Pam
By nuncher
- 495 reads
PAM
-Life was a mason, he said to me.
-And how do you know that man? I asked him.
-This, he said looking at the joint he was smoking. Then he prodded
his nose as if to say "keep that tae yersel ma boy".
-Ahh, ah replied knowingly, -It's a secret.
He winked and then, taking a sip from my bottle of Thunderbirds Red
wine, more commonly known as "Wreck the house" (because that's what it
makes you do) he said to me, -Look son. Get yourself sorted out. The
streets are no place for the likes of you. You have too much life ahead
of you, he said, passing me back the bottle of fortified wine.
My head went down. And as I stared into the neck of the bottle he said
loudly, -Listen to me Boy.
I kept my head focused on the potent liquid.
-Look at me, he said, grabbing my chin with his hand and making me
look at him.
-Sometimes Boy, he began and the smell of dried urine mixed with stale
tobacco from his hand made my eyes water.
-Sometimes we make mistakes and sometimes we think we are the best
thing going since skimpy knickers. Sometimes we're foolish, and make a
right arse of everthing, and sometimes we're wise. But we're only wise
if we learn from our cock-ups. And this is what you must do.
When he said this I pretended to listen. He then removed his hand from
my face and took the bottle of fortified wine from me. Passing me the
joint instead he said in a loud booming voice:
-Relationships my boy. Relationships are like employment. He then
paused to let the words dwell on me and then he added, -Sometimes you
have a summer job, part time or full and sometimes, if you're really
lucky, you have two at the same time. But that is when the problems
start my lad.
Listening to his voice the hash and the fortified wine began to kick
in good style. My mind wandered and I could see her. She was stood
there in her little black dress. I wanted to touch, to caress her. PAM,
I whined internally for her. Our Problems Astound Me.
-OI BOY, he shouted as he slapped my face hard. -Listen to me, I give
good&;#8230;
-FUCKING JAKEYS, was the cry from a couple of young boys on the other
side of the canal and a large stone came flying over, narrowly missing
my head.
-YOU FUCKING ALKY BASTARDS, they screamed excitedly as they scrambled
in the grass looking for more suitable projectiles to throw at
us.
-You wee pair of fuckers, I said beginning to stand up but my
acquaintance grabbed my arm and pulled me back down. For an old
alcoholic he had some strength.
-Don't, he said. -Don't say a word. Don't react, they'll soon lose
interest.
I sat back down completely unconvinced just as another half brick
whizzed by the old boy's head. He didn't even blink.
-Right where was I? he asked himself as if nothing was happening and
then, quick as a flash, he corrected himself and said -Aye that's it:
Life is a mason. And do you want to know why ma lad, eh? Do you want to
know why?
-I thought it's a secret, I replied ducking, not really that
interested any more. I was more concerned with where they little pair
of arsewipes were running to. They were running towards the bridge on
our right.
-Because the mason, he said, -Looks down from the Gods my boy. And he
examines all that he has created. And that's your answer my boy.
-What, I asked well perplexed as the young scrotebags disappeared from
my vision.
-Can't you see? We are nothing but the dust from that masons work my
lad. We are the dust that was&;#8230;
-OI, YA FUCKING ALKY BASTARDS. SUP ON THIS YA PAIR O PRICKS.
It was the young lads back. One of them was now stood high on the
bridge wall to our right and urinating.
-You little shite, I cursed standing up. -Ah'll teach you some manners
you little scrote. And this time my old acquaintance didn't try to stop
me, he didn't have too. My legs just buckled under the weight of my -
riddled with substances - body. I collapsed and as my mouth sampled
sand I heard the sound. The keyboardy sound that had nurtured our
higgelty-piggelty oneness world. The memories of our long light summer
days, keyboardy sounds in the background that served to heighten our
chemical bliss as we touched and caressed with the Black Watching
on&;#8230;
-Oi Boy. Boy. Are you alright Boy. Come on Boy. Get up Boy.
-I want to go home now, I cried out with a dribble of sand and spittle
running down my chin.
-Good lad, he said wiping the spittle from my chin with his now
pleasant smelling and reassuring hand. -But before you go. Take
This.
It was a little gold locket. Pressing it into my hand he said:
-Hold for me this dream my boy. Cherish it. If it falls a glass will
shatter. And as it fades from gold to grey, time will exact revenge. He
then glanced menacingly towards the wee pair of cunts who had been in
hysterics and shouting obscenely at us the whole time.
I opened my mouth to question him. He mouthed a "shoosh" and winked,
then he put his finger back on his nose to signal The Secret. -Go Boy.
Go, and I turned my back on him and I walked away.
And as I walked away from the tramp and the streets that had become my
home I promised myself that the Problems we had would no longer Astound
Me.
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