The Eye of the Horse. Jamila Gavin

into her place, rubbing her nose along her sleeve and hiccuping with emotion. Kathleen leaned into her and patted her gently.

      ‘Take no notice, Marvi. You know they’re just stupid. All boys are stupid.’

      ‘Who are you going to marry when you grow up?’ Marvinder whispered in the darkness as, that night, she and Kathleen lay side by side in the bed they had to share.

      Kathleen giggled softly. ‘How should I know?’

      ‘Don’t your mum and dad have a boy in mind for you?’

      ‘Course not! Anyway, I don’t think I want to marry.’

      ‘Why not?’ cried Marvinder.

      ‘It’s too much work. All those babies and things. Look at Mum. Look how hard she has to work; all that scrubbing and cleaning and washing and cooking. I don’t want to do that.’

      ‘Maeve’s only got one child. She doesn’t work so hard,’ remarked Marvinder.

      ‘Yeah, I know. Father Macnally’s always telling her off. He thinks she should have more by now. “It’s your Catholic duty to have babies for Jesus,” ’ mimicked Kathleen. ‘It would be just my luck to marry a man who gave me thirteen children like Mrs Hannagan. Can you imagine looking after thirteen children?’

      ‘I thought you might marry Tommy Henderson. He likes you lots,’ grinned Marvinder. ‘You like him too, don’t you?’

      Kathleen blushed bright red. ‘Don’t be bloody daft. Anyhow, he’s a Protestant. How about you? Who will you marry?’

      ‘No one,’ stated Marvinder categorically. ‘No one. I’d hate to be married.’

      Yet inside her, she knew the opposite was true. Only a few days ago, they had gone to the cinema to see the new Walt Disney film, Snow White. She thought it was the most beautiful, frightening and wonderful thing she had ever seen. When she had come out, blinking into the daylight, she felt she was Snow White. She understood Snow White’s sadness at having lost her mother and how cruel it was to be hated and rejected by her stepmother; and how her father didn’t seem to notice or care or try to defend her. Snow White longed to be loved and to have a home and happiness. Marvinder learned all the songs and sang them at school, while they waited in the dinner line. ‘Some day my prince will come . . .’

      ‘No one? Never?’ asked Kathleen, pressing her.

      ‘Well, maybe . . . someday,’ said Marvinder.