Fadder -- (deuh of twaw)

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he set the meeting late spoke innocuously of safety in numbers

they were four

and he was he

Far ta one odds ta dem  Nah shabby

he gamed they saw him a long shot  likely realising few would back his horse

though  if he had worked it out right

took out the strongest two first

the other two  cheapy facilitators  hanger-ons  taken by surprise

might be like plucking ripe cherries fresh from a limb

                                                                                     if he worked fast  and deliberate

hed seat the big two at the front door

theyd impede the other twos escape

he choreographed it

practiced

danced spun it turned it and dipped it till its hair swept the floor

until it showed up in his dreams

when you dream what it is youre doing in real time

youre ready

Fadder went along with his part in the play

he was irritated  latently bemused  that he refused to confide in him  --  him  a priest  --  his intentions

Ey woudnt wan ya ta be fingered for yer innocuous  --  big ward  huh Da  --  part in dis play

itsa passion play ifn ya like Da

Ya don mind Fadder  I call ya Da    Do ya

he had a shabby apartment  and a shabby water closet in it

the toilet was ironstained

Ey sweer its cleen it only looks dirty  It looked dirty when ey let it  Dou itsa stout mate an wen yar up an don  stouter

Whaddasay      Ah  fort-tified     Ey hope ta tell ya  Da  ey do

he heard them coming up the stairs

heavy lads

the stairs groaned and bitched plenty
he always took them two or three at a time  trading off on the treads figuring theyd last longer
landlord was a cheap motherfucker
so he spoiled them
 

these four  obviously  were working them one tired tread at a time

 

the crying was pitiful

with any luck they could wipe their tears away  relax  not think of them again

  

steps couldnt be interrogated

no one in their right mind would think of that

anymore than anyone would think of using a door buzzer

 

his cheapskate landlord  a droll stereotype hed agree  hawked its benefit

Pleasant sound huh?

he answered by rapping sharply at the door

Souns empty  Ey ned a secure door man  Itsa a shithole neighborhood A shithole

You moving expensive stuff inside  he tried arguing

Lemme tink   Ah

Yea  Me

Ya can disconnect da bell save on electricity fer everone who dat tinkin a leanin on it

An den  oer time  yall save up da money ya spent on my reel dar

A solid bloke  eh   Stout 

  

Ey suspect  like da dar ta yer home in da buildin  Stout too  eh

 

Yea  Eyll take one like yers

Deel

Nawont even go inside

Take har sight unseen

Eym a trustin sonofabitch

Nareally

Ey know whar ya live

his smile verged on a leer

Dat tears it  he thought

Da oafs rang da damn darbell

Da mans losin money  Lardie

opening the door the bigger men stond side by side and the light in the hall light behind them eclipsed their heads

and shoulders

he was blind to their faces

Ah boys  Expectin ya  Com in

the two slackers slipped in behind them on their shadows like snails from the obliterated light his overhead ceiling fixture cast

Itsa a shithole of a neighborhood eh  Sorry  An ya see as wee agreed  its ya four  an me

they didnt answer in words  mumbled  nodded

Fine den

Gents  A seat

the big ones followed his extended hands to the larger chairs on the wall near the front door  three smaller chairs

were deeper into the room   far too small for their sumptuous asses

comfort should never be underestimated

he  he wouldnt sit with his back to a door even if it meant sitting on an inverted three-legged stool

the conversation went as he thought it might

he could be counted on as a procurer

he convinced them he knew who wouldnt be missed  wouldnt attract attention

convinced them they were ample  readily available blood

Don tell me ya cant heer it surgin from whar ya sittin

Warm  blue  pipin hot in der veins

Certainly boys ya can smell it

they grunted

appetites shouldnt be underestimated either

they were sidetracked

he thought he heard their bellies gurgle

the idiots beside him rocked in glee  hadnt they said

Didnt we say  they said

he stood

Gents  please excuse me  nature begs  Breathe dep  Enjoy da whiffs in da air  Delicious eh

Eyll not steer ya wrong  Gawds ward

Ha  Humor nah

he went past the edge of the kitchen table at his back into the bathroom slightly closing the door so not to arouse any suspicion

 

in the chipped and tarnished sink sat a swollen red rubber hot water bladder he dipped into the holy toilet water

Fadder blessed earlier

it was worth the coin he donated to the Church

Fadder said he was munificent

Hmm  Da  Eym gonna hafta look dat won up

Don tell me

Ey like strange wards an wha dey mean

Itsa how won lerns  How ey lern

   

the iron-ruined toilet and red hot water bottle were incongruous  unseemly    odd 

heads stuck on pikes so you couldnt look away or not notice

 

Namatter

he neer woud ave tought dis up hisself  an he weer damn certain dey coudnt peer inta his dreams

When yer dreams weave wha dey do  dey ave ya dead ta rights

Ya don question dem

Dey occur far a purpose

Ya buy inta dem wholesale  lock stock an barrel

Dey wont leed ya astray

Deyve got as much skin in da game as ya  an cling ta liefe  tenaciously

as ya ta yer own

he thought  Wees der fackin meal ticket  An ya don ever play fast an loose wid yar meal ticket  Na do ya

the toilet chirped like an untuned canary

he relieved himself heavily  noisily  thinking if they could smell blood in peoples veins theyd have a noseful 

of his urines scent

the knob of the hot water spigot squeaked

the drain gurgled

the soap lathered

the drain gurgled as he rinsed his hands

the spigot squeaked again as he turned it off

the cheap hand towel sounded rough

* * *

Fadder -- (euh of deuh and twaw )

Fadder  I sez 

I sez  Fadder  Ey appreciate ya meedin wid me

Ya probably not really likely ta know me  Dou ey know ya   Yaknow neighborhood taktak  Ey know ya gotta job

sez ya gotta listen ta da tak tak  But I tink ya aint really all about knowin us hard  Ya know us in da bigger sense   

as ya been taut  as weeben taut ta expect from ya   at de   at de       Ey know des                 Ah  De seminary

Strange  ey tink  Semen-ary    Don know bout you  souns funnyright ta me

But ma point  ya bout ministering souls

Da life heer   is hard

An fok heer too  hard

But wees all cut aint wee  everwhar  sa ya sez     ada same clothYea 

  

Mebbe ders cleener cloths    but dey da same kinda cloth

Yea

Yea   Ey tink so

  

Anyway

So tankya Fadder

Ey appreciate ya meedin wid me heer   In ya house yer Fadders house

Round us  dis city round us

Yaknow

Isa shithole been a shithole ey tink when ya com  Tak tak sez ya was an older man when ya made heer

Ya began older

Mebbe   called late eh

Ey don tink a younger man woud wannit

But      Thars a reason why ya cam  Eym not innarested why ya heer  But mebbe   mebbe if ya lookin for a lil sumptin    perhaps a touch a sainthood

Mebbe   ya can hep me an ey can hep ya

Ey hope  dis shithole  my wards don offend ya   Eym a big believer in callin tings wha dey are

Ey aint offended eys born in dis shithole  But namatter

                                          

Ey wannata meet ya   as ey sezs on da fone   Ta offa ya a proposition  if ya woud

An if ya woud  as by any legit proposition   Eyd make it wort    da Churchs while

  

But yad hafta com out a heer  Out a dis house

   

Ta hep me  hep ya

Innarested

     * * *

Ey ned a lil hep  Fadder

Ya believe in Gawd

Den ya believe in evil

Ey don yea  Ey believe in bad  Yea  even badder bad

Ey believe in da supernatural

An given wha eyve read  priesty stouf   ey believe ya got da juice ey ned for a bad aspect eyve discovered

Ey ned lots ey tink   lots an lots ifan eym right

Ifan eym wrong  well   ya can hep yasef to it long as it flows eh   Unless acourse ya havent a lang spell in yer bag

Den eyd be botherin ya fer repeeted blessins

Or it don wark  an den my badder bad disappears me   Eyve no problem disappeared

Peeples in shitholes disappear all da time  Our wirth aint wirth da while ta find out whar wees gone an it easier

ta tink wee left fer greener pastures  as it weer  eh  Funnyright ta me  Dou ey tinks lots a life is funny

Like Hendrixs Along the Watchtower   who feel dat life is but a joke

Man  if only he rolled onto his face when he vomited

but den wee may have been disappointed as he grew old 

Woud be hard to be a disappointin artiste  eh

Sorry eym whilin round an round tinkin aloud boren ya   Sorry

So Fadder  ya com out ta me place

Tink it oer

 

Ey tink yer my best chance  Yer jewjew  ha  better  den otter fadders ey tink

Ya worry hardest  yer brow sez sa  An ey ned strong jewjew warked strong

Ey don know ifn eym askin sumptin hard  an ey ned ta know  frankly  reel quick

An den ya too coud tink ey left fer greener pastures

Escaped dis shithole

Eyd wancha ta tink ey escaped 

Dat be a nice tought eh  a nice tought Fadder

Eh Da

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