Buddy gets home from school and sees his dad arguing with a bailiff who was there to repossess his Harley-Davidson. We learn that the motorbike is his dad’s most treasured possession and that he will be heart-broken to lose it.
With his dad annoyed at losing his motorbike, Buddy knows he shouldn’t ask for money but the rage inside him builds and he lets it out, telling his dad that he gets in trouble for not having the correct trousers. He tells his dad that if he had a job, he would have money. Realising that he has hurt his dad, Buddy begins to cry and his dad just walks out of the room.
Buddy regrets what he said to his father as he knows how hard it is to get a job, since the factory closed. His dad calls up the stairs later that evening offering him tea and he declines, saying that he is ‘cutting off his nose to spite his face.’
His dad puts on the Buddy Holly record, ‘I’m Sorry,’ to show how sorry he is before leaving the house for the night.
Questions:
- Why is the motorbike being repossessed? What does this show about Buddy’s family?
- What does Buddy tell his dad to do? What is his dad’s reaction?
- Why is Buddy so annoyed at not having the correct trousers?
- How do we know his dad is sorry?
- Does Buddy have a tough life? Explain your answer with reference to the text.
Enda's English Notes 
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