of the car taking a minute to get my breath.
‘Okay new plan.’ I opened the driver’s door. Max got out and went back to the passenger seat. I got in and reversed the car onto the road again, so it was pointing down the hill.
‘Ready?’
‘Hell yes.’
I took the handbrake off and floored it. We sped down the hill and the end of the cul-de-sac came rushing toward us, Max was gripping either side of his seat. The end. Don’t brake don’t brake don’t brake. I spun the wheel to the right and pulled the handbrake on, just like I had seen Matt Damon do. The rear of the car slid out and we were in a cloud of grey, I let the handbrake off and the car launched toward the nature strip, up over the kerb, I turned right just a fraction and the back slid out again and we were facing back up the hill. I pressed down on the accelerator and the engine sang like it quite liked that and using the momentum we roared up the nature strip, through azalea bushes and over at least three tiny Buddha statues. The car kept singing and somehow we gained traction and bounced over people’s lawns and driveways. Max let out a whoop as we bounded up the hill. As we got to the top I let the car slow. Max was laughing. We got to the corner and I eased the car gently around, sticking to the nature strip. The car bunted over the grass until we got to Arnold’s place.
‘Man, next time you have to let me have a go,’ said Max.
‘Yeah right.’
I opened the boot of the car and Arnold came out of the house. He stood looking at the car, frowning.
‘How did you get it up the hill?’
I shrugged but I couldn’t stop grinning.
‘Why didn’t you just put chains on?’
‘Don’t have any, only been to the snow once.’
‘But, Fin, you can use anything, rope, whatever, you just wrap it round the tyres.’ Max laughed. I opened my mouth to reply but nothing came out. Arnold took two bags from the boot and went inside. Despite the laughing, Max still looked pale.
‘Go inside,’ I told him.
‘You are such a tool.’
‘Go sit down.’ I led Max up the front steps. Arnold stood and held the door open for us. ‘Max, this is Arnold. Arnold, this is my brother, Max.’
Arnold nodded to Max. ‘Call me Noll,’ he said. I dumped a garbage bag of clothes in the living room and wondered if I was allowed to call him Noll too.
We drank tea and sat on the mattress Arnold had dragged out in front of the fire for Max. I would take the couch. After eating another can of food, Max fell asleep.
‘So,’ said Noll. ‘Mr Starvos’ shop.’
‘Yeah. He said he was keeping everything in the storeroom.’
‘There’s no guarantee there will be anything left.’
‘No. But I don’t see a whole lot of other options.’
‘It means stealing food that we have no right to.’
‘I know. We wouldn’t take it all.’
‘Have you thought about how we would do it?’
Twenty-two
I would have to do it very quickly. One shot only. I would have to use enough force to get it right the first time. The hammer was in the front pocket of my hoodie and both my hands were shoved in there, too. I wore my hood low over my eyes. I remember seeing a news story on television about how some Neighbourhood Watch groups in London were calling for hoodies to be banned because they provided instant disguise for vandals and hooligans. Did this mean I had become a thug? Lokey would be proud. I put my head down and strode quickly down the street. I neared the corner and rehearsed the action over and over again in my mind, feeling a bit soft for being so nervous. I walked past the supermarket windows, I rounded the corner and as I did I took the hammer from my pocket and rammed it through the pane of glass next to the deadlock on the door. The sound was beautiful, like a peal of bells cracking through the silent streetscape. I put the hammer back in my pocket, put my head down and ran, the soles of my shoes smacking the snow-covered bitumen. I ran all the way around the
‘Okay new plan.’ I opened the driver’s door. Max got out and went back to the passenger seat. I got in and reversed the car onto the road again, so it was pointing down the hill.
‘Ready?’
‘Hell yes.’
I took the handbrake off and floored it. We sped down the hill and the end of the cul-de-sac came rushing toward us, Max was gripping either side of his seat. The end. Don’t brake don’t brake don’t brake. I spun the wheel to the right and pulled the handbrake on, just like I had seen Matt Damon do. The rear of the car slid out and we were in a cloud of grey, I let the handbrake off and the car launched toward the nature strip, up over the kerb, I turned right just a fraction and the back slid out again and we were facing back up the hill. I pressed down on the accelerator and the engine sang like it quite liked that and using the momentum we roared up the nature strip, through azalea bushes and over at least three tiny Buddha statues. The car kept singing and somehow we gained traction and bounced over people’s lawns and driveways. Max let out a whoop as we bounded up the hill. As we got to the top I let the car slow. Max was laughing. We got to the corner and I eased the car gently around, sticking to the nature strip. The car bunted over the grass until we got to Arnold’s place.
‘Man, next time you have to let me have a go,’ said Max.
‘Yeah right.’
I opened the boot of the car and Arnold came out of the house. He stood looking at the car, frowning.
‘How did you get it up the hill?’
I shrugged but I couldn’t stop grinning.
‘Why didn’t you just put chains on?’
‘Don’t have any, only been to the snow once.’
‘But, Fin, you can use anything, rope, whatever, you just wrap it round the tyres.’ Max laughed. I opened my mouth to reply but nothing came out. Arnold took two bags from the boot and went inside. Despite the laughing, Max still looked pale.
‘Go inside,’ I told him.
‘You are such a tool.’
‘Go sit down.’ I led Max up the front steps. Arnold stood and held the door open for us. ‘Max, this is Arnold. Arnold, this is my brother, Max.’
Arnold nodded to Max. ‘Call me Noll,’ he said. I dumped a garbage bag of clothes in the living room and wondered if I was allowed to call him Noll too.
We drank tea and sat on the mattress Arnold had dragged out in front of the fire for Max. I would take the couch. After eating another can of food, Max fell asleep.
‘So,’ said Noll. ‘Mr Starvos’ shop.’
‘Yeah. He said he was keeping everything in the storeroom.’
‘There’s no guarantee there will be anything left.’
‘No. But I don’t see a whole lot of other options.’
‘It means stealing food that we have no right to.’
‘I know. We wouldn’t take it all.’
‘Have you thought about how we would do it?’
Twenty-two
I would have to do it very quickly. One shot only. I would have to use enough force to get it right the first time. The hammer was in the front pocket of my hoodie and both my hands were shoved in there, too. I wore my hood low over my eyes. I remember seeing a news story on television about how some Neighbourhood Watch groups in London were calling for hoodies to be banned because they provided instant disguise for vandals and hooligans. Did this mean I had become a thug? Lokey would be proud. I put my head down and strode quickly down the street. I neared the corner and rehearsed the action over and over again in my mind, feeling a bit soft for being so nervous. I walked past the supermarket windows, I rounded the corner and as I did I took the hammer from my pocket and rammed it through the pane of glass next to the deadlock on the door. The sound was beautiful, like a peal of bells cracking through the silent streetscape. I put the hammer back in my pocket, put my head down and ran, the soles of my shoes smacking the snow-covered bitumen. I ran all the way around the
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