Chapter 16
‘Well young fella,’ said Matty Feeney, wandering round the side of the funeral home with a mug of tea in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
I was cleaning the vehicle he had driven Ronan in on Monday, which ended up being the only day Ronan had come to school the whole week.
‘You getting that aul muck-skite off the aowl banger there, are ye?’ The gentle-mannered version of Matty who had driven Ronan was gone and the version I was used to had returned.
‘Aye, Matty, did you drive it through a field or what?’
‘Ah would you believe she’s been sittin’ bone idle all week? Bit like ma’self. Naw, that’s Monday’s doin’ all caked in from pickin’ up your wee friend. Thought he’d be my new wee regular. What happened? Has he taken a turn for the worse or what? No one tells me nothin’.’
‘I didn’t get the details myself,’ I said, which was only half true.
I hadn’t phoned the McCoys, even though I knew I should, but it felt awkward because I didn’t know them all that well.
Plus, it was my fault. I’d probably let them down.
I’d failed Ronan on his first day. I was wondering if he would ever want to see me again; maybe he’d scream like he did in the canteen any time I came near him.
‘You’re best friends, are yous not?’ Matty said.
‘How’d you know that?’
‘Emma, his ma, said to me on Monday. She was admirin’ how spruce the motor was and when I said it was a young fella called Brendan that looked after the motors she couldn’t believe it was the same Brendan that went to school with her young fella – Ryan, is it?’
‘Ronan.’
‘He let a big laugh out of him at the mention of your name, he didn’t let up for a good minute.’
I stopped what I was doing, gripping the sponge, wringing drips onto my feet.
‘He laughed?’
‘Oh aye, and then when he eased off and Emma said your name again that set him off laughin’ even more.
Emma said she’d never seen him go on like that before.
So I was surprised to get the call on Monday to bring him home early when he’d been goin’ on like that on the drive in.
But sure maybe the two of yous got to have plenty’a’laughs before he left? ’
‘No, not exactly, Matty. Actually, it wasn’t a good first day at all.’
‘Oh right, why’s that?’
‘Just wasn’t.’
‘Oh right, surprised to hear that – there’s no doubt with the antics of him in the back of the motor on Monday mornin’ that he was lookin’ forward to seein’ you, or at least that’s the way I saw the situation, but sure I know nothin’.’
Ever since Tuesday, I had been building the belief that it was because of me that Ronan didn’t come back to school. But after what Matty had just said, maybe I was wrong.
‘So is that it then?’ said Matty. ‘No more school for Ryan? – Ronan?’
‘Who said that? My form teacher said he might be back next week. Did someone say no more school?’
‘Ah maybe I’ve got it wrong then. Gerry just said to me there now they’ve cancelled the school run for Ronan for the rest of the term and they’d be in touch in the New Year.
But no, maybe I’ve got it wrong, sure Gerry’s in the office there, I’ve no head for keepin’ track of them things ma’self so I don’t. ’
I dropped the sponge and went straight to the front door of the funeral home, which was also Mr Feeney’s family home.
He always told me not to bother knocking and just come in but I never felt comfortable doing that, I always rang the doorbell.
His wife was usually in the midst of household stuff, as well as looking after their two young girls.
She opened the door and the smell of something frying in the kitchen hit my nose.
Mrs Feeney, even at the early hours of a Saturday morning, always looked like she had just had a makeover at a salon.
I wondered what time she got up at to do all that; I never saw her look any other way.
‘Morning, Brendan, go on ahead. He’s down in the office there if it’s Gerry you’re after.’
‘It is, thanks, Mrs Feeney.’
‘Do you want a bacon sandwich? I’m making one for the girls.’
‘No thanks, I’m alright, Mrs Feeney, I had a big breakfast,’ I said. I never felt comfortable eating in other people’s houses for some reason.
Mr Feeney never got dressed for work when he was at home in his office, he’d wear a shabby white-ish dressing robe over his hairy body.
It didn’t have a tie cord so it hung open to reveal loose boxers that were usually striped.
His beer belly slunked out over the elasticated waistband and he was always barefoot.
He had a habit of pacing when he was on the phone, so I could hear his feet slapping on the wooden floor of his office as I made my way down the hall.
I got glimpses of him walking back and forth through the half-open door; that cotton-caped, coffee-mug-holding, crotch-scratching, almost-prehistoric-looking man.
His eyes were blearied and he was unshaven and his voice was croaky as he spoke into the phone in one hand while beckoning me inside with the other when he saw me standing there.
Mr Feeney was fair in business and a good judge of character.
He had high standards and was very professional.
He balanced his books and paid me fairly, even giving me bonuses at Christmas and in the summer holidays.
He was consoling to families and conducted funerals with a kind of majesty.
He had good relations with local businesses who supplied him with flowers, holy relics and coffins.
And the priests appreciated him for his punctuality in respecting the churches’ busy schedules.
But he was never any of these things before 11 a.m. on a Saturday morning.
And when it came to my granny’s funeral, there was no one else we would have considered for the job.
As I entered his office he pulled out the chair in front of his dark mahogany desk for me to sit down as he continued to talk on the phone.
I could always tell when he was talking to a customer because he pronounced his words more clearly and slowly with a gentle tone.
I caught a whiff of stale sweat as I sat.
He held up his fingers to indicate ‘two minutes’.
He flopped into his leather swivel chair as he was finishing the call and as soon as he put the phone down, I spoke.
‘Is Ronan not being taken to school no more?’
‘Mornin’ to you, too, Brendan,’ he said, switching back to his usual way of talking, and taking a sip of his coffee. ‘Who’re you on about?’
‘The boy that Matty took to school on Monday: Ronan McCoy, his mum is Emma McCoy.’
‘Oh aye, no, she phoned there on Tuesday to put a hold on things for the week and phoned again there yesterday to cancel the pickups until further notice.’
‘What does she mean by that?’
‘Well, in all honesty, Brendan, I got the impression the young fella won’t be going back to school a-tall. His ma mentioned there might be other arrangements for his education in the new year, so maybe they’re thinkin’ about home schoolin’ or somethin’.’
I sighed. Speechless.
‘What’s with the interest in this, Brendan? Sure that’s one less vehicle for you to clean.’
‘One less friend.’
‘What’s that?’
‘He’s my friend, Mr Feeney.’
‘Oh, I didn’t know that, Brendan. I’d heard what happened to him over at the farm, it’s friggin’ devastatin’ so it is, I’m sorry, son.’
I’d heard people say it was a farming accident, but I wasn’t going to talk about it with Mr Feeney, so I just nodded briefly.
‘Has his ma and da not phoned you to tell you all this, Brendan? Or the school? I would have thought someone would have told you what’s happenin’?’
‘No, Mr Feeney, no one’s telling me nothing and I’m friggin’ sick of it.’
‘Well, I don’t know the ins and outs ma’self – maybe give the McCoys a ring? Do you want to use the phone there?’
‘No, Mr Feeney, it’s OK, I’ll have a wee think first. Just a bit shocked so I am. I thought Ronan might be coming back next week but he’s definitely not by the sounds of it?’
‘Well unless he’s gettin’ there some other way than with Matty, then no, I don’t think he is.’
‘Right,’ I said, ‘well I’m going to crack on here.’
‘Don’t be doin’ no half-assed job now that you know your wee mate isn’t going to be sittin’ up in the back.’
‘Do I ever do a half-assed job, Mr Feeney?’
‘Naw, Brendan, you never do.’
I walked out into the cold air towards the bucket, the sponge a deadweight at the bottom of it.
No, I never did do a half-assed job.
But no matter how hard I sponged and hosed the vehicle that day I just couldn’t seem to get it to gleam as much as usual.