An Thuras Fada Part V – Chapter V of Tony Kennedy’s ‘An Thuras Fada’ now online. This insightful piece of Dublin life perfectly illustrates that Ireland has some wonderful young talent!
Other Chapters available here: IV, III, II, I
Mikey was lying on his prison bunk when Escobar came in.
“Here can I talk to you for a second pal”?
What the fuck does he want, probably another bag of Tuna. Poor bollix, was raking it in on the street, then he gets done by his own bird. Just ratted on him because he ripped her off with her sister. Fair enough, thats out of order but for fuck sake he had a bleedin elbow in the gaf. He impressed upon her the error of her ways when he was on bail. That impression took 12 stitches to close. He got 10 for the white, so fuck it, he took another 4 on top getting her back.
Whats up?
“Did ye hear about Daly, he wants ye off the landing, said the landing is for the boys only, he doesn’t want crims”
Yeah? Is that right?
“Yeah he told me to tell you”
All of us fuckin ‘crims’ is it?
“Nah he just said from now on, no new people, Aido is already gone. He is fairly deep in here pal, not telling ye what to do or anything, but ye might want to folly suit yano”
Mikey got up off the bunk, past Escobar and looked out over the landing. He seen Daly with a goon, he caught his eyes and just started and smiled, as Daly scowled.
Ah Daly me oul flower I was wondering when you’d make a move. For the boys only? Go way ourra dat. I don’t even know how the prick was greenbooked in the first place. Goes around acting the the spirit of Cuchulain, when in reality he started out as shady as any motherfucker who ever graced the Barn. I remember buying mitsubishis off him at the raves. He had youngones around 15 strung out, got them to pay him in kind. He was always sniffing around Leanne too. Why wouldn’t he, she was stunning back in the day. I was drawn to her innocence, that smile, jesus what I’d give to embrace her in this shit hole, she is my queen. But Daly wasn’t drawn to her soul, he wanted to destroy it, like the vampire he is. But I kept my Leanne out of his clutches. Then when “the boys” came around and started clearing the gaf, Daly bottled it and jumped over to the men who shake the barley for protection. Within a month the bags were gone and Daly started rockin tricolour and phoenix tattoos. A fearless fucking warrior no doubt, one of the birds he got strung out, and dropped when she was of no use to him, was robbing out of the shops. The smelly old cunt in the shop asked Daly to “sort it” for him, Big fuckin superprovo Daly hit the poor bitch with a car and cut her face. He may aswel have killed her there and then because she took a midnight swim in the liffey a few weeks later and that was that, the prick. I told him then if he looked at Leanne again, I’d take him out of the game for good. And now he is flexing on me, grand.
Mikey walked back into his cell.
Have you any oul batteries Esco?
“Ye, but only small ones, no use for putting in socks”
Ah a small one will do, I’ll Macgyver this one.
Escobar left Mikey’s cell and came back a few minutes later.
“Here ye go pal” Escobar handed the battery to Mikey.
Nice one pal, here do ye want two tuna?
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Later that night Mikey stripped the battery down, eventually getting the two ends off until he was left with a strip of aluminum.He folded it over and stepped on it to flatten it out. He took a toilet roll tube and wrapped it around the folded strip as a handle, using part of a ripped up sheet to secure it. He spent much of the rest of the night sharpening the makeshift knife. He hid it under his bed when it could shave the hair off his arm. He got a few hours sleep.
Next morning he woke up, grabbed his cup for breakfast, filled it with sugar packs he was hiding and went to the big hot water urn where the prisoners went for hot water for their tea. But this morning Mikey didn’t get tea or coffee he just filled his cup with hot water. Nor did he get any breakfast for himself, and waited near his cell door.
He seen Daly and his goon waiting in line for the urn. He knew it was time to strike. He walked up to Daly and the goon.
Lads, can I talk to you for a second? I don’t want trouble.
“Get the fuck off this….”
Before the goon could finish talking, Mikey threw the boiling water and sugar concoction in his face.
The goon grabbed his face screaming and went down.
Daly, quickly looked down on his henchman, and as soon as he looked up Mikey got him in the face with the battery knife, tearing from his ear to the side of his mouth.
Why the fuck isn’t there any blood? All I see is white? Oh my fuck is that his teeth and gums I can see, ugh shit theres the blood, stop fucking screaming, oh shit look what I did to his mate, he looks like a fucking Brunch melting on summers day.
The last thing Mikey really remembers about the incident is looking at Finn Daly, white as a ghost, holding what was left of his cheek together. Daly didn’t look angry, he looked terrified.
That image stuck with Mikey. But he managed to force himself to smile at Daly.
Back on the canal, Mikey half shuddered at the memory, and half smiled at the unremitting absurdity that was his life. .
It appears that Mr. Daly and myself are going to have a reckoning in the near future.
