Shiloh was feeling a strange, lazy smell coming through the window behind his seat. He wished he could go to sleep in his bed. But where was the time to sleep?
The door behind him opened and someone stepped in. Shiloh, as before, kept looking out of the window. The workload, the upcoming St Patrick’s fair and so many other responsibilities were on his mind.
“A woman is here to meet you, sir.”
The officer was not looking at him, “What, what kind of woman?”
“A beautiful woman, sir”
“Stupid! What does she want?”
“She wants to meet you”
“Go and ask her why she wants to meet me?.”
“I had asked. But she didn’t tell us.”
“Okay, bring her in quickly,” Shiloh said softly.
He turned and looked at his visitor, keeping a keen eye on her, and said, “What can I do for you?”
Saying nothing, she bowed her head in greeting. Her eyebrows raised, and she was looking at the officer with her deep blue eyes. Like a lower-middle-class woman, dressed in modest clothes. She seemed to be in her late twenties. She was so nervous at that moment so unable to decide whether to move forward or go back.
“Sit down. What do you want to know?“
She hesitated for a moment but said, “I came here for that card,”
Shiloh looked at her, “What card, the residence proof?”
"No, that you issue to those women!"
He could feel her embarrassment. “What women do you mean?“ Shiloh asked. “You mean the license for the ones who roam the streets at night?”
“Yes, that’s what I mean,” the woman said, taking a deep sigh of relief.
“Hey, you mean that card?“ Shiloh asked her again.
“Yes, I have come for the same card.”
“Oh! Where’s your old card?”
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I have no card, I never had one. But I have to take one now. I want to earn money. I’m a widow. My husband died by drowning last April. I have two children, a nine-year-old boy, and a seven-year-old girl. And I have no money, no relatives either. I could do anything, no doubt about it. But I want a lot of money. My boy studies at school, I think I can apply for his fee waiver. But who will pay attention to that request from a single woman like me?
As far as other jobs, will I get anything and what can I do with that? That’s not enough. I have heard that if a woman’s luck shines, she can earn so much that she can feed her family for a whole year. At the last fair, a woman from our village made a lot of money. On the strength of this wealth, she married a rich farmer and now lives like a wealthy woman. I have no money to go back to Ireland.
The police officer was feeling a sense of restlessness, but he said in a stern voice, “I am sorry that I cannot do anything for you. I have nothing to do with it.”
Now he wanted to get rid of her. She immediately stood up, bowed her head, and moved towards the door.
“Eh!” Without raising his head, he murmured loudly, “Children!”
“Stupid!” Shiloh looked out of the window. “I think I will meet her again at some point,” he murmured.
And they met. It was evening time. His eyes fell on her. She was going towards the square. Her blue eyes stared him straight from the front, and five minutes later, he sat next to her on a bench in the square.
“Did you recognize me?” he asked with a smile.
She lifted her eyes and looked at her calmly. “Yes, how are you?” She said in a sad voice.
“Have you got your card?”
“Here,” and she began groping the pockets of her clothes.
“Oh no, no need to show, but how are you?”
“How’s it going? There is nothing particularly bad or good” She could not speak further. Her cheeks turned red.
“Congratulations, but it is very difficult to carry out this business until it becomes a habit, right? “
Suddenly, she leaned towards him, as if she was about to cry, but she suddenly backed off, “Okay. I’ll get used to it.” She said it in a clear and flat voice, then took out her handkerchief and cleared her nose.
With her calm blue eyes, Shiloh felt as if she was looking deep inside him. He could not stay seated. He stood up, and without saying a word, extended his hand.
“Okay then, I will leave,” he said softly.’
Next week, one day at dusk, Shiloh was going towards the dock. He saw her ruthless blue eyes and her lips tightly clapped. Two deep lines were visible on her face, which was so unusual for her and full of a ruthless rage, like a wild beast.
He put his mouth to her ears and whispered, “So it’s you. Do you want to create a scene here?”
The victim of the blue-eyed woman, the other woman, was lying on the floor between the broken plates and was sobbing silently.
She stood in front of him, just as calm and determined as she had been at the first meeting. She was looking straight at him with her blue eyes, waiting for him to speak. Shiloh, tossing the papers on the table, said, “So tell me, how did that fight start?”
“She insulted me,” said the woman.
“Oh, a great crime committed!” Shiloh said sarcastically.
“She had no right to do so. I can’t compete with her.”
“Hey! What do you think of yourself?”
“I have taken this profession out of compulsion, but that...”
Shiloh laughed, “So she does this for fun. Is it?”
“She doesn’t have any kids.”
“Do you think you will entice me by bringing your children into it? This time I will leave you, but if you do something wrong again, leave this city within twenty-four hours. Keep yourself away from the fair. Go get lost out of here.“
“God will judge you,” she said in a stern voice and walked out of the office.
“The Girl of Justice!” Shiloh took pleasure in insulting her.
The dust licker has come to St. Patrick’s fair to earn money, but she is talking about decency!
But she had children, a little boy with a fair face, dressed in an old, torn school uniform, and a little girl, wearing a pleated skirt, much larger and looser than her body. Both were sitting on the bench at the dock, feeling the cold air and whispering in each other’s ears. Their mother was standing behind them.
The appearance of the little boy was like his mother. His eyes were also blue. He raised his head, every once in a while looking at his mother, smiling and saying something. The little girl had spots on her face. A little sharp nose and two big brown eyes, in which there was a gleam of playfulness and understanding. Various bundles were lying next to them. It was the end of September. It had been raining all day, cool and moist.
The turbulent waves were hitting the shore with a loud noise, and there was a slow, steady echo in the air. There was a look of anxiety on people’s faces as if they were in a hurry to reach their destination. Against the swirling background of the river, this quiet trio of a mother and two children immediately drew his attention.
The police officer’s eyes fell on them, and, even standing at a distance, he was watching the three of them closely. He was aware of their every move and now felt ashamed of what he did to her. The boat was about to leave in half an hour. People had already started reaching out on the jetty.
The blue-eyed woman, the bags on her shoulders, straightened up and went down the stairs. The children were walking in front of her, holding hands and carrying their bags on their shoulders.
She went to buy the tickets. Shiloh wanted to reach the jetty; all he wanted was to say sorry and...
“I want to buy one ticket for both of them? Thank you! Thanks a lot, may God bless you.”
And she left with the ticket. Her face had brightened. Children were clinging to her, pulling on her skirt and asking her for fruit. She listened to them and smiled.
“Did I ever say not to buy? Can I ever say no to you about something? You guys stay here.” She went to the fruit shop near the door.
After returning, she gave the packs to the children, saying, “This pack is for you! And this is for you! Look, I haven’t forgotten at all. And these are a dozen oranges. But don’t finish them all at once!"
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The boy asked, “Mom, where do you get so much money?”
She thought for a moment and answered, “Hey, don’t you remember when leprechauns came to our place last night? They provided us with all we needed.”
The boat was about to leave the jetty. The woman brought her children close to herself. She looked around with watchful eyes. Seeing no sign of danger, she laughed. The children laughed too. The passengers were now moving towards the boat.
Third whistle.
“Untie the ropes!” The captain ordered.
Shiloh was looking at the people standing on the deck, and when she appeared, he ran towards them, took off his hat, and bowed his head in greeting. In response, she bowed down and made the mark of the cross on her chest.
“O Don’t rush!” Shiloh shouted as he approached them and gave her a three-leaf clover.
“Happy St. Patrick’s Day”
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The woman smiled, looking at him with her blue eyes. Shiloh’s voice softened as he said, “Do you remember what you told me about a woman who married a rich farmer?”
“Yes”
“Will you marry me?”