Young Mungo

Content Warning: The following summaries and analysis explore rape and pedophilia.

Mo-Maw gets back together with Jocky but, to Jodie’s surprise, decides to stay at home with Mungo. Mungo meets James’s father, who is off to the North—James’s father lives up North with a woman, and he only visited with James for a weekend to give him money for the coming month. James lives in a slightly better-quality apartment. While Mungo and James watch television, James moves his body so Mungo can lean into him, nearly lying on top of him. James shows Mungo the stash of money he’s been secretly saving from the allowance his father gives him. Mungo realizes that the reason why he hasn’t really seen James around before is because James goes to Catholic school—James is a Fenian. James and Mungo tease one another and wrestle around, and then James asks him to sleep over. When Mungo calls home to let his mom know he won’t be home that night, Jodie, who is pleased that Mungo has a friend, tells him their mother has left again.

In bed, James asks Mungo what it’s like to have a mother. They avoid touching until James extends his pinkie finger, and then Mungo cradles a sad and lonely James.