Someone's after me Dah.

 

I know about it, I heard some boyos talkin' about it in O'Grady's. ' That Gerry Conlon's going to get his, real soon.' one of em said, and they all laughed and said like it was about time and called me Dah a drug dealin' bastard.

 

They knew I was listening, course they did, some folks think it's better to frighten the poor sod first by lettin' him know he's gonna get knee-capped or worse. Me, I don't agree, well lookit a lot of fellas has bunked off to England or America wot with knowin' that 'the boys' are lookin' for 'em. OK so's they aren't around Belfast no more, sellin' drugs, or runnin' brothels or stealing cars an ' the like but feckit, if your gonna do someone over just do it and be done, that's what I say anyway.

 

Jeez I remember waiting to get the strap from the headmaster at St' Josephs College right enough. The bastard would 'invite', shit yea 'invite' you to his study to be beaten. You always got a time and unless you were a right fuckin' eeejit you were there on time or early ! His secretary a right frosty ole cow would check you were there and go tell him, then he'd make you wait. Ohh yes the worse part was the waitin'. Staring at the school photographs on the wall. They took one every two years, the whole lot of us in one bloody great sweep. If you looked at the one from 1958 there's me Dah, Ger Conlon no less. on the photy twice ! He had is pick taken at one end of the line of over 600 boys, scooted round the back and got in at the other end. What a character he was. He got strapped for that too by that hard lookin' Christian Brother in the center of the picture. All in black with his crucifix round his neck, not smiling just staring into the camera as if daring it to make him look anything but tough. Well tough he was sure enough, or so they say, broke many a young laddos pride, but not my Dah. My Dah broke his nose though, and several teeth.

 

Dah always said how it wasn't him that was nickin ' stuff from the school tuck shop an sellin' it to the other lads for less. He said he got his stuff from a proper thief who nicked from warehouses as the like, and sold it real cheap to my Dah. I think he was telin' the truth there, anyways it didn't matter, the headmaster caught him sellin'' stuff and said he was nickin' it as well. My Dah was summoned not to the study this time, but to assembly to be thrashed on the arse in front of the whole school. Now this was a rare enough thing, it never happened to me or any in my years at St. Josephs. You had to wear gym shorts and no underpants and it must have hurt fearful bad because lads cried after two strokes let alone six. Well me Dah, was at assembly, and was called up onto the stage. He was told to change into his shorts and he said 'No' ! That was it No says he. That was it the head came at him in a fury, aww these boyos would use fists and feet if they had too. My Dah wasn't brought up on the Falls Road for nothing and as the head came at him he side stepped and tripped him. You could have heard a pin drop in the hall by all accounts. As the head got up. my Dah hit him, breaking his nose with the first punch and several teeth with the second. Then he snapped the chain off heads neck and taking the crucifix as a trophy walked out the hall and school for ever.

 

He got sent to borstal for that. From there it was prison several times, all the while learning how to beat the system and make easy money.

 

Me I was different I studied pretty hard at school and went to University, I got into politics and one day I plan to stand as Sinn Fein candidate for Parliament. First though I have to clear some problems from my life. It's not as if the IRA don't want drugs at all , though that's what they say. I mean how do think they fund arm's purchases and the like ? No they run the drugs thing pretty well considering even paying off the RUC and Customs & Excise to look the other way. It's a business. Then there are the 'independents' who don't give a shite about the greater good but just want to line their own pockets. Like my Dah.

 

My Ma , now she see's things differently, 'You do whats right for Ireland son ', she says, 'And never my yer Dah, the worthless lump of shite, apart from you Sean not a moment's happiness have I had since I married him.'  I think to myself why she married him too, pregnant with my sister Fiona, forced by me Dah to have intercourse on the way home from their first date. Fiona got into drugs at 15, was an addict at 16 and dead at 18. Another 'independent' like Dah, was her supplier.

 

I killed him last month. We have to keep things organised in the IRA, no independents you see. As head of The Belfast No. 2 Brigade it's down to me to keep order. So now someone's after me Dah.

 

It's me.