Chris Cleave - Incendiary

But when I opened my eyes I stopped smiling straight away because Jasper Black was standing in the door of the cubicle. I pulled my legs together and hugged my arms round my knees so he couldn’t see anything.

—What the hell do you think you’re doing?

—You left the door open, said Jasper Black. I thought you wanted company.

He came into the cubicle and closed the door behind him and leaned back on it. He stood there for the longest time just looking down at me with his 7 haircuts and his stupid grin. He looked a bit unsteady on his pins too. I should think he was more drunk than I was.

—Who were you talking to? he said.

—No one.

—Yeah right, he said.

He took a wrap of paper out of his jacket pocket and unfolded it.

—Cocaine, he said. Want some?

—No. Listen you’d better get out before my boyfriend comes to see why I’m taking so long. He’s a big chap. If he finds you in here with me you’ll be dead meat.

Jasper lifted his powder up to his nose and sniffed it right off the wrap. He stood there watching me. I think I knew what was coming but I didn’t even have time to scream. He moved so fast. He came forward and pushed his hand over my mouth before I could open it. I tried to get up but he sat on me. His weight crushed my bum into the toilet seat and his crutch was pushed against my tummy. It was hard to breathe. I was slapping at his face with my hands and scratching him but it didn’t seem to bother him. He was just laughing. With the hand that wasn’t covering my mouth he started fingering my neck and my tits. The way his hand scratched at my tits it reminded me of this programme I saw on the telly where an armadillo tries to dig into an anthill.

There wasn’t anything I could do. He pinned me down on that toilet seat. I thought he was going to rape me but he didn’t. He moved his face right up to mine and he started kissing me on the cheeks and the eyes and the nose. His breath had that horrible sweet smell that comes in the evening from starting to drink in the afternoon and not stopping. He kept kissing me it went on and on. Like he was putting off what had to come next.

There were cuts on his face from shaving. It looked like he must of been drunk before he even left his place. There was dandruff on his shoulders. The T-shirt he was wearing could of done with a wash. Maybe it was all the G&T but I suddenly felt so sad for me and for him. You’ve got to be pretty far gone before you pull a stunt like he just had. I mean the list of your crimes is pretty long Osama but I don’t think anyone’s accusing you of following girls into the khazi.

This wasn’t like Jasper Black. I looked in his eyes and I could see it now. He wanted to stop but it was out of control. His life was skidding into mine and it was happening in slow motion like a car crash. He shoved one hand down between us and he pushed his thumb up inside me and it hurt because I wasn’t ready and all the emptiness flooded back in with it.

I gave up struggling. There was no point any more and I didn’t want him to hurt me any worse than he had to. It was very quiet then in the cubicle with just the hiss of his sick sweet breath on my face. He stopped kissing me when I stopped fighting. I could tell he was surprised. His eyes went narrow and he stopped pushing so hard with his hand on my mouth. He just held me there for the longest time with his thumb pushed inside me. I could feel the blood pulsing in it very quick.

Tears ran down my cheeks onto his hand. Jasper stared at me in the green glow of the toilet striplights. I watched the flesh scoured off his face by white-hot flying shrapnel and spattered on the wall of the toilet cubicle until all the lonely dykes’ graffiti was drowned and dripping with blood. Jasper’s thumb made small nervous twitches inside me and my guts began to twist. I listened to his breath hiss and a tap drip drip in the washbasin outside. Then I heard the door to the Ladies open and swing closed again. There were 2 footsteps. Then silence. Terence Butcher’s voice came from the other side of the cubicle door.

—Hello? he said. Look I’m sorry about this but you’ve been in there for ages. I just wondered if everything was alright?

Jasper was staring at me. I saw the pupils of his eyes go twice the size and I felt his hand tighten on my mouth. He looked over his shoulder to the cubicle door and then he looked back at me. Both his hands were trembling. I could feel his panic on both sides of my skin.

—Hello? said Terence. Look if you’re poorly it’s alright. Come on out of there. I’ll help you clean up. We’ll go for a coffee somewhere.

Jasper’s eyes went wild. He was looking all around the cubicle for another way out. Maybe one of those small high windows they always have in films. But there wasn’t one.

—Listen, said Terence. Just tell me you’re alright and I’ll wait for you outside. Otherwise I’m going to have to come in.

Jasper made the tiniest sound then. It was the smallest start of a cry. Just a sad little squeak right in the back of his throat. It was the exact same sound my boy used to make the instant after he’d fallen over and banged himself a nasty knock. Just before his face crumpled up with misery and the tears started.

Now you wouldn’t understand this Osama because you’re not a mother. That’s my whole point I suppose. But when I heard that sad little squeak I went on autopilot. I still had my hands free and I moved one of them up to Jasper’s cheek. I stroked his face very gentle. Then I took my other hand and I pulled down on the wrist of the hand he was holding over my mouth. He fought against me for just the tiniest part of a second and then he looked in my eyes and he let his hand fall away from my mouth onto my shoulder. Suddenly he was as good as gold. He was waiting to see what I was going to do. I looked right into his eyes and I felt his thumb trembling inside me. I opened my mouth.

—Terence? I’m alright. Sorry about this. I’ve just had a little bit too much to drink I’ll be right as rain in 2 ticks. I’m a bit embarrassed so go on and have your drink and I’ll be out in a minute.

—Sure? said Terence Butcher.

—Sure.

I stroked Jasper’s hair. Terence Butcher went away then and Jasper breathed out.

—Oh Jesus, he said. Thanks.

He let his forehead drop onto my shoulder he was still shaking. I stroked his hair and I reached down with my other hand and I took his wrist and I pushed his hand down very gently so his thumb came out of me. I pulled his head in closer to my neck and I whispered in his ear.

—There you go. You’re a good boy really. You’ve just been very lonely haven’t you?

Jasper didn’t say anything. His breathing was shallow and fast in my ear and then very slowly it turned into sobs. He didn’t make any fuss he just sobbed very quietly and it didn’t die down for a long time. I sat there just letting him get it all out. You’d think all that sadness inside us would of been deafening but actually it made less noise than the slow drip drip of the tap in the basin outside the cubicle door.

When I got back to our table I smiled at Terence Butcher and the drink he’d lined up for me.

—Ah. Gin & Terence. Lovely.

—You sure? he said. I thought you might’ve had enough.

—Yeah well that was 10 minutes ago. This is now.

—Alright, he said. But on your own headache be it.

Terence Butcher stood up and I went up to him and put my arm round his waist. I leaned in to him and put my head against his chest. I closed my eyes and the flames and the shrapnel were gone again. There was just my boy playing on the long grass outside the caravan. I opened my eyes and looked up at Terence Butcher.

—You’re alright Terence Butcher. You know that?