The Dancers Dancing by Éilís Ní Dhuibhne

Author:Éilís Ní Dhuibhne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blackstaff Press Ltd
Published: 2011-11-07T00:00:00+00:00

Talking to a friend

On their walks, or at the meals, or in bed, Aisling and Orla hardly ever talk about problems, and this is one of the factors that distinguish them sharply from older girls, or women. To some extent they are like boys: they still use conversation for fun, or else to project whatever image of themselves they believe will make a favourable impression. Often these two objectives can be combined. Orla has decided, however, that she will best achieve her ends by remaining silent. There is too much in her life that she wants to keep hidden from Aisling, hidden from anyone that she calls a friend – she has not experienced enemies at all, does not understand that the line separating enemies from friends is blurred, or invisible, and constantly shifting.

Aisling has secrets, but they are not the same as Orla’s. Orla never tells anything about her family because everything about them is too shameful. Aisling, on the other hand, uses her family constantly as raw material, for an ongoing stream of jokes and anecdotes. Aisling believes she is critical of her family. Her stories are peppered with sarcastic comments on every member of it. But Orla knows that she admires them. In fact Orla believes, in her darker moments, that Aisling is showing them off, her amazing, funny family.

She has a true gift for dramatisation. Everything that happens is transformed into a story. ‘So at that moment Sean walked in with his plate of six cream crackers and cheese. ‘‘Where on earth have you been till this hour young man?’’ Daddy said. Daddy was really getting mad. ‘‘Oh,’’ said Sean. ‘‘Were you worried or something?’’ ‘‘Well, just a tiny bit,’’ Dad said in his most sarcastic voice. ‘‘I mean it is only two o’clock in the morning and we have been sitting up specially only for two hours and I do have to get up for a really important meeting at six-thirty today but no, no, of course we’re not really worried. Now where the hell were you?’’ ‘‘Gosh sorry, Dad,’’ said Sean, munching a cracker. ‘‘I was just down at the pub.’’ ‘‘Just down at the pub?’’ ‘‘Yes.’’ ‘‘But you don’t drink. You’ve taken the pledge.’’ ‘‘I wasn’t drinking. I was nursing Seamas Barry. His head got chopped off.’’

‘’’Whaah?’’ we all screamed. ‘‘His head got chopped off?’’ ‘‘Well, you know, not literally. But he fell off his bike in town after the debate and was all cut up. I had to call the ambulance and stay with him and so on.’’’ Every day in Aisling’s household is full of such events, such conversations, such battles of wit, usually between the two stars of the family, her brother Sean and her father Ciaran. To Orla, it sounds like the sort of life portrayed on The Donna Reed Show: eventful in a nice, always witty way, a way that reflects well on all concerned. Nobody in these stories behaves badly. Nobody has a serious row, or cries, or screams.

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