for his rights. Nick picked up his spliff from the ashtray just as he received his latest IM from Carla, a cute girl he recently met in the University of Middlesex library.
-
How come u’ve spent so much money if you stayed at home?
it read.
Nick stared at his spliff and smiled wryly. -
Partyin’ too hard!
he replied. -
Blame the banks entirely. Bastards dish out plastic like sweets. Then charge you interest up the @rse every month for the privilege!
-Lol,
Carla replied. -
Well, how about ur student loan?
-Rolled it, lit it, smoked it! ;)
-
Naughty boy!
-Keeps me sane in this insane city! Would love to get outta here! See the world a bit…
-Yeah, that would be nice…
-
Imagine—beaches, waterfalls, mountains, deserts, lakes, forests. Safari in the Serengeti, deep sea diving off the Coral Reef, motor biking through the Rockies, canoeing down the Amazon…
-Mmmm…
-Yeah… well, it’s all a pipe dream anyway ’cos I won’t be able to afford anything like that for years. Sold my soul to the devil. Gonna be spending a looooong time settling my debt with that particular bank manager… lol.
- U’ll have a degree. Get a job, pay him back….
-Lol, you are joking aren’t you? This shitty degree is a complete waste of time.
-Why?
-It ain’t worth the paper it’s written on. Think about it. How many people have got degrees nowadays?
Loads.
It’s become so watered down from the 80s when only rich bastards went to university. Now, any mug with a credit card can get in…
-Lol. So, why r u doin it?
- Why d’ya think? Another three years avoiding the world of work!
-Lol, ur something else…
-Nah, I’m just a mug with a credit card…
-
So, what are u gonna do about ur debt?
Nick lay back and took a long drag on his spliff. He thought of Marco. Thought of the freaky way he appeared at the fair was like he was
looking
for them. Like an angel of doom—
or was he an angel of mercy?
If Marco was right and the tomb was full of jewels, then Nick’s money issues would vanish in the blink of an eye.
But could he be trusted?
Nick thought he seemed all right, but Charlie was paranoid of him.
Charlie’s just paranoid,
an inner voice reasoned.
True, but whatever Marco’s intentions, good or bad, whatever he had planned, the promise at the end of it was just too much to turn down. Gold at the end of the rainbow. Gold that would sort his life out good and proper. That’s why, unlike Charlie, he went along with the idea from the off. So, fuck Charlie’s paranoid delusions. Marco was an inner city kid wanting out of hell, and he found a way. And he needed help.
That was why he sought them out. Why fate had led him to them. And Nick promised to help
him
out to help himself out.
Sorted.
Jamaica here we come!
-Nick? U still there…?
Carla wrote.
Nick noticed the words on the screen, and snapped back into life.
-Yeah, yeah, still here…
he said.
I think something will turn up…
-Lol. Leaving it to luck are u?
He gave the screen a wry smile.
-Let’s just say I got a good feeling in my bones…
There was a knock at his door.
He quickly grabbed the CD player remote and turned Bob down. ‘Yeah?’ he responded.
‘Dinner,’ came the reply. It was one of his sisters, Anna.
‘Okay, I’ll be down in a minute,’ he said.
Nice timing, I was just getting the munchies.
-Dinner’s ready, Carla,
he told her.
I’ll see you
soon.
-OK, see u later, Nick. x.
He logged off.
I like this girl
, he thought to himself.
Really like her…
He smiled to himself, and sighed. From nowhere, things were suddenly looking up. Looking very rosy indeed…
He stubbed out his spliff, switched off the CD player, and went downstairs.
*****
Tony was working on his cousin Christo’s Beemer.
Those other pricks might have fuck all else to do with their time, but Tony was a proper man and he had to work every day to put food on the table. The fair had been a complete fucking washout and he was gutted. Another weekend wasted.
-
How come u’ve spent so much money if you stayed at home?
it read.
Nick stared at his spliff and smiled wryly. -
Partyin’ too hard!
he replied. -
Blame the banks entirely. Bastards dish out plastic like sweets. Then charge you interest up the @rse every month for the privilege!
-Lol,
Carla replied. -
Well, how about ur student loan?
-Rolled it, lit it, smoked it! ;)
-
Naughty boy!
-Keeps me sane in this insane city! Would love to get outta here! See the world a bit…
-Yeah, that would be nice…
-
Imagine—beaches, waterfalls, mountains, deserts, lakes, forests. Safari in the Serengeti, deep sea diving off the Coral Reef, motor biking through the Rockies, canoeing down the Amazon…
-Mmmm…
-Yeah… well, it’s all a pipe dream anyway ’cos I won’t be able to afford anything like that for years. Sold my soul to the devil. Gonna be spending a looooong time settling my debt with that particular bank manager… lol.
- U’ll have a degree. Get a job, pay him back….
-Lol, you are joking aren’t you? This shitty degree is a complete waste of time.
-Why?
-It ain’t worth the paper it’s written on. Think about it. How many people have got degrees nowadays?
Loads.
It’s become so watered down from the 80s when only rich bastards went to university. Now, any mug with a credit card can get in…
-Lol. So, why r u doin it?
- Why d’ya think? Another three years avoiding the world of work!
-Lol, ur something else…
-Nah, I’m just a mug with a credit card…
-
So, what are u gonna do about ur debt?
Nick lay back and took a long drag on his spliff. He thought of Marco. Thought of the freaky way he appeared at the fair was like he was
looking
for them. Like an angel of doom—
or was he an angel of mercy?
If Marco was right and the tomb was full of jewels, then Nick’s money issues would vanish in the blink of an eye.
But could he be trusted?
Nick thought he seemed all right, but Charlie was paranoid of him.
Charlie’s just paranoid,
an inner voice reasoned.
True, but whatever Marco’s intentions, good or bad, whatever he had planned, the promise at the end of it was just too much to turn down. Gold at the end of the rainbow. Gold that would sort his life out good and proper. That’s why, unlike Charlie, he went along with the idea from the off. So, fuck Charlie’s paranoid delusions. Marco was an inner city kid wanting out of hell, and he found a way. And he needed help.
That was why he sought them out. Why fate had led him to them. And Nick promised to help
him
out to help himself out.
Sorted.
Jamaica here we come!
-Nick? U still there…?
Carla wrote.
Nick noticed the words on the screen, and snapped back into life.
-Yeah, yeah, still here…
he said.
I think something will turn up…
-Lol. Leaving it to luck are u?
He gave the screen a wry smile.
-Let’s just say I got a good feeling in my bones…
There was a knock at his door.
He quickly grabbed the CD player remote and turned Bob down. ‘Yeah?’ he responded.
‘Dinner,’ came the reply. It was one of his sisters, Anna.
‘Okay, I’ll be down in a minute,’ he said.
Nice timing, I was just getting the munchies.
-Dinner’s ready, Carla,
he told her.
I’ll see you
soon.
-OK, see u later, Nick. x.
He logged off.
I like this girl
, he thought to himself.
Really like her…
He smiled to himself, and sighed. From nowhere, things were suddenly looking up. Looking very rosy indeed…
He stubbed out his spliff, switched off the CD player, and went downstairs.
*****
Tony was working on his cousin Christo’s Beemer.
Those other pricks might have fuck all else to do with their time, but Tony was a proper man and he had to work every day to put food on the table. The fair had been a complete fucking washout and he was gutted. Another weekend wasted.
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