Summary

Hamish summons Mungo to the flat where he lives with his teenage girlfriend and infant daughter. He gives Mungo a knife and tells him that “ye need a blade to protect yersel” (92). Jodie stays with her lover in a caravan by the ocean. Her lover is her teacher, Mr. Gillespie. He tells Jodie that “if you apply yourself you could go all the way” (95). Although Jodie does not enjoy having sex with Mr. Gillespie, she appreciates that the affair offers her a “respite from pretending to be Mungo’s mother” (95). Mungo continues to visit James at the doocot. James tells him that his mother died and that his father, who works on an oil rig, is often away. He reveals that he hopes to “leave school and get out of this shitehole” (100). James eventually departs to meet up with several girls. When Mungo...