His sister’s picture was the only family photo Jig ever saw in the house. Unlike Spikey’s house: it had photos of him and his ma, and his brothers and sisters. Not of his da though. Spikey didn’t seem to know where his da was.
As Jig watched his sister approach along the path, he recalled that one picture frame. It was on the mantelpiece in the sitting room. It was of his ma, his da and Donna, when she was a baby. They called her that after Madonna.
That frame ended up over Donna’s head, years ago, when he was small. They were all rowing, Jig remembered. He was there. Donna pointed at the picture and said something about her still being her da’s daughter. He’d called her a ‘dirty junkie tramp’, grabbed the frame and smashed it off her head. The glass went all over the place and there was blood on her skull. She screamed and went to kick their da. He punched her full in the face. She fell back like one of those trees being cut down and hit the back of her head against the bottom of the wall.
His ma roared and went to break her fall. His da wiped spit off his mouth and flicked it away. Some of it landed on Jig’s face. His da moved for Donna again, but his ma told him, ‘Fucking leave her alone.’ He reached down and grabbed his ma’s hair and pulled her up. He hit her with his thick, square fist right into the side of her face. He dropped her and drove a kick into Donna. His da’s boots seemed like black cement blocks. His ma managed to half stop a second kick. He tried to shake her free. They were all screaming. Jig had his hands over his ears. His da kicked his foot right through a panel in the bottom of the sitting-room door. Clean through it went. And he almost took the front door with him.
Donna left after that. She wasn’t going to live in a ‘fucking hole’ she told their ma.
Jig kicked at a wreath wrapped around the railing of the bridge as he looked down at Donna. He smiled as she sashayed down the path, her dyed blonde hair tied back. She wore a tight top, with ‘Party Time’ written across it. She had a small jacket with fur around the top. She wore tight jeans and platform wedges, scraping against the path as she half-ran towards him.
He felt a tug in his heart.
‘Here, let me look at ya.’ She landed a big smacker on the top of his head. He looked at her purple lips and her long dark nails. Bowie jumped and barked.
‘Ah, Jaysus. Jig.’
Her left arm came up and she scratched the top of her other arm.
‘When I see ya last? Must be six months?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Seriously?’
‘Yeah, seriously.’ Jig cracked a smile.
‘Well, I don’t be back much. Ya understand, chicken? But I heard about Maggot going awol, so I said I better see were youse all okay? Ya know?’
She grabbed him into a huge bear hug.
‘Ah, Bowie, come here,’ she said giving the dog a shake and getting a lick to her cheek in return. ‘Jaysus, he’s getting big. Granda be so proud of the way ya do be looking after him.’
Jig smiled at that. Donna, Bowie and Granda. His body warmed at the thought of the three of them as a family.
‘Some get up,’ he said, nodding at her.
‘Thank you,’ she said, doing a little twirl. ‘What ya doing around the canal?’ she asked, looking at her fancy watch. ‘Ya not supposed to be in school?’
‘Fuck school. Them teachers are a shower of pricks.’
Donna grabbed his arm, her nails gathering his bones in a clasp.
‘Come on, let’s go. I’ll walk up with ya.’
There was no way he was going to school. But he liked walking with his sister. She looked great and all positive. And not embarrassed to be with him. Bowie hopped along beside them.
‘How’s the hole. Not school now,’ she laughed. ‘The other one.’
‘I was thinking about that picture when I saw ya?’
‘Ah, Jig, forget about that fucking picture.’
She scratched her cheek. Jig looked down on the ground, going back into himself. After a moment, she spoke again.
‘Heard yer in with Ghost?’
‘Yeah,’ Jig said proudly. ‘He does be treating me like, his man and all – that’s what he says. And I get to go in his jeep.’
‘Wow. Go Jig.’ She stopped for a second. ‘But, be careful, yeah? Ya know with everything that has happened.’
They walked on.
‘He ever ask after me?’ Donna said suddenly.
‘No,’ Jig said, thinking about Taylor now.
‘Where’s he hanging out, anyways?’
Jig knew she was thinking about something, pouting her big lips and pushing her boobs out.
‘He’s always driving around. He might be at football later.’
Donna scratched her face again. The sound was like sandpaper, Jig thought, looking at her nails. One of the nails was cracked and the varnish was half done on another.
‘Hey, Paulie,’ Donna roared at a guy across the road. ‘What ya up to, ya sneaky fucker?’
Jig knew the guy from the canals.
‘Is a modelling school after opening around here or what?’ he shouted back.
‘Go on, ya charmer. Listen, I’m meeting someone at the clinic. I’ll walk up with ya.’ She turned back to Jig. ‘Up to school now. Don’t take any shit from the principal. Tell him I’ll have his bollix if he gives ya hassle for being late. Yeah?’
She grabbed his face with her nails. Jig could see dirt in behind them. She landed him a big kiss, this one on his cheek. Her teeth were yellow up close.
‘Score a goal for me at football, yeah?’
He watched her skip across the road on her wedges, Bowie barking after her. She grabbed the guy and put her hand around him. He smacked her ass.
She looked back at Jig and blew him a kiss.