Read Online Not the Same Sky by Evelyn Conlon - Free Book Online Page B

his sentence she had a reply ready. And what was worse than the readiness of her reply was that it was often an answer that one would expect from a more grown person, a person from different circumstances. The conversation began innocuously enough—although when he thought about it afterwards he realised that this is what had provoked his exasperation. He had not intended this to be a conversation, he had meant it to be a reprimand, at the end of which the girl would say that yes, she understood, and then he could have handed down some leniency in a benevolent fashion for which she would have been grateful.
    ‘Miss Cuffe, you cannot speak to Matron like you did.’
    ‘Why not, what’s she to me?’ Julia sniffed.
    ‘She’s your matron on this voyage. She will minister to you and look after you if you become ill.’
    ‘I’m not going to get sick.’
    ‘But if you do …’
    ‘So you’re saying that I have to not talk to her any way I want just in case I get sick? I might get sick even if I keep my mouth shut. I know people who did. Being nice doesn’t mean you won’t have bad things happen.’
    ‘Excuse me, Miss Cuffe …’
    ‘Julia’
    Miss Cuffe …’
    Charles was forced to raise his voice and disliked the girl in front of him for making him do that. ‘Miss Cuffe, as I was saying—and please don’t interrupt me—Matron, her helpers, and myself, wish this journey to be as smooth as possible, we are all working to that end. The co-operation and civil manners of all of you is essential to that smooth running. The other girls will be grateful too if we can achieve that.’
    At the mention of the others the skin around her eyes softened, but only momentarily.
    ‘Well, am I going to be with those girls forever?’
    ‘What’s that got to do with anything?’ Why on earth was he answering this girl.
    ‘Now, as I was saying, and may I repeat that I do not wish to be interrupted …’ Charles said, with a sigh.
    ‘Then you shouldn’t have brought me here.’
    ‘Miss Cuffe …’
    ‘Mister, it’s all right, I’ll be good,’ Julia said suddenly, as if it had been her idea. ‘But sometimes I won’t, because the other girls might need a laugh now and then.’
    As she said this last bit she changed the timbre of her voice, he could not say it was a sneer, it was too light-hearted for that.
    So she had decided to be good. She was not doing it because he had used his authority. In fact it was only when she saw that he was losing his authority that she decided to pacify him.
    ‘You will now come with me and apologise to Matron.’
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘You will tell Matron that you are sorry for having been rude.’
    ‘Oh I see, I’ve never done that before,’ she smiled. ‘So, I’ll just stand there and say: I’m sorry, Matron.’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘What good will that do?’
    ‘It’s called having manners.’
    ‘All right.’
    Charles was surprised at how suddenly she capitulated. He brought her to Matron. Julia stood before the woman. She straightened her back, patted her dress, and touched her hair. Charles realised, with great discomfort, that she was enjoying this new experience, this saying ‘I’m sorry’. She meant not one word of it, but Matron graciously accepted the hollow apology and Charles took Julia back to her quarters. His emotions were high. Julia trotted behind him, a child now. At the door he said, more to himself than to her, ‘You’re too young to know some of the things you know.’
    ‘Well that’s not my fault,’ Julia said, grown up again.
    Maybe he should have said nothing.
    ‘What happened?’ Anne Sherry asked.
    ‘What does a voyage mean?’
    ‘It’s a journey.’
    ‘Ah.’
    ‘What happened?’
    ‘Nothing. It’s the same as a journey?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Do you come back from it?’
    ‘I don’t know.’
    Julia sat on her bunk and stayed quiet for some time. Anne didn’t like the way she looked.
    Then came the sound of a bell, and the girls,