The Busconductor Hines Read Online Free PDF Page A

nothing at all.
    You never tell me anything. She shook her head. How can I do anything if you never tell me?
    He turned away, briefly, to glance at the clock. But she leanedto kiss him on the lips and they had their arms round each other. O christ, he muttered.
    She moved to look at his eyes. I hate to see you like this.
    He shrugged then smiled.
    Come on I’ll give you a massage.
    Right then . . . And when she sat down on her armchair she put a cushion on the floor at her feet, and parted her legs so that he could sit down between them. He held each of her ankles.
    You should’ve gone to bed earlier, she was saying, her fingers working in across the tops of his shoulders; he had closed his eyelids . . . just as well I managed to get the legoset for him when I did you know Rab. Mary was telling me a friend of hers had to go to three shops before she could get one – three shops, gets to this time of year and everybody seems to go daft. Her hands had moved onto his back, palms end to end on his spine; her fingers were moving again.
    Hines sighed and she chuckled. What happened to the music? he said.
    I turned it off when you started snoring.
    He laughed. Reaching behind he took hold of her wrists, then lowered his hands to her thighs. For a time she continued to massage his back. When she stopped she said: I cant do it unless you relax properly.
    He twisted to face her, placed his arms round her waist, his head on her lap . . . Aye – bed sounds perfect.
    Yes. She chuckled. As long as you remember what time of the month it is.
    Hines nodded.
    When he sat round again she resumed the massage. You know Carol – I’ve mentioned her to you – she was saying she was on the pill for 7 years, and see when she came off it – theheaviest periods she’d ever had; and fresh, the blood, that pinky kind – the thing is though Rab her headaches, disappeared; she never gets them at all nowadays – when she was taking it though, all the time, all the time she was getting them; it was when she was talking, I was beginning to wonder – but she thinks it was different to mine; she tried umpteen of them right enough – she’s just not sure about whether she was given the one I’m on – she thinks she might’ve been but she’s not certain.
    Hh.
    It was just that it made me wonder . . . She breathed out deeply and paused.
    Ah thanks, that was great . . . He stood up: Still fancy a cup of tea?
    Sandra yawned.
    What about a slice of toast?
    Are you having one?
    Two. In fact I might even have three – any cheese in the house?
    O God!
    What’s up with you woman!
    That stew you made!
    I beg your pardon, that stew was a remarkable affair.
    It would’ve fed the close for a week.
    Exactly what I’ve been thinking. Heh what d’you reckon if I stuck a menu up on the landing wall and started cooking carry-out meals? I’m being serious. I think it’d take a trick. Imagine the cash I could make! probably end up chucking the buses and going full-time at it. You and the wee man could help out with the dishes and that. Christ, before you know it I’d be a captain of industry – me and auld Bufuckingcanan, knights of the regalled empire, by appointment to the majestic imperials. Fuck sake Sandra!

    I always wanted to be a barber but, this is the fucking point.
    Reilly hooted.
    Naw, seriously. D’you never go to the barber’s on a Saturday morning? Christ sake man, transistor radios playing, drinking bottles of ginger, the place stowed out with folk chatting about football and everything. Great. Relaxed, everybody relaxed. Used to go there a few of us, then we’d shoot down for a game of snooker and that.
    Aye well the fucking barber wasnt shooting down to play snooker; he was stuck in the shop cutting cunts’ hair.
    Naw, it was good but, honest. That was the thing about living in the Drum; it meant when you went up the town you really went up