Gavin Corbett - This Is the Way

I says what is wrong with you.

He says it makes them feel good it doesn’t make me feel good.

I says well something might come of it.

One day I came out with words of my own for the play I says it’s a shite play.

He says it is one word for it, we laughed.

We went on with it anyhows, but Arthur was getting more difficult, more restless. Another day he disappeared altogether and I got worried. The evening came along he still hadn’t returned. It turned pitch dark still no sign of him. Ten o’clock came he turned up at the door.

I says where you been I don’t like you making me feel like a worried oul one.

He says I been out looking for a job.

I says have you been drinking.

He says no I went looking for a job then I went drinking.

I says what pub were you in would have you.

He says a place full of Russians.

I says let’s go there.

The place we went was a beautiful wooden place, had varnished dark wood inside of it and ship’s brass windows. The thing we seen about it was three people were smoking but smoking was banned like this. Up high in a corner was a television showing music videos but the sound was turned down. Down the end of the pub an old woman with purple hair was sitting across a very small table from an old man. She had the old man grabbed by the hair of his head and she was cutting the hair out his nose and ears with a scissors. The man had his mouth open and he was saying ah. The bar man and some others were turned to them and laughing.

There were not many others in the pub and me and Arthur got two pints of cool bright beer in strange tall glasses, were big in France Arthur said, and sat ourself down near the end near the old man and woman.

I says to Arthur where did you go looking for jobs.

Different places he says. Three of them were garages.

Any others I says.

A motor cycle shop, a hardware shop, a Spar he says.

You just went turning up at doors I says.

I asked to speak to the boss man he says.

What did they say to you I says.

No jobs here and that was it he says. Two of them said I’d have to get a CV letter, I turned around and said fuck off he says.

I says why you looking for a job all a sudden.

He was about to say something then he said nothing.

Then he says I don’t know.

I says and you missing the whole day and me worried again about the Gillaroos had got you. There was another one of us and one of them killed you heard of it.

He says Anthony it is time to start looking in the real world.

I says the real world.

He says yes.

I says what you talking about the real world you’re in the real world.

He looked at me he says you know something.

I says what.

He says you cannot take your drink. One sup and you’re gone.

I says I am not gone.

He says Anthony.

I says what.

Look he says.

Look where I says.

Look at me he says. He says I’m going to push on.

Push on I says.

Do me own thing and stop trying with all this, this wasting he says.

Go back to your old ways is what you’re saying I says.

No he says. Get a job, get ready, push on, push through he says.

I says the world will push harder against you it’s not worth it.

Then it’s time to fight against them he says.

There’s others will fight harder I says.

Don’t I know he says. But I am ready for a fight he says.

I says what you mean with that.

A man with a shaved blond head and no eyebrows walked up to our table he said something we did not understand it.

I says to Arthur what you mean you’re ready for the fight.

Arthur looked at the man, he says no to him shaking his head and putting his hand over his glass. The man slapped his hand on the table like he was putting down a hand of cards. He lifted his hand and he smiled at Arthur and he walked out the pub.

I says to Arthur what you mean it’s time to fight.

Will you shut up he says.

We looked at the table where the man had put his hand. There was a sticker there had a picture of a fist packed tight and the veins showing and the word Ultras under it.

I said to Arthur something I hadn’t said a while, I says Arthur what sort of danger are we in what is it. What you mean with the real world I says. Do you know something about the Gillaroos.

He looked at me quick, he was about to say something quick too. Then he put his beer to his mouth, blocking his mouth. I seen his face change, it loosed up. He put his drink back on the table and he moved his left hand away from my sight, on to his leg.

We heard a sound this moment so loud we got a fright, we had to duck our head. We looked over we seen a Russian man shouting in a microphone, he was testing it to see how loud it would go. The bar man beside him was pointing in the air with the television control and the television sound came on. We looked at the television over our head we seen the music videos were still playing. Next the fella with the microphone sang words in his language that were coming on the television.

We sat through one song then another fella took the microphone and started singing another song, he was brutal. The music was so loud we could not think, it was hurting our ears. Arthur made the move with his hand to go and we got up.

When we were passing the end of the bar the bar man waved us toward him. He said something but we could not hear him. He took the television control and brought the noise of the music down. The people in the pub were not happy. They shouted about it, some of them looked angry, the bar man shouted back at them. He put two glasses on the counter were like shots glasses but bigger, he poured vodka in them. He leaned close to us, we leaned into him, he says on the house. Me and Arthur looked at each other. The bar man leaned in again he says tonight is the last night here tomorrow we close and I go back to my home land.

We would not turn down an offer from a man, we would not turn down free drink is the truth. We took the drink but somebody was not happy us getting it. A man came up to the bar beside us, he was giving out to the bar man. He had blond hair long and done like a woman and little eyes close together. We knew it was us he was giving out about because he looked at us blood eyed and looked back at the bar man. He was short, only up to my shoulder, but he was built strong. His hands were waving, he was very worked up. The bar man was calm, he spoke back at him in his language.

The blond man’s voice went louder, he thumped his fist on the bar he turned to us he says fuck you.

We were not expecting words like this, we stood straight we went the other side of the stools to him.

The man went at it again he pushed his chest out he beat it with his fist. He says the same he says fuck you Irish fuck. We didn’t know what was going to happen and next he went at Arthur, he swung at him.

Arthur went straight back at him, he went for his throat, he pulled himself toward the man and he head butted him.

The man fell back but Arthur had a hold on him, he pulled him closer to him, he boxed the man on the side of the head. The man took Arthur by the flanks and now the two of them were locked in each other. They were turning one way then the other, the two of them red in the face, their mouth spitting and dribbling. Soon as I had a clear go at the man I had a shot, I punched him in the belly, but there was no give there, my fist hit into damp leather, the man was built like bricks.

This stage the bar man and another man with a shaved head were out on the floor and they got Arthur away and they got us all separated. These two big lads were keeping the blond hair man with his mouth bleeding coming at us again and the woman with the scissors and the rest the crowd in the bar were shouting black abuse at us.