The older boy, with a darker complexion, scratches his head and answers, ‘We’ve been suspended from school. Our stepdad… you don’t want to be around him when he’s angry. So, we come here. Mick always let us. We weren’t stealing or anything. Mick said we could always come when we wanted.’
The boy stands up and points outside towards the tree house in the backyard. ‘We built that tree house with him last summer… we were just coming in to borrow some blankets… that’s all.’ His voice quivers slightly, revealing a mixture of emotions: embarrassment, fear and perhaps even guilt. ‘We didn’t mean any harm,’ he says quickly.
‘Yeah, we’re totally harmless,’ adds the other boy.
‘Oh, is that so?’ James crosses his arms in front of his chest and pretends to be stern. I can see the amusement in his eyes. ‘And what’s your name?’ he asks the taller boy.
‘Liam,’ he replies.
‘And you?’ I ask, turning to the little freckly one.
‘Finn,’ he says, looking at the ground, not making eye contact with anyone.
‘Are you brothers?’ I ask.
‘Yes, I’m a year older,’ Liam says proudly. ‘But we’re in the same class at school – just because I had low attendance. Don’t let him tell you he’s the smart one, because he’s not.’
‘I’m way too smart for you,’ Finn says, sticking his middle finger up at his brother and grinning.
‘You wish,’ Liam replies, punching him playfully on the arm.
‘Hey, stop it, you’ll knock each other out,’ I say, secretly glad to see them horsing around.
‘Yes, I’ll knock you out, Liam… watch me!’ jokes Finn, but then he turns serious. ‘We didn’t expect anyone to be here. We didn’t take anything, we swear,’ he says, nudging Liam, who nods in agreement.
‘So where do you boys live?’ I ask.
They both point down the road to a small cottage in the distance.
‘That’s our house,’ Liam says. ‘But when we got suspended from school for fighting, our stepdad lost his head. He doesn’t want us just hanging around – we make too much noise he says, so—’
‘We thought it was best to find somewhere else to stay. That’s why we came here. We hang out in the tree house, mostly,’ Finn says, finishing Liam’s sentence.
A wave of empathy washes over me. It’s difficult to ignore the boys’ vulnerability, and I feel a familiar urge to protect them.
‘I see.’ James nods. ‘Does your mother know you’re here?’
‘She knows.’ Liam looks anxious.
‘Is Stephen McDonagh your stepdad?’ asks James.
Together, they make a face and groan, ‘Yep.’
James gives me a look before nodding. ‘I see,’ he quietly utters.
‘Did you manage to find any blankets?’ I say softly to the boys.
They both nod. James and I exchange a knowing glance as if silently making an agreement.
‘Excellent, well, anything else you need, you’re welcome to,’ I tell them.
The younger one starts speaking, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. ‘We’re good at fishing and woodwork and building fires too. If… if you let us stay around, we could, you know, help out?’
It dawns on me that this isn’t just an empty property or a pile of bricks and mortar – to these two it’s a shelter. It’s a sanctuary. It’s a lifeline.
And that’s a feeling I know all too well.
‘We’re working on fixing up this house, you know. If your mum says it’s okay, you can help, if you like.’
