windows. He glared at Rainbow Ron in his rear-view mirror.
‘What a whiff,’ he said. ‘You should be bloody ashamed of yourself.’
Rainbow Ron sniffed the air once and declined to comment. He looked at me briefly and then turned away, his matted face impassive as the world slipped by.
We drove back to the river. Even now, with the Thames bordered by shining towers and fancy apartments, parts of the old London docklands somehow remained. Keith turned into a labyrinth of streets that snaked between buildings that had been abandoned decades ago, only to somehow miss out on the future. He put his foot down. He knew where he was going. He had done this before.
There was an old warehouse right on the river. There had been a padlock on the big doors but someone had sawn through it and one of the doors had been pulled off its hinges. Keith drove straight inside. It was dark, but spears of sunlight came through the shattered roof. There was a flurry of movement in the shadows and half a dozen hooded figures dashed for the door.
‘Little rascals,’ Keith said, and we all got out. I looked down at the sound of running water. Between the floorboards you could see the river, as grey as a battleship.
The boy went to watch the door. Keith stood facing Rainbow Ron, whose eyes were wandering to the ceiling. I saw the tail of a rat as it scuttled across a rafter. When the rat had gone, Ron looked back at Keith, just in time to see him throw the first punch – a short uppercut, Keith bending his knees for leverage and bringing his fist up like a shovel into Rainbow Ron’s midriff. With a shocked little gasp, he sunk to his knees. Keith took a step forward and pulled back his hand to hit him again.
‘No, Keith,’ I said, as Rainbow Ron looked up and Keith threw a left jab into the middle of his face, the snapping motion of his hand so fast it looked like he was catching a fly.
Rainbow Ron bent his head, like a man saying his prayers, a hand clutching his broken nose.
I went behind Keith and threw my arms around him and held him. He cursed me and struggled, sinking to drop his centre of gravity, and then pushing up to throw me off, slinging his head back, trying to nut me. But I didn’t let go. And I was stronger than him.
‘This is for you,’ he said, twisting his head sideways to look at me.
‘But I don’t want it,’ I said. And I let him go. He immediately aimed a wild kick at Rainbow Ron’s head, which just missed, and we had to go through it all again – me with Keith in a bear hug, Keith trying to headbutt me. Me telling him to stop. Keith telling me to fuck off. Locked in this mad waltz.
I let him go again and this time he didn’t attack Rainbow Ron. I put my hand on Keith’s arm. I wanted him to understand.
‘He’s sick,’ I said. ‘And giving him a good hiding won’t change anything.’
Keith furiously threw off my hand. He tugged at his jacket and then stuck an index finger in my face. ‘No,’ he said. ‘You’re the sick one.’
Then he was off, the boy at the door falling into step behind him as he strode to the car. I helped Rainbow Ron to his feet and felt in my pockets for something to mop the blood streaming from his nose. But I had nothing, so Rainbow Ron bent his head, and delicately used his sleeve. At the sound of the engine I looked up to see Keith pulling away, as the boy leaned across cradling the flame of his lighter, holding it steady for the cigarette in his partner’s mouth.
I sat at my daughter’s computer, falling through the stars.
Ruby was at school. It was after nine, but her brother had yet to stir. I could hear Lara softly knocking on his door, calling his name. Perhaps he didn’t come home last night, I thought, as I sipped my tea and wandered through space.
I was travelling through Messier 101, better known as the Pinwheel Galaxy – a trillion stars, a billion suns and twice the size of our Milky Way. So there was plenty to look at.
I took a bite out of a Jaffa
‘What a whiff,’ he said. ‘You should be bloody ashamed of yourself.’
Rainbow Ron sniffed the air once and declined to comment. He looked at me briefly and then turned away, his matted face impassive as the world slipped by.
We drove back to the river. Even now, with the Thames bordered by shining towers and fancy apartments, parts of the old London docklands somehow remained. Keith turned into a labyrinth of streets that snaked between buildings that had been abandoned decades ago, only to somehow miss out on the future. He put his foot down. He knew where he was going. He had done this before.
There was an old warehouse right on the river. There had been a padlock on the big doors but someone had sawn through it and one of the doors had been pulled off its hinges. Keith drove straight inside. It was dark, but spears of sunlight came through the shattered roof. There was a flurry of movement in the shadows and half a dozen hooded figures dashed for the door.
‘Little rascals,’ Keith said, and we all got out. I looked down at the sound of running water. Between the floorboards you could see the river, as grey as a battleship.
The boy went to watch the door. Keith stood facing Rainbow Ron, whose eyes were wandering to the ceiling. I saw the tail of a rat as it scuttled across a rafter. When the rat had gone, Ron looked back at Keith, just in time to see him throw the first punch – a short uppercut, Keith bending his knees for leverage and bringing his fist up like a shovel into Rainbow Ron’s midriff. With a shocked little gasp, he sunk to his knees. Keith took a step forward and pulled back his hand to hit him again.
‘No, Keith,’ I said, as Rainbow Ron looked up and Keith threw a left jab into the middle of his face, the snapping motion of his hand so fast it looked like he was catching a fly.
Rainbow Ron bent his head, like a man saying his prayers, a hand clutching his broken nose.
I went behind Keith and threw my arms around him and held him. He cursed me and struggled, sinking to drop his centre of gravity, and then pushing up to throw me off, slinging his head back, trying to nut me. But I didn’t let go. And I was stronger than him.
‘This is for you,’ he said, twisting his head sideways to look at me.
‘But I don’t want it,’ I said. And I let him go. He immediately aimed a wild kick at Rainbow Ron’s head, which just missed, and we had to go through it all again – me with Keith in a bear hug, Keith trying to headbutt me. Me telling him to stop. Keith telling me to fuck off. Locked in this mad waltz.
I let him go again and this time he didn’t attack Rainbow Ron. I put my hand on Keith’s arm. I wanted him to understand.
‘He’s sick,’ I said. ‘And giving him a good hiding won’t change anything.’
Keith furiously threw off my hand. He tugged at his jacket and then stuck an index finger in my face. ‘No,’ he said. ‘You’re the sick one.’
Then he was off, the boy at the door falling into step behind him as he strode to the car. I helped Rainbow Ron to his feet and felt in my pockets for something to mop the blood streaming from his nose. But I had nothing, so Rainbow Ron bent his head, and delicately used his sleeve. At the sound of the engine I looked up to see Keith pulling away, as the boy leaned across cradling the flame of his lighter, holding it steady for the cigarette in his partner’s mouth.
I sat at my daughter’s computer, falling through the stars.
Ruby was at school. It was after nine, but her brother had yet to stir. I could hear Lara softly knocking on his door, calling his name. Perhaps he didn’t come home last night, I thought, as I sipped my tea and wandered through space.
I was travelling through Messier 101, better known as the Pinwheel Galaxy – a trillion stars, a billion suns and twice the size of our Milky Way. So there was plenty to look at.
I took a bite out of a Jaffa
Similar Books
