The Butcher Boy Page #7

- Do you know what it is?

- I think you're getting big.

- He is indeed.

Him with the big job and all.

Francie Brady, the butcher boy.

Francie, you're a ticket.

What kind of ticket

would that be, now, ladies?

A bus ticket, maybe, yeah? Yeah?

Maybe a train ticket!

Or a one-way ticket, am I?

Is that what I am?

I had youse there, ladies, hadn't I?

A ticket.

Didn't you get it? Francie.

That was all right. A ticket.

Well, there's one pig that's come

to the end of the road, anyway.

She was an awful woman, your mother.

- The squeals of her in the water.

- Squealing, Da?

And the McGlones

laughing their heads off at us.

Here, Da, have some more tea.

You're the best wee son

that ever walked, Francie.

Squealing her head off.

- Francie, where'd you get the money?

- From Leddy.

I'm a workingman now, Joe.

Saving up for a million

trillion Flash bars.

But the thing is, Joe...

the real thing is...

things will be always

like the old days.

- Maybe.

- No maybes about it, Joe.

Go on, say it the way you used to say it.

- Say what?

- Okay, fellas, we're riding out!

Okay, fellas, we're riding out!

Death to all dogs who enter here!

- You said it.

- Hey, fish!

- F*** off!

- What do you think of that, fish?

- You spermy little bastards.

- Yeah.

We had some laughs out there,

me and Joe, just like the old days.

And if I ever thought I had imagined the old

days with Joe, I was wrong. I sure was.

But I hadn't reckoned on Mrs. Nugent,

had I?

Sending her bogmen brothers

after me for shitting on her floor.

Isn't this our lucky day.

Back off, young Joe.

You're gonna be sorry now.

Who's gonna make me sorry?

- Come on, please don't start any trouble.

- Go on, Buttsy.

Sh*t.

Jesus.

She can't even leave the house.

Why couldn't you let her alone?

You can give it, but you can't

take it, Brady. Look at you!

Whining, that's all you're good for!

- Leave me alone!

- Get back here.

Look at your buddy.

Look at your buddy

from the terrace, Purcell.

Come on, Purcell. Look at him.

What are you hanging around

with him for, anyway?

What does your old man say?

I'm not hanging around with him.

I used to hang around with him.

He keeps calling.

He won't leave me alone.

Jesus.

No, Francie!

Francie, don't! Please!

What do you mean, Joe?

Why did you say that?

Joe wouldn't have said that

but for you. You bastard!

- Stop!

- Bastard! Bastard!

Well, that was a good one, Joe.

Pretending you used to hang around

with me.

Gave me my chance,

and smack with the rock.

They hadn't reckoned on us

being blood brothers, eh, Joe?

Why did you say that, Joe?

Couldn't it have been something else?

You didn't mean it, did you, Joe?

No, Francie.

Blood brothers, Joe.

So long, Tonto.

It's your old pal...

the Lone Ranger.

You take all of my fish.

You're a friend of Joe Purcell's,

aren't you?

She fancies him.

Liar, I do not.

Will you give him a message for her?

Go on. You're his friend, aren't you?

I used to be.

I don't mean to annoy you, Mr. Purcell,

but I've got something for Joe.

Joe's not here, Francie.

He's gone away to Carrick,

to his auntie's.

And out of the mists comes Dr. Boyd...

in his Dracula outfit,

looking for his pint of blood.

"Stick out your tongue and say:

And while you're at it,

can I bite your neck?"

F*** off, Dr. Boyd, you wanker.

There was only one good musician

in this town, and that was Da.

But that was all over now.

All over, that is, only for the flies.

Flies, flies, is that all

there's ever gonna be?

Why don't youse go somewhere else, for

God's sake, and let the poor man sleep?

God, why youse have to

stick your noses in here?

Don't you worry your head

about them, Da.

Don't you be bothering your head

and worrying.

Want to listen to the wireless?

Then the wireless it is.

Cuba is being turned

into a Soviet nuclear base.

Bloody Communists.

We'll make our own music, Da.

I saw your mother, Francie.

She was saying a prayer for us both.

Down at the rocks in Bundoran.

The best music man

that ever lived, my da.

We will not prematurely

or unnecessarily...

risk the cost of

worldwide nuclear war.

In which even the fruits of victory

would be ashes in our mouth.

- But neither will we shrink from that risk...

- Hello, ladies.

Doing a bit of shopping, Francie?

Aye, that's right, Mrs. Canning.

I'm in charge now.

Your daddy has enough on his plate?

Yeah, he has indeed.

Well, what do you think, ladies?

Will the world come to an end or not?

The thing is, you don't know

the type of people you're dealing with.

Father Dominick says the things

he's seen them Communists do...

you wouldn't believe.

Sure, don't I know that,

Mrs. Canning.

If they want to push the button,

then push it they will.

The likes of you or me won't stop them,

you can be sure of that, now, Francie.

Well, I got a half dozen of eggs,

couple slices of ham and a bag of tea.

It'll be a bitter day for this town

if the world comes to an end.

That's all I can say.

If youse ask me, it'll come to no end,

for Our Lady won't let it.

Wouldn't I be right, Francie?

You never spoke a truer word,

Mrs. Canning.

Well, best be off.

I got to get the tea on.

Ta-Ra, now. See youse.

Sure, what chance did he ever have,

the poor creature.

will be seen as an attack

by the Soviet Union on the United States.

If only the Nugents

hadn't come to town...

if only they'd left us alone...

that was all they had to do.

Music?

Joe?

The thing is, Da...

I don't mind Phillip giving

him goldfishes, God is my judge.

But don't let him start thinking

that he can get in with us through music.

That isn't the way it works

with blood brothers.

Do you think they'd ever just leave

the two of us alone, eh, Da?

Just leave the two of us alone.

Hello, Francie.

Hello, Dr. Boyd.

Your father was meant to come

and see me a week ago.

Be kind of important

that I see him, Francie.

But how could you see him, Dr. Boyd,

isn't he gone to England?

England?

- What's he doing in England?

- Gone to see Uncle Alo.

Well, he must be better than I thought.

Aye, he's made of strong stuff, Dr. Boyd.

When he comes back,

tell him I want to see him.

Oh, yes, you would have to come along

and spoil it, Dr. Boyd, wouldn't you?

Asking all your questions.

That's where you're wrong. You won't.

Don't worry, Da.

I won't let them near us.

You see, I love you, Da.

What else had changed

since I was looking after Da?

The town.

It was a great big ocean liner

that had been lying sunk...

at the bottom of the ocean

and now was rising up...

all lit up with the lights and ready

to sail wherever we wanted to go.

Anywhere you say, Joe.

Yep, you just gotta say, Joe, old buddy.

Except Joe wasn't on the ship.

Would've been good if he was, but he wasn't,

so there's no use thinking about it.

Say, Brady, have you a lock of shillings?

Me and you, Brady.

Up she flew and the cock flattened her.

- Flattened her, be Christ.

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