OLD TOM
D Hanifin
Old Tom went out to his little shed at the back of his house. He chopped some timber and brought it in to start the fire. He filled the coal bucket and brought it in. He felt very tired and his old bones ached. He lived alone in his little house since his wife died. He kept it spotlessly clean and was happy to sit by his fire at night and watch television. He had lived in America in his youth and was fiercly independent. His daughter, Mary, lived with her husband at the top of the boreen and bought Old Tom his meals every day. She often asked him to come and live in the big house, but his refused "I'm better off on my own. "That way I'll not be coming in anybody's way". Mary had one child, a boy called Bobby. Bobby loved his grandad and spent most of his time in the little house at the bottom of the boreen with his grandfather. He loved the clean, warm little house and he had his own special chair across the fire from his grandad. He often ate his dinner there and sometimes even slept in his own little bed in a cosy room on the left of the fireplace. Bobby was mad on basketball. It was his sport and he spent hours practicing his shots. His grandad had a basket and backboard high up on the gable of the shed for Bobby to practice. Not alone that, Tom had bought him all the gear and addidas ball and the most expensive Nike trainers, shorts and singlet- the lot.They often sat late into the night talking basketball. Old Tom had lived in Boston in the old days and saw Bob Cousy, with Chamberlain Bill Russell - all the greats in action.Bobby never got tired of hearing his grandad tell the stories of the great games - stories about the Celtics, the Knicks, the Detroit Pistons, the Giants the Lakers, and all the top teams. Old Tom was a great Celtic fan and his hero was Bob Cousy of the Celtics- a small man, but an "all time great" of basketball. He had attended most of the Celtic's training sessions and was very knowledgeable. He often watched Bobby at practice and was very helpful with hints on how to improve his game. He coached Bobby since childhood and encouraged him in every way. Bobby was now 12, tall and athletic and an excellent all round player. The Christmas Blitz was coming around again. It was always the highlight of Bobby's year, but this year it was something special. Bobby was the captain of his team, The Hornets and he knew they had tough battles coming up, so he trained particularly hard.
The Hornets came through and reached the final against the Tralee Dynamos. Bobby knew it was now or never. He remembered what his grandad told him. "Skill is fine, Bobby, he said " but guts and determination are more important". On the night of the game Old Tom would have loved to be there to watch Bobby play. But he was too tired and too old to go. "Good luck Bobby" he said "I'll be waiting for you to come back with the cup". He sat in his big armchair by the fire. Soon the heat of the fire and the comfort of his cosy little kitchen overcame him and he fell asleep.
Hours later, Bobby burst in with the cup. "Grandad, Grandad, we did it, we did it," he shouted. Old Tom did'nt answer. He could never again answer. He had gone to his reward in another world beyond ours. Bobby fell on his knees beside the chair and held his grandad's hand as the tears rolled down his cheeks. "Grandad, we did it for you" he sobbed and somehow he felt his grandad understood and was happy. Bobby never took the cup home. Today, its stands on the mantlepiece of the little kitchen next to Old Tom's photograph along with Bobby's medal and its coloured ribbon in a silent tribute to the wise old grandad that he loved dearly.