Buddha Da (30 page)

Moors?

Aye. Emily used tae wander aboot the moors
.

Ah don’t think you want tae dae that. You might get consumption
.

Consumption no be done aboot it?

Patrick stood leanin against the washin pole, swingin the bag fae side tae side. The grass was all worn and patchy under his foot.

If you like, ah’ll teach you tae bake bread
.

Really?

Ah’ll bring hame some yeast the morra. Mammy’s no workin so
you won’t have tae watch the twins. You can watch yer dough
risin instead
.

Patrick lifted the lid of the bin and chucked the binbag inside. Then he went out the gate and doon the lane. The last of the sun was vanishin over the roof tops and the back of the buildin looked like a castle, big grey blocks a sandstone risin out the earth. Deep recessed sills. Mammy would of liked a new house wi wur ain garden, but Da loved tenements.
Solid
, he’d say.
Built tae last
. He was a tiler tae trade, done bathrooms and kitchens maistly, but he loved the tiles in our close, the subtlety of their colours, even the wee cracks that ran through them.
They don’t make them like that noo
.

Our flat was two up and at the back bedroom windae the curtains were drawn. With a bit of luck the twins would be lyin next tae their scabby Barbies, sleepin like wee angels, breathin deeply and dreamin about line dancin. Ma and Da would be sittin on the couch thegether, watchin TV.

The grass felt sticky wi damp and deep grey settled round the back court. The fluorescent light in our kitchen flickered then snapped on, and Mammy’s face was at the windae, peerin out. She spotted me and smiled, made a T sign wi her index fingers. Ah gied her the thumbs-up, lifted ma book, and heided inside.

Being Emily
by Anne Donovan is published by Canongate Books Ltd.

HIEROGLYPHICS AND OTHER STORIES

ANNE DONOVAN

‘A page-turner to make you laugh and cry.’
Scotsman

This beautiful collection gives voice to a variety of different characters: from the little girl who wants to look ‘subtle’ for her father’s funeral, to a child who has an email pen pal on Jupiter, to an old lady who becomes a star through ‘zimmerobics’. It introduced Anne Donovan to readers for the first time, and announced one of the most exciting new writers in Britain. Its charm, wit and poignancy continue to sparkle in its pages.

‘Conjures up spellbinding stories of childhood and change, in voices so vibrant they leave you speechless.’
Sunday Herald

ISBN 978 1 84195 519 3

www.canongate.tv

Many thanks to family and friends, and to everyone who has given support and encouragement during the writing process

Hieroglyphics and Other Stories
Being Emily