So it was Paul Brake and me and Dom
playing in the front garden and Eric Gowrie comes down the road.
He doesn't live near our house, so he must have come specially.
Paul Brake and me and Dom are playing
football across the garden even though the road is just there. But
Dad's out.
“Hi,” says Eric Gowrie.
But Paul Brake doesn't look at him.
Eric Gowrie is from Singapore. He has
shiny black hair that falls across his forehead like a curtain. His
skin is like the colour of Toffoes. He has pointed eyes.
“What?” says Paul Brake.
“How are you today?” says Eric
Gowrie, really politely. He's talking to all of us but me and Dom
know that Paul Brake has to answer.
Paul Brake doesn't know Eric Gowrie.
Paul Brake doesn't know that me and Dom do know Eric Gowrie. Eric
Gowrie goes to our Church. Yesterday at Mass, Father Macaffrey talked about
love thy neighbour. Mr Seymour used to live next door to us. He was
friendly and nice - but I didn't love him. Then he had his leg off.
And then he died.
“What's it to you?” says Paul
Brake.
Paul Brake is big. Me and Dom fit in
behind him. Paul Brake is looking at the ground.
“Do you like slugs?” says Paul
Brake to Eric. He still doesn't look at him.
“I don't mind them,” says Eric.
“Come here then,” says Paul Brake.
“What?” says Eric.
“I said 'Come here, then', didn't I?”
Eric Gowrie opens the gate and comes
here. He steps up the steps and onto the grass.
Paul Brake is bending over and picking
something up off the ground.
It's a slug. Quite a big one. It's brown.
“Come here,” he says to Eric.
“What?” says Eric.
“I said 'Come here', didn't I?”
Paul Brake holds the slug on his flat fingers. It has pulled in its horns. It's like a slimy blob.
“Kiss it,” he says.
“What?” says Eric.
“You like slugs? Then kiss it.”
Eric looks at Paul Brake.
Eric looks at me and Dom.
Dom and I look at each other. I've
got my hands in my pockets and I nudge my willy because I suddenly
need to wee. I see Dom's eyes look over to Eric and then to Paul
Brake and then back to Eric again.
Paul Brake is just staring at Eric.
I think how horrible it would be to
have to kiss a slug. My wee doesn't want to go away so I cross my
knees a bit to keep it in.
“No,” says Eric.
“What?” says Paul Brake.
“I don't want to kiss it.”
“Are you chicken?” says Paul Brake.
“Kiss it!”
Paul Brake holds the slug right up
close to Eric's mouth.
Eric just stands absolutely still
looking at Paul Brake.
I think Paul Brake is going to push the
slug onto Eric's mouth. I look at Dom. But Dom is looking at Paul
Brake. Paul Brake doesn't push the slug onto Eric's mouth but he
steers his hand around the side of Eric's face and slowly presses the
slug onto Eric's cheek.
Eric stands absolutely still. Still.
Paul Brake slowly takes his hand down
again but the slug stays stuck to Eric's cheek for a moment.
Then it falls off onto the ground.
There is a little slimy wet patch on Eric's cheek where the slug was.
Suddenly me and Dom hear Mum shout from
the kitchen.
“It's teatime,” says Dom.
“We have to go in,” I say, “it's
our teatime.”
“See you tomorrow,” says Paul
Brake.
“Yes,” says Dom, “see you
tomorrow.”
“Bye, Eric,” I say. “ Bye,
Paul.”
“Yeah, bye,” says Paul Brake.
Eric doesn't say anything.
At tea, Mum says, “Did you have a
good game?”
“It was all right,” says Dom.
“Eric Gowrie came round,” I say.
Dom looks at me really hard.
“Oh did he?” says Mum. “Did he
want to play?”
“No. Not really,” I say.
Dom looks at me.
I look at Dom.
“Can I have another cake, Mum?” I
say.
