Read Online Dark Harbour: The Tale of the Soul Searcher by Joseph Kiel - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Joseph Kiel
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Brangelina.
After Samuel the Saint bought them all a drink, they got on with their pool match. It turned out to be quite an epic contest. Despite his indifferent demeanour, Eddie actually played very well and they had Michael and Danny at three-all as they went into the final frame.
Victory in this frame was anybody’s and the four of them had their total concentration on the table.
With all the yellows and the reds potted, Michael had the first shot on the crucial black. He lined himself up at the table with delicate precision, still unsure if he should attempt the difficult angle or play a safety.
‘You can do it, Michael,’ Danny said, anticipating the face-rubbing that Larry would give them if they messed this one up.
After a very long pause, Michael gently tapped the white towards the black. The black slowly rolled towards the pocket, bounced off the edge and back against the other, teetering over the hole. Michael stamped his foot on the ground but the ball wasn’t going to fall.
Larry started chuckling to himself. ‘Lo-sers! Lo-sers!’ he chanted like a schoolboy as he walked over to the pool table.
‘Miss this and you really are a twat,’ Eddie said to him. It was probably his idea of encouragement.
Instead of playing the simple tap in, Larry blasted the white at the black and smashed it in. The white was then in serious danger of finding its way into a pocket with all the bouncing around it was doing, but that didn’t happen. That sort of misfortune didn’t happen with cocky gits like Larry, whose pool cue now turned into an electric guitar as he performed his victory celebration.
‘Bad luck, chaps,’ he said as patronisingly as possible.
‘Well played,’ Michael gracefully said.
‘We thought we should let you win, you being the star player and everything,’ Danny said.
‘Don’t give me that. You were trying so hard. I could see it,’ Larry replied.
He was right, but Danny didn’t want him to know it. ‘So that was nice of Sam to get us all a drink earlier.’
‘Oh yeah, he’s a top bloke,’ Larry replied.
‘Didn’t realise you were so friendly with him.’
‘You’ve got to get in with them, haven’t you? He’ll own one half of this damn town one day. Never know when you might need your connections.’
‘Yeah, maybe he’ll get you a job in his dad’s factory when you finish college,’ Eddie muttered.
Larry threw him an unimpressed look. ‘Nah, one day I’ll be living the highlife with him, hanging out on his yacht, women on our arms.’
‘And you reckon I talk crap,’ Michael said.
Larry looked towards Samuel who now sat across from them with his fellow big shots. ‘You just see. One day I’ll be going round everywhere with a permanent smile on my face just like him.’
‘Yeah, right,’ said Michael.
Eddie stood up, his attention clearly strained by now. ‘You guys are obsessed with him. Jees! Want me to go ask him if he swings the other way so you can get yourselves up him?’
‘Michael might want to,’ Larry said quietly.
‘Yeah. Anyway, that’s enough happy hour for me. I’m off.’
‘Okay. We’ll meet you back at the flat, yeah?’ Michael asked, but Eddie had already grabbed his coat and was leaving.
‘See you later, dude,’ Larry called after him.
Eddie didn’t reply, sauntering out of the pub as though he was being chased away by a rain cloud.
‘He’s a ray of sunshine as ever,’ Danny said.
‘That’s Eddie in a good mood,’ Larry replied.
‘What’s up with him?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘He’s your friend.’
‘Yeah, well, I’m not his shrink, am I?’
‘It’s like living with a teenaged Emo girl on the rag.’
‘He pays the rent. We were struggling before. Want me to get him out?’
‘No, we just need to be patient,’ Michael said diplomatically. ‘Come on, one for the road, guys?’
‘Absolutely,’ Larry quickly replied.
The students had a little tradition to get a shot of whisky at the end of
After Samuel the Saint bought them all a drink, they got on with their pool match. It turned out to be quite an epic contest. Despite his indifferent demeanour, Eddie actually played very well and they had Michael and Danny at three-all as they went into the final frame.
Victory in this frame was anybody’s and the four of them had their total concentration on the table.
With all the yellows and the reds potted, Michael had the first shot on the crucial black. He lined himself up at the table with delicate precision, still unsure if he should attempt the difficult angle or play a safety.
‘You can do it, Michael,’ Danny said, anticipating the face-rubbing that Larry would give them if they messed this one up.
After a very long pause, Michael gently tapped the white towards the black. The black slowly rolled towards the pocket, bounced off the edge and back against the other, teetering over the hole. Michael stamped his foot on the ground but the ball wasn’t going to fall.
Larry started chuckling to himself. ‘Lo-sers! Lo-sers!’ he chanted like a schoolboy as he walked over to the pool table.
‘Miss this and you really are a twat,’ Eddie said to him. It was probably his idea of encouragement.
Instead of playing the simple tap in, Larry blasted the white at the black and smashed it in. The white was then in serious danger of finding its way into a pocket with all the bouncing around it was doing, but that didn’t happen. That sort of misfortune didn’t happen with cocky gits like Larry, whose pool cue now turned into an electric guitar as he performed his victory celebration.
‘Bad luck, chaps,’ he said as patronisingly as possible.
‘Well played,’ Michael gracefully said.
‘We thought we should let you win, you being the star player and everything,’ Danny said.
‘Don’t give me that. You were trying so hard. I could see it,’ Larry replied.
He was right, but Danny didn’t want him to know it. ‘So that was nice of Sam to get us all a drink earlier.’
‘Oh yeah, he’s a top bloke,’ Larry replied.
‘Didn’t realise you were so friendly with him.’
‘You’ve got to get in with them, haven’t you? He’ll own one half of this damn town one day. Never know when you might need your connections.’
‘Yeah, maybe he’ll get you a job in his dad’s factory when you finish college,’ Eddie muttered.
Larry threw him an unimpressed look. ‘Nah, one day I’ll be living the highlife with him, hanging out on his yacht, women on our arms.’
‘And you reckon I talk crap,’ Michael said.
Larry looked towards Samuel who now sat across from them with his fellow big shots. ‘You just see. One day I’ll be going round everywhere with a permanent smile on my face just like him.’
‘Yeah, right,’ said Michael.
Eddie stood up, his attention clearly strained by now. ‘You guys are obsessed with him. Jees! Want me to go ask him if he swings the other way so you can get yourselves up him?’
‘Michael might want to,’ Larry said quietly.
‘Yeah. Anyway, that’s enough happy hour for me. I’m off.’
‘Okay. We’ll meet you back at the flat, yeah?’ Michael asked, but Eddie had already grabbed his coat and was leaving.
‘See you later, dude,’ Larry called after him.
Eddie didn’t reply, sauntering out of the pub as though he was being chased away by a rain cloud.
‘He’s a ray of sunshine as ever,’ Danny said.
‘That’s Eddie in a good mood,’ Larry replied.
‘What’s up with him?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘He’s your friend.’
‘Yeah, well, I’m not his shrink, am I?’
‘It’s like living with a teenaged Emo girl on the rag.’
‘He pays the rent. We were struggling before. Want me to get him out?’
‘No, we just need to be patient,’ Michael said diplomatically. ‘Come on, one for the road, guys?’
‘Absolutely,’ Larry quickly replied.
The students had a little tradition to get a shot of whisky at the end of
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