A Fifth of Bruen: Early Fiction of Ken Bruen
- Автор: Бруен Кен
- Год: 2006
- Язык: английский
- Год: Busted Flush Press
- ISBN: 978-0-9767157-2-6
- Жанр: Триллеры
Электронная книга - «A Fifth of Bruen: Early Fiction of Ken Bruen». Краткое содержание книги:
“Sounds like a real prince, does old Keif. I’d like to meet him.”
“He’s in the army.”
“Now why is that no surprise?”
“I said to him, ‘Keif, if you were a man you would.’”
Danny liked it. He found he liked her. Not sexually, not yet. She leant closer and said,
“Will you be fuckin’ me after?”
And he spluttered his drink.
“For crying out loud, girl, what a thing to ask.”
“Well, isn’t that wot men do to women?”
He wanted to say that sometimes they make love. But figured he had little right on this day to lecture on the human condition. Not this day when he’d fucked Richie permanently.
Nikki drank another snowball and then Danny said he’d walk her home. She lived in Cottington Lane, near Kennington Tube. Her flat was in a modern building complete with intercom and grilled windows.
“If you come up, I’ll cook you something.”
He did.
The flat was small, spotless, and decorated as if a studious teenager lived there. Fluffy cushions everywhere, Snoopy dolls and posters of European cities. Danny thought of how Darcy might have turned out.
“You look sad.”
“I was thinking of a little girl.”
“I can be that for you, of any fantasy you like. I know them all.”
“You mentioned food?”
She made omelettes and placed two glasses of milk with them.
“We can have ice cream after. I got that American one that nobody can say.”
They ate. Danny even drank the milk. It was surprisingly tasty and he cleaned his plate. She said,
“I read once, that around 1840, one in every 25 Londoners was a prostitute. They worked it out it was one for every 12 men.”
What Danny thought was “so what?” but he said, “How interesting?”
She got up and came over beside him, sat and rested her head on his shoulder.
“Do you feel bad because I’m a prossy?”
“No, because I’m twice yer age darlin’, and, believe me, I feel it.”
“Come on,” she said, and took his hand, “you don’t have to do anything,” and she led him to the bedroom.
They slept holding hands. A Snoopy duvet over them. Before she slept, Nikki said as she squeezed his hand.
“Like my Mum and Dad, I’m glad you’re here, Barry.”
And in all sorts of ways, Danny was glad too.
For the next four days, it was like a holiday for Danny. He returned to his flat to change, shower, and nothing else. The old songs were left unplayed. He spent the days with Nikki and they went to:
1. Kew Gardens
2. The Zoo
3. The Cinema (Twice)
4. Madame Tussauds
And in the evening they shared the bed. Sex didn’t take place. He knew he was treating her like a daughter, to have the brief time with her he knew he’d never have with Darcy. Glad he was, too, to have the rest and healing. Some sort of restoration was vital if he was to attempt the Brandon event. But, most of all, he just enjoyed it. On the fifth morning he slipped out of bed early and wrote her a note. He propped it against a glass of orange juice. He put a thick wedge of bank notes in an envelope. He went to the sofa and from underneath, where he’d hidden it, he pulled an ALF doll. Under ALF’s arm he lodged the envelope. The note read,
My Darling Nikki,
You’re a wonderful girl. You’re smart and funny and beautiful. I have to go away, but I want you to know I wish you were my daughter. I’d be proud if you were. This is ALF, he’s a smart ass, but you probably know that already. Go into another line of work, you’re too vital for this. Here’s some cash to kick start. If I believed in God, I’d ask him to mind you well. I believe in you.