Kathleen: The Celtic Knot

Mother Rosario

When all the girls finish filing into the school, Sister Eucharia comes back to the gate to let Kathleen in. Kathleen is sent straight to Mother Rosario’s office. Mother Rosario greets Kathleen icily. Everyone says the head nun is strict but fair, although Kathleen had never noticed the fair part. Kathleen apologizes for being late. Mother Rosario says that if the girl has an excuse, she should speak up now. Perhaps it can be overlooked just this once.

Kathleen can’t possibly tell Mother Rosario that her mother had gone out in the night to attend a birth. Nuns don’t understand that type of thing. They have no children and they live in a convent. Things like birth, babies, getting her sisters’ hair brushed in the morning, helping Da make breakfast, it was all too difficult to explain. Telling Mother Rosario all of this would only bring shame to her family. Helplessly, Kathleen offers that Madge fell and cut her knee. Mother Rosario sees right through her excuse, and clarifies that Madge fell because they were running late and running to school instead of sensibly walking. Then, Kathleen says that Patsy got grease on her blouse. Mother Rosario doesn’t believe this either. So, Kathleen admits that she burned their morning porridge, so they had to make fried bread instead, which is what led to the greasy shirt.

Mother Rosario points out that it seems like Kathleen is blaming everybody but herself. She’s reflecting her tardiness onto her unfortunate family. Kathleen feels tears running down her face. Kathleen closes her eyes, holds out her hand, and waits for the belt of the slat. But nothing happens. She is sure that she would be hit for her disobedience. She opens her eyes and Mother Rosario is looking at her. Mother Rosario says she’ll have to talk to Kathleen’s mother. She can’t have girls coming late to school with no reasonable excuse and looking like a wreck of the Hesperus.

Kathleen looks down. She’s still wearing the old clothes she threw on in a rush. She had forgotten to change into her school skirt and blouse. And with all the fuss about brushing her sisters’ hair, she had forgotten about her own. Her hair is all tangled and she can feel knots under her fingers.

But Kathleen’s mother being sent for is the worst possible punishment because it means she’ll be in trouble at home as well as school. Mother Rosario says that Kathleen doesn’t understand. Mother Rosario reaches into her skirt and pulls out a clean, starchy, blue-and-white-checked handkerchief and holds it out to Kathleen. Kathleen doesn’t take it, so Mother Rosario dabs Kathleen’s cheeks, nose, and mouth herself. She tells Kathleen to keep it for the day. Kathleen, nodding, promises to herself to rub and scrub it until it’s a perfect, crisp square again. The nun continues that she needs to talk to Kathleen’s mother to make sure everything is all right at home. She just wants to be satisfied that there’s no trouble.

Kathleen cannot bear the thought of Mam being humiliated by the nuns asking about their personal life. Kathleen is dismissed to go to her class. She’s told to tell her teacher, Miss Glynn, that she will not be punished. Then, Mother Rosario opens a tin on her desk and extracts a bull’s-eye. Kathleen ought to eat it fast so it’s gone by the time she reaches the classroom.

The sweet peppermint flavor spreads immediately into Kathleen’s mouth. Kathleen thanks Mother Rosario and leaves.