Continuing from yesterday, more distillations of APoS into an outline, of sorts:
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It's 1968 and Brendan is twelve. On his birthday, he helps Mr. O'Faelan fix his taxi's heater near the bus depot. He sees Joanna Martin for the first time as he's washing his hands in a pool of water by the curb and falls in love with her beauty. He decides to keep himself extra clean, for the next time he sees her. Eamonn is planning to become a barrister and Mairead is working at a shirt factory. Brendan has no interest in going to college; he just wants to be left alone and fix things. Eamonn's noticed Brendan gives Mairead money and Brendan sees he's not able to keep a secret so shrugs it off.
Brendan thinks about Joanna and gets his first erection...and finds it's hurting him. Badly. Eamonn wakes Bernadette and they call for an ambulance to take him to Altnagelvin hospital. She's angry because she thinks he was abusing himself, but it turns out he has phimosis and needs to be circumcised. He stays in hospital for a week, enjoying himself, then recuperates at home for another week. His Chinas drop by to play games and smoke, and he gets lots of little repair jobs so wonders why he needs to continue with school. Father Jack has replaced Father Demian, who was rumored to be too free and easy with his hands and boys. First hints that Danny was molested by him. The new priest consistently tells Brendan he's not living up to his potential, but Brendan is set on going his own way.
Mr. Motor Boy
Brendan starts doing odd work fixing cars. Rhuari is getting lost in his books, Mairead and Maeve working a garden. Eamonn has new friends so stays out late, a lot. Brendan's working on a clock when he comes in and they talk about the new hope in the world. John Hume leading the push. References the May riots in France and assassinations of Martin Luther King and how Robert Kennedy is running for President. Talk of marches in push for civil rights in NI, Eamonn joining in with it.
Eamonn asks about Brendan's circumcision and all is fine, then Eamonn reveals he's sleeping with a married woman. Brendan worries about the gossip if people find out. Eamonn comments no one know what's going on in Brendan's quiet little head. Goes to sleep. Brendan remembers Joanna and masturbates to her...and when he ejaculates fears he's broke something. But there's no blood so he sleeps, as well.
Marching Season
Protests throughout the city and area, calling for civil rights. Most on weekends, with anger growing. Colm begins drifting to a new crowd, Paidrig with him. Eamonn more involved. Brendan at protests but still stand-offish. Not sure it will achieve anything, nor is he impressed with Father's Jack's careful words. Church worried protests are communist-influenced.
Eamonn planning to attend Queen's College in Belfast so becomes the perfect man in the family while Brendan is more disparaged for being willing to do fix-it jobs for Protestants. Leads to a nasty confrontation with Bernadette while he's waiting for Danny and wee Eammon. Brings on a memory of seeing her and his father jumping into each other's arms to have sex, and he finally realizes his mother and father had loves the fights between themselves and she needed someone to abuse now that he was gone...and Brendan was it.
He, Danny and wee Eammon wander around bored, smoking, which Eammon's mother smells on them and tosses a fit; he has asthma. Brendan sees dogs chase a tom cat, about to kill it but the cat spins into a frenzy, spooks the dogs and gets away. Brendan goes home with Danny and they get drunk. Brendan sleeps in, the next morning, then Bernadette throws his breakfast on the floor when he comes down. He sneers and eats it, anyway.
Standoff
Silent truces between Brendan and his mother. Eamonn is off to Queens for orientation so Brendan and Mai get him a new sports coat. Have a table from Devlin's Furniture and he talks of the school, new friends, how they want the same things as him. Mentions two Derry friends will be with him, there -- Jackie Brennan and Aidan Dunn, then heads out for a meeting. Brendan's ordered not to go but sneaks out to follow Eamonn, who actually goes to a Mrs. McKittrick's house. Uncertain, Brendan peeks inside to see if there is a meeting and catches Eamonn and the older woman having sex on the divan. He runs off, shaken at how ugly it looked.
Brendan wanders about, a fog settling in about him, and thinks of how redevelopment in the Bogside has made Derry look like London in the blitz. Wonders if his father was in Belfast when it was hit by Nazi bombs, and recalls a moment when Da cursed after Father Demien and Bernadette tended to him, gently. It makes him wonder more about his father's unknown past. Then he hears police whistles and running feet, and helps Danny escape capture by the RUC. Danny suggests they go to the circle fort.
Grianan Aileach
Brendan and Danny cross into the Republic and head up to the fort, atop a hill. Silent until they get there and Danny's friends whisk up on two bicycles -- Tommy, Connor, Shane, and Brian (Boru to you) on a Schwinn and a Huffy banana bike. Tommy knows Eamonn from a demonstration at Dungannon, where he calmed down a confrontation with Protestants. Slip into the fort and Brendan climbs to the top to look out over the beauty around him. Sees Brian sneak into a hidden space at the base of the walls and bring out bottles of whiskey and bags of pot from a smugglers' stash.
Brendan smokes for the first time after Danny shows him how. Gets stoned and somewhat drunk, and falls in love with just looking at the stars above him. Then Colm shows up, angry. He's one of the smugglers and is shocked Brendan is there, but Danny tells him it's his first time. Brian jumps Colm, helped by Shane and Connor, but Brendan helps Colm fight back. Danny stops the fight with a sharp whistle because Tommy has pulled a knife. Danny talks him down and they leave Brendan with Colm.
Bernadette is angry with Brendan for sneaking out but he snaps back at her. Eamonn takes him out for a walk and they run into Mrs. McKittrick, so Brendan wanders away and sits atop the walls to look out over the Bogside, growing depressed. He wonders if his life will be like that of the people who live in the cramped ugly houses, and is finally afraid of what almost happened, at the fort. But the next day, Colm tells him, "You backed me up, me China. "I won't forget that." And Brendan feels proud, again.
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