David Peace - Red or Dead

Ness came out of the kitchen. In her apron –

You’re back early. Are you OK, love?

Bill put down his bag in the hall. His kit bag. Bill took off his hat. Bill hung up his hat. Bill kissed Ness on her cheek. And Bill said, Yes, love. I’m fine. Thank you, love. But I thought I’d wash the car. And then I thought I’d make a start on the garden, love …

Bill picked up his bag. His kit bag. Bill went up the stairs. Bill went into the bedroom. Bill took off his tie. His red tie. His Liverpool Football Club tie. Bill folded it up. Bill opened the second drawer of the dressing table. Bill put the tie in the drawer. The red tie. The Liverpool Football Club tie. Bill closed the drawer. Bill sat down on the edge of the bed. Bill unlaced his shoes. Bill took off his shoes. Bill picked up his shoes. Bill stood up. Bill walked over to the wardrobe. Bill opened the wardrobe doors. Bill placed his shoes in the bottom of the wardrobe. Bill walked back over to the bed. Bill took off his jacket. Bill laid it on top of the bed. Bill took off his trousers. Bill walked back over to the wardrobe. Bill took out a hanger from the wardrobe. Bill hung his trousers on the hanger. Bill carried the trousers on the hanger over to the bed. Bill picked up his jacket from the top of the bed. Bill hung his jacket on the hanger over his trousers. Bill walked back over to the wardrobe. Bill hung his suit in the wardrobe. Bill closed the wardrobe doors. Bill opened his bag. His kit bag. Bill took out his tracksuit bottoms. Bill put on his tracksuit bottoms. Bill took out his sweater. Bill put on his sweater. Bill closed his bag. His kit bag. Bill walked out of the bedroom. Bill walked back down the stairs. Bill opened the cupboard in the hall. Bill took out an old pair of boots from the bottom of the cupboard. Bill closed the cupboard door. Bill sat down on the bottom stair. Bill laced up his old pair of boots. Bill stood up. Bill walked down the hall. And Bill walked into the kitchen.

Ness looked up from peeling the potatoes. And Ness smiled –

The kettle’s just boiled, love. Would you like a cup of tea?

Oh no. No thank you, love. I’ve too much to do. Much too much to do, love. I best get a move on. Best make a start …

And Bill walked over to the sink. Bill bent down. Bill opened the cupboard under the sink. Bill took out the bucket from under the sink. The bucket and the cloths. Bill closed the cupboard doors. Bill put the bucket in the sink. Bill ran the cold tap. Bill filled the bucket. Bill carried the bucket and the cloths out of the kitchen. Down the hall, out of the house and into the drive. Bill put down the bucket on the concrete beside the car. Bill crouched down beside the bucket. Bill put the first cloth into the water in the bucket. Bill soaked the cloth in the water in the bucket. Bill took the cloth back out of the water. Bill held the cloth over the water in the bucket. Bill wrung out the cloth. Bill stood back up with the cloth in his hand. Bill turned to his car in the drive. Bill reached over the car. Bill began to wash the roof of the car. Back and forth across the roof of the car. Bill washed the dirt from the roof of the car. Back and forth, back and forth. From one side to the other. Back and forth, back and forth. From the front to the back. Bill washed the roof of the car. And then Bill crouched back down beside the bucket. Bill put the cloth back into the water in the bucket. Bill soaked the cloth in the water again. Bill wrung out the cloth again. Bill stood back up with the cloth in his hand. And Bill washed the windscreen of the car. Back and forth, back and forth. Bill washed the windscreen. And then Bill crouched back down beside the bucket. Bill put the cloth back into the water in the bucket. Bill soaked the cloth in the water again. Bill wrung out the cloth again. Bill stood back up with the cloth in his hand. And Bill washed the two windows on the near side of the car. Back and forth, back and forth. Bill washed the windows on the near side. And then Bill crouched back down beside the bucket. Bill put the cloth back into the water in the bucket. Bill soaked the cloth in the water again. Bill wrung out the cloth again. Bill stood back up with the cloth in his hand. Bill walked round to the back of the car. And Bill washed the back window of the car. Back and forth, back and forth. Bill washed the back window. And then Bill walked back round to the bucket. Bill crouched back down beside the bucket. Bill put the cloth back into the water in the bucket. Bill soaked the cloth in the water again. Bill wrung out the cloth again. Bill stood back up with the cloth in his hand. Bill walked round to the far side of the car. And Bill washed the two windows on the far side of the car. Back and forth, back and forth. Bill washed the windows on the far side. And then Bill walked back round to the bucket. Bill crouched back down beside the bucket again. Bill put the cloth back into the water in the bucket. Bill soaked the cloth in the water. Bill wrung out the cloth again. Bill put down the cloth. Bill picked up the bucket. Bill carried the bucket over to the drain. Bill tipped the dirty water down the drain. Bill carried the bucket back into the house, back down the hall and back into the kitchen. Bill put the bucket in the sink again. Bill ran the cold tap again. Bill filled the bucket again. Bill carried the bucket back out of the kitchen. Down the hall, out of the house and into the drive again. Bill put down the bucket on the concrete beside the car. Bill crouched down beside the bucket again. Bill picked up the cloth. Bill soaked the cloth in the water again. Bill wrung out the cloth again. And Bill washed the bonnet of the car. Back and forth, back and forth. Bill washed the bonnet. And then Bill crouched back down beside the bucket. Bill put the cloth back into the water in the bucket. Bill soaked the cloth in the water again. Bill wrung out the cloth again. Bill stood back up with the cloth in his hand. And Bill washed the doors on the near side of the car. Back and forth, back and forth. Bill washed the doors on the near side. And then Bill crouched back down beside the bucket. Bill put the cloth back into the water in the bucket. Bill soaked the cloth in the water again. Bill wrung out the cloth again. Bill stood back up with the cloth in his hand. Bill walked round to the back of the car again. And Bill washed the back of the car. Back and forth, back and forth. Bill washed the back of the car. And then Bill walked back round to the bucket. Bill crouched back down beside the bucket. Bill put the cloth back into the water in the bucket. Bill soaked the cloth in the water again. Bill wrung out the cloth again. Bill stood back up with the cloth in his hand. And Bill walked round to the far side of the car again. Bill washed the doors on the far side of the car. Back and forth, back and forth. Bill washed the doors on the far side. And then Bill walked back to the bucket. Bill crouched back down beside the bucket. Bill put the cloth back into the water in the bucket. Bill soaked the cloth in the water again. Bill wrung out the cloth again. Bill stood back up with the cloth in his hand. Bill walked round to the front of the car. Bill crouched down again. And Bill began to wash the grille on the front of the car. Back and forth, back and forth. Bill washed the grille. And then Bill went back to the bucket. Bill crouched back down beside the bucket. Bill put the cloth back into the water in the bucket. Bill soaked the cloth in the water again. Bill wrung out the cloth again. Bill stood back up with the cloth in his hand. And Bill went from wheel to wheel on the car. Bill washed the four hubcaps of the car. Round and round, round and round. Bill washed and wiped the four hubcaps. And then Bill walked back to the bucket. Bill crouched back down beside the bucket. Bill put the cloth back into the water in the bucket. Bill soaked the cloth in the water again. Bill wrung out the cloth again. Bill put down the cloth. Bill picked up the bucket. Bill carried the bucket over to the drain again. Bill tipped the dirty water down the drain again. Bill carried the bucket back into the house, back down the hall and back into the kitchen. Bill put the bucket in the sink again. Bill ran the cold tap again. Bill filled the bucket again. Bill carried the bucket back out of the kitchen. Down the hall, out of the house and into the drive again. Bill put down the bucket on the concrete beside the car again. Bill couched down beside the bucket again. Bill put the second cloth into the water in the bucket. Bill soaked the cloth in the water in the bucket. Bill took the cloth back out of the water. Bill held the cloth over the water in the bucket. Bill wrung out the cloth. Bill stood back up with the cloth in his hand. Bill turned to his car in the drive. Bill walked over to the front of the car. Bill crouched down by the front of the car. And Bill began to wash the lights on the front of the car. Round and round, up and down. Bill washed the lights on the front. And then Bill stood back up. Bill walked back over to the bucket. Bill crouched back down beside the bucket. Bill put the cloth back into the water in the bucket. Bill soaked the cloth in the water again. Bill wrung out the cloth again. Bill stood back up with the cloth in his hand. Bill walked round to the back of the car. Bill crouched down by the back of the car. And Bill began to wash the lights on the back of the car. Round and round, up and down. Bill washed the lights on the back. And then Bill stood back up. Bill walked back round to the bucket. Bill crouched back down beside the bucket. Bill put the cloth back into the water in the bucket. Bill soaked the cloth in the water again. Bill wrung out the cloth again. Bill stood back up with the cloth in his hand. And Bill walked over to the wing mirror on the near side of the car. Bill washed the wing mirror on the near side. And then Bill walked round to the wing mirror on the far side of the car. Bill washed the wing mirror on the far side. And then Bill walked back round to the bucket. Bill crouched back down beside the bucket. Bill put the cloth back into the water in the bucket. Bill soaked the cloth in the water again. Bill wrung out the cloth again. Bill stood back up with the cloth in his hand. And Bill walked around the car. In the sunshine, in the drive. Bill looked for any dirt he had missed, Bill searched for any spot he had missed. But in the sunshine, in the drive. The car shone, the car sparkled. And in the sunshine, in the drive. Bill looked at his watch. And then Bill picked up the bucket and the cloths. Bill walked back over to the drain. Bill poured the dirty water down the drain again. Bill went back into the house. Down the hall, into the kitchen. Bill put the bucket in the sink again. Bill rinsed out the bucket. Bill rinsed out the cloths. Bill opened the cupboard under the sink. Bill put the bucket and the cloths back in the cupboard. Bill closed the cupboard again. Bill stood up. And Bill saw Ness –