think it would be wise if you left before he arrives? You
could get into very serious trouble for brawling in the street and,
just think on, you can’t run your business if you are in a police
cell.’”
“That was where I made my first
mistake in dealing with the pig butcher. Mentioning his business
reminded him of the reason why he was there in my shop and the
spittle flew from his slack mouth and splattered across my face as
he yelled at the top of his voice.
‘I can’t run my business without
someone to work for me and you’ve stolen my servant girl. I want
her back or I’ll break every shelf in your shop and then I’ll break
every bone in your body.’
“I didn’t think it was possible
to get any angrier than I already was, but feeling the filthy
wetness hit my cheeks and having him screaming abuse in my face
froze my rage even further. It was so intense an anger that my
sensible brain ceased to function and I acted purely on instinct
when he prodded his meaty stinking forefinger into my chest as he
threatened to break my bones. I could clearly see his ugly
red-veined face, but it had a scarlet aura around it that hid
everything else from my view. I could see his huge, round,
slobbering, drunken, ugly face, but I was blind to the rest of the
world. He had dared to prod me in my chest and I couldn’t stop
myself from responding as all reasonable thought left my head. I
lifted my hand until it was level with his chest and I jabbed my
forefinger into an expanse of flabby, dirty shirt-front, at the
same time screeching at the top of my lungs for him to ‘GET OFF MY
PROPERTY.’
“I don’t know whether it was
shock that I had dared to poke him or surprise because my voice was
suddenly so loud right in his face, but he took an involuntary step
backwards. I don’t kid myself that it was because I was strong
enough to topple him with one finger, drunk as he was, or that he
was frightened of me for even a single second, but step back he did
and the tin bath which should have been hanging on its hook on the
backyard wall but for some reason wasn’t, caught him behind his
knees and his legs buckled under him and he fell backwards into the
bath. Because it hadn’t been hanging on the wall, the bath had
about two inches of cold rainwater in the bottom of it and this
fountained out around him as his heavy body dropped into it,
splashing me from head to foot with a shock like ice.”
“What the cold water was doing
to Dennison’s nether regions, I neither knew nor cared, but the
cold was enough to tip me over the edge into absolute fury and I
grabbed his wet hair and shook his head until his teeth were
rattling like hailstones on a tin roof, screaming all the time for
him to ‘GET OFF MY PROPERTY.’”
“I stopped shouting and let go
of the butcher’s hair when I realised that I could hear laughter
coming from behind me and I turned to see a crowd at my open
backyard gate, all convulsed with laughter at Dennison’s plight.
Sammy and Peter were just pushing their way through the crowd and
both were grinning from ear to ear at the sight of the overweight
lump sitting in our tin bath, still snorting from the shock of his
fall and his impromptu bath.”
“‘Are you all right, lass?’
Sammy asked, as soon as he was close enough for me to be able to
hear him over the laughter and jeers of my neighbours. ‘I never
thought the drunken bugger would come here trying to lay down the
law with you, even though I did think he might try going after our
Hannah.’”
“‘I’m all right, Sammy.’ I
answered, although I had to admit that I was feeling pretty shaky,
more from the anger I had felt than fear, although I wasn’t
sure.’”
“Sammy turned to Dennison, who
was just starting to climb out of the bath, all the fight having
gone out him, what with the shock of his fall, the cold dousing he
had had, and the jeers and catcalls of the neighbours.”
“‘You ever try coming after my
Hannah again,
could get into very serious trouble for brawling in the street and,
just think on, you can’t run your business if you are in a police
cell.’”
“That was where I made my first
mistake in dealing with the pig butcher. Mentioning his business
reminded him of the reason why he was there in my shop and the
spittle flew from his slack mouth and splattered across my face as
he yelled at the top of his voice.
‘I can’t run my business without
someone to work for me and you’ve stolen my servant girl. I want
her back or I’ll break every shelf in your shop and then I’ll break
every bone in your body.’
“I didn’t think it was possible
to get any angrier than I already was, but feeling the filthy
wetness hit my cheeks and having him screaming abuse in my face
froze my rage even further. It was so intense an anger that my
sensible brain ceased to function and I acted purely on instinct
when he prodded his meaty stinking forefinger into my chest as he
threatened to break my bones. I could clearly see his ugly
red-veined face, but it had a scarlet aura around it that hid
everything else from my view. I could see his huge, round,
slobbering, drunken, ugly face, but I was blind to the rest of the
world. He had dared to prod me in my chest and I couldn’t stop
myself from responding as all reasonable thought left my head. I
lifted my hand until it was level with his chest and I jabbed my
forefinger into an expanse of flabby, dirty shirt-front, at the
same time screeching at the top of my lungs for him to ‘GET OFF MY
PROPERTY.’
“I don’t know whether it was
shock that I had dared to poke him or surprise because my voice was
suddenly so loud right in his face, but he took an involuntary step
backwards. I don’t kid myself that it was because I was strong
enough to topple him with one finger, drunk as he was, or that he
was frightened of me for even a single second, but step back he did
and the tin bath which should have been hanging on its hook on the
backyard wall but for some reason wasn’t, caught him behind his
knees and his legs buckled under him and he fell backwards into the
bath. Because it hadn’t been hanging on the wall, the bath had
about two inches of cold rainwater in the bottom of it and this
fountained out around him as his heavy body dropped into it,
splashing me from head to foot with a shock like ice.”
“What the cold water was doing
to Dennison’s nether regions, I neither knew nor cared, but the
cold was enough to tip me over the edge into absolute fury and I
grabbed his wet hair and shook his head until his teeth were
rattling like hailstones on a tin roof, screaming all the time for
him to ‘GET OFF MY PROPERTY.’”
“I stopped shouting and let go
of the butcher’s hair when I realised that I could hear laughter
coming from behind me and I turned to see a crowd at my open
backyard gate, all convulsed with laughter at Dennison’s plight.
Sammy and Peter were just pushing their way through the crowd and
both were grinning from ear to ear at the sight of the overweight
lump sitting in our tin bath, still snorting from the shock of his
fall and his impromptu bath.”
“‘Are you all right, lass?’
Sammy asked, as soon as he was close enough for me to be able to
hear him over the laughter and jeers of my neighbours. ‘I never
thought the drunken bugger would come here trying to lay down the
law with you, even though I did think he might try going after our
Hannah.’”
“‘I’m all right, Sammy.’ I
answered, although I had to admit that I was feeling pretty shaky,
more from the anger I had felt than fear, although I wasn’t
sure.’”
“Sammy turned to Dennison, who
was just starting to climb out of the bath, all the fight having
gone out him, what with the shock of his fall, the cold dousing he
had had, and the jeers and catcalls of the neighbours.”
“‘You ever try coming after my
Hannah again,
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