"Miss Kelly, might I talk to you later?" "Not if what you're going to say will cause trouble for me in some way or another." "Nine o'clock mass is over, girls." " Now." "One moment, please." " Thank you." "Mrs. Brady, what would you like this morning?" "Half a dozen rashers, please." "Of course." "Eilis will get that for you now." " I was next." " And you still are." " Yes?" " I need some shoe polish." "Shoe polish?" "That's not really a Sunday item now, is it?" "These people need things for their dinner or their tea." "Why couldn't you have remembered yesterday?" "Because it looks like you needed it yesterday." "I'm sorry." "Miss." "Kelly..." "I haven't forgotten." "Spit it out, whatever it is." "I'm away to America." "Whose idea was that?" "Father Flood in New York arranged it." "Rose used to play golf with him." "He sponsored me." "He found me a job and got me a visa." "Well, we won't be needing you back here." "I could work every Sunday until I go." "No, thank you." " Your poor sister." " My sister?" "Oh, mothers are always being left behind in this country." "But Rose..." "That's the end for her now, isn't it?" "She will be looking after your mother, for the rest of her life." "I wish I had written to Father Flood about you, Rose." "Me?" "I have a job." "You had a couple of hours on a Sunday working for Nettles Kelly." "You should not call her that." "I think it's quite a kind name, considering she's actually a terrible old witch." "Well, I don't want to talk about her any more." "Good." "They say it's hotter there in the summer, and colder in the winter." "What in Heaven's name will she do about clothes?" "She'll buy them, mother." "She doesn't want to be wasting her money on clothes." "She won't have much choice." "She'll be there for..." " You look beautiful, Nancy." " Thank you." "You look so beautiful it makes me despair of this place." "Why?" "Well, you're the prettiest girl in County Wexford." "You should be able to choose any man you want." "And we're hoping that George Sheridan from the rugby club looks your way." " Do you think he might?" " Of course he will." "I know you like him, Nancy," "Gary Cooper but he's not Gary Cooper, is he?" "And those boys with their hair-oil and their blazers..." "He has beautiful eyes." "Hmm." "And he's going to come into a beautiful shop in the Market Square." "Why didn't you wear your blue dress?" "Are you asking why I didn't make more of an effort?" "I suppose because I'm going away." "Come on." "He's looked over here twice already." "He hasn't!" "He's walking over here now." "He's not!" "Why would I keep lying to you about what George Sheridan's doing?" "Would you like to dance?" "Is that really everything you own?" "Oh, Eilis." "I should have looked after you better." "You've bought most of these clothes in this case." "That's one of the reasons I'm going, because I can't buy my own." "If it was just that," "I'd spend every penny I had on you, gladly." "But I can't buy you a future." "I can't buy you the kind of life you need." "I know." " But you'll come see me there one day?" " Yes." "And you'll look after yourself?" "You don't have to worry about me." "And I'll come home to visit, won't I?" "Because I couldn't bear it if..." "You haven't packed your shoes yet." "They'll take up a bit of room." "There." "I'm sorry." "Off!" "Number one." "Bottom bunk." "That's mine." "You're on the top." "This is hell." "Never again." "Never again to America?" "The mistake was coming home from America in the first place." "I'd do anything to get out of this horrible cabin." " Let's go for a smoke." " I don't." "Suit yourself." "I'll see you later." "Unless I find a nice man in First to smoke with." "It's good to see that not everybody's put off their dinner by the weather forecast." "It's supposed to be a rough one tonight, so none of the other passengers are eating." "A few spoonfuls of soup, maybe, but not the mutton stew." "Please unlock it." "Go away, it is closed." "I'm sorry about the smell, and the bucket." "Don't worry." "The whole boat stinks." "Even First Class." "I've just been thrown out of there, by the way." "The bathroom door was locked all night." "Oh, those bastards." "There." "It won't be very comfortable." "But at least it's ours." "Open the door." "Fuck off!" "Do you hear me?" "Fuck off!" "If you had been nice last night, we would have played fair." "Now you've got no toilet, you bastards." "Go on, you can use it." "I'm gonna get us some water." "That's all you're allowed." "You going to live in America?" "Yes." "You have papers and everything?" "Yes." "And a job." "How did you manage to arrange all that?" "I didn't." "Someone did it for me." "A priest my sister knows." "And how do you feel about it?" "How long do the letters from Ireland take to arrive?" "My sister Rose said she'd write straightaway." "They take a long time at first, and then no time at all." "You have family in America?" "Friends?" "No." "You'll meet people easy enough." "Where are you gonna live?" "Brooklyn?" "How do you know that?" "Lucky guess." "Try to remember that sometimes it's nice to talk to people who don't know your auntie." "That's what it's like?" "That's what it's like." " I've been sick for hours." " Nice, isn't it?" "I am very hungry." "Hmm, that's why you haven't been sick for hours." "We'll eat tomorrow." "Or the day after." "Oh, dear." "We'll have to do something with you." "They'll put you in quarantine or something if you try to enter the country looking like that." "Nothing fancy." "You mustn't look like a tart." "Oh, Well, looking like a tart isn't going to be a problem." "This doesn't look too bad." "My sister gave me that." "Wear it with this... and this." "Open your bags ready for inspection." "Don't look too innocent, though." "I'll put some rouge and mascara on you." "Perhaps some eye-liner." "You step out of the line please." "Thank you." "Next, please." "Thank you." "Passport please." "Stand up straight." "Polish your shoes, and don't cough whatever you do." "Don't be rude, or pushy, and don't look too nervous." "This way!" "Think like an American." "You have to know where you're going." "Welcome to the United States, Ma'am." "Through the blue door, please." "Next, please." "Bless us, oh Lord, and these thy gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen." "Amen." "I saw you had a letter today, Diana." "Any news?" "Mr. de Valera has had another operation on his eyes, she says." "He's been in Holland." "I don't want news that I can read in a newspaper." "Anyway, we would describe Mr. de Valera as "politics", would we not, Mrs. Kehoe?" "And we do not like politics at the dinner table." "We don't." "It's not politics to talk about eye operations." "It is if the eyes belong to a politician." "And I do not like to talk about hospitals very much, either." "Patty, did you have any luck with that cold cream?" "No, Mrs. Kehoe." "I asked Miss Tyler in Cosmetics." "And I showed her the advertisement." "I don't want to have to travel all the way to Manhattan just for a jar of cold cream." "Maybe you could have a look at Bartocci's for me, Eilis?" "Yes, Mrs. Kehoe." "Oh, Bartocci's is bound to have it." "She does not know for sure, Mrs. Kehoe." "She is only saying that Bartocci's is a better store than Webster's to get at Patty." "They are both very good, and you girls are very lucky to be working there." "Eilis, from the look of you, you have greasy skin, is that right?" "What do you do about that?" "Just..." "Well, I wash it, Mrs. Kehoe, with soap." "There is nothing wrong with soap." "Soap was good enough for our Lord." "I expect." "Well, which brand did he use, Miss McAdam?" "Does the Bible tell you that?" "Our Lord was a man, anyway." "He didn't care about greasy skin." "Ladies." "No more talk about our Lord's complexion at dinner, please." "The girls will help you find something suitable," "Eilis, won't you, the girls?" " Hi." " Good Morning." "Did you go out last night?" " Out." "The opposite of in." " No." "Well, I saw a movie with my boyfriend." ""What did you see, Dorothy?"" ""I saw The Quiet Man, Eilis." "They filmed it in Ireland."" ""Oh, I'm from Ireland"." ""I know you are, that's why I thought you might be interested."" "Thank you." "Shouldn't be a moment." "Is it still hot out there?" "I haven't been outside since this morning but I can tell that it might be." "Very." "It just.." "looks it." "It's warm, yes." "Thanks very much." "Remember..." "If people like it here, they will come back." "So you treat every customer as if she's a new friend." "I will try." "It's not a matter of trying." "It's what you have to do." "Do you try to wear panties every day?" "No." "I mean, I don't.." "I don't try." "I just put them on." "You see what I'm saying?" " Yes." " Good." "Can I get another sliced toast please?" "Slice up some hot dog." "They want them sliced down the middle!" "Sorry." "Could I have the bill please?" "I hope that when I go through the pearly gates, the first sound I hear is you asking me for the check in that lovely Irish brogue." "Have they told you a date for the nylon sale yet, Eilis?" "We've never had a Bartocci's girl living here." "We might get some inside information." "I haven't been told anything." "I'll bet you wouldn't let on if you had." "She's that sort." "More loyal to her bosses than to her friends." "Like a Red spy." "Oh, dear God." "I'll thank you to keep His name out of a conversation about nylons." "He might be everywhere, but he's certainly not in Bartocci's on sale day." "Sorry Mrs. Kehoe." "I was glad to see you finally got some letters from home today, Eilis." " Did I?" " Em." "I forgot to check." "They'll still be there after dinner." "Oh sorry." "Dear Eilis," "It's hard for me to believe that you're reading this in America." "Thousands of miles across the sea." "The big news here is that since you left," "Mummy has stopped shopping at Nettles Kelly's." "As you know, her bread wasn't always fresh." "And she overcharge for everything." "And she's awful." "I haven't told her to her face." "There's no need." "She knows that she overcharges and her bread's not fresh." "We talk about you every evening, of course." "We want to know everything." "I'm sure you're busy, but even if your letters were two hundred pages, they wouldn't be long enough for your mother." "Take care of yourself." "Love." "Is it your time of the month?" "So what is it?" "Take some time off now." "Go and sit in the staff room." "I'm so sorry, Eilis." "This is all my fault." "I was led to believe that you didn't need looking after." "Franco Bartocci says you are doing great here." "Ma Kehoe says you are the nicest lodger she's ever had." " What?" " Ma Kehoe?" "Don't ever call her that to her face." "I'd forgotten just how bad it feels to be away from home." "I've enrolled you in a night class." "For book-keeping." "The Brooklyn College." "It will be three nights a week." "And I've paid your tuition for the first semester." " Why?" " "Why?"" "Not "Thank you"?" "Sorry, thank you." "But why?" "I was amazed that someone as clever as you couldn't find proper work at home." "I've been here too long." "I forget what it's like in Ireland." "So when your sister wrote to me about you" "I said that the Church would try to help." "Anyway, we need Irish girls in Brooklyn." "I wish that I could stop feeling that I want to be an Irish girl in Ireland." "All I can say is that it will pass." "Homesickness is like most sicknesses." "It will make you feel wretched, and then it will move on to somebody else." "Now, Taylor versus Standard Gas Co is one of the most important corporate cases decided in the Supreme Court in the last twenty years." "This was the case responsible for the Deep Rock doctrine, so it's maybe the biggest milestone in parent-subsidiary law." "In public utility integration proceedings alone literally thousands of investors may be affected by its application." "Did you understand any of that?" "I mean, a single word?" "He's not even reading from a book." "He just knows all this." "Well, Let's hope the next hour is easier." "One of the things that ruins Christmas in America is the turkey." "It all tastes of sawdust." "So that's one cheese sandwich for Miss McAdam, and extra turkey for everyone else." "Ladies, please." "Eilis, Father Flood told me about your Christmas plans." "Oh, you're not serving lunch to the old fellas who've nowhere to go, are you?" "He asks us every year." "We always say no." "Ellis, you're a saint." "They smell awful." "Sheila knows how they smell because that's where she goes husband-hunting." "It's a marvelous thing you're doing, Eilis." "A Christian thing." "I wish there were more like you." "You can come." "How many are we expecting?" "There were a hundred last year." "There may be more this." " They all Irish?" " All Irish." "Why don't they go home?" "If there's nothing there for a clever young girl such as yourself, there's gonna be even less for men like these." "Some of them have been here fifty years, they have lost touch with everyone." "Happy Christmas." "How are you?" " Merry Christmas." " Thank you." "These are the men who built... the tunnels, the bridges, the highways." "God alone knows what they live on now." "I don't want to interrupt the proceedings, but I'm sure you'd all like to show your appreciation to all the ladies here for their hard day's work." "And by way of a thank you, we have a great singer in the room with us today." "Frankie." "Would you like to come into the front room for a glass of something?" "You've earned it." " You survived!" " Oh it wasn't so bad." " Happy Christmas!" " Cheers." "Now Miss McAdam is leaving us." "She is going to live with her sister in Manhattan." "She has the best room in the house." "The basement." "And it has its own entrance." "Now, I can only let a certain kind of girl stay there." "Oh, and I'm not talking about looks here." "Although I will admit that God did give Miss McAdam an advantage, when I had to think about who I could trust to live down there." "No no, you're a pretty girl Eilis." "But you're sensible." "So, you're having the room and that's that." "Would the other girls not mind?" "Oh, I expect so." "What don't they mind?" "Girls, you'll take Dolores to dance with you on Saturday night, won't you?" "There's a dance?" "At the parish hall." "There'll be no alcohol, but you can have fun without it." "Umm, Patty and I aren't going this week." "We're going to see a movie instead." "Well, I'm sure Dolores would enjoy a movie just as well." "I would, very much." "There are so many more movies here in New York than in Cavan." "Yes, surprising, isn't it?" "You'd think it would be the other way around." "Of course, you'd be welcome to join us, Dolores." "So long as you don't mind being a gooseberry." "So you both miraculously found boyfriends over the last couple of days, did you?" "Well, I hope you have more luck with these than you did with the last few." " Will you be going, Eilis?" " Yes, Mrs Kehoe." "Well, you can take Dolores, then." "Of course." "God, there's nobody here." "How are we supposed to get a fella if there's nobody here?" "I expect most people will come after nine." "People?" "Or fellas?" "Some of the people will be fellas." "I'd love to meet a fella." "They came!" "The liars!" "What a pair of bitches." "That's what the old woman called them." "She said they were all bitches, apart from you." "Well hello." "Hello." "It's good to see you." "I can see why." "Come with us." "There." "That's better." "Now you don't look like you came in from milking the cows." "Is that what I looked like?" "Just a bit." "Nice clean cows." "1, 2, 3..." "Not bad." "Maybe we could have a dance later?" " Sorry?" " A dance later." "Oh sure." "Would you like to dance?" "Are you here with that guy?" "The one who was teaching you to dance?" "No." "So would you dance with me?" "I'm not sure he taught me anything." "Doesn't matter." "The secret is to look as though you know what you're doing." "Ah." "I wish someone had told me that years ago." "Come on." " Where do you live?" " Clinton Street." "Yeah?" "That's on my way home." "Can I walk you?" "I'm going to say yes, and then I'm going to tell you why." "So I don't get the wrong idea?" "I suppose so." "Is there a girl in a white shirt sitting on her own over there?" "You don't know her?" "I do." "She lives in my boarding house, and she's awful." "If I leave with you, I'm sure she'd understand." "You'd be rescuing me." "I get it." " I'm not Irish." " You don't sound Irish." "I need to make this clear." "No part of me is Irish." "I don't have Irish parents or grandparents or anything." "I'm an Italian." "Well, my my parents are, anyway." "So what were you doing at an Irish dance?" "Don't the Italians have dances?" "Yeah." "And I wouldn't want to take you to one." "They behave like Italians all night." "What does that mean?" " Oh, you know." " No." " Hands." " Too many of them?" "Oh, my." "I guess it could seem that way, if it was a girl." "Listen" "I want everything out in the open." "I came to the Irish dance because I really like Irish girls." "And I was the only one who would dance with you?" "Oh, no, it wasn't..." "Oh, so you danced with loads of others?" "This is me." "Can I take you next week?" "Maybe get something to eat first?" "That'd be nice." "Good night." "There you go." "So..." "What do you do when you're not working?" "Well." "There's school." "Just, you know..." "Brooklyn College." "I'm studying book-keeping." "You want to be a book-keeper?" "Well, I want to be an accountant one day." "But, yes, book-keeping first." "Wow." "Is that difficult?" "I'm talking too much." "Tell me about plumbing." " You know enough about plumbing already." " I don't know anything." "You know that taps drip and toilets get blocked and that's all you need to know." "I don't know anything about book-keeping." "Well." "There's a lot to it." "There's all the maths, of course, but that's not so complicated." "The double entry system, that takes a while to get used to." "And we study company law, too, and that terrifies me." "So we had to read about an insurance company that went bankrupt in the 1930s, and all the the legal issues that went along with that..." "She plays golf, and she's really good at it." "And if she'd been at the dance last Saturday, then..." "I don't think you'd have looked at me twice, because Rose is beautiful." "I'm worried you haven't eaten anything." "Too busy talking." "What is the matter with you girls now?" "Nothing is matter with us, Mrs Kehoe." "Is this all because Eilis has found herself a young man?" "Eilis' young man?" "We didn't know." "She won't say anything about it." "And why should she, to you awful gossip-mongers?" "Anyway, I met him on Saturday night... when he called for Eilis, and he is a gentleman." "Will you tell us what you know about him, Mrs Kehoe?" "We know he's quite nice-looking." "I didn't like his shoes much." "What on earth is wrong with the shoes?" "They were a funny color." "I'll tell you this much:" "I am going to ask Father Flood to preach a sermon on the dangers of giddiness." "I see now that giddiness is the eighth deadly sin." "A giddy girl is every bit as evil as a slothful man, and the noise she makes is a lot worse." "Now, enough." "Yeah." "Think about it." "You can..." "Yeah, yeah." "All I want to do is travel home with you." "No food, no drink, no nothing." "I know you got to study and get some sleep." "I'll take you to your house and say goodnight." "Otherwise, it's too long to wait." "I want to ask you something." "And you're gonna say, "oh, it's too soon."" ""I don't really know him well enough, we've only been out a couple times."" "Oh, it's nothing so bad." "It is just something that most guys..." "Please just ask." "You're beginning to terrify me." "Oh." "Sure." "Will you come for dinner and meet my family sometime?" "That's it?" "I'd love to." "You like italian food?" "Don't know." "I've never eaten it." "It is the best food in the world." "Well, why would not I like it?" "You're in a good mood, huh?" "Yes, why?" "It's just..." "I like how you're being, I don't know the word." "When you go along with everything." "Amenable?" "Yeah." "Amenable." "OK, so while you're being amenable.." "Can we go see a movie this week when you're not in night classes?" "I'll sign up for two movies." " Really?" " Yes." "Even if the first date is a disaster," "I'll give it another chance." "It certainly feels like it, but this is my first year, so I don't know how to judge." "Well congratulations." "You survived your first New York winter." "Ah, it wasn't so bad." "Really?" "It's colder in Ireland?" "Oh no, it's colder here." "Over here, that's how we judge the winter." "On how cold it is." "But you have heating." "Heating everywhere." "You're only cold outside." "I guess that's true." " Thank you for your help." " Have a good day." "Eilis!" "You're like a different person!" "How did you do it?" "Maybe I can pass some advice on to the next poor girl who feels that way." "I met somebody." "An Italian fella." "Oh no." "I'm not passing that on." "I'd rather have them homesick than heartbroken." "Does he talk about baseball all the time?" "Or his mother?" "No." "Then keep him." "There isn't another Italian man like him in New York." "Hold it." "Now remember You're getting off easy, because we haven't got sauce." "Yeah." "You have to remember that the sauce flies everywhere, so take it slowly." "I'm gonna say "Splash" anytime I see problems." " Good idea." " Can I start now?" " Yeah!" " Go!" "SPLASH!" "You just splashed his mother, and his father, and the walls..." "Let's go again." "Dear Rose, I suppose the most important news is that I have a boyfriend." "He isn't as important as Bartocci's... and my evening classes, I know that." "But I wanted to tell you everything that is going on." "Please don't mention it to Mummy though." "You know what's she like." "He's decent and kind, and he has a job, and he works hard." "We go to the cinema on Wednesdays and he takes me to Father Flood's dance on Saturdays." "I think of you and mother every single day." "But Tony has helped me to feel that I have a life here." "I didn't have before I met him." "My body was here, but my life was back in Ireland with you." "Now it's halfway across the sea." "So that's something, isn't it?" "Oh and I'd better warned you about Frankie." "He's the little one." "Yeah." "He's eight going on eighteen." "He's nice and he's smart, but he's been talking and he's talking about all the things he's gonna to say to you." " What sorts of things?" " We don't know." "Could be anything." "I mean, I swear I tried to pay him money to go out and play ball with his friends." "And my dad, he threatened him, but I think he's looking forward to causing trouble so much so he'll happily take a beating." "This is us here." "Ready?" "Hey, how did you learn to eat spaghetti like that?" "I've been taking lessons." "Lessons?" "Like, in a class?" "You can do that?" "Maybe I could teach you." "No, no." "Diana, who lives in the boarding house with me... cooked me some spaghetti and made me try and eat it without making a mess." "So, what do you eat in Ireland?" "Just Irish stew?" "Not just." "We..." "So first of all I should say that we don't like Irish people." "Hey, hey..." " Frankie!" " What?" "We don't!" "That is a well known fact!" "Why Frankie?" "Because a big gang of Irish beat Maurizio up and he had to get stitches." "And because all the cops round here are Irish, nobody did anything about it." "There are probably two sides to it." "I might have said something I shouldn't, you know, I can't remember now." "No, because they beat you up." "Anyway, they probably weren't all Irish." "No." "They just had red hair and big legs." "Raise up!" "Excuse us." "All I can say in his defence is that he's the only one of us who'll get a college education." "If he can keep his mouth shut." "So, Tony tells me go to college." "Oh, just night classes." "I want to be a book-keeper." "I like working in the shop well enough, but I don't want to be there forever." "Good." "I'm sorry, Eilis." "I'm an idiot.I'm a rude idiot." "So has Tony offered to take you to Ebbett's Field when the season starts?" "You like baseball?" "He never mentioned the Dodgers?" "Not even once?" "Tony, what is the matter with you?" "You know why?" "Too much of this." "Anyway, you'll have to go to Ebbett's Field if you want to see him in the summer." "They're that important to you?" "Put it this way." "If our kids end up supporting the Yankees or the Giants, it would break my heart." "Mine too." "She's not laughing, Tony." "I think it's too late." "She's a Yanks fan." "What are you talking about?" "What's wrong with you?" "He's a Yanks fan." "I love you." "I.." "Thank you for the evening." "It was lovely." "Sorry!" "I'd finished." "Sheila can I ask you something?" "Why are not you married?" "Because my husband met somebody else and left me." "Oh I'm sorry." "And..." "Well, would you get married again?" " Has somebody asked you?" " No, not really." "I won't ask what that means." "Sheila?" "Would I get married again?" "No." "I want to be waiting outside the bathroom of my boarding-house, forever." "Of course, I do." "That's why I go to that wretched dance every week." "I want to be waiting outside my own bathroom." "While some bad-tempered fella, with hair growing out of his ears reads the newspaper on the toilet." "And then I'll wish I was back here, talking to you." "I'll catch you tomorrow right?" "Eilis!" "I'm sorry!" "I did not think you were coming." "I know." "I thought you were gonna think that." "That's why I wanted to be here." "No matter what." "I need to say something..." "Can you..." "Can we talk about something else... until we get to Ms. Kehoe?" " It's Not..." " Please?" "So." "Ten minutes before I'm supposed meet you... and I'm standing ankle-deep in sewage that's pouring through this old lady's ceiling." "Yes." "Even if you were thinking of inviting me in for a coffee." "I would have to say no, for your sake." "So how did you fix it in ten minutes?" "I didn't." "I spent the whole ten minutes explaining to the old lady that I had to be somewhere and I'd be back." "She didn't want to let me go." "So the sewage is still pouring through the ceiling?" "Oh, what's the difference between six inches of sewage and a foot?" "Let me say what I want to say." "I don't think you'll mind." "Okay." "You remember that after I had dinner at your house, you told me you loved me." "Well, I didn't really know what to say." "But I know what to say now." "I have thought about you." "And I like you, and I like being with you and..." "Maybe, I feel the same way." "So the next time you tell me you love me, if there is a next time..." "I'll say I love you too." " Are you serious?" " Yes." "Holy shit!" "Excuse my language, but..." "I thought we were having a different kind of talk." "Can I go home now?" " You love Me?" " Yes." "But don't ask me anything else, and don't talk about our kids being Dodgers fans." "Oh what?" "You want kids who like the Yankees?" "Tony, please don't push me." "All right." "I'm sorry." "Dear Eilis," "Thank you so much for the nylons." "The Bartocci wrapping paper makes them look so glamorous." "It seems everything is so exciting and new compared to here." "I can't wait for you to show it all to me one day." "Oh Eilis, you know I'm by your side, even when I'm not." "Well." "You're marvelous, that's all I have to say." "And it looks to me as if you didn't just pass those exams." "You, you flew through them." "I can't remember the last time anyone came here with good news." "I've saved some money." "I'll be able to pay for next year's tuition and pay you back for last year." "One of my parishioners paid." "He needed to do something for mankind, and I won't tell you why." "He is not out of the woods yet, either." "So he can cough up for next year, too." "I'd love to know what sort of woods he's in." "Yes, I'm sure you would, but you won't hear it from me." "Qualifications and a boyfriend, Eilis." "You're not the miserable young girl who wanted to go home last winter." "Seems like years ago." "Now, I think this is the first time... any girl of mine has ever passed an exam, while living here." "Have you told Tony yet, Eilis?" "Of course." "And is he taking you out to celebrate?" "We're going to Coney Island at the weekend." " Oh, boy!" " What does that mean?" "Do you have a bathing costume?" " No, I was going to get one..." " Do you have sunglasses?" " No." " You need sunglasses." "I read that if you don't have them on the beach this year people will talk about you." "And what exactly will they say, Sheila?" "That's the thing, Mrs. Kehoe." "You'd never know, because they'd never say it to your face." "Oh, dear God!" "Diana's right, though, Eilis." "You need to think carefully about your costume." "It's the most Tony will ever have seen of you." "You don't want to put him off." "You'll have to shave down there." "I'll give you a razor that will do the trick." "You're all right there for the moment." "And most Italian men appreciate the fuller figure." "But watch yourself, over the summer." "The black's too dark for your pale skin." "Let's see you in the green." "Look at that thing." "Why didn't you tell me to put my costume on underneath my clothes?" "I thought you'd know." "Right, I'm ready." " Tony!" " What?" "Come on." "Dear Rose, Thanks for your letter." "I was happy to hear about your golf tournament." "You must have been really pleased." "I still miss you and mother, and I think about you every day." "But I think I can say that for the first time since I've been in America," "I'm really happy." "This is a lot to do with Tony." "At the weekend he took me to see the Brooklyn Dodgers, the baseball team he loves." "They lost, so he was annoyed." "But I've also started to look for office work, too." "I had an interview this week... at a textile firm here in Brooklyn." "Rose?" "Who'd have thought that there would be two book-keepers in the family?" "Rose?" "I'll soon be able to afford to come home and see you and mummy." "Rose!" "Rose?" "Oh my God!" "Oh God!" "Rose?" "Oh no!" "A moment." "It was sudden." "I think perhaps she was ill, and she knew she was ill, and she didn't tell anybody." "What will happen?" "What can happen?" " When will they bury her?" " Tomorrow." " Without me." " Without you." "You're too far away, Eilis." "Why did I ever come here?" "Rose wanted a better life for you." "She loved how well you were doing." "But I will never see her again." "That's right, isn't it, Father?" "I will never see her again." "You know that I think you will." "And she will be watching over you, every day, for the rest of your life." "Hello?" "Mommy?" "Can you hear me now?" "Hello?" "I can't really hear you." "Well, the rain held off, anyway." "And the whole of her golf club came." "Every single one of them." "We had a real houseful afterwards." "Are you still there?" "Yes." "People really loved her, Eilis." "Her friends from work, the neighbours, everybody." "Nobody knew what to say to me." "When your daddy died, I said to myself that I shouldn't grieve too much because I had the two of you." "Then when you went to America, I told myself the same thing because she was here with me." "But everyone's gone, Eilis." "I have nobody." "I can't bear it, Tony." "You wanna go home, I guess." "And how would it be for you, if I did go home?" "I'll be afraid, every single day." " Afraid that I wouldn't come back?" " Yes." "Home is home." "I'm not sure if I have a home anymore." "You are not going to work tomorrow, are you?" "After the Mass, can I take you somewhere?" "This is it." "We're gonna build five houses here, if we can." "And mom and dad, they are gonna have one," "Cos ma always wanted a house with a backyard." "We'll sell three." "And the other one..." "My brothers they asked me if I wanted it and I said that I did." "So, I guess what I'm saying is if you want to live out here on Long Island?" "I mean I know it doesn't look like much right now, but all the land around here has been sold, so we wouldn't be on our own." "And there would be telephone cables, electricity and everything." "We're gonna set up a company, a building company, the three of us." "And I'm gonna do the plumbing and Lawrence is gonna do the carpentry." "Don't go all quiet on me." "At least tell me you'll think about it." "I don't need to think about it." "It's just for a month or so." "I know it would make her feel a little better." "Will you marry me before you leave?" "You don't trust me to come back?" "Marry me!" "Marry me!" "We don't have to tell anyone." "We just do it quickly, just keep it between us." "Why do you want to do it?" "Because if we don't, I am gonna go crazy." "Would a promise not be the same?" "If you can promise, you can easily do this." "So this is it?" "This is where you live?" "Yes, and if you make one tiny noise she'll evict me." "Oh, man!" "Oh, man!" "Oh, there's no point in worrying now." "Stay with me." " Do you want to play?" " Yes, sure." "Alright." "Here we go, one bat coming up." "I'll take that, alright." "You ready?" "Hands up." "Oh, right down to the third-base line." "Is he annoying you?" "Because he is annoying me." "No no no." "I got a brother the exact same age?" "Hey, are you Irish?" "Is it so obvious?" "I'm just about to marry an Irish girl, so I guess I notice it more." "There are a lot of you in Brooklyn." "Sometimes it seems as though there can't be anybody left at home." "Where is your girl from?" "Enniscorthy, in County Wexford." "I think my wife has family there." "Hey, Eilis!" "Come here for a second." "Anthony Fiorello and Eilis Lacey." "Will we ever tell our children we did this?" "Maybe we'll save it for some anniversary." "I wonder what they'll think of it." "Nancy!" "You look so glamorous!" "I told you so." " I'm so sorry about Rose." " Thank you." "How are you?" "No!" "I knew." "But I wanted to let Nancy tell you herself." " I am so glad you can come to the wedding." " Can I?" "Your mother accepted the invitation on your behalf." " When is it?" " The 27th of August." "Will you come out with George and me tomorrow night?" "Annette wants to see you, too." "Oh, I don't mind." "I'll have to find you a key." "I don't want you getting me out of bed." "We all want to hear what life in New York is like." "I'll try and think of something to say." "I'm booked to go back to New York on twenty-first." "Oh, you can wait an extra week to see your best friend married." "I can't believe I'm married to someone you'll never know." "But you'd like him." "I know you would." "He's sweet." "He's funny." "And he has got these wonderful eyes that..." "I wish everything were different..." "So, now." "Mrs. O'Toole from Cush." "Do we really have to do this?" "Getting a letter of condolence isn't like getting a birthday present, is it?" "What if Mrs. O'Toole from Cush writes back." "To thank you for your thank you?" "Then I'll thank her." "And you'll be happy to spend the rest of your life like that?" "It's not as if I have anything else to do." "Nor anybody else to talk to." "It might as well be Mrs. O'Toole from Cush." "What do you want me to say?" "That would be Nancy and Annette." "Off you go." "Enjoy yourself." "Eilis, this is Jim Farrell." "It's a great pleasure to meet you." "We could try the Connaught Hotel bar." "There may be a few of the fellas from the rugby club there." "Okay." "Do you have to be with other fellas from the rugby club all the time?" "No." "But Nancy told us that we wouldn't be allowed to talk to you." "Because you have too much to say to each other." "So we're just looking for company." "Oh, well." "Do you not like the fellas from the rugby club, Eilis?" "I don't particularly, George." "When I first went to America," "I missed everything about Enniscorthy, except one." "We are not all the same." "You all look the same." "It's the blazer and the hair-oil." "Nancy, where is Annette?" "And why has he come?" "He's very nice, so don't be too hard on him." "Is this the same Jim Farrell that was engaged to Cathleen Cassidy?" "What happened to her?" "He broke it off." "He didn't think she was serious about him." "He was very upset for a while, but he's over her now." "Nancy, I'm going back." "But you can have a bit of fun while you're here, can't you?" "Come on George." "How is your mother?" "Well, she's sad." "And she's got much older very quickly." "It was a terrible thing." "We all went to the funeral mass." "My mother and my father and myself." "I did not know that." "My mother played golf with her, you know." "She is very fond of her." "It was the saddest thing that happened in the town that I can remember." " Thank you." " Come on you two." " What about the skyscrapers?" " But that is Manhattan." "I live in Brooklyn and I work in Brooklyn." "And if I go out, I go out in Brooklyn." "All the skyscrapers are across the river." "You don't make it sound very glamorous." "It's not, really." "Not even..." "What do you call it?" "The department store where you work?" "Oh, Bartocci's?" "Well, it sells lovely things, but I can't afford many of them... and I don't like the works." "What would you like to do?" "I want to do what Rose did." "I want to work in an office and deal with numbers." "You should call in at Davis's." "They haven't managed to replace Rose, you know." "I'll be going back to New York straight after the wedding." "But you might want to earn a little money in the meantime." "I'm sure they'd be glad to have you." "Oh, you just want her to stay." "I am only thinking of Eilis." "Did you hear that Eilis?" "He's only thinking of you." "That's it, that's it..." " Good night." " Good night." " See you." " See you." "Bye." " How's your evening?" " It's very nice, thank you." "Was that Jim Farrell I saw on the car with them?" "It was." "His parents are moving, you know." "They're retiring to the country." "He'll be in that big house on his own." "Is that right?" "It's a catch for "someone"." "Goodnight Mommy." " Hello Eilis." " Hello Ms. Brennan.." "I like her style." " Thank Goodness you're back!" " What's the matter?" "A lad from Davis's came round." "They have a problem in their accounts department." " And they need you up there straight away." " Is that all?" " I'll just put the shopping away." " No, no, leave it." ""Straight away", the young fella said." "It doesn't matter what he said, Mother." "I'm not an employee." "I'd be doing them a favour." "Please let me do the shopping." "The problem is that it's our busy season, so all the middle workers and drivers did overtime last week." "Well, they filled out the overtime slips but there's been nobody to work it all out, to add to the wage slips." "And some of the men have started to complain." "And I can't blame them." "As you can see, it's all a terrible mess." "Well." "If you leave me for a couple of hours, I can work out a system so that whoever comes in after me won't have any trouble." "Hello, Eilis." "Maria has been telling me you have done the most marvellous job here." "Thank you." "We should have known you would, of course." "You're Rose's sister, after all." "I'm told you have a certificate in book-keeping?" "Is it in American book-keeping?" "I got the certificate in America, but the two systems are very similar." "Well, we'll certainly need someone to deal with wages and so on during the busy season." "So I'd like you to continue on a part-time basis." "Let's see how that goes and then we'll speak again." "I'll be going back to the United States soon." "As I said." "Lets you and I speak again before we make any firm decisions one way or the other." "Yes, Mr. Brown." "Of course." "Thank you." "Now, if you go and see Maria, she'll have your money for today." " I'd forgotten." " What?" "This..." "You have beaches in Brooklyn?" "Yes, but they are just very crowded." "There will probably be quite a few walkers along here later." "Yes." "It's still not the same." "I'm sure it's not." "We don't really know anything of the rest of the world." "We must seem very backward to you now." "Of course not." "You seem calm, and civilised." "And charming." "Come on!" "My mother wanted you to know that the golf club... is inaugurating a prize in Rose's name." "A special trophy for the best score by a lady newcomer at the Club." "She was always very nice to the newcomers, my mother says." "I hope you're pleased." "Yes, of course." "So, every year, someone will win the Rose Lacey Trophy?" "Every year." "As long as there's a golf club." "And I think she'd like you to come along and present it to the first winner." "Yeah and my mother would like to meet you too, by the way." "I'm supposed to arrange a time when you can come around for tea." "Thank you, I'd like that." "I wish it had been like this before I went." " Before Rose died." " Like what?" "There was nothing here for me here before." "And now I have a job, and..." "Here?" " Is that an American trick?" " Yes." "It's a good one, isn't it?" "It's depressing, though, that we don't think of things like that, isn't it?" "I mean how long have they known about it?" "A hundred years, probably." "I don't think they had bathing suits like that a hundred years ago." "And we still don't have them now." "Well, come on." "You want to go see the Dodgers on Saturday?" "Sure." "Okay, will you do something for me?" "What?" "If you laugh, or you say anything about this to anybody in the family, you don't get to see the Dodgers on Saturday." "Or any other day of the season." "Also, you get a beating." "Maybe it's just better if I don't get involved." "I really need your help Frankie." "You know you're the best writer and reader in the family?" "Yes." "I'm trying to write to Eilis, and I want it to be, I don't know..." "You wrote before already." "About five times." "Yeah, but they are no good Frankie and..." "And she's only written back once." "She's never read my writing before." "I'm worried I'm putting her off me." "Listen, I'm eight years old, I don't know anything about kissing." "You don't need to know anything about kissing." "You need to know about spelling and... and..." " Grammar?" " Yeah, Will you look?" "Dear Eilis, I hope that you're doing well in Ireland." "I hope that your mother is feeling less sad." "It will not be long before your friend gets married and you can come home." "This week it is like the whole world's basements are flooding." "I fixed three." "I've been working hard." "I've been saving money." "Everybody asks me about you all the time." "You missed out the "e" I think." "It is "everybody."" "Anyway, I think that is all my news." "Mom and dad and all my brothers they all say hello." "I think about you most minutes of most days." "Even when I go see the Dodgers." "I do not concentrate on the game." "With love, your Tony." "No hair oil." "And that's not a blazer, it's a sports jacket." "Have you come out in disguise, Jim Farrell?" "Are you trying to trick me?" "I knew what you meant, when you said we're all the same." "It made me think that my life must seem very east to you." "I run my father's bar, going to live in my parents' house." "I know what that must look like from the outside." "But it doesn't feel like that." "What does it feel like?" "I've never been anywhere." "I have never even been to England." "But I'd like to see London, and Paris and Rome." "New York." "It frightens me, the idea of dying without ever leaving Ireland." "And there are other things too..." "I'm so sorry." "I wanted to ask you a thousand things and all I've done is talked." "I am glad." " Really?" " Yes." "Will you finsh that wretched pipe and sit with us?" "I can hear perfectly well from where I am." "We are not here to provide you with entertainment." "Oh, don't you worry." "I found that out many years ago." "Just ignore him, Eilis." "It's as well Jim takes after me, but him." "Speak up!" "Are you looking forward to your move?" "Ah, I will miss Enniscorthy." "But it's lovely and quiet in Glenbrien." "My mother's worried about leaving me here on me own." "She thinks I'll destroy the place." "I'm hoping you won't be on your own forever." "I'm sure he won't." "I mean..." " God, aren't we blessed with this weather." " It's lovely." "Dear Tony, thank you for your letters." "I want you to know that..." "I don't know what I want you to know." "I don't want to be sitting right at the back." "I'll make sure you get the best seats in the house." "Oh, it wouldn't feel right sitting up there with Nancy and George." "We'll find the second best seats in the house then." "Would you like me to run ahead and save you a couple of places, Mrs. Lacey?" "Would you mind Jim?" "That would be grand." " Such a gentleman, isn't he?" " He is." "He came along at just the right time for us." "I invite you now Nancy, to declare before God and his church... your consent to become George's wife." "I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health." "I will love you and honour you all the days of my life." "The rings." "Lord, bless these rings, grant that those who wear them may always be faithful to each other." "May they do your will and live in peace with you, and mutual love." "We ask this through Christ our Lord." "Amen." "Amen." "Your mother tells me things are working out for you very well in Enniscorthy, Eilis." "It was a lovely service." "And Mr and Mrs Farrell are moving out to Glenbrien, so Jim will..." "Yes, I know." "Jim and I promised my mother we'd take her back to the car." "Oh, do you hear that? "Jim and I!" "Jim and I!"." "It won't be long now, by the sound of it, and your mother will have a wonderful day out." "Will you excuse me?" "Can we talk?" " What about?" " The future." "I can't let you just go back to America without saying anything." "I'd regret it for the rest of my life." "So, I don't want you to go." "I want you to stay here, with me." "And I know that means asking you another question," "But I don't want to bombard you." "So I'll save that one for later." "Thank you." "I'm grateful." "And I'm flattered." " That's all?" " No." "No, of course not." "It is just..." "I'd imagined a different life for myself." "I understand." "But your life here could be just as good." "Better, even, maybe." "Mary!" "I was just coming to fetch you." "To fetch me?" "I haven't worked for Miss Kelly for a long time, Mary." "Oh, Please come Eilis." "She told me not to come back without you." "You know what she's like." "You look after things for five minutes while I'm upstairs with Eilis, please, Mary." "There are no customers in there at the moment, so I don't think you can make too much of a mess of things." "So." "How have you been getting on?" "Very well, thanks, Miss Kelly." "I heard that you're working over at Davis's?" "In the accounts department?" "That's right." "And there's lots of talk about you and young Jim Farrell." "Ah, well." "You know what people are like." "They love to talk." "Yes." "Do you remember Mrs. Brady?" "She usually comes into the shop on Sunday morning for her rashers." "No?" "Well, you have a very busy life now." "What with one thing and another." "Anyway, Mrs Brady has a niece living in Brooklyn." "The world is a small place, isn't it?" "She had a letter from her a couple of weeks back." "And what did it say?" "Oh, only that she'd been to a wedding at the city hall, and her husband bumped into a girl from Enniscorthy who was getting married there." "I'm not sure what you're telling me, Miss Kelly." "He didn't bump into me." "Oh, you can't fool me, Miss Lacey." "Although I'm not sure that that's your name any longer, is it?" "He couldn't remember." "Something Italian, he thought." "I'd forgotten." "You'd forgotten!" "What a thing for..." "I'd forgotten what this town is like." "What were you planning to do, Miss Kelly?" "Keep me away from Jim?" "Stop me from going back to America?" "Perhaps you didn't even know." "My name is Eilis Fiorello." " Thank you." " How I can help you?" "Hello, I'd like to make a reservation for the next available sailing from Cobh to New York." "I think people spend even more money after a wedding." "Nancy's mother must have been in every shop in the town." "She was buying firelighters in Broom's." "Firelighters!" "In August!" "But she'd seen Mrs. Stapleton in there, and she hadn't had a chance to go through the whole day in detail with her, so..." "Eilis, what's the matter?" "Has something happened with Jim?" "Mommy, I'm sorry." "I'm so sorry." "I'm married." "I got married in Brooklyn before I came home." "I should have told you." "I should have told you as soon as I got back." "I want to be with him." "I want to be with my husband." "Of course." "Is he nice?" "Yes." "He'd have to be nice, if you married him." "So you are going back?" "Yes." "Tomorrow." "Are you on the early train?" "I'm going to bed." "Mummy..." "It's not even eight o'clock." "You don't have to.." "I'm very tired." "And I'd like to say goodbye now, and only once." "Perhaps you'll write and tell me about him." "I will." "Goodnight Eilis." "So are you away to live in America?" " No." " Just visiting?" "No." "I live there already." "Really?" "What's it like?" "It's a big place." "I'm gonna live in Brooklyn, New York." "Do you know it?" "Yes." "People say that there's so many Irish people there." "It's like home." "Is that right?" "Yes, it's just like home." "You're not to eat." "But I might be there years." "No, you can eat when you get there." "Don't eat on the boat." "It'll stop you getting so sick." "Do you promise me?" "I promise." "And in a moment, I want you to go straight down to your cabin and lock the bathroom door on your side." "When next door starts hammering, you can negotiate." "When you get to Immigration, keep your eyes wide open," "Look as if you know where you're going." "You have to think like an American." "Could you please step forward?" "You'll feel so homesick that you'll want to die, and there's nothing you can do about it apart from endure it." "But you will, and it won't kill you." "And one day the sun will come out and you might not even note it straight away, it would be that faint." "And then you will catch yourself thinking about something or or someone who has no connection with the past," "Someone who's only yours." "And you'll realise that this is where your life is."