The Tay Is Wet (11 page)

‘Be careful.’

Out in the yard Sonny scratched his head as he watched the familiar sight of the milk lorry rattling away in the distance. Timmy had silently disappeared inside and closed the window.

‘Well that beats Banagher.’

Towser, the dog, then appeared with a shoe in his mouth, which his sharp teeth had chewed into an unrecognizable shape. Henrietta was standing at the door and she had picked up the shoe which had landed on the kitchen table.

‘I think this looks like Timmy’s shoe,’ she said.

Timmy then appeared behind her. ‘What’s going on; is that my shoe you have there?’

‘Yes, it looks like yours, but how did it arrive at the kitchen table?’

‘Well don’t look at me,’ Timmy retorted. ‘Towser must have brought it in. I’m going to milk the cows.’

Timmy brushed passed and walked towards the cow-byre. The children had come out and were laughing as they watched their uncle’s peculiar gait. Timmy was wearing a shoe on one foot and a wellington boot on the other.

Sonny and Henrietta broke into wide smiles as he disappeared into the cow-byre.

Henrietta said laughingly, ‘Yes, Timmy, this time you really
put your foot in it. But it’s a cold morning, so come inside for a
bit of heat everyone, the tay is wet.’