Chapter 7: Holy Water

The beginning of this chapter starts off with MacDonald’s mother getting shot by a stray bullet that flew through a window. Some kid was shooting off rounds across the street because he was high off angel dust and she wasn’t the only one who got shot. This is a true testament to how strong MacDonald’s mother was, almost to a fault. She had been shot, was taken in an ambulance and had managed to get away once they pulled up to the emergency room, she ran to Emerald Isle. Where she played her accordion to make money. The stories about this woman are so far out there that they almost don’t seem real.

The story takes a tragic turn when the older, drug addicted sister Kathy takes a fall off of the roof. She was completely “dusted” out on Angel Dust and the story still isn’t clear on how she fell. Some say there was a dispute between her and her boyfriend, others don’t believe it. Either way Kathy lived and was in a coma for months. Her friends were constantly visiting and Michael (The author) was constantly by her bed side. He started skipping school to go be with his sister and sit with her while she just lay there. His loyalty was unwavering. This was another chapter that made me cry because each friend that came to visit Kathy, later in life ends with them tragically dying. It is almost inconceivable what happens to these kids, and it’s absolutely devastating to hear their stories. 

One nurse who constantly checked up on Kathy ended up being strangled to death by her boyfriend. Timmy Baldwin who visited Kathy all the time was shot twice in the head a few years after Kathy fell while sitting in his car. There were hundreds of witnesses and no one talked. Down the road the shooter died the same way that he had killed Timmy. Julie Meaney visited Kathy, and a few years later drowned herself at Carson Beach. Frankie McGirk, who visted with Julie was stabbed to death over a drug debt. Tommy Dooley visited, and was later beaten to death with a lead pipe. Eddie LeClair was run over and murdered. Okie O’Connor hung himself. Michael Dizzo and his nephew Stephen Dizzo were found by Stephen’s 13 year old sister who found them on the floor. Months later, Kathy woke up.

This chapter was a huge example about Southies loyalty for each person living in it. Between the loyalty that Kathy’s friends had for her, enough to constantly visit, and the fact that many people never ratted anyone out, the examples are overwhelming. Southie’s loyalty, as I’ve said in previous blogs, is a fault of theirs. However in this chapter, Kathy’s friends prove to be a good example of what Southie Pride and loyalty really is. This chapter was tragic, but had an underlying message of chaos and also the healing powers of reliability in friendships.