Ride On (15 page)

‘What am I s'posed to say?'

‘Tell him I'm serious about her.'

‘Aesop, will you fuck off!'

‘What?'

‘You're not serious about her! You're just gagging for it because you can't have her.'

‘No. No, it's not that at all!'

‘It fucking is. Cop on and leave the girl alone.'

‘Didn't I not just show him that I was serious?'

‘No. You sat there for an hour and said nothing with your foot tapping and your hands shaking like one of them was going to fly off your pint at any minute and land on a big Swedish tit. Helen is just another girl, Aesop. You should have gone off with the two honeys tonight.'

‘Aw Jesus. Don't say that Jimmy. I'm all … I'm all …'

‘They were fucking gorgeous. They only came over here for you and then you left them hanging. They're probably lapping champagne out of some other bloke's belly button right now.'

‘Stop! Will you shut up?'

Aesop had his eyes scrunched up now and looked like he was in pain.

‘Look Aesop, Norman is right. Just be yourself. This lark doesn't suit you. Look at the fucking state of you. You're sweating for fuck sake. Hey, why don't you go off and find them. They're probably in one of the pubs. Go on.'

Aesop looked up.

‘You think?'

‘Yeah. Sure it's still early. Isn't there a session in that other place you were yesterday? Maybe they're in there. Go on. Do us all a favour.'

‘Well …'

Aesop picked up his smokes and his phone and started to stand up.

‘I could … I could just … but … but Helen …'

He plonked down again, closing his eyes tightly and putting his fists up to his forehead.

‘Jimmy, me head is fucked.'

‘But what's your prick telling you to do?'

‘Will you shush! I'm trying to ignore it …'

Aesop still wasn't himself the next morning. Even the landlady was worried about him.

‘Will you not have another sausage Aesop?' she said.

‘I'm grand thanks, Mrs Kennedy. Really.'

‘I have more rashers on.'

‘Ah, I'll leave it. We were out on the sea yesterday and it was awful rough. I'm still feeling a bit ropey so I am.'

‘Ah you poor thing. Have a cup of tea just, so, and let me know if you want anything before ye head off. I can put some rashers in a sandwich for you.'

Jimmy and Norman looked at each other and shook their heads. Oul' ones were always like this with Aesop. If only they knew.

‘Thanks very much Mrs Kennedy. You're very good.'

The old lady smiled and wobbled off back into the kitchen.

‘You weren't feeling too ropey to down eight pints last night,' said Jimmy.

‘Aw, I had to make her go away, man. She's minging.'

‘I can't believe you're not eating.'

‘With the pissy smell off her? And anyway I didn't sleep very well.'

‘Thinking about the Swedish pair?'

‘No. This fucker honking and groaning all night long.'

‘I have been known to snore all right, it has to be said,' said Norman, a huge forkful of beans on its way into his mouth.

‘I can deal with snoring, Norman. Snoring has a rhythm. It's when you sit up out of the blue and start roaring and punching the fuck out of the pillow that I get a bit nervous. Jesus, what happens when you've a bird in the bed? If you can remember what that's like. Does she have to wear a crash helmet?'

‘I slept like a baby, I don't know what you're on about.'

‘Some fuckin' baby. At one stage you stopped in mid-dig and looked over at my bed with your fist in the air and only one eye open. I nearly shat meself. So, no Jimmy, I wasn't thinking about the Swedish birds. I spent most of the night afraid of going asleep and keeping an eye on Freddy fuckin' Krueger over there.'

Jimmy laughed.

‘Well anyway, are we right then? We'll head back to the cottage?'

‘Yeah. Fuck it.'

‘Do you want to have another go at seeing Fungi?'

‘No Jimmy. Sure the weather's worse today. I'll come back again.'

‘You sure?'

‘Yeah.'

‘Right. Come on. Are you eating them mushrooms Norman?'

‘No. I'd a bad experience with mushrooms once. Bangladesh. Christ, never again.'

Jimmy reached over and stuck his fork into about five of them, put them in his mouth and then stood up, nodding upstairs with his head.

*

They loaded up the car quickly, sorted out Mrs Kennedy with her money and took off for Cork again. There wasn't much talking after the drink the previous night and the only sounds were the occasional belch out of Jimmy's Peugeot on gear changes, and ‘Live and Dangerous' coming out of the speakers.

‘Is there any word from the cops?' said Aesop.

‘I talked to Garda Ní Mhurchú last night,' said Norman. ‘She gave me a ring.'

‘Any news?'

‘Nah. Not really. The note was just from a diary yoke, but that's about all they know. The flowers could've come from anywhere. Nothing's been robbed, so they can't trace anything that way. And nothing's come up from the prints they took. A lot of prints, she said, considering that it's a brand new gaff that's only had one bloke living in it.'

‘That'll be all the new special friends I've made since I moved into town.'

‘Yeah. Well, anyway they're keeping an eye on the place. She was just checking up on things with you.'

‘Why didn't she call me then?'

‘She probably didn't want to waste her time talking to a fuckin' eejit.'

‘Fuck sake. It's my bollocks we're talking about.'

‘I rang her last week and told her I'd be in charge of things. And to talk to me with any news.'

Aeosp sat back in the seat and sighed.

‘I do actually have a fucking brain you know. Didn't I beat you at chess the other night?'

‘That was draughts Aesop. And I could barely see with the bottle of whiskey I had in me. And you a cheating bastard robbing three of me men when I went to the jacks. Yeah. Don't think I didn't notice that. I just wanted the game to be over so I could get some kip. And … hey … hey Jimmy, slow down.'

‘What's up?'

‘Can you back up a bit?'

‘What?'

‘What was on that sign we just went past?'

‘I didn't see it.'

‘Back up,' said Norman, looking out the back window. ‘It's grand. There's nothing coming. About fifty metres.'

The car was stopped now and Jimmy turned around in his seat to reverse the car back up the empty road. They got to the sign, which was tied to a tree. They all read it, and then Norman looked at the other two with a big grin.

‘Are yis on?'

Jimmy and Aesop turned to each other

‘Eh … '

‘Come on. It'll be a laugh.'

‘Norman, I'm not sure … eh … '

‘C'mon to fuck. Live a little.'

‘That's the problem,' said Aesop. ‘I'd like to.'

‘You dragged us down to see Fungi Aesop, didn't you?'

‘There was more than a fifty-fifty chance of us surviving that experience Norman.'

‘Don't be such a big blouse. Jimmy?'

‘Eh … I s'pose we could go and have a look anyway.'

‘Grand. Let's go so. Next left Jimmy … '

Jimmy looked out the windscreen for a minute and then put the car into first. It farted a couple of times and then took off down the road with Aesop already biting his fingernails in the back seat and looking worried. Norman's idea of a good time usually meant doing something that normal people associated with mortal injury. It was always a bad sign when he was excited about an outdoor activity.

*

They pulled up into the car park and got out. The wind had dropped off and the sun was making an effort, but it was still freezing. Aesop walked between the other few cars that were there and over to a notice board.

‘Jaysis. Lads, according to this yoke, Slieve Mish is eight hundred fucking metres high.'

‘Yeah,' said Norman. ‘Jesus, it's gorgeous here, isn't it? Look at that view. A man could go walking here for a week and never see it from the same angle twice. You can see the rain down in Kilshannig, look. I've a good mind to leave you here and walk home.'

‘Right so Jimmy,' said Aesop. ‘Back in the car, c'mon.'

‘Can you see the sea boiling up down there?'

‘Would you ever stop beating your big farmer's chest for a minute,' said Aesop. ‘Did you hear what I said?'

‘I heard you.'

‘Eight hundred metres.'

‘Right.'

‘Jimmy, I'm assuming that you haven't lost the will to live. Can we just go?'

‘Hang on Aesop. I want to have a look at this.'

‘But it says … '

‘Aesop, I'm pretty sure you don't jump off the top of the mountain and go all the way to the bottom. Come on. We'll see what it's like anyway.'

They started walking up a rocky pathway that curved around a bend in front of them. A half hour later, one which consisted of more leg exercise than either Aesop or Jimmy had had in about ten years, and they finally reached a cabin. They could see the platform about a hundred metres further on, a few people standing around.

‘Hi, I'm Shauna,' said a smiling girl at a desk inside the cabin door. ‘Welcome to the Mish Mash Experience.'

‘Mish Mash? Jaysis … ' said Jimmy, stepping into the room. ‘Ooh, it's lovely and warm in here.'

‘You guys here to jump? We've just started going again. It was too windy this morning.'

The other two stepped into the cabin behind Jimmy. Aesop went straight over to the electric heater.

‘Ah, that's better. Jaysis, you've a little kitchen and everything in here.'

‘Yeah. Well we're up here all day,' said the girl. ‘So … three for a jump?'

‘Two,' said Aesop.

‘Or … maybe just one,' said Jimmy.

‘Don't mind this pair,' said Norman. ‘I'll go anyway.'

‘Ah, a Cork man. We've had nothing but foreigners today so far. Would you like to see the platform first?'

‘No. I'm grand. How high is the drop?'

‘Exactly two hundred and ninety-five feet. About a hundred metres.'

‘To the ground?'

‘Yeah. Although we try and fix it so you don't do the full ton.'

Norman laughed.

‘What's the closest you've come?'

‘Well, there's no water down there, so around seventy-five is about right before the snap.'

‘Sounds cool. How much?'

‘Seventy-five euro please.'

‘One euro per metre? Sounds fair. Credit card?'

‘No problem. And you'll have to sign this disclaimer.'

‘Of course.'

Aesop was watching all this, his head going between the girl and Norman.

‘Norman?'

‘Yeah?'

‘Are you off your bleedin' trolley?'

‘What?'

‘You're going to jump off a cliff with a rubber band tied to your feet?'

‘Yeah. Always wanted to do one. It'll be great. Will you not have a go?'

‘I will in me brown. Sorry love, but do you get many nutters doing this?'

‘Well, we've only been here since the summer. First permanent one in Ireland. There's a few people out there now. Americans they are, or Canadians.'

‘Mad foreign bastards.'

‘Okay. Well, if you go out to the platform, you'll meet Robbo. He's the boss and he'll sort you out.'

‘Grand,' said Norman, striding out of the cabin.

The other two looked at Shauna, who was still smiling.

‘Not too late,' she said, waving Norman's disclaimer form.

‘Sorry,' said Aesop. ‘There's this thing I've to do later on this afternoon and I kind of have to be alive for it.'

She looked at them again, tapping her pen against her cheek.

‘Are you … are you guys … ?'

Jimmy nodded.

‘Oh brilliant! I thought I knew your face all right? Can I have an autograph?'

‘No problem.'

‘And can I take a picture on me phone?'

A couple of minutes later, the lads left her beaming at her phone and went out to find Norman. He was talking to Robbo, who was showing him all the gear.

‘What do you think?' said Norman when he saw them coming over. He was holding up a big roll of bungee cord and grinning.

‘I think you need to sit down and have a cup of tea for yourself and think this through,' said Aesop.

‘Did you look over the edge?'

Aesop gripped the railing in front of them and slowly leaned towards it. Then he looked out and down.

‘Oh holy Jesus,' he said, leaning back quickly and pushing himself up against the opposite wall.

‘Safe as,' said Robbo. Australian accent.

‘Safe as what?' said Aesop, still running his hands along the wall behind him for something to grab onto.

‘Safe as you like!' said Robbo.

‘Me bollocks.'

‘You're not jumping?'

‘Correct.'

‘Mate, what would I have to do to convince you that it's totally safe?'

‘Well, you'd have to move the whole fucking thing about two hundred and ninety-four feet closer to the ground for starters. And I still probably wouldn't do it.'

‘Come on, ya poof. I have cords for every size. What do you weigh?'

‘Twenty-seven stone. Sorry Robbo. It's not going to happen.'

‘What about your mate there?'

‘Ah … ' said Jimmy. ‘I don't think so. My insurance wouldn't cover this.'

‘Mate, it's all included in the seventy-five euro.'

‘Is it? Still … '

He looked over the side and then edged back next to Aesop.

‘I don't think so. Did you know there's a sheep down there?'

‘That's Woolly the Jumper. If you can grab a handful of wool, you get your money back.'

‘Right. Yeah. Anyone ever done it?'

‘Not yet mate.'

‘I'll give it a go,' said Norman.

‘Norman … ' said Jimmy.

‘Seriously,' said Norman to Robbo. ‘Can you get me that close to her?'

Robbo looked at him.

‘I was joking mate.'

‘Come on. I can do it.'

‘Eh … sorry mate. I can't do that.'

‘Ah c'mon to fuck. It'll be a laugh.'

Robbo looked at the other two, but they were staring at Norman.

‘Norman,' said Jimmy. ‘Don't be fucking stupid. Robbo was only messing.'

‘Hey Norman,' said Aesop, pulling cigarettes out of his pocket. ‘I'll give you another seventy-five on top of it if you can check whether she's been squeezed.'

‘Remember how we established that we only squeeze the boys, Aesop?' said Norman. ‘Anyway Jimmy, if you get the measurements right, it should be no problem. That right Robbo?'

‘Sorry mate. No facking way. It took me three years to get permission to open this place.'

‘Well, can you put me down further than seventy-five metres? Say, eighty-five? Ninety?'

‘Mate, if you really want to, I'll get you down to eighty metres. That's it.'

‘Okay so. That'll do. Lads? Are you sure you won't do it?'

‘Positive,' said Jimmy, swallowing. He didn't like being up here in this cage thing. He was already starting to hum a happy tune from his childhood in his head.

‘There's a couple of girls over there that are thinking of giving it a go,' said Robbo, pointing over to the other group, twenty metres away and trying on harnesses. ‘You don't want to look like a couple of poofs now, do you?'

‘I don't mind,' said Aesop, looking around. He frowned. ‘Jimmy, is that who I think it is? There can't be more than one raincoat like that in Kerry.'