Scrap CH TWO part 12

CH TWO 12
Scotty hates Saturday mornings when he is expected to take Dawn shopping despite having worked all night and had only two or three hours sleep but he knows it’s the only way she will allow him to visit the Bay club with his diminishing band of ‘mates’. It’s not the same without Fat Frank but there are still enough of the old crowd to make for a convivial evening and he is just as interested to see what ‘talent’ is on offer tonight.
Jason and Rosa will be there to support their mother, who has been very secretive about her proposed offering and they are hoping she will not embarrass herself or them too badly. Ken Chapman will be going with his new ‘secretary’ who has moved in to his house only weeks after Patrick moved out. Lesley Sharp has been a ‘friend’ for years and it is common knowledge they have been very close for a long time; there is even suspicion that her 20 year old son Mark was fathered by Ken. Mark has a house in the town but has been helping Ken with his book-keeping, a task formerly carried out by Pat. He and his girlfriend Holly will be at the Bay too even though they are under age. As long as they look old enough in the gloom and don’t try to buy drinks at the bar nobody asks questions.
Trying to look interested as his daughters and their mother try on clothing is a gift Scotty has mastered and he smiles as they pose and preen in and out of the changing rooms. Dawn gives up and plonks herself down on a chair, having hoped and failed to find anything that will decently stretch around her bulk. The girls decide on matching jeans and tops, make the usual pleading eyes at their dad then skip off with their purchases placed neatly in carrier bags with the shop’s name printed in large script on the side. Scotty has been unable to find the new pair of boots he needs. Nobody seems to stock his size 13’s and several times his enquiry has been met with ‘We have them in a size 12,’ as if he would be happy to squash his feet into boots which are obviously too small. Dawn loops her arm through his and they take their time returning to the car. ‘Fish and chips for everyone?’ Asks Scotty, knowing what the reply will be.
After they have all finished their lunch Scotty creeps off to bed for a few hours, allowing Dawn and her mother to settle down in front of the television to watch the wrestling. He is soon in a blissful sleep.
There is quite a gathering at the Bay club when Scotty arrives soon after 9pm. He greets his fellow crowd and buys a pint of bitter, which he gulps down in seconds. The next one will be sipped a little more slowly. ‘Hello Jay, how are you?’ he says, turning to face the young man propping up the bar. ‘You haven’t seen Ma have you?’ asks Jason, ‘Only she took the pick-up and came along on her own.’ Scotty says he has only just arrived but will keep a look out for her. ‘I hear she plans on doing a turn?’ Jason’s face clouds over, ‘God alone knows what she plans to do,’ he replies, ‘I’ve never known her to do anything like this before. I don’t know what’s got into her.’
Maurice Golding, the club owner, calls the gathering to attention, thanking them for coming and introducing the first act, two brothers playing piano accordions. They put on a good show and get a rousing reception, leaving the stage to make way for the next act, a young woman who sings Lulu’s ‘Shout’ at full volume, to the delight of the lads in the front who can see rather more of her under the lights than she realises. Next they are treated to a comedian who does impressions of various acts, mostly from the television. He has to introduce each character beforehand, which gives a good idea of how successful his impressions are. He finishes his set with a Matt Monroe song, which does go down well as he has a half decent voice.
Maurice leaps into the spotlight, thanks Chris for his efforts and introduces the next act. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, form Killarney in the Emerald Isle will you welcome to the stage the lovely Molly Malone.’ There are muffled gasps and giggles from the audience as an enormously fat woman waddles up to the microphone, her frizzy bright ginger hair flowing down to her shoulders, her make-up seemingly applied with a trowel. ‘Is it a bloke?’ whispers Jason to Scotty, who shrugs in response. ‘Good evening ladies and gentlemen,’ calls Molly Malone in a loud, broad Irish brogue, ‘I’m going to treat you all this evening to a demonstration of Irish dance.’ And with that she stands to attention as her music is slotted into the machine and someone starts it off.
Howls of laughter ensue as Molly leaps about with her arms seemingly glued to her sides, her hair bouncing about like a sheep’s fleece, her rolls of fat flapping around in time with the music. ‘For God’s sake,’ shouts Jason, above the hubbub, ‘she’s going to knock herself out in a minute.’ The spectacle is so awful it is difficult to watch but impossible not to.
The music ends in a rousing cadence and Molly takes a bow before announcing that she will now do a strip. Gasps all round the room and cries of ‘keep them on,’ only make her more determined to continue. Jason looks across the room to where Maurice is standing with a knowing smirk on his face. ‘Why doesn’t he stop her making such a fool of herself?’ Molly turns her back to the audience, rips her ‘fat suit’ off and throws it into the crowd, to whoops of appreciation and shrieks of laughter.
Standing before them now is a slender woman in a well-fitted costume which shows off her assets very nicely. The organist begins to play and a hush falls as the sweet voice of ‘Molly Malone’ rings out the song guaranteed to bring a tear to the hardest face. Danny Boy has always been a favourite and the audience join in, some of them with the right words, as she reaches the final verse. She takes several bows as the room erupts with mad applause, stamping of feet and whistles. People are yelling for more but she knows the time to leave and Orla struts off to the dressing room, passing her son and daughter who are standing agape. She blows a kiss in passing and they are lost for words.