Lynda Plante - The Talisman

‘We’re brothers, Alex, remember, and we’re going to be them again, I promise you, I swear to you.’

The brothers’ reunion did not unite them immediately. Alex was not that easily won over; he could not rid himself of the bitterness he felt towards Edward. All that he had been so proud of acquiring appeared small and shabby when reviewed by Edward. He felt selfconscious under his brother’s scrutiny; Edward’s ever-present sophistication threatened him. Alex balked at changing his name; in fact, he turned against everything Edward suggested. He had been his own boss and, in his own way, happy with his accomplishments. To have them derided, almost sneered at, made him react violently.

Edward knew he had to take his time, yet he was impatient for Alex to match him, to be able to stand alongside him. As things were, he was an embarrassment. Edward made sure they were never seen together in public, and he always made the approach when he wanted to see Alex.

He had been waiting for Alex for over two hours, sitting in his car parked outside Alex’s squalid flat. He watched the Jaguar draw up, watched his brother carefully wipe the fingermarks off the bonnet. Alex looked like a crook, like a cheap con man, and Edward decided it was now or never.

Alex looked up as he approached, then turned back to inspect his motor.

‘Can I come up? Got a minute?’

Alex nodded, and walked into the building. As he waited for Edward to catch him up he could smell his cologne.

‘You smell like a whore’s bedroom.’

‘Fifty quid a bottle makes her high class, you got that kinda bird working for you? Business must be looking up.’

Alex tossed his coat over a chair and snapped, ‘Yeah, go on, Eddie, any chance you can to get a dig in. What d’you want? Get off me back, will yer?’

Edward looked around the bare room then down at his polished, manicured nails. He noticed that the chair they had broken in the fight had already been replaced.

‘I’m going to give it one last try, Alex, then, if that’s the way you want it, I’ll walk.’

‘You do that! What’s wiv this Barkley crap, eh? Who d’yer think yer kiddin’, poncin’ about? You should watch out fer yer motor, kids round ‘ere don’t know yer, you’ll ‘ave no wing mirrors...’

‘Oh yeah? They leave the crooks’ cars alone, do they?’

‘I’m no fuckin’ crook, but I’m known around here, all right?’

Edward began to unbutton his coat, shaking his head. They always had to go through this banter, it was beginning to get on his nerves.

‘Okay, Alex, I’ll give it to you straight. I’ll buy you out for any price you want, and I’ll put one million aside for you on top.’

‘Look, I heard you the first time, I’m not interested.’

Edward stared at him, his face set, then he sprang forward and gripped his brother by the neck, pushing him towards the mirror.

‘Take a good look at yourself, Alex, a real good look. The cheap suits, the face... what do you see? How far do you think you can go, Stubbs? You’ve got a record, and it’s stamped right across your forehead — ex-con!’

Alex swung round, shrugging his brother away. ‘I am what you made me, Eddie.’

‘Do you think I don’t know that? You think I come here grovelling out of anything but guilt? I’m rich, I want to help you. I want to put things right, and you won’t let me. So tell me, what will you let me do?’

‘Nothin’... I don’t want nothin’ from you. Stew in yer guilt, Eddie-boy, fuckin’ stew in it.’

‘Okay, so you won’t do it for me — how about doing it for Ma, for her? You know all she ever wanted was...’

Alex could feel the tears welling up inside him. He jabbed the air with his hand. ‘You got no right to even mention her name, you bastard! You got no right to come into my life an’ make everythin’ like a piece of shit. I worked for everythin’ I got, an’ I’m proud of what I done. I don’t need yer, I don’t want you around. You keep pushin’ me an’ I swear I’ll fuckin’ kill you. This time I won’t chuck the knife away, you’ll get it just like you gave it to Dad, hear me? You hear me?’

Alex was spoiling for another fight, as if it was the only way he could communicate with Edward. There had been too many years lost between them. Edward chose his words carefully, knowing he was on dangerous ground, clinically talking his brother down, determined to win him round. He began with flattery, telling Alex just how impressed he was with his business, saying that if he had given the impression he was not, he wanted to rectify it.

‘You think if I wasn’t impressed by you I’d be here now? I thought I was sharp, but you, Alex... Come on, I’m not putting you down in any way. All I can see is how much further you could go, and I want to give you a hand up.’

‘I need you, huh? That’s what you’re sayin’? You’re full of bullshit, you always was.’

‘I need you, it’s me that needs you. I want to be big, Alex, but I can’t do it on my own, and all I’m offering you is a partnership. But we’ve got to be clever, you know? People know who you are. What if they didn’t know you, eh? Didn’t know anything about you? Look in the mirror, your face, Alex... what do you see? Broken nose, cheek smashed in, and your ears look as if you’ve been in the ring for years.’

‘Yeah? So what? It’s my face, I can live wiv it.’

‘You don’t have to. You were a hell of a good-looking kid. Get the nose straightened, cheek fixed...’

Alex stared at his reflection, then at the handsome features of his brother. He could feel Edward’s hands on him, and he turned away. Edward held him gently, made him look at himself again.

‘You want to go through the rest of your life like this? Don’t give me your answer now, think about it. Here are some brochures of clinics in Switzerland... We’ll take it stage by stage, see it through together.’

Alex took the brochures and flicked through them. He chewed his lips, looked at Edward and back at the glossy pamphlets. ‘What about me business? You leave it more ‘n a few weeks an’ all hell breaks loose. I can’t just piss off, I run the show.’

‘I’ll take care of it, all of it, and I’ll give you the best price. You want it back after, then you’ll have it. I reckon we can really go places together, just so long as it’s together.’

Alex felt at a loss, pulled so many ways, wanting everything that Edward dangled before him but at the same time distrusting him. Edward was relentless, swinging the carrot, knowing he was at long last winning Alex over.

‘Plus a million on top — You’ve got to let me give you my guilt money, I won’t take no for an answer. It’ll be in a Geneva account in both our names. I’ll keep the club running, what’s-his-name will show me the ropes. You can’t lose, Alex.’

‘Arnie, ‘is name’s Arnie. He’s a good pal ter me.’

‘Yeah, I’ll take care of him, no problem. What do you say you sleep on it? It’s a new start for both of us, I need you with me, I want you with me. You’re my brother, we’re brothers.’

Alex sat on his single, neatly made bed. His expression was so childishly confused that Edward put his arms around him, kissing the top of his head.

‘I love you, Alex. Let me do this for you. Then it’s you and me going right to the top. I’ve got contacts; I’m already branching out, trying for big building projects. That’s where the money is, property, and I’ve got the finances to buy now while the time’s right.’

Alex remained sitting, staring blank-eyed at the clinic brochures. He knew Edward had won him round, just as he had always done when he was a kid. He turned slowly to stare at his reflection... the mirror blurred...