pulled the mask off his head and held it out to me. ‘Ye dropped it. I just wanted to give it back.’ He was trying hard not to laugh. I took the mask, shoved it
under the pram cover and went to push past him. I didn’t want to even look at him. But he’d wedged his foot under one of the pram wheels and it wouldn’t budge.
‘Ah, come on! I was only havin’ a laugh! And ye got your mask back, didn’t ye?’ Though I said nothing, my face showed him how I was feeling. ‘Jesus! Sorry! I
didn’t think ye’d be like that. I thought ye’d like a laugh after what O’Dea did.’
‘Get your foot out from under the wheel,’ I said. ‘I’d like to bring my brother home.’
‘Look, don’t mind O’Dea. He doesn’t know what he’s doin’ half the time.’
‘It was a horrible thing to do.’
‘I know. It was stupid! I told him not to do it. I should’ve stopped him but he . . . well . . . ye know what he’s like.’
I clenched my teeth and gripped the handle tighter. He was right up close to me and I could feel his hot breath on my face. I tried to walk but his foot was still under the wheel. He grabbed my
wrist, his fingers warm and dry on my skin. ‘Listen, thanks for givin’ me snake back that time. I never said, but I found it under me pillow. I kind of knew all along ye hadn’t
thrown it down Goggin’s jacks.’ He’d softened his voice and his words sort of whistled in my ear. ‘But I was wonderin’ if . . . ye know . . . ye had the tongue? I
mean, it’s missin’, and me uncle Joe’s comin’ tomorrow to do the fireworks and I don’t want him to go mental when he sees the snake. Cost him a fortune, so it did.
That’s what me ma says, anyways.’
I swallowed. If he thought I was going to let him have the tongue after what he’d just done, he thought wrong. I shook my head. ‘Never saw it. Not sure if it even had a
tongue.’
His grasp tightened slightly on my wrist. ‘It did. It definitely did. Ye’re tellin’ lies again. I know it.’
I heard a car coming around the corner and looked over my shoulder. ‘There’s my dad,’ I said. ‘Let me go.’ I tried to pull away.
‘If ye find it, ye better hand it over.’ He squeezed hard before releasing me then walked backwards a couple of steps so he could look into my face. His eyes had a kind of desperate
look in them but I stared past him and carried on quickly towards home.
Dad was climbing out of the car when I got to the gate.
‘At the shop, were you?’ he asked, leaning in to get his rolled up Evening Press from the dash.
‘Yeah.’ I said, and I coughed to get the shake out of my voice. ‘Getting you some HP. It’s shepherd’s pie tonight.’
He rubbed his hands together. ‘Best news I’ve had all day.’ He peeped in under the pram hood and tickled Kev under his chin. ‘And how’s the little fella? Did he
enjoy his jaunt to the shops?’
‘He’s . . . he’s fne,’ I said, blinking back tears. ‘Not a bother on him.’
My insides were hot and fiery when I thought about what David had done. The fright of it all was only hitting me now as Dad helped me into the hall with the pram. I had to keep telling myself to
calm down, that it was OK, that Kev hadn’t been hurt.
Mam put a mountain of shepherd’s pie in front of me but I couldn’t eat much, so Dad cheerfully scraped my leftovers onto his plate and dribbled them with a river of HP. Then Kev
started crying and I jumped up, offering to see to him. I picked him up and cuddled him close. He smelled of baby lotion and fresh air, and his warmth seeped into my chest. While I rocked him in my
arms and hummed softly in his hot little ear, I stared at the wall and wondered if the man underneath could tell I was upset. No one else had noticed so I must’ve hidden it well. But I
couldn’t help thinking he knew.
David O’Dea was nasty. And Shayne wasn’t much better after the way he scared me too. I didn’t know which of them I disliked more. But
under the pram cover and went to push past him. I didn’t want to even look at him. But he’d wedged his foot under one of the pram wheels and it wouldn’t budge.
‘Ah, come on! I was only havin’ a laugh! And ye got your mask back, didn’t ye?’ Though I said nothing, my face showed him how I was feeling. ‘Jesus! Sorry! I
didn’t think ye’d be like that. I thought ye’d like a laugh after what O’Dea did.’
‘Get your foot out from under the wheel,’ I said. ‘I’d like to bring my brother home.’
‘Look, don’t mind O’Dea. He doesn’t know what he’s doin’ half the time.’
‘It was a horrible thing to do.’
‘I know. It was stupid! I told him not to do it. I should’ve stopped him but he . . . well . . . ye know what he’s like.’
I clenched my teeth and gripped the handle tighter. He was right up close to me and I could feel his hot breath on my face. I tried to walk but his foot was still under the wheel. He grabbed my
wrist, his fingers warm and dry on my skin. ‘Listen, thanks for givin’ me snake back that time. I never said, but I found it under me pillow. I kind of knew all along ye hadn’t
thrown it down Goggin’s jacks.’ He’d softened his voice and his words sort of whistled in my ear. ‘But I was wonderin’ if . . . ye know . . . ye had the tongue? I
mean, it’s missin’, and me uncle Joe’s comin’ tomorrow to do the fireworks and I don’t want him to go mental when he sees the snake. Cost him a fortune, so it did.
That’s what me ma says, anyways.’
I swallowed. If he thought I was going to let him have the tongue after what he’d just done, he thought wrong. I shook my head. ‘Never saw it. Not sure if it even had a
tongue.’
His grasp tightened slightly on my wrist. ‘It did. It definitely did. Ye’re tellin’ lies again. I know it.’
I heard a car coming around the corner and looked over my shoulder. ‘There’s my dad,’ I said. ‘Let me go.’ I tried to pull away.
‘If ye find it, ye better hand it over.’ He squeezed hard before releasing me then walked backwards a couple of steps so he could look into my face. His eyes had a kind of desperate
look in them but I stared past him and carried on quickly towards home.
Dad was climbing out of the car when I got to the gate.
‘At the shop, were you?’ he asked, leaning in to get his rolled up Evening Press from the dash.
‘Yeah.’ I said, and I coughed to get the shake out of my voice. ‘Getting you some HP. It’s shepherd’s pie tonight.’
He rubbed his hands together. ‘Best news I’ve had all day.’ He peeped in under the pram hood and tickled Kev under his chin. ‘And how’s the little fella? Did he
enjoy his jaunt to the shops?’
‘He’s . . . he’s fne,’ I said, blinking back tears. ‘Not a bother on him.’
My insides were hot and fiery when I thought about what David had done. The fright of it all was only hitting me now as Dad helped me into the hall with the pram. I had to keep telling myself to
calm down, that it was OK, that Kev hadn’t been hurt.
Mam put a mountain of shepherd’s pie in front of me but I couldn’t eat much, so Dad cheerfully scraped my leftovers onto his plate and dribbled them with a river of HP. Then Kev
started crying and I jumped up, offering to see to him. I picked him up and cuddled him close. He smelled of baby lotion and fresh air, and his warmth seeped into my chest. While I rocked him in my
arms and hummed softly in his hot little ear, I stared at the wall and wondered if the man underneath could tell I was upset. No one else had noticed so I must’ve hidden it well. But I
couldn’t help thinking he knew.
David O’Dea was nasty. And Shayne wasn’t much better after the way he scared me too. I didn’t know which of them I disliked more. But
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