By Shirley Jackson
FIRST PLACE in May Competition
No Blacks, no dogs, no Irish.
The first time she saw the sign it shocked her. Now she expects it. Margaret has tried to hide her Irish accent as best she can, but still had the door slammed in her face more than once. One more address to try before she’s exhausted her search.
‘Can I ‘elp ya love,’ asks the woman, peering round the half-opened door, cigarette ash dropping off the Woodbine hanging from her bottom lip.
Margaret scans the window and door for the tell-tale exclusion, but for once, it’s absent. Even so, she tries her best to disguise the last vestiges of her accent.
‘I hope you can. I need a room.’
‘Well, you’d better come in then.’
*
Margaret is greeted with Carol, arms akimbo.
‘’ave you ‘eard what your lot ‘ave done now?’
Margaret has had other concerns than listening to the news recently, though she’s aware the IRA have been stepping up their bombing campaign. She assumes that’s what Carol is referring to, having gone on about the Irish and the IRA in recent days, as if they are synonymous.
‘They’ve only gone and bombed a pub in Woolwich,’ declares Carol, as if it’s entirely Margaret’s fault. ‘‘An’ I’ve been thinking. I’m not sure I can risk you staying ‘ere much longer. It’s getting too dangerous.’
At first, Margaret thinks Carol means too dangerous for her and isn’t sure how that computes, but then she gets it. Carol means it’s too dangerous for Carol. As if all Irish girls are in cahoots with the IRA. Honestly. She doesn’t know where to start, so she doesn’t bother.
‘When would you like me out?’
‘As soon as you can, love. You understand how it is. By the end of the week tops.’
Judges Comments; Although the events depicted in this story are within living memory I thought this story did a terrific job of capturing the essence of that time and the impact that the IRA’s activities had on ordinary people both Irish and English. Again, I thought the opening lines were extremely evocative and, sadly, I remember words such as these.
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