Thorn In My Side by Sheila Quigley Read Free Book Online

him because his skin was a few shades
darker than theirs, but not Danny. Danny had come bouncing over, an
exact replica of the Milky Bar Kid with his white- blond hair and
face full of smiles. Over the years Danny’s hair had darkened to a
dull gold, but he smiled just as much and still had the gift of the
gab.
    Evan sighed.
He’d bet every thing he had that he could probably guess just what
was wrong this time.
    Evan counted. One, Danny was half cut by nine o'clock.
    Two, he’s had
a face like a slapped arse all night.
    Three, he
only wants to come to this dive when he doesn’t want to
talk.
    Four, put
money on it, the daft sod’s had a major row with Shelly.
    Evan tutted
under his breath as he watched Danny down the remains of his drink
then stand up and stagger dangerously to the bar for a refill.
    Bet he’s even
forgotten that I’m here!
    'Knew it,' Evan
said a few minutes later, as Danny, with the exaggerated care of a
drunk, put one drink in front of his own seat.
    'What?' Danny
slurred, practically falling into the seat. Struggling to sit up,
watched by a frowning Evan, he said again, 'What?'
    Evan raised his
empty glass, 'Drinking on your own, like?'
    Shrugging,
Danny put his hands in his pockets and stretched his legs out in
front of him, crossing his right foot over his left and staring
glumly at the floor.
    'That’s it,
I’ve had enough.' Putting his glass down on the table, Evan jumped
up and hoisted Danny out of his chair.
    'Oi, what do
you think you’re doing?' Danny slurred, as he struggled with
Evan.
    'We’re going
outside for a walk until you tell me what the hell’s eating
you.'
    'But, but it’s…
it’s pissh… pisshing down.'
    'Good, you’ll
sober up that much quicker.'
    'Really don’t
wanna go,' Danny protested, slowly shaking his head as Evan
practically dragged him to the door.
    Outside the
rain had eased off and the fresh air hit Danny like a shock wave
from a bomb blast. 'Oh, oh, gonna be sick.'
    'Not over me
you’re not.' Quickly Evan spun him round so that he was facing the
gutter.
    Danny emptied
the entire contents of his stomach into the drain. Then, head still
spinning and muttering under his breath, he allowed Evan to steer
him back into the nightclub where, thank God, Evan thought, the
toilets were near the door.
    Fifteen minutes
later they were back outside. Danny was semi- sober and feeling
lousy. Evan had practically drowned him under the sink taps, and
now he was starving. 'Kebabs?' he asked, raising his eyebrows.
    'Ahh… How could
you, sicko? I can still smell the bloody garlic you had at tea
time, even though most of it's on the way to the North Sea, or
wherever the hell it goes to from the drains.' He held his hand up.
'And really, I’m not that interested before you get into
detail.'
    Danny allowed
himself a small smile, before sighing deeply and saying, 'She
didn’t come home last night.'
    'Thought it was
something like that. Had a row?'
    'Sort of.'
    'Sort of?'
    Grimacing,
Danny headed towards a wooden bench. When they had both sat down he
went on slowly, still slurring his words now and again. 'Well, you
know what it’s like. It’s these new people she’s been hanging
around with, filling her head full of nonsense, babbling on about
the Lindisfarne Gospels and how much more important they are than
people realise. She said I wasn’t interested in anything she does…
Don’t listen enough.'
    'Do you?'
    'Do I
what?'
    'Listen to her,
thicko.'
    'Not when she’s
babbling on about that bunch of raving loonies, and spending most
of her time on bloody Holy Island.'
    Evan winced. It
was his girl friend Alicia who had introduced Shelly to those
weirdoes, as Danny so nicely called them.
    Not feeling
inclined to remind Danny of this, he fell silent as a group of
drunken youths appeared, all of them carrying cans of beer and
swigging from them as they walked, the noise they were making
preceding them. They had been amiably laughing their way along the
street when they