Austie’s even. Washing glasses. Pulling pumps. You could fill a glass with my sweat. ‘Two gins and a nip of sweat, sir. Yes, there you are
!’
‘For God’s sake, Joey, will you watch that whiskey!’ said Boyle. ‘You’ll go and spill it again if you’re not careful.’
‘Ha ha,’ I laughed.
He winked again and squeezed my elbow. ‘Not a bad little piece, eh? Whaddya think?’ he said.
I agreed — over-enthusiastically, I realized almost as soon as I’d opened my mouth.
‘Yeah, sure! Fantastic!’
I handed his whiskey back.
‘OK then, kid?’ he said, reaching out to accept it.
‘Sure thing, Boyle,’ I said and gave him the thumbs up. My face was aflame.
‘Well! Be seeing you then!’
He grinned from ear to ear as he sparked a Hamlet, looking dapper in the cream-white suit, as he said: ‘Let’s get dancing then, sweetheart!’ Her eyeballs swam as she fell into his arms and he dragged her like a sack of potatoes across the floor.
The minute he’d gone I went back to where I’d been.
In the land before pies
! I thought. Then giggled a little … idiotically. I got to thinking of myself on Tynagh mountain. Sitting inside with both my legs crossed. In the lotus position. That was what you called it. I thought of the mountain and I thought of the sky. Then I closed my eyes. I must have looked pretty stupid sitting there in the dancehall with everyone sweeping past me on the floor. But I didn’t care, because the calm was returning. You could feel it. ‘
Knowledge can be as a vast tree which yields more and more fruit,’
I repeated softly to myself.
And, as to this knowledge, we must attend to that little voice. The one within which tells us: “You are on the right track, move neither to your left nor right, but keep to the straight and narrow way.”
The band finished the song and announced the end of the set. ‘Your next dance will be coming right up,’ they said. Then, out of nowhere, I heard: ‘Hey, Tallon! What the fuck are you at over there? Are you falling asleep or what?’
It was Chico, pulling on his coat, with the chick beside him. ‘OK, man, I’m outa here!’ he said. ‘I can’t stand this country-and-western bollocks any longer! We’re going up to this baby’s place! You staying or going?’
I said I’d hitch a lift. Which I did. I headed off shortly afterwards.
I must have been on the side of the road a good two hours before I looked up and saw the yellow Datsun approaching.
‘Hello there,’ said Boyle, pulling in as the door swung open. I climbed inside.
The woman was still all over him, her mascara streaking her cheeks. She slipped her hand inside his shirt and grinned blearily, stroking his chest. Boyle thought it was a great laugh. ‘Sure as long as we’re enjoying ourselves, that’s the main thing! Would you say I’m right there?’
He grinned. ‘Well, would you, Josie?’ he asked me. They called me that too sometimes — Josie. I didn’t mind it. The way I was feeling nowthey could call me whatever they wished. For the first time I felt that my little ‘zen’ session in the dancehall was really beginning to kick in and I was overjoyed. Now he had started telling me all about his plans. He was thinking of running for office, he said. ‘Do you think someone like me might make a good representative, Joey boy? Boyle Henry as your local TD? Your man above in Dublin, whaddya say?’
If he didn’t cut it as a Dáil Deputy, he might make the senate, he reckoned. ‘I’ve a lot of good friends up there in the smoke, Joey. As well as around our own town. You think they like me, Joey? You figure they like Mr Henry in Scotsfield? I think they do! She does anyway, don’t you, baby?’
He made a grab for her bare thigh and she dropped her cigarette in a shower of sparks.
‘Baby! You’ll burn us out!’
‘Boyle!’ she chuckled as she bent down to retrieve the cigarette.
He started going on about Fr Connolly then and his great schemes. ‘He’s a
!’
‘For God’s sake, Joey, will you watch that whiskey!’ said Boyle. ‘You’ll go and spill it again if you’re not careful.’
‘Ha ha,’ I laughed.
He winked again and squeezed my elbow. ‘Not a bad little piece, eh? Whaddya think?’ he said.
I agreed — over-enthusiastically, I realized almost as soon as I’d opened my mouth.
‘Yeah, sure! Fantastic!’
I handed his whiskey back.
‘OK then, kid?’ he said, reaching out to accept it.
‘Sure thing, Boyle,’ I said and gave him the thumbs up. My face was aflame.
‘Well! Be seeing you then!’
He grinned from ear to ear as he sparked a Hamlet, looking dapper in the cream-white suit, as he said: ‘Let’s get dancing then, sweetheart!’ Her eyeballs swam as she fell into his arms and he dragged her like a sack of potatoes across the floor.
The minute he’d gone I went back to where I’d been.
In the land before pies
! I thought. Then giggled a little … idiotically. I got to thinking of myself on Tynagh mountain. Sitting inside with both my legs crossed. In the lotus position. That was what you called it. I thought of the mountain and I thought of the sky. Then I closed my eyes. I must have looked pretty stupid sitting there in the dancehall with everyone sweeping past me on the floor. But I didn’t care, because the calm was returning. You could feel it. ‘
Knowledge can be as a vast tree which yields more and more fruit,’
I repeated softly to myself.
And, as to this knowledge, we must attend to that little voice. The one within which tells us: “You are on the right track, move neither to your left nor right, but keep to the straight and narrow way.”
The band finished the song and announced the end of the set. ‘Your next dance will be coming right up,’ they said. Then, out of nowhere, I heard: ‘Hey, Tallon! What the fuck are you at over there? Are you falling asleep or what?’
It was Chico, pulling on his coat, with the chick beside him. ‘OK, man, I’m outa here!’ he said. ‘I can’t stand this country-and-western bollocks any longer! We’re going up to this baby’s place! You staying or going?’
I said I’d hitch a lift. Which I did. I headed off shortly afterwards.
I must have been on the side of the road a good two hours before I looked up and saw the yellow Datsun approaching.
‘Hello there,’ said Boyle, pulling in as the door swung open. I climbed inside.
The woman was still all over him, her mascara streaking her cheeks. She slipped her hand inside his shirt and grinned blearily, stroking his chest. Boyle thought it was a great laugh. ‘Sure as long as we’re enjoying ourselves, that’s the main thing! Would you say I’m right there?’
He grinned. ‘Well, would you, Josie?’ he asked me. They called me that too sometimes — Josie. I didn’t mind it. The way I was feeling nowthey could call me whatever they wished. For the first time I felt that my little ‘zen’ session in the dancehall was really beginning to kick in and I was overjoyed. Now he had started telling me all about his plans. He was thinking of running for office, he said. ‘Do you think someone like me might make a good representative, Joey boy? Boyle Henry as your local TD? Your man above in Dublin, whaddya say?’
If he didn’t cut it as a Dáil Deputy, he might make the senate, he reckoned. ‘I’ve a lot of good friends up there in the smoke, Joey. As well as around our own town. You think they like me, Joey? You figure they like Mr Henry in Scotsfield? I think they do! She does anyway, don’t you, baby?’
He made a grab for her bare thigh and she dropped her cigarette in a shower of sparks.
‘Baby! You’ll burn us out!’
‘Boyle!’ she chuckled as she bent down to retrieve the cigarette.
He started going on about Fr Connolly then and his great schemes. ‘He’s a
Similar Books
