Angels in My Hair Read Online Free PDF Page B

regularly given me this gift,
even as an adult, particularly when I've been in need of some
reassurance.
    The move to Ballymun, of course, also meant a new school.
My three sisters and I went to a small national school for boys
and girls; more than half an hour's walk from home. My sisters
took the bus, but I preferred to walk most of the time. On my
way to school I had to walk fast and keep hurrying, otherwise
I'd be late and get into trouble, but coming home I could take
my time.
    Located on the same piece of ground was the school which
was on one side; the church, which was in the middle and the
parish hall, which was on the other side. There were only three
classrooms in the school, which wasn't enough, so the parish
hall next door was used for two classes. For my first year there
I was in the hall; the two classes were held at either end of the
hall, with no wall between them. Mr Jones was my teacher and
he treated me very badly; as far as he was concerned I was a
dummy and it really irritated him that he had to have a child
like me in his class.
    One morning, the angels told me that something special
would happen at school that day which would make me feel
happy. The angels were right, as always: what happened did
make me happy at the time, and it still does when I think about
it! We were doing Irish and Mr Jones announced a one question
quiz with a prize of half a crown for the child who got
it right. He wanted to know what the Irish word 'crann' meant
in English, so he asked each child in turn, starting over on the
right – he sat me on my own across to the left. He went
through the whole class, one by one, and no child knew the
answer. As usual, he didn't ask me. Sitting in my desk all on
my own, I knew that I knew the answer. I was all excited, I
couldn't stop fidgeting in my seat, I wanted to jump up and
shout the answer at him. The angels had a hard time holding
me still. 'Angels, tell him to look my way, please, tell him to
ask me.' I was nearly crying with excitement.
    'Don't worry, Lorna,' they said, 'he will ask you.'
    Mr Jones was shocked at his class and kept saying, 'Come
on! What's wrong with you? This is easy!' I laugh when I
remember the expression on his face – his eyes getting bigger,
his face redder. He was dumbfounded. He asked the last child
but me and then announced, 'Well! It looks like no one has
won the half crown.'
    Hosus was standing right beside Mr Jones the whole time,
pointing in my direction, but of course he couldn't see him. I
wanted to shout at Hosus to grab the teacher by the hand and
bring him over to me. The whole class stayed silent, not a child
made a sound. Despite the angels' assurances it looked as if Mr
Jones wasn't going to ask me after all. He walked towards his
desk. Still there was complete silence in the room. Suddenly,
Hosus and Mr Jones's guardian angel took him gently by the
arm, turned him around and led him over in my direction, all
the time whispering in his ear. 'I know there is no point,' he
said, 'but I'll ask anyway!'
    So he did ask, and in a confident and happy voice I said, 'It
means "tree".'
    His face dropped. It was the right answer. The whole class
laughed and clapped, they were delighted. He had to give me
that half crown, and I'll always remember him putting it into
my hand as I said thank you.
    I had never had so much money of my own before – a whole
half crown.
    Most children hurried home after school, but I preferred to
take it slowly and spend time on my own playing with the
angels. Walking home from school could take me hours; I
would walk along the big bank at the side of the lane so I could
look over the hedge on the far side into the fields and the
grounds of the big house that was there. Sometimes I would
skip along the bank with the angels and we would laugh and
joke with each other. Sometimes they would show me things;
they would pull back the overgrowth and let me see a hole in
the bank with a wasps' nest in it, and because it was the