Skunk
(proffering a slice of fruit cake from the foil-wrapped bundle beside him on
the bedroom floor): Do you want a piece of this?
cog:
No thanks.
Skunk:
Do you want another piece?
cog:
Aye.
cog:
That’s not blooming em... fruit cake.
Skunk:
What is it then?
cog:
Well it looks as though it’s got fruit in it to me.
cog:
Yeah but it’s not a traditional fruit cake.
Skunk:
Well it’s what we call fruit cake back home. Do you want a piece, are you sure?
cog:
No thank you.
The
shotglasses are refilled.
cog:
Jesus it’s like the five fishes and the three loaves of bread.
Laughter.
Skunk:
“I’ll knock up the seats, but I’m not doing the catering.”
Laughter.
Skunk:
What a day, what a great day.
They
eat and drink awhile in the quiet ambience of background radio country and
western songs.
cog:
Yeah, she’d be alright in the kitchen, as long as she kept her mouth shut and
just did some work. It’s alright chatting, but, you’ve gotta be able to do the
work as well.
cog
(accepting offer of whiskey bottle): Oh go on then
Skunk:
Who’s this, Julie? Julia?
cog:
Yeah.
Skunk:
Why, was there some problem with her tonight?
cog:
Mm-mm, none at all, none at all but I mean she’s just... a chatterbox.
Skunk:
I get worried about that sometimes because I stop and chat to you guys, and
Leo’s always having a go
cog:
Yeah but, Leo doesn’t
cog:
Leo doesn’t give a shit what I do now.
Skunk:
Did you see that this morning when he was having, was it this morning we were
having a punch-up?
cog
(laughing): Yeah you too were well fighting in the corner, I was there, man. I
was thinking of joining in.
Laughter.
Skunk:
Scrapping, and then when he came up with these, em, was it people from college
or something?
cog:
There were some other chefs in today that he was walking around with.
cog:
That’s right they weren’t college, they were old friends of his.
Skunk:
They came up the stairs and he said “What are you doing?” he said that
to me
cog:
Yeah.
Skunk:
and I said “I’m doing my work, and probably most of yours as well” and I
followed him out, and all his mates were laughing.
Laughter.
Skunk
(through a mouthful of his mother’s fruit cake): I apologised to him later, I
said “I’m sorry for being cheeky”. He said “I didn’t notice.”
Laughter.
cog:
He likes it, he likes you being cheeky to him
Skunk:
I think he probably does.
cog:
and he’s just as cheeky back, if not worse. I mean I’ve just taken the piss the
last couple of weeks, I’ve been late nearly every day. Fucking hell.
cog:
I thought you were well out of order.
cog:
I didn’t mean to be late, at all.
Skunk:
When was this?
cog:
No no but I think it’s,
cog:
It’s not, it’s not something that I... am... doing on purpose, b- believe me.
cog
(through a mouthful of cake): No but conscience, uh, subconsciously you must
be.
cog:
No not at all because I, it was half, my clock’s half an hour set in front, and
the alarm goes, and, you know then I press it, and then it goes again, and then
I turn it off, right, right I’ve got about half an hour to get myself together
Skunk:
Mmhm.
cog:
but I just slept through the half an hour... gap period.
Skunk:
Has he said anything to you about it?
cog:
No not at all,
and
laughing.
cog:
he says, just says to me “Don’t worry about it, it’s all coming off your wages
at the end of the week.”
cog:
The usual.
Skunk:
Mm.
Pause.
cog:
I do more than pull my weight in there.
cog:
That’s not the point.
