Eamon Davis looked at the huge digital numbers on his watch and tried to figure out how late it was. He was the only one standing outside school, waiting to be collected. He wasn’t sure how long to stick around for – it would be dark early. Da had told him never to go anywhere alone because there were bad men out there, bad men who would take him away. But Da would come looking for him. Da would save him. ‘Cos Da was a hero.
Eamon puffed out his chest. If Da was a hero, he could be a hero too. He could get home and if any bad men came near him, he would kick them where it hurts and run away. Da taught him well. Eamon remembered the way home clearly, even though he hadn’t taken the journey alone before. He wondered why nobody had collected him, maybe Selena was supposed to and forgot.
He shifted the weight of his schoolbag. Muscles, that’s what he’d have. Like a hero. Like Da. He grinned to himself and strolled on, confident and happy. He waited for traffic lights to turn green, looked both ways before crossing the road. Big boys can walk home on their own.
But then nothing looked familiar and Eamon realised he had taken a wrong turn. He stopped walking and sucked the tip of his thumb, trying to figure out where to go. He saw a boy in the same school uniform as himself.
“Are you in my school?” Eamon asked him, shy because it was a bigger boy.
The boy looked down at Eamon and laughed. “Are you Selena’s brother?”
Eamon nodded. If he knew Selina then he must be a friend. “Can you bring me home? Nobody collected me.”
The boy’s eyes narrowed a little. “Yeah, sure. I’m Jay, I’ll take you home. Come on, little man.” The boy led Eamon through the park but not to the playground, not where Ma ever took him.
Jay passed the pond and pretended to push Eamon in. Eamon didn’t like that but he didn’t want to cry in front of a big boy. The sky was darker now and Eamon felt a little scared. Da always said bad people were out in the dark.
They walked until Eamon’s feet were sore, until he begged Jay to stop, until they came across a group of even bigger boys. Jay pushed Eamon in front of him, toward the others.
“Guess who this is?” he said and laughed but Eamon couldn’t see what was funny.
“He looks like him and all,” one of them said. “What you doing out this late? Shouldn’t you be home crying?”
Eamon jutted his chin. “I don’t cry. My Da says big boys don’t cry.”
The boys all laughed. “Your Da’s dead, you stupid twerp.”
Eamon didn’t know who spoke but his chin trembled. “My Da’s not dead. He’s a super hero.”
“Your Da’s no hero, he’s a fucking rat,” one of the boys said, and spat on the ground. He moved towards Eamon but Eamon wouldn’t move. The boy smacked Eamon across the mouth.
Eamon’s eyes watered with the sting. He tasted blood, reminding him of when he used to put old coins in his mouth. His Da would make him spit them out in his hand. Eamon spat the blood out. It splashed the boy’s sleeve. The boy’s face turned red. He lifted his hand again but this time, Eamon was ready. Ready to be a hero, just like Da. He ducked and punched the boy where it hurts, hoping Da would turn up and rescue him. They were lying about Da, he just knew it.
The group of boys burst into hysterical laughter as one of their own bent over with pain. He glanced at Eamon, dark eyes full of hate, and Eamon dropped his bag and ran. He didn’t look around, he didn’t stop.
He ran and ran and kept running until he found a gate and made it out of the park. His chest heaving, he kept moving, dodging crowds of people and crying silent tears. He recognised the shopping centre, the big one Ma went to every Saturday afternoon while he and Da watched the football together.
Taking a deep breath, he tried to remember the way home, he knew it wasn’t far. Eamon found his way but he dreaded going home and telling Ma he lost his schoolbag. Da would say it was grand but Ma would probably cry about money again.
He walked slow, feeling guilty, but a knot of fear was twisting up his insides, why hadn’t Da saved him? Eamon shuffled his feet – entering his estate, everything seemed quiet. Maybe ‘cos it was dark. Everything looked different.
He turned onto his own street and saw the police car outside his house, the neighbours gathering outside his gate. He pushed past them, heard whispers of his name, saw Ma crying on the doorstep. Sobbing, a woeful cry, a scary cry. Her eyes were wild and her fingers bunched into fists and she didn’t look up at him, even when he stood over her.
Eamon looked up and saw Selena in the hallway, her face tear-stained and her lips cracked and dry.
“It’s Da,” she said.