Shay welcomed the warmth of sunlight as it cut through the branches. Shafts of yellow illuminated the path in irregular patches; shards of broken glass shimmered ahead.
Molly threw the packet she was eating from on the ground.
‘Pick it up,’ Shay said.
‘Everyone does it,’ Molly said, running off towards the playground.
Shay kicked at a sodden Budweiser box and scanned the playground.
‘Fucking great,’ he mouthed.
There was a fresh scorch area under the last remaining swing. The seat was completely burned. The two chains were blackened by smoke and fire. A dirty crater soiled the rubber surface.
‘Look what bold boys did, Daddy,’ Molly shouted, pointing at the swings. ‘This is junk town now.’
‘What can we play?’ Charlie asked.
Shay’s stomach cramped as he glanced back at Lisa. She sauntered towards him, looking swamped in a baggy tracksuit and a zip-up, both his.
Months had passed, and they were still no closer to leaving. No matter how he spun it, she didn’t listen any more. He was stressed, she was fed up. Things were just getting to them. Which meant more bickering and snapping and fights.
‘Erm, go over to the climbing frame there.’
Lisa slumped down on a seat outside the playground. He took out his phone and dialled Ghost’s number.
‘Yeah?’
‘You lose your jacket?’
‘I did.’
‘Found it this morning as I was about to throw the gear into the wash. Must have got mixed up.’
‘Must have.’
Ghost was being his typical suspicious self. He better not find the device. Hall had told him he wouldn’t. They had experts at this. Hope so, Shay thought.
Otherwise I’ll end up like one of those swings.
‘Where ya at?’ Ghost asked.
‘In the playground with the kids. I’ll drop it round later or give it to you at training.’
Silence.
‘I’m on the road. I’ll swing by yer gaff.’
‘Na . . .’
But the phone had gone dead.
Shay thought he’d better tell Lisa now, rather than wait till they got back.
‘Ghost might be at our house.’
Lisa shook her head ever so slightly.
‘Right,’ she said.
‘I said I’d drop something over to him, but he said he was passing and that he’d wait at our place.’
She turned to him. Red circles ringed her eyes like bruises.
‘Could you not have rung back and said, “No, I’ll call up to you.” Do you always have to be such a pussy?’
The road ahead went blurry for a moment as Shay felt the words slice into him.
He heard Molly whisper to Charlie: ‘Mommy called Daddy a pussy.’
With his mind the way it was these days, he couldn’t take it. It was like Lisa was hammering splinters of wood into his head. For the briefest of seconds he had an urge to ram into the car in front of him and if the driver got lippy, he’d punch the fucking head off him.
He gritted his teeth all the way home, barely managing to keep it together. Ghost’s Cayenne was docked outside their gate. It blocked most of the road.
‘Look,’ Charlie said, excited. ‘A tank.’
‘Is the Ghost man in there, Daddy?’ Molly asked nervously.
In their years here, there was never much of a need before for Ghost to be at their house. Given how the kids were reacting, it was clear to him why he wanted it that way.
He slowed to a crawl to get past the Cayenne. He scraped the alloy on the wheels against the footpath, Lisa cursing, as he inched forward.
‘I’ll go in and get his thing,’ Shay said. ‘Stay in the car until he goes.’
Lisa was looking out the window at the green. A group of kids gathered around a half-melted plastic bin. They were stuffing it with newspapers and making laboured attempts to light it.
Shay casually walked past Ghost’s car and into his house, grabbing the jacket.
He got a start when he went back out. Ghost was rapping on the window of his car, waving in at the kids.
‘Here,’ Shay said, holding the jacket and walking to Ghost’s car.
‘Kids love the beast,’ Ghost said, bending back. ‘Ya not going to let them out and have a look.’
Shay could see Charlie’s mouth wide open. Shay kept his cool and stayed where he was.
‘Bit of a domestic,’ Shay whispered as Ghost neared.
‘Tell me about it, Shayo,’ Ghost said, taking the jacket. ‘Fucking high maintenance the lot of them.’
‘Right there,’ Shay said.
‘Ya got to show them who’s the fucking boss,’ Ghost said, pointing his finger at him. ‘Ya don’t do that, ya might as well castrate yerself.’
Shay nodded.
Ghost pulled back the huge door and stepped in. The engine boomed, growling like a forest demon, competing with blaring rap. The window zoomed shut.
A door opened in his own car. Lisa got out. She didn’t look up and walked quickly to the house. Ghost’s window pulled down.
‘Don’t ya be busting his balls now, Lisa,’ Ghost shouted out.
Lisa stopped. Shay turned to her and waited for some drama, but she walked on. Cursing Ghost, he looked back, but Ghost had moved off.
Charlie’s face was glued to the window as the Cayenne purred past.