Lingard001Chapter 1Lingard Estate1972Linen Hall LibraryThursday, March 10, 2016TIFFLingard001ManuscriptSadie, Donegall, KevinEnglishhttps://www.niliteraryarchive.com/content/page-oneLinen Hall LibraryLinen Hall LibraryAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SAhttps://www.niliteraryarchive.com/sites/default/files/Lingard001_1.jpg1
CHAPTER ONE
Sadie Jackson walked along Donegall Place glad to be free of the day's
work. The long day behind the shop counter bored her. It was time
she was looking for another job. Her mother would blow her head
off if she came home saying that. She was always changing jobs.
Three in the last year, and each one more ~~tiresome~~ boring than the last.
But she forgot about them now for it was a fine ~~spring~~ summer evening.
She crossed with the crowd over the busy street to the City hall.
As she moved along the wide pavement stepped on to the kerb she heard someone call her name.
"Sadie! Sadie Jackson!"
She looked round. For a moment she could not see who it was
that was calling her. The pavement was busythick with people heading
homewards. Then she saw him coming through the midst of the throng. Tall, dark, broader than she had
remembered, but with the same bright spark in his eyes. She waited
for him to reach her.
"Kevin," she said. "Kevin McCoy." XXX XXXX
"It's me all right." He was grinning. ”I saw you coming a mile
away.”
"Haven't seen you for ages. XXX XXXX. It must be nearly three
years.”
“DaresaySuppose it is. Funny seeing you again after all this time so long.”
They only lived a few streets away from one another but it might
as well have been a few thousand miles. They stood and looked at one another
and let the hurrying people push t round them.
"Fancy a cup of coffee?" asked Kevin. "Have you time?"
"Don't see why not," said Sadie. There were many good reasons
why not, her mother would say, but Sadie was not one to be put off
TextJoan LingardTuesday, September 6, 2016 - 10:482Lingard002Chapter 1Lingard Estate1972Linen Hall LibraryThursday, March 10, 2016TIFFLingard002ManuscriptBrede, Tommy, SchoolEnglishhttps://www.niliteraryarchive.com/content/lingard002Linen Hall LibraryLinen Hall LibraryAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SAhttps://www.niliteraryarchive.com/sites/default/files/Lingard002_1.jpg2
by reasons, especially her mother's.
They walked side by side to a coffee bar without talking. They felt
a little awkward walking together but once inside the cafe, seated
across a table from one another, their tongues broke free again.
"How's Brede?" she asked.
"How's Tommy?" he asked at the same time, and they laughed.
"3rede's fine," he said. "She's working as a nursery nurse."
"She always was soft on kids, wasn't she? Tommy's in the yard
apprenticed as a welder. "
XThey were silent for a moment, Sadie thinking of Kevin's sister Brede and
Kevin of Sadie's brother Tommy as each had been three years ago. They had all
been at school still then., different schools. They had started as enemies, had even
fought with stones and fists; then for x a while they had been friends
and then theybut eventually had drifted apart because of the difficulties of meeting.
"And you, Sadie, what are you doing?"
"Me?" She shook her long fair hair back over x her shoulder in a gesture that he remembered. "Well,
first I went into an office - " she wrinkled her nose* and then
I got a job in a linen mill..."
He laughed. "You always were x a restless onex !""
"Look who's talking!" They were used to sparring with one
another; it came back to them easily. Sadie settled back completely
at ease. It was as if the three years between had never been.
"I've been holding down a steady had the same job since the day I left school,"
he said. "So put that in your pipe and smoke it! there!"
"Is that right now? so?"
TextJoan LingardTuesday, September 6, 2016 - 10:484Lingard003Chapter 1Lingard Estate1972Linen Hall LibraryThursday, March 10, 2016TIFFLingard003ManuscriptKate, Barbed-wire, FightingEnglishhttps://www.niliteraryarchive.com/content/lingard003Linen Hall LibraryLinen Hall LibraryAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SAhttps://www.niliteraryarchive.com/sites/default/files/Lingard003_1.jpg3
"That's right. I'm working for Kate's da in his scrapyard.
Remember Kate, Brede's friend?"
"Indeed I do. She was sweet on you, wasn't she? used to fancy you, didn't she? Does she go with
the job?"
"Your tongue hasn't changed much, has it? Sarky as ever aren't you?"
She made a face at him. "I think the scrap business would suit
you rightly... roaming the streets and all that."
"The streets aren't the same as they used to be. Plenty scrap
lying about not what we're looking for."
Scrap in the streets: burnt-out cars and buses and armoured vehicles,
torn-up paving stones, barbed-wire coiled to form barricades. And
along the streets went soldiers on patrol with fingers on the triggers
of their guns, men and women eyeing them watchfully, suspiciously, and
bands of children playing at fighting and sometimes not just playing.
Sadei and Kevin were quiet. The subject was too difficult to talk
about, too difficult for them.
"It's a dead-end job anyway," said Kevin. "The scrap business. I
won't stay in it."
"What'll you do?"
He shrugged. "What are you dojng now? You haven't told me yet."
"I'm working in the a hat department," she said in an affected voice.
"You!"
"We get a very nice class of customer." She arched one eyebrow.
"I'll bet."
'You should see some of the old bags." Sadie rolled herx eyes.
TextJoan LingardTuesday, September 6, 2016 - 10:48848Lingard004Chapter 1Lingard Estate1972Linen Hall LibraryThursday, March 10, 2016TIFFLingard004ManuscriptMother, StarvedEnglishhttps://www.niliteraryarchive.com/content/lingard004Linen Hall LibraryLinen Hall LibraryAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SAhttps://www.niliteraryarchive.com/sites/default/files/Lingard004_1.jpg"Would you tc like to go up there?"
She nodded.
"Now?"
"Yes."
He guided her out of the cafe into the street and then dropped
his hand from her arm. On the way to the bus stop they passed a
newspaper billboard. SHOP GUTTED BY PETROL BOMB, TWO INJURED,
it declared. They both looked away and talked instead of Tommy
and Brede, remembering days spent at the seaside the summer they
had all been friends.
When they reached the stop, Kevin stood with his back against
the stance and looked at Sadie with a smile on his face.
"You're even better looking than I thought you'd be."
"Thanks very much!" Sadie tossed her head, but not with anger.
"At one time I -thought you were going to make an all-in-wrestler.
Do you remember the night you jumped on me when I slipped?"
"How could I forget it? You'd been defacing wrecking our King Billy."
"You could run, I'll say that for you."
"Hello there, Sadie."
Sadie turned to see that a girl had stopped beside them. It
was Linda Mullet, her old school friend, who lived in the same street.
"Oh hello, Linda."
Linda looked pointedly at Kevin,waiting for an introduction.
Sadie looked back at Linda.
TextJoan LingardTuesday, September 6, 2016 - 10:48849Lingard005Chapter 1Lingard Estate1972Linen Hall LibraryThursday, March 10, 2016TIFFLingard005ManuscriptPetrol Bomb, LindaEnglishhttps://www.niliteraryarchive.com/content/lingard005Linen Hall LibraryLinen Hall LibraryAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SAhttps://www.niliteraryarchive.com/sites/default/files/Lingard005_1.jpg5
Suddenly a frown knitted Linda's eyebrows. "I've seen you
before, haven't I?" she asked Kevin.
"Everyone's seen him before," said Sadie. "He's a well-known man
about town."
"Oh you!" Linda pouted. She hated to be teased. She s continued
to stare at Kevin.
"He can wiggle his ears too," said Sadie.
"I've many other a few more tricks besides forby" said Kevin.
"I know y who you are," cried Linda triumphantly. "Your names's
Kevin and you're - " She broke off.
"Yes, he's - ," said Sadie. "So now you know. I'm glad you don't
have to go sit all the way home on the bus with it worrying you."
Linda's round little mouth straightened into a taut line. She
edged away. "I'll be seeing you, Sadie."
"No doubt."
Linda walked away swiftly.
"She can't get back quick enough to spread the good news in your
street, Sadie,” said Kevin.
"Let her spread what she likes."
"I always liked the devil in you." Kevin grinned. "You never let them get you down, do you?"
"Her bottom bum wiggles just like her mother's ma's. I could see iA that
happening startin' three years ago. And her tongue wags just like her mother's ma's
too."
"I thought she used to be your best friend?"
"She bores me"
"Your head's cut."
TextJoan LingardTuesday, September 6, 2016 - 10:48850Lingard006Chapter 1Lingard Estate1972Linen Hall LibraryThursday, March 10, 2016TIFFLingard006ManuscriptLinda, Kevin, FriendEnglishhttps://www.niliteraryarchive.com/content/lingard006Linen Hall LibraryLinen Hall LibraryAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SAhttps://www.niliteraryarchive.com/sites/default/files/Lingard006_1.jpg5
Suddenly a frown knitted Linda's eyebrows. "I've seen you
before, haven't I?" she asked Kevin.
"Everyone's seen him before," said Sadie. "He's a well-known man
about town."
"Oh you!" Linda pouted. She hated to be teased. She s continued
to stare at Kevin.
"He can wiggle his ears too," said Sadie.
"I've many other a few more tricks besides forby" said Kevin.
"I know y who you are," cried Linda triumphantly. "Your names's
Kevin and you're - " She broke off.
"Yes, he's - ," said Sadie. "So now you know. I'm glad you don't
have to go sit all the way home on the bus with it worrying you."
Linda's round little mouth straightened into a taut line. She
edged away. "I'll be seeing you, Sadie."
"No doubt."
Linda walked away swiftly.
"She can't get back quick enough to spread the good news in your
street, Sadie,” said Kevin.
"Let her spread what she likes."
"I always liked the devil in you." Kevin grinned. "You never let them get you down, do you?"
"Her bottom bum wiggles just like her mother's ma's. I could see iA that
happening startin' three years ago. And her tongue wags just like her mother's ma's
too."
"I thought she used to be your best friend?"
"She bores me"
"Your head's cut."
TextJoan LingardTuesday, September 6, 2016 - 10:48851Lingard007Chapter 1Lingard Estate1972Linen Hall LibraryThursday, March 10, 2016TIFFLingard007ManuscriptBus, DangerousEnglishhttps://www.niliteraryarchive.com/content/lingard007Linen Hall LibraryLinen Hall LibraryAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SAhttps://www.niliteraryarchive.com/sites/default/files/Lingard007_1.jpg6
"Sometimes that happens. People grow apart."
"I know. Do you find that too?"
He nodded. "Here comes our bus. The bus swished in beside them.
He bowed to her. "Madam, Your carriage awaits you."
"Thank you, sir."
"Come on, yous two if you're coming," called the conductor. "I haven’t got all day
to hang about. I'm wanting home for my tea."
Sadie and Kevin stepped aboard, both of them aware that they were
embarking on something dangerous. But then neither of them hawd
ever been inclined to shy away from danger. As long as they could
remember they had always been aware of it.
Sadie bounded up the stairs in front of Kevin. Half way up she
turned and looked down at him and laughed.
TextJoan LingardTuesday, September 6, 2016 - 10:48852