Dan

¦he swings his arse over from the end of the bed and into the armchair and reaches down to click on the kettle

vest and pyjama trousers alright today. not planning on going anywhere with these legs ' not even across to the lounge. no one talks any damn sense anyway, all piss and dribble, their wits gone now, and that bitch on duty at twelve giving me dinner that she's spat in the dirty bitch. don't get so bitter, jimmy says. work it through. let her get on with it. life's too bloody short, man. you get upset it only makes the urge worse¦ if the fucker could get any

forget it, forget it

don't even have to see her, poke your nose out of the fuckin door even. let it be.

might try to get along the pub later anyway, if the weather's right and jimmy comes. aye¦ looks like sun out there, people walking on the promenade in shorts and that. bare-chested already, glasses on, walking along past the pub along there¦ not open yet for a few hours. a good possibility that, though¦ if jimmy comes and gives you a few quid, bless the fellah, and holds your arm. a bit of baccy, too¦

when did he last come?

what's the day today¦ saturday it is. saturday. bitch day it is. fuck her anyway, forget it. eight sugars in the mug and the bag on top, like a sack of spuds in the snow. roll up a fag from the tin ' yesterday's dog-ends it has to be, but plenty of them anyway.

who's business is it? do what I fuckin like, same as everyone else can.

the sun's out, anyway. a good possibility. won't come if it rains, walking all that way wet, wherever he comes from wherever it is. sea looks rougher today, mind ' coming in ' the sun catching silvery on it. like fishes down there. white riders a bit. white horses, it is. galloping in there across the stones like old betsy.

aye, betsy

wasn't white though, she wasn't. betsy. chestnut what they call it ' but a blaze of white between the eyes, ahah. the funny thing, that¦ shaped like the isle, just like it ' stretched out a bit, but you could see it. ulster by the right eye, dingle down by the left nostril. fuckin funny that. the place on her face, like a map, right between her eyes, foam on the snaffle. god christ she could move too. gallop like a gale the girl¦

cried like a bab that day. like losing mother all over again¦

never forget it. never never forget it

where's that lighter? there we go ' does the trick ' gets the boiler going, dad said. that does it ' nice

last pint i'll have on this earth son, he said

a cloud over the sun now, just a small one. like a bus over the bridge. like it was then. the river, the buses going over ' like the sea coming in and the sun on it, lapping through underneath it¦

out it comes again, everything lighting up again out of the shadows. the pub sign swinging a bit, there. a galleon on the sea ' a right nasty squall it's in there, swinging away, swinging away

roaringwater bay. skibbereen. ah, the place

a stiff one, then, it must be, swinging away, riders galloping up the beach, coming in, up the home straight, fishes glinting in there¦

heyup, there he goes the fellah, running along there, past the pub now, world of his own. the legs on him, going like the clappers, like the fuckin wind it is. the legs on him. piston rods up to his fuckin armpits. fit fellah, that. used to be I could. fuckin miles it was. miles and fuckin miles up over the fields. up the hill he goes, behind the pub, whatever's up there, people looking after him¦ holding her hat there, the fat one in the green dress. the size of that. jesus god. the dress blowing out ' enough to bivvy an army in. a stiff one it is for sure. hold Jimmy's arm now, watch that drainhole with the stick. don't want to break it again, do we. a stiff one, boss¦ and one for the good fellah here, haha! a good stiff one. and a pint each to follow. second layer, dad said. consolidating. last one i'll have on god's green earth, he said. good lad. and a cigar too. it's saturday, anyway¦ the bitch.

forget it, man

the click of the kettle, steam on the window

forget it. fuckin forget it

fuckin forget it