Perspective

PERSPECTIVE

-Hi. My name's Karen, she said throwing a packet of condoms onto my
table. -Get your jacket boy you've pulled.
-What? I said in disbelief through a mouthful of chips. This was a
wind-up I thought to myself as I looked at her seriously straight face.
-You're having me on here lass, I said placing my knife and fork
down.
-No, she said sullenly and the two girls behind me burst out laughing.
I turned round to express my disgust at their childish humour. One of
them, the ginger headed one, was busy eating tablecloth. It was an
attempt to stop herself displaying any more of her childish humour. I
turned back to my proposer in disgust. She had to be with them
imbeciles I thought. Although I hadn't noticed her sat there with them
when I came in.
-Excuse me but do I know you? I said as the immediate shock
resided.
-No, she said again and by now she had crossed her legs, placed her
hands on her hips and was chewing agitatedly and impatiently on a piece
of gum at the same time as she tapped her left foot.
-Well I don't think this is anyway to introduce yourself do you? I
asked at the same time as a shaven headed man came stomping over
towards us.
-Aileen what the fuck you doing? he said to her. -And who the fuck is
this? he continued looking towards me.
-This weirdo just asked me for sex, she said to him.
-What? I protested and in the background I heard one of the two girls
belch loudly.
-Did he now? he said to her as he turned his large and snarling head
towards me.
-Look mate, I said standing up and putting my hands in the air as
though to prove I didn't have a gun. -I didn't say anything of the
sort.
-Sit the fuck down and shut the fuck up, he said. -Listen very
carefully Pal, he continued, emphasising the "Pal" as he sat down on
the seat next to me. This is how it is going to work: You are going to
give me your wallet, phone and car keys and I am going to let you walk
out of here in one piece. Okay?
-I'm afraid I can't do that, I said lifting my keys and mobile from
the table and placing them into my jacket pocket.
-Oh I'm afraid you can, he said with a sneer that made his brow furrow
and his eyes narrow. -ARCHIE, he shouted and a shady little man who had
been sat reading a paper in the corner stood up, moved to the door and
turned the caf?s sign from open to close.
-Hey. What are you ah doing? sang the little old Italian man from
behind the shop's counter in protest.
-Shut the fuck up Short Arse, said Archie to the old man at the same
time as he removed a small handgun from his inside pocket and aimed it
at him.
-Dawn. Jo. Get to it, said the skinhead to the two girls behind me and
they both got up and made their way behind the counter.
-Get over there, the ginger, freckly faced one shouted to the old man.
He made his way towards us.
-Sit down there, said the skinhead to the old man nodding at the empty
chair beside me.
-Please, said the old man as he noticed the two girls begin to empty
his till, -It is all I have I beg of you.
-Shut the fuck up I said, said the skinhead to the trembling old man
at the same time as he knocked over my half full bottle of red wine.
The old man shuddered with fear at the sound of the bottle smash on the
floor.
-Right Hero, he said turning towards me again. -Are you going to give
me your wallet, car keys and mobile or am I going to have to get my
little friend Archie there to persuade you? And at this his shady
little accomplice Archie placed the pistol against his knee cap and
made a bang noise so loud that the old man shuddered again and placed
his little thinly haired head into my arm. The stain of Brylcreem was
evident on my jacket sleeve as I reached into my pocket and removed the
necessaries.
-At least you're not as stupid as your big nose makes you look, he
said to me. -Archie bring the ties, he shouted to his little friend and
within the space of a few minutes the old Italian and me were
plasticuffed and tied together between two chairs. A few seconds after
that the thieves had gone and we were alone.
-Will you stop crying? I asked the old man unsympatheticly but he was
uncontrollable. On the floor was the tabloid newspaper that the
skinheads accomplice Archie had been reading. It was crumpled, ripped
and scattered around the room in a right mess. One of it's scattered
pages carried the headline "ONE IN SIX AFRICANS DYING OF AIDS". The old
man began to howl now and I shut my eyes and preyed to get out of this
mess soon.