Castle Writers
Out of the Cocoon
Athlone 2020
Maura’s Story At 7.30a.m., on a lovely summer morning, Maura walked along the grassy path, humming to herself, as she went to the callows to bring home the cows for milking. She helped her father as best she could. Her mother had died some years earlier and her brother had packed up and gone to Australia, despite his father’s pleas to stay at home and help him. No, he wasn’t staying on the land. Maura worked as a clerk in the creamery – a humdrum job listening to the farmers, day after day, complaining about the weather or the price of cattle and milk. Her only outing was on a Sunday night, when she dressed up and went to the dance. It too had farmers’ sons there. But they did not talk farming, as they had enough of that during the week. Maura had great plans for the future. She thought that after her father’s death, she would sell up and head for the ‘land of plenty’, to be near her brother, who had got married and had a family. But her father’s death came suddenly. Her brother did not, or would not come home for the funeral. Maura was left to do everything by herself. The biggest shock of all came when the Will was read. Her father had left everything to her brother, as he wanted the name to be carried on. Maura was left ‘high and dry’, as they say. Her brother and his family then came home and she found herself in the way. There was no room for two women in the house. With her small savings she decided to emigrate. She took the boat to England, like so many of her generation. She got a job in a factory and availed of night classes to improve her secretarial skills. She became friendly with a nice Englishman on the course and friendship developed into love. They got married, bought a house and in due time, had a family. In all the years since she left Ireland, Maura has never gone home. As she often says, “Hone is where the heart is and my heart is right here.” Imelda McKiernan
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