Home > Author > Douglas Stuart
101 " Agnes sucked at her porcelain. Now here they were, every Friday night, these same women playing cards in her mammy’s front room. There was not a single drop of make-up between them. Nobody had much of a heart to sing any more. "
― Douglas Stuart , Shuggie Bain
102 " The day was flat.He nodded, all Gallup’s, and spun, just the once, on his polished heels. "
103 " Agnes’s face was very thickly made up, and it looked to Shuggie like the paint had been layered over several other faces she had forgotten to take off first. The boy followed her at a discreet distance, stopping now and then to gather up things that fell from the pocket of her matted mink coat. "
104 " With a heavy blink Agnes drew her eyes over the officious woman. The end of her nose was pitted like a small strawberry. "
105 " Each time he held her he was less like a child. He was becoming something else, not yet a man, something like a stretched child, waiting to be inflated into adulthood. She clung to him while she could. He smelled fresh, like the fields outside. "
106 " It was hard at first to start moving again, to feel the music, to go to that other place in your head where you keep your confidence. It didn’t go together, the shuffling feet and the jangly limbs, but like a slow train it caught speed and soon he was flying again. He tried to tone down the big showy moves, the shaking hips and the big sweeping arms. But it was in him, and as it poured out, he found he was helpless to stop it. "
107 " Leek frowned at Shuggie, like he was angry at his hope, disappointed that Shuggie was stupid enough to still believe. "
108 " Her lips were almost always pursed, and her raisin-coloured eyes were constantly scanning the busy crowd for trouble. There was a calcified hardness to her now that she wore like armour and too often forgot to take off. "
109 " Agnes kissed him then. Eugene, solid and true. His lips were hard but tasted sweet. "
110 " When are you coming home?” “Look, don’t upset yourself. Doesn’t Mammy deserve a party? It’s been that long, Hugh.” Her voice trailed off. “I’ve been promised that many parties in my day. Why are you trying to ruin my party.” She was repeating herself now. “Mammy, I’m scared. Where are you?” “I’m up at Anna O’Hanna’s. Away to your bed, and I’ll see you when I get home.” This part was ominously vague. The line went dead, and it took him a while to replace the receiver. "
111 " As she spoke, her bottom lip looked like it might burst. “Oor Louise has special needs, and her school has donkeys. Does yer school have donkeys?” “No.” “Well, ah think ye should go to her school because it has donkeys.” She took a satisfied tug on the foamy beer. "
112 " should just get the fuck on with it.” He slapped his hands and threw them open in a wide tah-dah gesture. “Get on wi’ yer fuckin’ life. Have a great life. Ah promise that nothing would piss the pig-faced baldy bastard off more. Guar-rant-teed. "
113 " Shuggie sat there listening to them amuse themselves. He took the red football book and dropped it into the dark drawer of this strange school desk. He was glad, at least, to be done with that. It was clear now: nobody would get to be made brand new. "
114 " Has he ever touched you, Shuggie? Father Barry, that is. "
115 " He had been rubbing her back one morning as she told him she wanted to live somewhere she could have her anonymity back, a place her pride could be restored. "
116 " I don’t know.” It fell out of him unexpectedly, almost like a loose fart, and he regretted it instantly. His face flushed, and his eyes darted to her. She was his best chance at being a normal boy, and already he had ruined it. "
117 " waiting to be inflated into adulthood. "
118 " The tinned custard wasn’t a fuck-you to ungrateful sons. She was making sure her baby was fed, and now she was saying goodbye. "
119 " In the silence he listened to her cough through the stupor, then she retched and a trickle of thick bile appeared on her lips. Shuggie reached inside her jumper sleeve and took out her toilet paper, carefully enough not to wake her. With a practised finger he reached inside her mouth and hooked out the bronchial fluid and bile. He wiped her mouth clean and lowered her head safely back on to her left shoulder. There "
120 " That’s her away. It was what you said when you disposed of something. "