The Thing About December by Donal Ryan

Author:Donal Ryan [Ryan, Donal]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-58642-229-5
Publisher: Steerforth Press
Published: 2014-08-25T16:00:00+00:00

July

NO SCHOOL in July. You could give every day knocking about the farm with Daddy. Or if he was right busy or had to go off laying blocks, you could stay in the kitchen and Mother would allow you sit up on the worktop and watch her baking, or you could walk over across the river field and see could you spot a rabbit or a hedgehog along by the ditches or maybe even a diving kingfisher. The sun didn’t always split the stones, but even if it rained it was never cold and the earth would steam after it and you could even swim while it rained and you could kind of know then how the wild animals felt, being free.

Daddy would bring Johnsey to the Munster final, and Paddy Rourke would go with them as a rule. If it was on in Cork, they’d stop at the hotel in Mitchelstown on the way down for their breakfast. They always did a beautiful fry in that hotel. One time Daddy was going mad looking for more toast, but the little waitress must have gone off on her break or something, so Daddy bowled into the kitchen to make his own toast to hell and Johnsey was scared in case he got into trouble and Paddy shook his head and said Daddy was a madman and a few minutes later he came running back out with a big plate of toast and a load more rashers and a big fat wan behind him waving a wooden spoon mar dhea she was awful cross with him, but she was laughing and Paddy and Johnsey roared laughing too and there were a few more there in Tipp jerseys and they all cheered and it was a pure howl.

The Pecker Dunne would always be busking below outside the stadium with a big pile of wild-looking children and Daddy was mad about him and he’d always put money in their box and salute the Pecker and the Pecker would salute him back and it wasn’t everyone got a salute off of the legendary Pecker Dunne and Johnsey would be pure proud. If they beat Cork in the Munster final, Daddy would be as high as a kite on the way home. He’d shout Woo-hoo boys, we have Cork bet and the hay saved. Now we have a proper summer!

It’s easy be happy in July.

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