surprised.
Hh! He glanced at Tammas: Did you know and all?
Who me – naw, did I fuck, I never knew . . . Tammas turned to Ralphie.
Different department. The older man shrugged: This wing’s nothing to do with us, no when it really comes down to it.
What! The first man gazed at him. What did you say!
I said it’s a different department. Here. It’s fucking different, it’s different from us. He took the pipe from his mouth and he pointed it at the man: Can you work any of
their machines?
Course I cant work any of their fucking machines.
The second man glanced at him: Ralphie means cause it’s a different machine man, you cant work it . . . He shook his head. Even if they wanted to let you man you couldnt fucking work
it.
I know. So what!
Well, fuck sake.
Look I dont give a fucking monkey’s man it’s out of order. I’ve never heard of anything like this in my fucking puff. Treat you like fucking shite in this place and you all
fucking stand back and let them man – fucking . . . He stopped and shook his head.
Come off it, muttered Ralphie.
Well it’s the same fucking factory.
I know it’s the same factory.
Aye well you trying to tell me should fucking stand back and watch them steaming into the fucking O.T. when we’re getting fucking laid off!
Nobody’s getting laid off.
Yet, added the second man.
Ralphie glanced at him. He had the pipe back in his mouth and he sucked on it. He struck a match and began relighting the tobacco. But he blew out the flame and took the pipe back out of his
mouth. He dropped a mouthful of spit onto the floor, wiped his boot heel over it. Then he sniffed and stood up. He said to Tammas: Time we were going eh.
Aye. As he followed Ralphie out the smoke-area he called to the other two, See yous later.
They walked in silence to the corner of this wing. There was another stores’ section here and they were assisting the storeman clear old stuff away to create space. Some ten minutes later
the other two men could be seen leaving the smoke-area. Tammas paused with the box he was passing to Ralphie and he said: I can see his point but.
Good for you son. The older man took the box from him and turned to lay it on the platform.
Tammas had reddened. After a moment he walked away. He went to the nearby toilet and sat in one of the cubicles.
Back in the stores Ralphie was starting on another stack of boxes. Tammas joined him at it without speaking. Eventually Ralphie said, Another two and we’ll call it a day.
Tammas made no answer.
Then by the time we get over to our bit . . . Ralphie shrugged.
Tammas nodded slightly.
•••
The room was in darkness. He lay there with his eyelids shut. Footsteps down the lobby, from the bathroom to the front room, and the door being opened and closed. He squinted at
the alarm clock. It had stopped, it was not ticking. Pulling off the quilt he swung round his legs and sat for a moment; he was wearing jeans and a shirt and had his socks on. He got up, he
stretched, standing on his tip-toes and thrusting out his chest, making a groaning sound. And he walked to the window, drew the curtains enough to peer out. It was still raining, the actual drops
of water visible as they fell within range of the glow of light from the street lamps. A man was walking from one pavement to the other and his voice was audible, as if he was calling to someone in
Tammas’s close. But he was not doing that, he was singing to himself as he walked.
•••
The foreman looked at him when he entered the office.
About Friday afternoon, said Tammas; okay if I get it off? I saw the chargehand at tea-break and he says to ask you.
What is it for?
I’m going away for the weekend.
So am I. So’s a lot of folk. It’s always the same at this time of year.
Tammas sniffed and stared at him.
What is it you want the afternoon for?
Well the bus, it leaves at half three.
Half three?
Aye. And I’ll need to get home and changed and that.
The foreman
Hh! He glanced at Tammas: Did you know and all?
Who me – naw, did I fuck, I never knew . . . Tammas turned to Ralphie.
Different department. The older man shrugged: This wing’s nothing to do with us, no when it really comes down to it.
What! The first man gazed at him. What did you say!
I said it’s a different department. Here. It’s fucking different, it’s different from us. He took the pipe from his mouth and he pointed it at the man: Can you work any of
their machines?
Course I cant work any of their fucking machines.
The second man glanced at him: Ralphie means cause it’s a different machine man, you cant work it . . . He shook his head. Even if they wanted to let you man you couldnt fucking work
it.
I know. So what!
Well, fuck sake.
Look I dont give a fucking monkey’s man it’s out of order. I’ve never heard of anything like this in my fucking puff. Treat you like fucking shite in this place and you all
fucking stand back and let them man – fucking . . . He stopped and shook his head.
Come off it, muttered Ralphie.
Well it’s the same fucking factory.
I know it’s the same factory.
Aye well you trying to tell me should fucking stand back and watch them steaming into the fucking O.T. when we’re getting fucking laid off!
Nobody’s getting laid off.
Yet, added the second man.
Ralphie glanced at him. He had the pipe back in his mouth and he sucked on it. He struck a match and began relighting the tobacco. But he blew out the flame and took the pipe back out of his
mouth. He dropped a mouthful of spit onto the floor, wiped his boot heel over it. Then he sniffed and stood up. He said to Tammas: Time we were going eh.
Aye. As he followed Ralphie out the smoke-area he called to the other two, See yous later.
They walked in silence to the corner of this wing. There was another stores’ section here and they were assisting the storeman clear old stuff away to create space. Some ten minutes later
the other two men could be seen leaving the smoke-area. Tammas paused with the box he was passing to Ralphie and he said: I can see his point but.
Good for you son. The older man took the box from him and turned to lay it on the platform.
Tammas had reddened. After a moment he walked away. He went to the nearby toilet and sat in one of the cubicles.
Back in the stores Ralphie was starting on another stack of boxes. Tammas joined him at it without speaking. Eventually Ralphie said, Another two and we’ll call it a day.
Tammas made no answer.
Then by the time we get over to our bit . . . Ralphie shrugged.
Tammas nodded slightly.
•••
The room was in darkness. He lay there with his eyelids shut. Footsteps down the lobby, from the bathroom to the front room, and the door being opened and closed. He squinted at
the alarm clock. It had stopped, it was not ticking. Pulling off the quilt he swung round his legs and sat for a moment; he was wearing jeans and a shirt and had his socks on. He got up, he
stretched, standing on his tip-toes and thrusting out his chest, making a groaning sound. And he walked to the window, drew the curtains enough to peer out. It was still raining, the actual drops
of water visible as they fell within range of the glow of light from the street lamps. A man was walking from one pavement to the other and his voice was audible, as if he was calling to someone in
Tammas’s close. But he was not doing that, he was singing to himself as he walked.
•••
The foreman looked at him when he entered the office.
About Friday afternoon, said Tammas; okay if I get it off? I saw the chargehand at tea-break and he says to ask you.
What is it for?
I’m going away for the weekend.
So am I. So’s a lot of folk. It’s always the same at this time of year.
Tammas sniffed and stared at him.
What is it you want the afternoon for?
Well the bus, it leaves at half three.
Half three?
Aye. And I’ll need to get home and changed and that.
The foreman
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