An Thuras Fada Part VI – Chapter VI 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: V, IV, III, II, I
Despite the fact that Mikey absolutely wanted to confront Daly as soon as possible, he knew he had business to attend to, he had to see Mr. Stone in town.The quest for ambrosia had to come before any battle. He decided to take the bus, so he walked towards the stop in Dolphins Barn. Like a zen monk, now totally focused on his mission. When he got to the bus stop, he seen a face he hadn’t seen in a very long time.
-What’s the craic Rebecca, I haven’t seen you in years,
“Jaysus, Mikey I didn’t even recognise ye, whats the bleedin story” Rebecca almost broke into a wide smile, but the reality of her teeth made her stop. She gave Mikey a hug, a long hug, one that meant something.
-Are you still living out in Blanch?
“No I’m not, I’m not going back to that bastard, I left him about a year ago, and moved back in with me Ma, she has a gaf in Crumlin now, because of her knees and that, can’t do the stairs anymore she cant, so the Corpo moved her, what have you been up to?”
-Ah, sure ye know yourself, gettin there slowly but surely. I was away there for a while for a bit, and just crossing the river styx yano what I mean?
“Oh, you’re still talking bollix, Jason and the fuckin’ astronauts, but your one of kind, can’t say your not original wha? Ye still on it ye?”
– Yeah, what can I say, the needle is like cupids arrow, once it hits ye, ye fall in love. How are you keepin?
“I was brand new I was, was stable on the phy for about a year, a few blueys now and then, but I was doin’ grand, me Ma got us a little cleaning job an all. But he was still on it, and one day I was like fuck it, I’ll smoke a bit, and then I couldn’t stop..Lost the job, and ended up workin up Leeson Street with me cuzint Erica, still am”
-Ah Erica from the Bond? She useta always be hanging around with ye, I remember the two of yez doing yezzir dancin’ blaring DJ Rankin, fucking oulwans goin mental at yez.
“Yup Yup, run a muck”
-Is the money good?
“Ah its alri like, I can make a few quid like, enough to cover me roger rabbit yeno? But its mad dangerous aswel, some awful fuckin weirdos out there Mikey, I had a knife put up to me the other week, said he wasn’t happy with the bleedin service, I kicked him in the bollix and told him I’m not fuckin’ Vodafone, I don’t care about your bleedin “service” cheeky basturd he was”
-Its a rough oul city, ye need to be careful at night
“Its everywhere, I seen a poor youngfella earlier today, who had his bag robbed, heard him telling someone his tablets where in the bag and all. I mean, I know we’re no angels but thats bein a proper scumbag”
-Yeah its terrible
There was silence for a few seconds.
“Mikey?”
-ye?
“How did we end up the way we ended up?”
– Some time in the early 1980s the IRA changed its tactics against the Brits. They knew they couldn’t beat the Brits in a military conflict, so it decided to engage in a war of attrition. Rather than driving the Brits out, the RA decided to continue to do more and more cynical and low level attacks, in the hopes that they would sap the will of the British. They wanted to sicken the Brits into giving up.
Thats what life does do people like us Rebecca. It engages in a war of attrition on our souls, slowly eating away at our resolve , until we withdraw, when we say fuck this. And we choose this existence because, its honest in its own right, Everyone is as good as the money in their pocket and the sting in their vein.
I think we are the early adopters of doom, we see the futility, the pain, the pointlessness of our realm, its inherent imperfection, we yearn for the ideal, begging Plato to save us from the cave, but we know it dare not manifest so we make the abyss a bit more entertaining I suppose.
“Yeah…’pose so, but do ye never feel guilty for all the evil shit we do”?
-Evil, is not a thing in itself though. Ye ever hear of St. Augustine?
“Ye, me nanny does pray to him”
-Well, St. Augustine argued that evil wasn’t a thing itself, but rather a state of distance from God. If God is the perfect and all emanates from the good, it follows that a person with free will can stray from goodness, but no man can be truly evil, we can all be redeemed by returning to goodness.And the best way to return is by speaking the truth.
And let me tell you something Rebecca, I carry truth like a sword, I speak truth, I manifest truth, even when I lie. You too, Rebecca, so long as you have a relationship with truth even deep down that only you know this moment. You are not evil, merely lost on the path to goodness.
I’ll be honest, I don’t really get what you’re saying but, it sounded helpful.Thanks Mikey,.Where ye goin anyway? In to town?
-Yeah I have to see Mr. Stone
“You still goin to him?”
-Ah sure why break up a beautiful relationship, we are, after all creatures of habit.
“Creatures of habit, very good”
-ahahha I didn’t even mean that, write that down.
“D’ye have to go into town this minute?” enquired Rebecca as she looked earnestly at Mikey
-Ah I’m a bit busy
Do I have enough for Mr. Stone and a galavant? When was the last time she was tested for the virus?
“Ah come on, ye’ve never been one to turn it down before”
This siren has awoke in me my essence, and though it prudent for a young warrior to to resist, the passion rises nevertheless, yet the question still remains, has she been cursed? Or worse, does she plan to curse me?
She puts her hand on his thigh and with baleful eyes summons him,
-Look, Im just going to ask ye, have you got AIDS or HEP C?
“Ye cheeky bastard, no I dont”
-ye positive?
“Fuck off” she turns away from him at the stop.
-Ah look it, Im sorry, Im just asking
“And I suppose your the picture of fuckin health”
-I’m not judging ye, I was only asking.
“Yeah well dont, stupid prick”
-I still have to go into town, but I’ll give ye a tenner for a handjob.
Necessity triumphed Rebeccas self esteem and she asked “ What? Do it here like?”
-Yeah throw the jacket over.
Give me chasity and continence, make me good Lord…but not just yet.
