Junk - Melvin Burgess [17]
Could you believe that? Talk about landing on your feet! They really liked me, they wanted to take me on and it wasn’t as though they were rich or anything; they were all signing on except Richard. He even offered to bring home bits of work from the bicycle shop.
I was so pleased. I mean… they didn’t even know me. I could have been in Bristol a hundred years and not found people like them.
Even Jerry came round. He was a bit different from the other two. But then he smiled and he said, ‘Perhaps I can teach Tar some shoplifting techniques.’ And he gave me a wink.
‘Oh, I don’t think that would be a good idea,’ said Richard. ‘If he gets caught he’ll either get sent home or put into care, and we don’t want that, do we?’ he added, beaming at the fridge.
They started talking about how I could earn some money but I was suddenly thinking about Gemma. I just realised… I’d found us a place to live! She could come to stay after all. And they’d help her like they were helping me and we’d have this amazing set of friends, more like a family, really, all here waiting for her.
Straight away I told them about her and… well, it was a bit disappointing, because they weren’t so keen.
It was partly my fault, because I wasn’t sure whether she was coming for a visit or for good, but I was hoping she’d come for good and I wanted them to help me convince her. I told them about the problems she’d been having at home but…
‘The point is, Tar, you’re asking a lot of her, aren’t you?’ said Jerry. ‘She’s got to give up her education, her parents, everything for you…’
‘It’s not like that,’ I said. But was it? I started to talk about her parents again, but Vonny said, ‘I had arguments with my parents, too, but I didn’t have to leave home.’
I felt incredibly glum. I so much wanted her to come with me but I hadn’t looked at it like that before. I guess I’d been pretty selfish.
‘Do you want her to come very much?’ asked Vonny.
I felt like crying. ‘I love her,’ I said.
I heard Jerry snort with laughter. I don’t know why he shouldn’t believe me. Vonny looked a bit doubtful, too. But I think Richard believed me.
‘We’ll have a look at her,’ he promised again. ‘You’re one of us now,’ he told me, and he grinned over my head.
‘He’s only fourteen, Richard,’ said Vonny, a bit crossly.
‘You can fall in love at any time,’ said Richard. ‘I was always falling in love at fourteen.’ And they all laughed.
Later on I told them I wanted to ring up my mum, and you know what? They all chipped in a quid each so I could have a good long chat with her.
I know what you’re thinking about me and my mum. Apron strings. But it wasn’t like that. I think it wasn’t like that.
People think my dad is worse because he beats me up, but Mum’s worse really. He’s easy; I just hate him. I hate him because he lets things get into a mess and blames everyone and won’t do a thing to stop it, and because he treats me and Mum like dirt. I guess I hate Mum too. The trouble with her is, I love her as well.
Dad used to go to the pub and then drink all evening. He was just a pisshead, though. Mum was at it all day. No one knew – even Dad didn’t know for ages. She just drank enough to keep herself topped up. It was only when it got worse and she was drunk when he came home that he started to cotton on.
It used to be all right. I mean, it was awful but it wasn’t horrible. She was quite attractive when she was a bit tiddly – sort of feathery and giggly. But later on it got worse and she got ugly with it, falling over and weeping and moaning and being sick.
Dad should have seen that she was ill, that she couldn’t cope, but he just got angry. He’d come back and the whole house would be a tip and Mum would be lolling about cursing and swearing, or passed out on the floor. They had these terrible rows. Really terrible, black rows, screaming and threatening to kill one another and smashing things – really violent. Only at first they never touched one another, except by accident.
So I started helping out. I’d come back from school and do the shopping