Creeps by Darren Hynes Page A

the bartender.
    Tammy turns to the bartender and says, “Tell him to stop, Bert.”
    Bert rests his hands on the bar and leans across it. “He wants to spend his money on my machine, I’m not going to stop him.”
    â€œ His money!”
    â€œI don’t care whose it is, Tammy; just keep it down, okay. I’d like a few minutes’ peace before Happy Hour.”
    Tammy sulks and waddles off and sits at a table by herself.
    His father lifts his empty glass, so Bert gets him another and plunks it down. His dad takes a long sip and wipes his mouth on his coat sleeve and then says something to Bert, which makes Bert laugh. Then Tammy’s saying, “You let youngsters in here now?”
    â€œHuh?” Bert says, looking to where Tammy’s pointing.
    Wayne suddenly realizes that it’s him they’re looking at. Then his father is staring too and Wayne thinks about going back to the car, but then his dad is asking Bert if it’s all right if his boy comes in and Bert nods and says, “Come on over, young fella, so we can get a look at ya.”
    Wayne walks up to the bar and Tammy says, “He’s awful tiny,” and Bert says, “He is small, Calvin.” Then his father reaches out and messes Wayne’s hair and asks why he’s not waiting in the car and Wayne says because it’s freezing and his father laughs and roots around in his pocket and pulls out the keys and hands them to Wayne.
    â€œHow old’s he?” Tammy says.
    â€œFifteen,” says his father.
    She laughs and says, “He looks younger.”
    Wayne’s thankful for the gloom, because he feels his face grow hot.
    Bert says, “Nothing wrong with looking young, eh, Wayne?”
    Wayne nods.
    â€œI suppose,” Tammy says.
    Kyle punches the slot machine and says, “Jesus Christ!”
    â€œKyle!” shouts Bert. “What did I tell you about hitting the machine?”
    â€œI’m sorry, Bert, but she’s not giving me an inch today.”
    Tammy says, “And he could sure use an inch, too.”
    â€œThat’s fine talk there, Tammy,” goes Kyle. Then to Wayne’s dad and Bert: “The filth that comes outta that woman’s mouth.”
    â€œLet’s go home, Kyle. Please .”
    â€œIn a bloody minute. Give me a toonie.”
    â€œI won’t.”
    â€œCome on, Tammy, a measly toonie’s not gonna kill ya.”
    â€œNo, but the thirty dollars you’ve already spent will. I was supposed to buy Mom a birthday gift.”
    â€œFor God’s sake, your mother doesn’t know Osama bin Laden’s dead.”
    â€œYou’re heartless, Kyle.”
    â€œIf you give me a toonie, I’ll massage your toes later.”
    Tammy pauses, then reaches into her purse and says to Bert and Wayne’s dad, “He knows how to play me, that one.” She goes over and gives Kyle the money and Kyle winks and pats her bottom and drops the coin in and starts playing. Tammy stays watching.
    â€œGo on now, Wayne,” his dad says. “I shouldn’t be much longer.”
    â€œCan’t you come now?”
    â€œNot yet.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œBecause.”
    â€œBecause what?”
    â€œ Wayne … go wait in the car.”
    Wayne turns around and starts walking and hears Bert say, “Nice to meet you,” and then Kyle shouting, “Three cherries!” and then Tammy clapping.
    Wayne pushes open the door and goes outside and it’s colder somehow and the sun’s already lower in the sky. He makes his way back to the car and sits in the driver’s seat and turns the ignition and blasts the heat. He puts in a blank CD and it must be his mother’s, because Rita MacNeil is singing about being a working man and living underground, so Wayne turns it off and sits there in silence. But then he puts the CD in again and turns it up and why shouldn’t he listen to it? The heat or