David Peace - Red or Dead

Tuesday 29 April, 1975 –

At last, at last –

Bill got out of bed. Slowly. Bill went into the bathroom. Slowly. Bill shaved and Bill washed. Slowly. Bill went back into the bedroom. Slowly. Bill put on his shirt. His tangerine shirt. Slowly. Bill went to the dressing table. Bill opened the top drawer. Bill took out his cufflinks. His gold cufflinks. Bill closed the drawer. Bill did up the cuffs of his shirt. His tangerine shirt. Slowly. Bill went to the wardrobe. Bill opened the doors. Bill took out his suit. His freshly cleaned grey herringbone suit. Bill left the wardrobe doors open. Slowly. Bill walked over to the bed. Bill laid out the suit on top of the bed covers. Bill took the trousers from the coat hanger. Bill put on the trousers of his suit. His freshly cleaned grey herringbone suit. Slowly. Bill went back to the dressing table. Bill opened the second drawer of the dressing table. Bill took out a tie. Bill closed the drawer. Slowly. Bill walked back to the wardrobe. The doors still open. Bill stood before the mirror on the back of one of the doors. Bill put on his tie. Slowly. Bill went back over to the bed. Bill picked up the jacket from the bed. Bill took the jacket from the coat hanger. Bill put on the jacket of his suit. His freshly cleaned grey herringbone suit. Slowly. Bill walked back over to the dressing table. Bill opened the top drawer of the dressing table again. Bill took out one white handkerchief and one red pocket square. Bill closed the drawer. Bill put the white handkerchief in his left trouser pocket. Bill laid the red pocket square on the top of the dressing table. Bill brought the bottom point of the red pocket square up to the top point. Bill brought the left corner of the triangle to the right corner and then the right corner to the left corner. Bill folded the bottom almost towards the top. Slowly. Bill walked over to the mirror on the back of the wardrobe door. Bill stood before the mirror. Bill placed the red pocket square in the breast pocket of his grey jacket. Bill looked in the mirror. Bill adjusted the pocket square until just enough of the point was coming out of the pocket. The red point out of the grey pocket. Slowly. Bill stepped back. Bill looked at the man in the mirror. And Bill said, I’m just glad the day has come. The worst thing in football is waiting for the match. It’s always all right when it comes. But this has been even worse for me than waiting for the Cup Final. But I feel a lot easier now that the day has arrived.

And Bill walked down the stairs. Slowly. Bill went into the kitchen. Slowly. Bill ate breakfast with Ness. Slowly. A slice of toast and honey, a glass of fresh orange juice and a cup of tea. Slowly. Bill helped Ness clear away the breakfast things. Slowly. Bill dried up the breakfast things. Slowly. Bill helped Ness put away the breakfast things. And then Bill stood in the middle of the kitchen –

You’re ready early, said Ness. Very early, love?

Well, I’m just glad the day has come, love. The worst thing in football is waiting for the match. It’s always all right when it comes, love. But this has been even worse than waiting for the Cup Final. But I feel a lot easier now the day has arrived, love …

I know, said Ness. I know, love.

I’m just looking forward to going to Anfield to see everybody again. All the people I worked with, all the people I worked for. I’m just looking forward to seeing them all again, love.

I know, said Ness again. I know, love.

Bill nodded. Slowly. Bill looked at his watch. Bill smiled. Bill laughed. And Bill said, But you’re right, love. You’re right. I’m ready too early. There’s still a long while yet. So I think I’ll go and read the paper for a bit. That’ll kill some time …

And Bill walked out into the hall. Slowly. Bill picked up the paper from the table in the hall. Slowly. Bill stared down at the front page of the Liverpool Echo. Slowly. Bill read the headline on the front page of the Liverpool Echo: THANKS SHANKS, ALL THE VERY BEST! Bill read the subheading: HE’S UNIQUE, SAYS PAISLEY, AND THAT SUMS IT UP …

And Bill walked into the front room. Slowly. Bill sat down in his chair. Slowly. In the front room, in his chair. Bill read the paper. And the tributes. Slowly. Bill put down the paper. The tributes. And in the front room, in his chair. Bill looked at his watch again. And Bill closed his eyes. Waiting and thinking. Thinking of the night ahead, waiting for the match to come. The match ahead, the night to come. The night at Anfield, the match at Anfield. His testimonial match, his testimonial night. His last night, his last match –

At Anfield, at Anfield –

Slowly. Bill came out of the darkness. Out of the tunnel. The Anfield tunnel. Slowly. Bill walked along the touchline. The Anfield touchline. Slowly. Bill walked onto the pitch. The Anfield pitch. Slowly. Bill shook the hands of the players. The players of the Don Revie Select. Peter Shilton and Gordon Banks. Roger Kenyon and Alan Ball. Alan Hudson and Colin Bell. Liam Brady and Willie Donachie. Leighton James and Steve Whitworth. Colin Todd and Billy Bremner. Terry Cooper and Bobby Charlton. Malcolm Macdonald and Mick Channon. And then Bill shook the hands of the players of Liverpool Football Club. Ray Clemence and Tommy Smith. Phil Neal and Phil Thompson. Peter Cormack and Emlyn Hughes. Kevin Keegan and Brian Hall. John Toshack and Ray Kennedy. Ian Callaghan and Steve Heighway. And then Bill walked back across the pitch. The Anfield pitch. Slowly. Bill walked back along the touchline. The Anfield touchline. And slowly. Bill sat down on the bench –

The Anfield bench. For the last time,

the very last time.

After the whistle. The final whistle. Bill stood up. Slowly. Bill got to his feet. Slowly. Bill walked down the touchline. The Anfield touchline. Slowly. Bill shook hands with Don Revie. And Bill embraced Don. Bill shook hands with Bob Paisley. And Bill embraced Bob. And then slowly. Bill walked out onto the pitch. The Anfield pitch. Slowly. Bill shook hands with the players again. The players of the Don Revie Select. And the players of Liverpool Football Club. And then Bill walked towards the centre of the pitch. The Anfield pitch. Slowly. Bill reached the centre circle. The centre circle of the Anfield pitch. And Bill stood in the centre circle. In the centre circle of the Anfield pitch. And someone handed Bill a microphone. So Bill could speak to the crowd. The Anfield crowd. And Bill said, The very word Anfield means more to me than I can describe. But there has always been pride at Anfield. And this is another night of pride. A night of great pride. The pride I have for Liverpool. The football club and the city. And the pride you the supporters have in the team. Your team. That is the way it is at Anfield. The way it is at Liverpool. And I hope it will always be so. And so to my successor and past colleague Bob Paisley, and all the players, I offer my very best wishes for the future.

But the greatest honour that could have been bestowed upon me has been the staging of this match tonight. And so I’d like to thank everybody connected with it. Bob and his board of directors. Don Revie and the players of both sides. All of whom I know personally. I’d like to also thank the testimonial committee, club secretary Peter Robinson and development manager Ken Addison for all their hard work and efficiency. But most of all I want to thank you all –

Thank you all for contributing so much to making this what is, quite simply, the greatest thing that has happened to me in all my life. It means the most that you all still came to support me after I had been away from you for months. And so I thank you all for your loyalty. And for your loyalty to me during all my years at Liverpool. The greatest part of my whole life. No man could ever have more friends than me. No man can ever feel more grateful –