and touchin' all the time. They forget sometimes when they've kept me in at playtime and I see them at it. 

'Mick.'
'Lo' Squirt, You missed playtime again this mornin.'
'Stupid catechisms. Church don't put no bread on the table!'
'Eh?'
'Me dad, he says....Church - Don't - Put - No - Bread - On - The -Table.'
'You got to go to church Squirt.'
'I know, but I'm not goin' when I grow up, not till I get really old anyway, why does your head stink like Fridays Fish and Chips, Mick?'
'Got nits didn't I. Me mum washed me hair in vinegar last night.'
'Will it wear off?'
'Dunno, hope so.'
'Pheww, Get away from me, vinegar 'ead.'
'Shut up Squirt.'
'Okay Mick.' 
'Mick.'
'What?'
'My mum said that your mum said that you're on the Altar again next Sunday.'
'I am too.'
'What's it like, bein' with Father Clancy I mean?'
'He's alright when you get to speak to 'im proper.'
'Doesn't he shout and wave 'is arms about when you're in practice?'
'No.'
'Even if you make a mistake.'
'No.'
'Even if you dropped all the incense onto the floor?'
'No.'
'Even if you rang the bell for communion when it should be the blessing?'
'No.'
'Even if you sneezed when.....'
'Shut up Jack.'
'Jack?'
'Jack.'
'You gonna be a priest then when you grow up Mick?'
'I dunno, it sort of feels right.'
'My mum said to your mum that she thinks you got the callin' Mick.'
'I dunno. Jack, I do like bein' on the Altar though.'
'Father Mick.' 
'Shut up Squirt.'
'Hee hee.'

I think Mick will make a good priest. He's big and he's a good fighter. He's quick is Mick, you have to get up early to put one over on Mick. He'd get the money for the poor. I'd miss 'im though, he'd have to go to special school.
I wonder if he'd go to Africa to learn all of those tribes about God, and learn them all about their catachism.
I bet he would see the banana boats gettin' loaded though, and that would make him think about me.
I wonder if he'd come back to Saint Mary's? I hope so.

'Jack.'
'Lo Jenny.'
'I missed you at playtime this morning.'
'Got kept in again.'
'Oh, my mum said it would be okay if I asked you to come over to ours for tea tonight.'
'Can't.'
'Why not?'
'Just can't that's all.'
'No such thing as just can't Jack Dooley!'
'Is.'
'Isn't.'
'Me mum's makin' scouse tonight.'
'Scouse is for poor people, we are having lamb stew with dumplings.'
'Same thing.'
'No it isn't.'
'It is, 'cept for the dumplins'.
'The dumplings and the the lamb you mean.'
'No, we have meat in our scouse!'
'You're dad doesn't work in the cold store, I know!, all of the Dockers have blind scouse on Wednesday.'
'You think you know everything because your dad is a gaffer.'
'So?'
'Well, are you coming to tea at ours or not?'
'You sure it's lamb?'
'Leg of.'
'Not shoulder?'
'No way.'
'Wait for me after Benediction.'