THE BOY GOES to make up some of the tables in the front dining area. Ah climb across the sink, through some dirty dishes and just slide like an eel out of the open window, falling onto some binliners stacked with rubbish and rolling into a dry drain in this concreted back court. Ah try tae stand up, but ah cannae, so ah just crawl towards this green gate. Ah just know ah have to go, to keep moving, but I’ve ripped my flannels and torn my knee and ah can see the flesh wound pulsating like an opened-up strawberry and now I’m on my feet which is strange because ah can’t recall ever standing up and I’m on a busy main road which is maybe the Great Western or maybe Byre’s or maybe Dumbarton and I can’t see where I’m going and it should be home but that cannae surely tae fuck that cannae mean Stevo’s flat.

The sun rises up above the tenements. I’m just gaunnae fly intae it.

Ah shout tae some people in the street, two lassies. Ah tell them, – The sun, I’m just up for flyin right intae it.

They say nothing, and they don’t even notice as ah fly right up out of this world and its trivial, banal oppressions, right into that big fuckin golden bastard in the sky.

6

IT TOOK AYS a while tae get back fae Soapdodge City. Acid, man, fuck that, never again, never until the next time at any rate. When ah get back, The Poisonous Cunt’s coming oot ay ma stair. – Where have you been? she says accusingly. The Poisonous Cunt is getting too fuckin possessive taewards me.

– Glasgow, ah tell her.

– What for? she asks.

– Slam night on the Renfrew Ferry, eh, ah lie. Ah don’t want The Poisonous Cunt knowing my MO …

– What was it like?

– Awright, aye, ah goes.

– Ah’ve got some mair ay they Doves for you to punt, but they’re back at mines, she says.

Great. Mair crap Es tae sell. Ma reputation will soon be so bad that people’ll rather buy their chemicals fae Scottish and Newcastle Breweries. Ah left the other ones in Glasgow wi Stevo, who wasnae too hopeful, but who said that he would see what he could do.

– Right. Ah’ll come up the night, ah tell her. Ah just want to get in and make myself a cup of tea and a spliff. Then ah realise that I’ve left my blow in Soapdodge City, with those Es. – Have you got any blow? Ah need a fucking blow. Ah’m exhausted after that trip. My jaw feels like it’s been broken. Ah need tae mellow out. Even some fuckin jellies wid dae ays. Ah need some thing. Ah need, full fuckin stop.

– Aye. Ah’ve got black and soapbar, she says.

– Right then, I’ll chum you back to yours.