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Maria, a very small woman with a long nose and a long chin, is a maid at a Protestant charity that houses troubled women. Maria stands alone in the kitchen and proudly reviews her preparation for the Hallow Eve festivities at her workplace. She notes that the kitchen has been cleaned so well that you could see your reflection in the big copper boilers. She has also maintained the fire until it is at the proper height and warmth and has sliced the four large barmbracks (a type of bread) into thick, even slices for distribution. In addition to her superior housekeeping skills, Maria is also a gentle soul and a seasoned peacekeeper. She is always called in when the charity’s inhabitants start to quarrel or make a fuss. As a result, everyone, from the matron to the sub-matron to the Board ladies to the women that the charity houses, is “so fond” of Maria.
After assessing the evening’s schedule, Maria notes with satisfaction that she will be able to leave by 7:00, make a few purchases, and arrive at Joe Donnelly’s house by 8:00. She is excited that the timing worked out perfectly because she is looking forward to the celebrations later that night with Joe Donnelly and his family. Maria has known Joe for many years. She nursed Joe and his brother, Alphy, when they were young. She was so close with the children that a young Joe once remarked that Maria felt like his real mother. Joe and Alphy also helped Maria get her present job at the charity. Though Maria was at first uncomfortable with the Protestant association of the charity, she has grown to accept it. Maria checks her purse, a gift from Joe and Alphy when they went to Belfast on a Whit-Monday trip five years ago, and confirms that she has enough money to pay for the transportation and the shopping. Maria then hopes that Joe will not be drunk when she arrives because she much prefers him when he is sober.
The time for festivities arrives and Maria rings the bell that signals the women to stop what they are doing and come in for tea. Once the women arrive, Maria distributes the barmbrack and the tea, making sure that each woman receives her allotted four slices. The women begin to laugh and joke while they eat and they soon turn their teasing attention to Maria. One woman jokes that Maria will “get the ring” this year. Maria swiftly refutes and says that she is not interested in any ring or any man. She laughs along with the women but her eyes take on a “disappointed shyness” as she does so. Another woman then breaks through the teasing and raises a toast to Maria’s health and all of the women echo her sentiments and clatter their mugs on the table.
