Episode 76 – Bully Post..

Bully Post: The Night the Chimneys Spoke…

You know what always blows my mind about people like Bully? It’s not the big dramatic stuff – it’s the relentless, petty, low-grade negligence that piles up like a heap of rotting turf until one night it tries to kill you.

Let me paint you a picture.

I live in an old Irish house where the primary source of heat is turf. Now, anyone with half a working brain cell knows you clean your chimneys twice a year. Non-negotiable. Otherwise, you’re asking for a chimney fire. I begged Bully for months – and I mean months – to keep on top of it.
Of course, nothing.

His idea of ‘maintenance’ was to screw half the upstairs windows shut – in case someone might open one, I suppose – but the actual fire hazard in the kitchen? Grand. Leave it. Sure, what could go wrong?

New Year’s Eve a few years back, I was shattered. Mentally. Physically. Spiritually. I was minding Dad at night, as usual, and Fanny had her Saturday night shift, so for once I thought, feck it, I’ll have a drink, but instead I sat by the fire and fell asleep.

Luckily, I didn’t open that bottle of wine!

At 2am, the fire alarm starts screaming. I wake up choking on smoke, open the door, and there’s a wall of black. The alarm company’s on the phone asking if I’m alright, but I can barely breathe, let alone talk.

I tried to open the upstairs windows to clear the house, but of course – Bully had them all screwed shut. Screwed. Shut.

I spent the entire night fighting smoke, airing with what windows I could, stopping the house from burning down, and checking that Dad wasn’t dead of smoke inhalation.

And you know what’s mad?
Nobody ever mentioned it again.

Not a word.
Not from Bully.
Not from Fanny.
Not even a ‘thank God you were there’ from anyone.

We could’ve died. I could have died. Dad could have died.

But in their world, if you don’t mention it, it didn’t happen.
That’s the level of dysfunction.
And they wonder why my mental health was in bits.

I look back now and think: how messed up do you have to be to create a life where this kind of madness is normal?

And the absolute kicker?
A few months later, my other brother, Saul, casually mentions that Bully was thinking of cancelling the alarm company altogether.
Because of course, he was.
Can’t have lifesaving measures interrupting his home-improvement-by-hostage routine.

Welcome to life under Bully.
Add it to the list.