you do! Now make the fucking tea, you fat nonce. I have to go to work in a minute. Have you done me sandwiches?’
‘They’re in the fridge.’
No more was said between the two men after that. Ten minutes later his father left the flat without even saying goodbye. Tommy waddled into his bedroom and pulled a box from under his bed with difficulty. Opening it, he smiled.
It was full of Barbies. Some were dressed, nearly all were missing their heads. Underneath them was a dazzling array of costumes and miniature items, everything Barbie needed to be the perfect girl about town, from shocking pink mini-dresses to perfect little handbags and boots. But these were wet, he discovered, and from the sudden stench of urine knew exactly what had happened to them. It wasn’t the first time and he knew it wouldn’t be the last.
Stifling a sob, Tommy set about putting the dolls back together again, setting the clothes to one side to be washed. Sweat was already pouring from his brow. Tommy wiped it away with one meaty fist to mingle with his tears.
As he replaced the heads he mumbled ‘Bastard!’ over and over again.
Kira and Bethany sat in the lobby of the flats and giggled. They were playing the hop and enjoying every second of it.
Unlike Bethany, this was Kira’s first time and for her it was an exciting novelty. Bethany just wanted to sit, chill and smoke.
‘I know, let’s go up the library!’ Kira suggested.
Her friend shook her head in disbelief and said sarcastically, ‘Are you sure? Two school kids in the library on a school day?’
Kira saw the logic of this statement and giggled again.
‘I never thought of that.’
As they sat there they could hear a radio playing the top ten. They swayed together and joked, both safe in the knowledge that none of the adults roundabouts would dare to grass them up to their respective mothers. It would be too much aggravation for them.
‘Let’s go over the park.’
Bethany shook her head and lit another Consulate, pulling the minty taste deep into her lungs and practising trying to make smoke rings.
‘Wanna puff?’
Kira shook her head.
‘No, ta, I hate smoking.’
Just then a door opened and Little Tommy’s head poked out.
‘What are you two doing?’
Bethany as usual was the one to answer.
‘What’s it look like?’
Tommy looked her over, it was not an attractive sight, but smiling brightly said, ‘Want a cup of tea?’
The two girls looked at each other and grinned.
‘Yes, please.’
Giggling together over this grown-up invitation, they walked into his flat.
Paulie saw Jon Jon’s distinctive dreads and bibbed him as he drove past. Jon Jon ignored him and carried on walking to his friend’s. He had a pocketful of Es and was looking forward to unloading them. Since the first craze for them in the nineties the price had been drastically reduced. Four or five years ago he could get good money knocking a few out at twenty-five quid apiece; now he was lucky to get five hundred quid for a thousand.
Still, he was earning from it and that was the main thing.
He also had another item on his agenda and was going to get that out of the way before he got down to business.
He opened the door of his friend Carty’s squat and called out loudly, ‘Only me.’
‘Through here, mate.’
Carty was in the kitchen cooking up batches of crack. The smell was awful but that was mainly due to the overflowing bin and the blocked sink.
Carty was already off his face and this alone annoyed Jon Jon. He could understand people taking serotonin-based drugs like Es, but not crack with its dopamine-induced high followed by deep depression. It was such a selfish drug. At least Es or grass made you empathise with people, enjoy their company more. Want to be in the world of happiness, not the hell of loneliness which was how crack seemed to
‘They’re in the fridge.’
No more was said between the two men after that. Ten minutes later his father left the flat without even saying goodbye. Tommy waddled into his bedroom and pulled a box from under his bed with difficulty. Opening it, he smiled.
It was full of Barbies. Some were dressed, nearly all were missing their heads. Underneath them was a dazzling array of costumes and miniature items, everything Barbie needed to be the perfect girl about town, from shocking pink mini-dresses to perfect little handbags and boots. But these were wet, he discovered, and from the sudden stench of urine knew exactly what had happened to them. It wasn’t the first time and he knew it wouldn’t be the last.
Stifling a sob, Tommy set about putting the dolls back together again, setting the clothes to one side to be washed. Sweat was already pouring from his brow. Tommy wiped it away with one meaty fist to mingle with his tears.
As he replaced the heads he mumbled ‘Bastard!’ over and over again.
Kira and Bethany sat in the lobby of the flats and giggled. They were playing the hop and enjoying every second of it.
Unlike Bethany, this was Kira’s first time and for her it was an exciting novelty. Bethany just wanted to sit, chill and smoke.
‘I know, let’s go up the library!’ Kira suggested.
Her friend shook her head in disbelief and said sarcastically, ‘Are you sure? Two school kids in the library on a school day?’
Kira saw the logic of this statement and giggled again.
‘I never thought of that.’
As they sat there they could hear a radio playing the top ten. They swayed together and joked, both safe in the knowledge that none of the adults roundabouts would dare to grass them up to their respective mothers. It would be too much aggravation for them.
‘Let’s go over the park.’
Bethany shook her head and lit another Consulate, pulling the minty taste deep into her lungs and practising trying to make smoke rings.
‘Wanna puff?’
Kira shook her head.
‘No, ta, I hate smoking.’
Just then a door opened and Little Tommy’s head poked out.
‘What are you two doing?’
Bethany as usual was the one to answer.
‘What’s it look like?’
Tommy looked her over, it was not an attractive sight, but smiling brightly said, ‘Want a cup of tea?’
The two girls looked at each other and grinned.
‘Yes, please.’
Giggling together over this grown-up invitation, they walked into his flat.
Paulie saw Jon Jon’s distinctive dreads and bibbed him as he drove past. Jon Jon ignored him and carried on walking to his friend’s. He had a pocketful of Es and was looking forward to unloading them. Since the first craze for them in the nineties the price had been drastically reduced. Four or five years ago he could get good money knocking a few out at twenty-five quid apiece; now he was lucky to get five hundred quid for a thousand.
Still, he was earning from it and that was the main thing.
He also had another item on his agenda and was going to get that out of the way before he got down to business.
He opened the door of his friend Carty’s squat and called out loudly, ‘Only me.’
‘Through here, mate.’
Carty was in the kitchen cooking up batches of crack. The smell was awful but that was mainly due to the overflowing bin and the blocked sink.
Carty was already off his face and this alone annoyed Jon Jon. He could understand people taking serotonin-based drugs like Es, but not crack with its dopamine-induced high followed by deep depression. It was such a selfish drug. At least Es or grass made you empathise with people, enjoy their company more. Want to be in the world of happiness, not the hell of loneliness which was how crack seemed to
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