Father And Son by Bernard MacLaverty

The door swings open and he pushes a hand gun beneath the pillow.

This is my son who let me down. I love him so much it hurts but he won’t talk to me.

There’s a bang. A dishcloth drops from my hand and I run to the kitchen floor.

BANG!!

My son is lying on the floor, his head on the bottom stair, and his feet on the threshold.

There is no one else. I go to him with damp hands.

Are you hurt?

They have punched you and you’re not

badly hurt. Your nose is bleeding.

I take my sons limp head in my hands and see a hole in his nostril that should not be there.

My son, let me put my

arms around you.

Your hands shake in the morning, Da,

because you’re a coward. You think

the world is waiting round the corner to

Why do you always spy on me, you nosy old bastard?