his head slowly from side to side as he grabbed onto the handrail. The Macky -D's bag was pinched between thumb and forefinger. It swayed too much for Richie's nerves, so he leaned his shoulder against the rail, got a better grip on the bag.
"Aye," he said. "I'm just fuckin ' dandy, like."
The train lurched to a stop. There was the hiss of doors, then the clatter as they opened. Richie pushed himself from the rail and walked out onto the platform. A voice behind him told him to stand clear of the doors, please. Then the train glided out of the station.
Richie watched the Metro leave. Then he turned to look at the estate.
It wasn't a long walk to Goose's house, but Richie knew it'd feel like miles.
He fumbled for a tab, the last one in the pack, lit it, then headed for the concrete steps that took him down to the road.
10
Richie was surprised to notice that Goose's house hadn't changed in the slightest since this morning. It felt like so much had happened to him, it should've happened elsewhere, too. But then life wasn't that fucking fair, was it?
He leaned on the doorbell, and the big bastard they called Noel answered the door. This bloke was one of Goose's lads, one of the Gallaghers , did Goose's dirty work and did it with fucking relish. But Richie wasn't intimidated. He grinned.
" Y'alright ?" said Noel. Then, seeing all the blood as he got closer. "Jesus fuckin ' Christ, man, you can't come round here looking like that."
" It's nowt ," said Richie. "It's dried. Just an accident, anyway. Goose told us to pick something up for him, like. I got it here."
He held up the Macky -D's bag. Noel frowned.
"He told you to get him a Macky -D's?"
"It's from Al. On the Leam ."
Noel looked out at the street, then held the door open for Richie. "Get inside. If you fuckin ' pass out, we're dumping you somewhere, you know that. Can't be having ambulances round here. Bring the fuckin ' polis with ' em now, don't they?"
Richie stumbled into the house, using the wall as a guide as he headed for the front room. There was the smell of cooking in the air, like someone had been boiling vegetables. When Richie got to the front room, he saw Goose sitting with a Sunday dinner on the tray in front of him – roast beef, gravy, roasties , peas, carrots and what looked like cabbage. He wondered what fucking day it was now. Thought it was a weekday, but Goose's meal just threw him right off. Goose had a fork halfway to his mouth when he saw Richie and stopped.
"The fuck are you doing in here like that?" he said, putting the fork down.
Richie held out the Macky -D's bag. "Got your gun. Went and saw Florida Al."
"He do that to you?"
Richie shook his head. "Nah, that's a different story."
"You want to tell it?"
"You want the fuckin ' gun or not?"
Goose nodded to Noel, who took the bag off Richie. Noel held the bag at the bottom and peered inside.
"Aye, there's your gun," said Noel. He pulled out the weapon with one hand, crumpling the bag up with the other. He handed the gun to Goose, grip first.
"He give you any shit?" said Goose.
Richie leaned against the door jamb. He thought about the question, and then shook his head again. "Al didn't do nowt but make us look at gay porn."
Noel laughed. It was a sound that came from his gut.
"Aye," said Goose, "he'll do that, right enough. And you paid him and everything went alright?"
"Yeah, aye, everything went tickety -boo at Al's place."
Goose twirled a finger at Richie. "So what happened then?"
"Little accident," said Richie.
"Little?"
" Nowt special."
"Looks like you're going to keel over," said Goose.
"How much did we say?"
"For what?"
"For delivery." Richie found it hard to focus now. The dim light in the room was a contrast from the train, and it was doing his head in. Things in his direct vision were crystal clear, then blurry as fuck. It was like a bad drunk all the time. He licked his dry lips. "For the gun."
"What about the bullets?" said Goose.
Richie
"Aye," he said. "I'm just fuckin ' dandy, like."
The train lurched to a stop. There was the hiss of doors, then the clatter as they opened. Richie pushed himself from the rail and walked out onto the platform. A voice behind him told him to stand clear of the doors, please. Then the train glided out of the station.
Richie watched the Metro leave. Then he turned to look at the estate.
It wasn't a long walk to Goose's house, but Richie knew it'd feel like miles.
He fumbled for a tab, the last one in the pack, lit it, then headed for the concrete steps that took him down to the road.
10
Richie was surprised to notice that Goose's house hadn't changed in the slightest since this morning. It felt like so much had happened to him, it should've happened elsewhere, too. But then life wasn't that fucking fair, was it?
He leaned on the doorbell, and the big bastard they called Noel answered the door. This bloke was one of Goose's lads, one of the Gallaghers , did Goose's dirty work and did it with fucking relish. But Richie wasn't intimidated. He grinned.
" Y'alright ?" said Noel. Then, seeing all the blood as he got closer. "Jesus fuckin ' Christ, man, you can't come round here looking like that."
" It's nowt ," said Richie. "It's dried. Just an accident, anyway. Goose told us to pick something up for him, like. I got it here."
He held up the Macky -D's bag. Noel frowned.
"He told you to get him a Macky -D's?"
"It's from Al. On the Leam ."
Noel looked out at the street, then held the door open for Richie. "Get inside. If you fuckin ' pass out, we're dumping you somewhere, you know that. Can't be having ambulances round here. Bring the fuckin ' polis with ' em now, don't they?"
Richie stumbled into the house, using the wall as a guide as he headed for the front room. There was the smell of cooking in the air, like someone had been boiling vegetables. When Richie got to the front room, he saw Goose sitting with a Sunday dinner on the tray in front of him – roast beef, gravy, roasties , peas, carrots and what looked like cabbage. He wondered what fucking day it was now. Thought it was a weekday, but Goose's meal just threw him right off. Goose had a fork halfway to his mouth when he saw Richie and stopped.
"The fuck are you doing in here like that?" he said, putting the fork down.
Richie held out the Macky -D's bag. "Got your gun. Went and saw Florida Al."
"He do that to you?"
Richie shook his head. "Nah, that's a different story."
"You want to tell it?"
"You want the fuckin ' gun or not?"
Goose nodded to Noel, who took the bag off Richie. Noel held the bag at the bottom and peered inside.
"Aye, there's your gun," said Noel. He pulled out the weapon with one hand, crumpling the bag up with the other. He handed the gun to Goose, grip first.
"He give you any shit?" said Goose.
Richie leaned against the door jamb. He thought about the question, and then shook his head again. "Al didn't do nowt but make us look at gay porn."
Noel laughed. It was a sound that came from his gut.
"Aye," said Goose, "he'll do that, right enough. And you paid him and everything went alright?"
"Yeah, aye, everything went tickety -boo at Al's place."
Goose twirled a finger at Richie. "So what happened then?"
"Little accident," said Richie.
"Little?"
" Nowt special."
"Looks like you're going to keel over," said Goose.
"How much did we say?"
"For what?"
"For delivery." Richie found it hard to focus now. The dim light in the room was a contrast from the train, and it was doing his head in. Things in his direct vision were crystal clear, then blurry as fuck. It was like a bad drunk all the time. He licked his dry lips. "For the gun."
"What about the bullets?" said Goose.
Richie
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