Junk - Melvin Burgess [16]
‘I don’t see many deserving cases,’ I told him.
‘Oh, the streets are full of them,’ said Richard sadly. As far as he’s concerned, if you ain’t got it, you deserve it, and if you have got it, you’ve ripped someone off.
‘That bloody joint nearly killed me,’ I told him severely.
‘Oh!’ He was distressed. ‘I didn’t mean to.’
‘I thought my missis was coming out of the floor at me. It was a nightmare.’
Richard laughed. ‘It was rather strong. I only got it this evening.’ He beamed at the house opposite and then frowned as he remembered I’d had a bad time. ‘Sorry about that.’
‘That’s all right. I’ve learned my lesson.’ I said that so he knew he’d blown me becoming an anarchist. He looked miserable. Another step back from the New World Order.
I gave him a Twix bar and said goodbye.
‘Oh, no, I can’t… there’s animal fats in these,’ he said.
‘Try smoking it,’ I told him. ‘It gets you off.’
He was killing himself laughing.
I didn’t see much of David after that, not for ages. He disappeared off the street, so I suppose they were taking care of him. He was a capable sort of bloke, I reckon, despite appearances. You felt he’d always find someone who had time for him.
I might have gone round and had a look once or twice, but I fell out with Richard shortly after that. Some acquaintances of mine to whom I owed a favour got to hear about all that electrical stuff in George Dole’s old place. There was some good stuff – hi-fis, tellies, videos – quite a few quid’s worth. Actually I mentioned it to them. I’m sure Richard had done his best to convince those horrible kids not to touch it, but let’s face it, you’d have to be a Richard to leave that lot alone.
Anyway, these friends of mine decided to do a bit of liberating themselves. One of those kids came down and found them in the middle of it and got himself knocked around a bit. Nothing too serious, but he lost a couple of teeth. Richard was extremely upset. He met me on the street and told me what had happened. He was nearly in tears. I perhaps foolishly indicated that I knew something about it.
Well, it was wasn’t like it was an old lady. The kid was on someone else’s property. What’s the point in getting sanctimonious about someone else doing a bit? I can’t stand that sort of hypocrisy. You get it on both sides, mind – I know plenty of villains who’ll sit around and moan about squatters all night. As far as I was concerned that kid got taught a useful lesson. They live in Never-never land, half of them. Bit of contact with the real world, do him a power of good.
But as I say, Richard was extremely upset. I don’t know what he thought I ought to have done. Tell the police? Give him notice what night the lads were going round? The stuff would have walked, don’t tell me. Give my mates up for swatting a brat? Nah. But he went right off me after that. The prejudice wasn’t on my side. Being a friend isn’t enough for people like that, see. You have to be on the right side…
I got a decent new video out of that job.
Chapter Five
Tar
It was the best luck I ever had in my life.
It wasn’t just the house, it was the people. They were just so amazing. Right from the start. Especially Richard. Right early on, when they asked me how old I was, I just said, ‘Sixteen,’ without thinking about it. They were all sitting round drinking beer and smoking. After I’d said it I got all bothered because they were all so straight with each other… and here was I telling stupid lies! So I plucked up my courage and blurted out, ‘I’m not sixteen really. I’m only fourteen.’
‘Oh, dear,’ Richard said. He looked quite appalled. I was certain he was going to tell me I had to leave. But it turned out he was just shocked that my dad had been hitting me when I was just fourteen.
‘That means he can’t sign on,’ pointed out Jerry.
‘I’ve been begging. I want to find a job…’ I began.
But Richard – you’ll never guess what he said.
‘You’ll just have to be a parasite off us for a couple of years.’
Actually I don’t think Jerry liked it, but Vonny said quickly,