fucking frigid. Youâre sex-obsessed yourself, man!â
âAye, but now Iâm worried that Iâm never going to be exciting enough for her.â
âYouâve been thinking about this too much, mate. Youâre going to drive yourself bloody crackers this way.â
âYouâre too late â Iâm already there.â
âCome on, man, get a grip. And give her some credit â sheâs not stupid. Sheâs not marrying you for a laugh, is she? Sheâs serious about you.â
âNo, sheâs not stupid, thatâs for sure.â
âFucking right it is.â Jimâs mouth was whizzing ahead of his mind now; he felt like he was cycling downhill. âAnd mebbes sheâs had enough of that sort of excitement, eh? Mebbes she wants someone she can actually rely on, and thatâs why sheâs chosen you.â
âYeah?â
âYeah. Youâve got a fit bird who likes you just the way you are. Itâs the best of both worlds, mate. Youâre on to a winner.â
Geoff smiled for the first time all morning. âYouâre right.â
âOf course Iâm right.â
âI knew I could trust you to set me straight.â
Jim had no idea that heâd done any such thing, but he smiled and said, âLetâs get you married.â He desperately wanted a drink.
â â 10
November 2004
I think Barryâs scowl is going to stick to his face and stay there for ever. Theyâll cremate him like that and itâll be a closed-coffin job, because once he stops breathing, nobody will want to look at him again.
âThat fucking Mac, thinks heâs the fucking crown prince.â
Weâve had this for days: every time the three of us have the cabin to ourselves, out it comes. Itâs nine thirty and Barry hasnât even changed into his boots yet. He kicks out at one of them and it skitters across the floor, coming to rest next to me. I kick it back.
âHeâs all right is our Mac,â says Geoff. âHeâs got a big gob, but a big heart too.â
âHeâs arrogant, thatâs what he is. Arrogant.â Barry drags hard at the last of his fag, drops it onto the floor of the cabin, and grinds it into a black smear under the heel of his trainer.
Iâve had enough of this. I finish my tea and walk outside. Itâs freezing. November brought an early frost, and now itâs almost cold enough to justify downing tools, but Mac negotiated a completion bonus with the main contractor, so his lads keep at it. Barry wonât be shown up, so weâre here too. The difference is that theyâre actually working, while we are sat on our arses.
I mount the ladder and haul myself to the second tier of scaffolding that runs along the section weâre to work on today. This side of the building is in shadow, and dew is frozen in the folds of the hessian that protects the blockwork. Iâm about to pull it back so that I can see where new stacks are needed when Mac rounds the corner and says, âMorning.â
âMorning, Mac.â My breath clouds.
âAre them two coming out to play or what?â
âGive âem time. They have a unique conception of what constitutes a working day.â
âHas Barry mentioned the other night?â
âNo. I think he suspects something, though.â
âMiserable bastard. Why the fuck are you still working for him anyway?â
âItâs not really for him, is it? Weâre old mates; itâs just the way itâs worked out.â
âDoesnât mean it has to stay that fucking way.â
âWeâve been the same crew almost our whole working lives, man. Anyway, itâs Geoff I feel sorry for â he has to stand next to the bastard all day.â
âIâm not fucking worried about Geoff.â
âWell, donât worry about me either. Shouldnât you be sat in an office
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