‘Grand. Talk to you tomorrow then.’
‘Right. Seeya.’
‘Eh … tell Trish I said hello.’
Norman shook his head.
‘Maybe I won’t bother just yet.’
‘She still arsey?’
‘She says you might be the most unbalanced person she’s ever met. And this is coming from a woman that’s surrounded by fucking Alzheimers patients all day.’
The car behind them beeped.
‘Well … tell her I’m sorry then? Again, like …’
‘Seeya tomorrow, Aesop,’ said Norman. He checked his watch. ‘Go on. I might as well head round to Mam’s now for an hour.’
‘Okay cheers, Norman. Watch the trams.’
‘Yeah.’
Aesop watched him pull away and disappear around a corner. He pulled out a smoke to have a think for a minute. That mad fucking tart Norman was going out with had called him again last night. She still wanted to meet him for dinner. Said nothing at all about that previous call where he’d broken the phone off the wall. If she thought he was unbalanced, she wasn’t letting on to Aesop. That shit was obviously just for Norman’s benefit. She was the one with the problem. She wouldn’t leave him alone. Aesop was pretty sure that he’d been right the first time. It had nothing to do with wanting to kill him or anything. She was after a good shagging, so she was. Christ, how could she want it that badly that she’d keep at him and at him? Was Norman saving it for their wedding night or something? Aesop had never come across itchiness like it in his life. It was disgraceful. Very un-ladylike. And it wasn’t as though Aesop had been giving her ideas, even. Fuck sake, surely she knew from Norman that Aesop was after Helen? What was her fucking problem?
His life never used to be this complicated. He sighed and stubbed the cigarette out against the wall, flinging the butt into a litterbin with a curse and sniffing at his fingers. Now he couldn’t even enjoy a bloody smoke, the fishy fucking taste of everything. He took out his phone. He was going to sort her out now before he did anything else. He’d gotten rid of Norman and now he could do it properly. He went to his logged calls, and pressed her number. He had to talk to her once and for all before he got on with the rest of his day. It was a pain in the arse but … well, what was the worse thing that could happen?
*
Norman had lunch with his Mam and was walking out the door to go back into town when his phone rang.
‘Hello?’
‘Hiya Norman.’
‘Trish! How’s it going. I’m at Mam’s. I’m just heading in now to meet you.’
‘Oh. Listen Norman, you’re not going to believe this. I have to work.’
‘What? Oh no.’
‘Yeah. You remember Nuala?’
‘Eh …’
‘Remember I told you? She’s one of the girls.’
‘Oh, your mate, yeah. She’s a nurse as well, right?’
‘Yeah. Well she called me and asked me to cover for her. She’s after coming down with a cold and she thought she’d be okay to work, but it’s been getting worse all morning now and she can’t go in.’
‘Oh. Okay. Ah well.’
‘I’m really sorry Norman. I’d have told her I can’t, but you should have heard her on the phone. She could barely talk. And she covered for me a couple of weeks ago when we … remember you and me …’
‘I do remember. God, of course I do …’
‘I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I swear.’
‘Ah don’t be silly. If she’s your friend and she’s in a fix …’
‘If there was anyone else … but it’s such late notice and the weekend and all.’
‘Of course. Listen, don’t be worrying about it. Will you be working tomorrow too?’
‘Looks like it. But I’ll give you call if Nuala’s better, okay? Sorry about this Norman.’
‘Will you stop. It’s grand. I’ll talk to you tomorrow sure.’
‘Are you sure it’s okay?’
‘Trish, it’s grand. All right? Go on. Give me a call when you have a minute.’
‘I’ll make it up to you, Norman. Promise.’
‘There’s no need …’
‘There is. And I will. I know how to make it up to you too, don’t I?’
Norman was standing in his driveway on his own. No one was out on the street. His Mam was in the back room with a cup of tea and could no more hear or see him than the man on the moon. But he still went absolutely puce and turned his back on the house. He wasn’t used to this sort of talk at all. His jocks suddenly felt tight and uncomfortable.
‘Ah … now …’
‘You just be thinking of me making it up to you, okay? And I’ll talk to you tomorrow. And when I see you I’m going to be badly in need of a big Corkman. Do you know where I might find one?’
‘I … I might have an idea …’
‘Well you tell that Corkman that I’ve got something special for him. Just for him. I think he’s going to like it. Okay? Will you do that for me?’
‘Eh … oh … oh … okay. Seeya so.’
‘Seeya. My man.’
Jesus. He was all in a tizzy, the disappointment of not being able to see her for the weekend tempered by the images she was after painting in his head. It took a few seconds to realise that she’d hung up. Norman turned to go back into the house. He might as well. There wasn’t much else for him to do was there? His plans were fairly scuppered. But he couldn’t go in yet. He’d have to give it five minutes and let the freezing wind do its work. His Mam would call him in to ask him why he was back so soon, and how was he meant to explain to her that his plans had suddenly changed, and him standing there with a big bugle on him.
*
The next day was Saturday, and they were booked into the studio for the whole day. Leet finished up at lunchtime, and then Ryan hung back with The Grove and they carried on from where they’d left off the previous night, showing him the ropes for the tour. Jimmy was pretty relentless, but he tried to make sure the poor bloke wasn’t too wrecked by calling regular breaks. There was no point in burning him out. He could have Monday off, when Shiggy was back in work.
Jimmy skipped out with Shiggy in the late afternoon to get some coffee and buns, leaving the others in the studio to listen to some tapes. He hadn’t wanted to take from the work at hand for the tour, but he was desperate to know what Shiggy thought of his Irish Dark Side idea. Shiggy played three or four instruments expertly and was no slouch on about another half a dozen. He was also great in the studio. He appreciated how instruments fit together in the ensemble. What sounded good off each other, when a piece needed something extra and when restraint was probably the way to go. Jimmy was essentially going to try and compose a whole work this time, not just write songs, and he was just starting to get an idea of how much he’d told everyone he wanted to bite off. He went over the whole thing for Shiggy as they ambled down the south bank of the Liffey to Jimmy’s favourite coffee shop on Wood Quay.
Shiggy didn’t say much, but eventually he nodded and looked up at Jimmy.
‘Jimmy, my grandmother is Ainu.’
‘Ainu? What’s that?’
Shiggy sighed.
‘Ainu is … rike … eh, different flom Japanese.’
‘What? What do you mean? You’re not Japanese?’
‘Yes. But, no, I am Japanese. Now. Of course. But Ainu is rike … you know Indian in America?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Indian is rike Ainu. Ainu was in Japan before Japanese.’
‘Oh. So … and are they still there? I mean, like the Indians living in America have their own, y’know, places where they live and all.’
‘Yes. In Hokkaido. North in Japan. Still there. Have Ainu language, Ainu foods, Ainu clothes …’
‘I thought yis were all just Japanese over there.’
‘Yes. Everybody sink that. But still there.’
‘Well, okay. And so what about it anyway.’
‘Jimmy, Ainu also have Ainu mu
sic. Remember gig in Rondon rast week?’
‘Yeah. Oh right, the Japanese guy that …’
‘Ainu guy.’
‘Ah.’
‘When I see tonkori on stage …’
‘Tonkori?’
‘Guy play it, remember?’
‘Oh right. The Japanese harp yoke.’
‘Ainu harp yoke. First time I see it in thirty years. My grandmother pray tonkori for me, but grandfather get berry angry.’
‘Why?’
‘Ah … berry compricated, Jimmy. Ainu in Japan rike … gypsy in Ireland.’
‘You mean like … discrimination and all that?’
‘Yeah. Kind of. But, ne, too difficult to exprain in Engrish. Anyway, in Rondon, guy pray Ainu music with Kira, remember?’
‘I didn’t realise. I though it was just Japanese music.’
‘Rónán say on stage, before guy come on.’
‘I wasn’t really listening, sorry. I was kind of zonked after singing “Caillte”.’
‘Anyway, I talk to guy after gig. So cool. To hear Ainu music over here. First time to see Ainu rike this. So many people crapping and cheering. Sound great with Irish instruments too. I berry proud.’
‘Well, that’s brilliant. I’m glad.’
‘Point is, Jimmy, I rearise that Ainu is me. I rike to study Ainu music, I sink. For my grandmother. I don’t want to forget music. Forget her. Is in me.’
‘Deadly. You should do that.’
‘Yeah. But what is in you, Jimmy? You tell me so many ideas.’
‘Well, I’m from Dublin. The suburbs. That’s where I come from, where I’ve always lived. But that’s not … we’ve had the Brits and their influence right on our arses for hundreds of years. And anyway, in any big city there’s a different … it’s down the country that all the …’
‘Peggy and Seán flom Dublin?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Grandparents?’
‘Yeah. Well, me Ma’s Ma was born in Kerry. But she moved up when she was small.’
‘So. Kerry then. Start in Kerry. Have music in Kerry?’
‘Yeah. Jaysis, some of the best trad musicians are down there.’
‘Okay. Great. Start there maybe. But Jimmy, prease, can’t write music for whole country and all history. Three hundred years? Write music for Jimmy first. Then see.’
Jimmy nodded. Shiggy was probably right. Typical Jimmy, getting all excited about his new project. It was just so long since he’d had a proper grasp on any idea at all, that he hadn’t had the chance yet to piece it together in his mind. It was all still just a bag of ideas, mixed-up plans and designs and excitement. He needed to sort through it. Chill out a bit.
‘I s’pose,’ he said. ‘Cheers.’
‘No plobrem.’
‘We should do something together one day, man. Irish and Ainu.’
‘Rike Kira?’
‘Yeah. But us. I know I keep talking about Irish music and all, but the last few days going over stuff with Ryan, I can’t help loving rock music too. I can’t help it. I fucking just love it. I s’pose I went off the wall a bit, thinking I was done with all that.’
They were standing in the queue now for their coffee.
‘You think we could mix rock and Ainu, Shiggy?’ said Jimmy.
‘Sure. Why not.’
‘What’s it sound like?’
‘Ainu music? You hear in Rondon!’
‘Sorry man. I was kind of tuned out for the last hour of that gig.’
‘Dopey bastard, Jimmy.’
Jimmy gave the order and looked back at Shiggy, shaking his head.
‘We really need to do something about your cursing, Shiggy. It’s getting fuckin’ worse, so it is. I’ll have to talk to Aesop later.’
They hurried back to the studio so that the lads’ coffee wouldn’t get cold on them and then they all sat around chatting and having a laugh, slagging Ryan about the women he’d meet on the tour and stuff. He was more of a Norman than an Aesop and just kept going red and telling them to give over. When they were done with the rehearsal, Ryan gone off blushing and excited, Norman tapped on the door and came in.
‘Lads. Sorry. Don’t mean to interrupt yis. I’ll just wait in with Sparky while you’re working. I won’t get in the way.’
‘No problem Norman. We’re done,’ said Jimmy. ‘Do you want a bun?’
‘I’m grand thanks,’ said Norman. He walked over to them and sat down for a minute. ‘Just had a big feed over in Mam’s before I came out.’
‘Okay so,’ said Jimmy. ‘How’d you get on last night? You were out with Trish, right?’
‘Well, I was meant to be all right. But she called me yesterday afternoon to say she couldn’t make it. She has to work for the weekend.’
‘What? Tonight as well?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Ah, that’s a pain in the hole. You should’ve given us a call. We had a couple of scoops in Mulligans last night.’
‘Nah. Sure I haven’t seen too much of Mam in the last while, so I just stayed in with her. Had an oul’ chat, y’know? Watched a bit of telly. What are ye doing tonight?’
Dónal was just putting down the paper.
‘I’m heading off after this, but there’s meant to be a session on in Whelans later. Why don’t you go around to that? Jimmy can soak up some of the vibe for his new masterpiece.’
‘Sounds like a plan,’ said Jimmy. ‘Are yis up for that?’
Nods all round.
‘Yeah, grand,’ said Norman. ‘Where’s himself?’
‘Hmm?’ said Jimmy.
‘Is he in the jacks?’
‘Who?’
‘Aesop.’
‘Aesop? Aesop’s not here today, man. We were concentrating on teaching Ryan the set for the tour.’
‘He’s not here?’ said Norman, frowning. ‘The langer. I told him he needed to let me know where he is and he said he’d be here.’
‘Nah. He must’ve made a mistake.’
‘The eejit. So he’s in your place still, is he?’
‘My place? Why would he be in my place?’
‘What? Didn’t he stay there last night?’
‘No.’
‘What?!’
‘What are you on about, man?’ said Jimmy. ‘Why would he have stayed in my place?’
Chapter Twenty-five
Norman stood up.
‘He said he’d stay with you after rehearsals yesterday!’
‘Norman, Aesop wasn’t rehearsing yesterday either. What are you on about? He’s not coming in till Monday, I told you. We’re working with Ryan for the weekend. While we have Shiggy. What makes you think …’
‘But … he was here yesterday. Didn’t I drop him outside the door myself at eleven o’clock.’
They were all looking at each other now. Dónal stood up and put his hands in his pockets, scowling.
‘He said he liked to get here early so as to get a warm-up done,’ said Norman.
‘Norman, Aesop has never been early for a rehearsal in his life. He’s always wandering in half an hour late, the fucker.’
‘Are you telling me you haven’t seen him today or yesterday?’
‘No, Norman, I haven’t. I haven’t seen him since the other night.’
Almost at the same moment, they all pulled out their phones.
‘I’ll do it,’ said Norman, and clicked the number. After a few seconds, he took the phone away from his ear again. ‘It’s not ringing. Says it’s turned off.’
‘Jesus fu … what the fuck is going on?’ said Jimmy, he was standing up now too and trying Aesop’s phone. He shook his head. ‘Nothing. Fuck! What now? Do we call the cops, or … I mean …’
‘Hang on a minute, Jimmy,’ said Dónal. ‘Let’s just think for a minute. Norman?’
‘Jimmy, call Jennifer, Marco and his Da, will you? Call your Ma too. Don’t get anyone all worked up or anything, okay? Just say he’s late for a rehearsal and you were wondering where he is.’
‘R
ight,’ said Jimmy, taking out his phone again.
‘Then check your email.’
‘Okay.’
‘Dónal, go in there and check your email as well. And you Shiggy. Dónal, when you’re done with that, send him a text and get him to call you or me as soon as he gets it.’
‘Yeah.’
‘Tell him it’s important. You know what he’s like. It’s possible that the gobshite doesn’t realise what he’s after doing.’
‘Right.’
‘I’m going over to his place now, just to check. He probably is asleep, the eejit.’
‘Why did he say he was rehearsing with us yesterday?’ said Jimmy, waiting for Jennifer to answer her phone. ‘That’s what he told you, right? He didn’t come in here. We were here at eleven with Leet.’
‘I don’t know. But I left him standing outside the door downstairs and he said he was coming up here.’
‘But …’
‘I don’t know Jimmy. Look, I’ll be back in half an hour, okay? Keep trying his number there and call me if you get anything.’
‘Okay.’
Norman went outside and started down to the Ha’penny Bridge. It’d be quicker just to go on foot with the traffic the way it was, although he nearly broke his fucking ankle on the bridge, jumping over a couple of buskers. He picked up the pace at the other side of the river and was outside Aesop’s front door less than ten minutes later.
He stood panting for a minute before he took out the keys. Something felt wrong. A hint of it had struck him when he left the studio, and it had taken hold as he ran across the city. This was his responsibility. He was the one that was meant to be looking out for Aesop, and now there was no sign of him. The bollocks had obviously lied yesterday about the rehearsal, but that didn’t change the fact that Norman’s job was to make sure nothing happened to him. But none of that was what felt wrong now. He took out his phone and looked at it, his breathing back to normal now but his stomach squirming. Fuck. He had to check.
He dialled her number first. The phone was off. Well that wasn’t unusual. They weren’t allowed take calls when they were on duty. Still. He pulled a business card out of his wallet to get the number of the office. He’d never actually called her this way, but he had the number from when he’d been doing the gardening work there. Should he? Well, he had to, didn’t he? It was in his head now and nothing would shake it until he knew.
Ride On Page 31
