photoStewart Devitt was born in Belfast and now lives in New Zealand. He is an experienced training professional specialising in communication and personal development, www.sdtraining.co.nz. He holds a Masters Degree in Management Learning from Lancaster University, NLP Practitioner, from Bennett Stellar University, Seattle. With Professor Dory Reeves www.reevesassociates.co.uk he carried out research for the Equality Commission of Northern Ireland on Evaluating the Effectiveness of Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. Whilst still involved in the training field he now devotes more time to writing, a lifelong hobby and pleasure. s.devitt@xtra.co.nz.

 

A Day Out

By Stewart Devitt

Knuckles Mulcahay made his way down Sandymount Green, having first checked he hadn’t forgotten to bring his ticket for the afternoon match at Lansdowne Road. Although the ground now had a corporate name, to him and his two friends it would always be just Lansdowne Road. He made no secret of the fact that he dyed his hair, taking pleasure in being told it made him look at least ten years younger. Over six feet tall, broad at the shoulders and narrow at the hips he had been given the name Knuckles by his teammates in the local rugby club. A normally placid man he could be aroused when others were in trouble and from time to time when his front row colleagues were under pressure they would pass him the word and open a small gap in their binding. That was all it took and his huge fist would flash through landing on an unsuspecting and unfortunate opponent, and that usually settled things down. When reflecting on such incidents, and his reputation, he had the habit of pulling and cracking his knuckles.

Turning on to Sandymount Road he caught up with Fingers. Fingers O’Sullivan was a slim well dressed figure with delicate manicured hands and polished black leather shoes. A developing bald patch on the crown of his head was always covered by a smart trilby hat. As a magician he used his hands to mesmerise audiences and pull all sorts of objects from ears, noses and mouths.. His fingers worked swiftly and invisibly as he pulled silky handkerchiefs from pockets or returned a watch to a surprised face, who hadn’t registered the loss.

They exchanged the usual pleasantries about the weather, asked after each other’s well being as they strode the final few hundred yards down Leahy Terrace to where Elbows Rigby lived. The main door of the house was open so they walked straight down the hallway to the apartment at the end and knocked on the door. As the aroma of freshly made soup wafted across their noses Elbows greeted them warmly, took their coats and sat them down at the kitchen table. Talking to them over his shoulder he turned off the gas ring and ladled the vegetable broth from a large saucepan into three big bowls. Cutting and buttering thick slices of soda bread he placed these and the bowls on the table and sat down with his friends. A short, scrawny figure with a long sharp nose he had got his nickname from his antics at work, with one of the city’s leading newsagents, where he had regularly disturbed hoards of lunchtime free readers. He would move in to tidy up the magazine display elbowing out anyone who got in his way. Children and the elderly were not spared and those stubborn, or oblivious to the unspoken message to move on, would be subjected again to the assault until they succumbed.

The three friends got together whenever possible to attend popular events and fuelled by the warm soup they set off to the game full of anticipation. They had as usual agreed in advance the number of stops on the way, identifying three of the most popular watering holes for fans, intending to arrive at the ground fifteen minutes before kickoff. This would allow time to comfortably settle into their seats. The routine was by now well established so there was no need to go through the procedure or check any details.

Crowds were gathering and at the first pub drinkers were tightly packed with an overflow on to the pavement. The threesome stood outside chatting away, savouring the atmosphere and joining in the banter with the opposition fans. After about ten minutes Fingers went in looking around and eyeing up the groups and individuals as he slowly edged his way around a circuit of the establishment. It wasn’t long before the signal, a lift of the trilby and scratch of the head, was given and Elbows followed him in, pushing and shoving his way through a small group of noisy sociable drinkers. His aggressive advance got the desired reaction as the group stopped their conversations and verbally objected to his attitude and behaviour. Some minor shoving took place as the tension increased a little and it looked as if the argument could get more serious when Knuckles arrived, towering over most of them and flexing and cracking his knuckles for all to hear. The disturbance lasted only a few more moments before Knuckles apologised to the group and ushered his friend away. It had, though, been time enough for Fingers to complete his second part of the operation.

The same procedure was followed in the two other establishments, and just inside the ground, to such an extent that when they sat down in the stand just before the start of the game there were satisfied grins on all three faces. With the work done they concentrated on the game, shouting advice, and occasionally a bit of abuse, at players and referee. The result was disappointing as Ireland, yet again, missed opportunities and ended up losers by five points.

When the game was over they strolled back to Leahy Terrace where they brewed up a pot of strong, hot tea, chattering away like excited school kids. Only when they had finished the tea did they get Fingers to empty his pockets so they could count the takings. €620 for less than two hours work brought back the grins. Enough to cover the cost of the tickets with some left over to supplement their pensions. Congratulating themselves on their teamwork, and noting how it was somewhat superior to that displayed at times by the boys in Green, they checked the date of their next assignment. They never overplayed a venue or sport so having agreed to wait another six weeks before enjoying the big golf tournament they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.