and gently tugged at his arm. ‘Wake up. It’s me.’ She looked around, saw the empty whiskey bottle on the floor – no surprise there. ‘Dad, wake up.’ There was no conscious response. Mike Steel simply grunted, his head rolling helplessly on the grimy couch.
Reilly sighed and shook her head. Even though this was exactly what she’d expected, she always held out a scintilla of faith – a tiny corner of her hoping that one day she would find her father, if not happy, then at least sober and clean-shaven. Something other than this usual passed-out drunk. But she guessed that was too much to expect. Even now, when she’d taken the job in Dublin to be closer to him and to try and help him.
She stepped over to the window and flung the curtains wide open. It was a sunny morning and the light flooded in, hitting Mike Steel full in the face. He grunted, stirred, and then tried to cover his eyes. ‘What the fuck?’
‘Hey Dad,’ Reilly checked the nearest armchair for debris and, deciding it was safe enough, sat primly on the edge of it.
Mike slowly hauled himself up, gradually registering her presence. ‘How the hell did you get in?’
‘You left the door open again. How many times have I got to tell you to be more careful?’
He reached an upright position and peered bleary-eyed at his daughter. ‘Did you just come around to nag me again?’
She shook her head. ‘I just wanted to see you.’
He finally looked at her for the first time, took in the smart dark blue suit, the black patent kitten heels. ‘You not at work?’ he grunted.
‘Just popped over on the way to the lab.’
‘So, have you saved the world yet?’ He grinned at his weak joke, looked around on the floor for his whiskey bottle, his face betraying his disappointment when he registered that it was empty. He licked his lips and looked up at Reilly. ‘You couldn’t lend us a twenty, could you?’
She ignored the question. By now this was an old game. He asked for money, she refused, knowing it would just be used to buy another bottle of booze. How he managed to drink as much as he did on benefits she didn’t know, but she certainly wasn’t about to facilitate his habit.
‘I was thinking of taking a tour of the old Bank of Ireland this weekend,’ she replied. ‘It’s supposed to be fascinating. You want to come with me?’
Her father stared at her. ‘Why the hell would I want to go there?’
‘Surely this city has more charms than just cheap booze?’
Mike leaned forward and made an abortive attempt to stand before falling back onto the couch, looking dizzy. ‘Ah, spare me the moralizing for once, will you.’
‘There are other places we could go then,’ she offered. ‘I just thought it might be nice to go out together, get some fresh air—’
Mike made a second attempt to stand up, and this time he managed to haul himself to his feet. ‘I need to take a piss.’
Reilly shook her head as she watched him stagger from the room, his tottering footsteps taking him down the hall and into the tiny bathroom.
He began peeing noisily. ‘Now if you wanted to visit the Guinness Brewery, I might be interested,’ he called back to her.
Reilly stood up, wanting to stay, yet at the same time hating every minute she was there. She stared at his back as he hunched over the toilet. ‘If you want to come with me, the offer’s open,’ she called.
‘Right.’
She took a last look around the flat, her face a mixture of pity and disgust. He was such a different man to the strong, funny, capable father she and her sister had known growing up. But a lot had happened since those days, stuff that would cause the best of men to seek refuge in the bottle. And no matter how much she tried to help him, how much she’d hoped that a return to the land of his birth would help him get over it – help him forget, Reilly knew that the specter of what had happened to Jess would never escape her father, in the same way that it never escaped
Reilly sighed and shook her head. Even though this was exactly what she’d expected, she always held out a scintilla of faith – a tiny corner of her hoping that one day she would find her father, if not happy, then at least sober and clean-shaven. Something other than this usual passed-out drunk. But she guessed that was too much to expect. Even now, when she’d taken the job in Dublin to be closer to him and to try and help him.
She stepped over to the window and flung the curtains wide open. It was a sunny morning and the light flooded in, hitting Mike Steel full in the face. He grunted, stirred, and then tried to cover his eyes. ‘What the fuck?’
‘Hey Dad,’ Reilly checked the nearest armchair for debris and, deciding it was safe enough, sat primly on the edge of it.
Mike slowly hauled himself up, gradually registering her presence. ‘How the hell did you get in?’
‘You left the door open again. How many times have I got to tell you to be more careful?’
He reached an upright position and peered bleary-eyed at his daughter. ‘Did you just come around to nag me again?’
She shook her head. ‘I just wanted to see you.’
He finally looked at her for the first time, took in the smart dark blue suit, the black patent kitten heels. ‘You not at work?’ he grunted.
‘Just popped over on the way to the lab.’
‘So, have you saved the world yet?’ He grinned at his weak joke, looked around on the floor for his whiskey bottle, his face betraying his disappointment when he registered that it was empty. He licked his lips and looked up at Reilly. ‘You couldn’t lend us a twenty, could you?’
She ignored the question. By now this was an old game. He asked for money, she refused, knowing it would just be used to buy another bottle of booze. How he managed to drink as much as he did on benefits she didn’t know, but she certainly wasn’t about to facilitate his habit.
‘I was thinking of taking a tour of the old Bank of Ireland this weekend,’ she replied. ‘It’s supposed to be fascinating. You want to come with me?’
Her father stared at her. ‘Why the hell would I want to go there?’
‘Surely this city has more charms than just cheap booze?’
Mike leaned forward and made an abortive attempt to stand before falling back onto the couch, looking dizzy. ‘Ah, spare me the moralizing for once, will you.’
‘There are other places we could go then,’ she offered. ‘I just thought it might be nice to go out together, get some fresh air—’
Mike made a second attempt to stand up, and this time he managed to haul himself to his feet. ‘I need to take a piss.’
Reilly shook her head as she watched him stagger from the room, his tottering footsteps taking him down the hall and into the tiny bathroom.
He began peeing noisily. ‘Now if you wanted to visit the Guinness Brewery, I might be interested,’ he called back to her.
Reilly stood up, wanting to stay, yet at the same time hating every minute she was there. She stared at his back as he hunched over the toilet. ‘If you want to come with me, the offer’s open,’ she called.
‘Right.’
She took a last look around the flat, her face a mixture of pity and disgust. He was such a different man to the strong, funny, capable father she and her sister had known growing up. But a lot had happened since those days, stuff that would cause the best of men to seek refuge in the bottle. And no matter how much she tried to help him, how much she’d hoped that a return to the land of his birth would help him get over it – help him forget, Reilly knew that the specter of what had happened to Jess would never escape her father, in the same way that it never escaped
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