twisted, slung under me. I was winded. I felt, just a little, like sleeping.
OH, THIS WAS NICE . Kind of wet and slippery and I was moving without any effort. But, thinking about it, something was hurting, was hurting. A bump and a rucking and a grazing. A long distance away I heard a voice, a tight little voice, unfamiliar, which was saying, ‘Can’t force flow. Flow flows.’ Flow flows.
Actually, the more I thought about it - and, be assured, there was no rush, no reason to rush - the more I gave it thought, the less happy I felt. My head was banging on the ground. My arm was aching, turned under me. I was being dragged. I felt mud and grass and then I felt gravel. My beard was so full of it. Bits of stone finding a home. Until, finally, I was still.
Something happened then, but I was no part of it. The gravel shifted, right up close to me, and then my face was wrapped in a warm, soft towel and a vapour darkened everything.
‘Hello Phil. Hello Phil. Hello.’
‘Wah?’
Shit. That was me.
I opened my eyes. Saleem had her face up close to mine and she was covered in blood - her cheek and her hand.
‘Don’t be shocked. I’m not hurt. This is your blood.’
‘Oh.’
She wiped at her face with a piece of tissue while she said, ‘Nancy’s here. She dragged you in.’
Nancy materialized in front of me. ‘I dragged you in. I’m really sorry. I’d never have taken the hoe away if I thought he was going to attack you. He’s so powerful for a little fella. Like David Carradine in Kung Fu.’
‘Where’s Doug?’
Saleem had a bowl full of warm water and a roll of kitchen towel.
‘He’s upstairs. Still in bed.’
She leaned over me again and applied something damp to my cheek. ‘Want to know what kind of injuries you sustained?’
‘Uh, I feel OK.’
‘Well, apart from the odd cut and graze, I think you broke your nose and sprained your arm. Maybe you sprained your ankle too. It’s swelling out a bit.’
My ribs hurt when I inhaled. I tried to sit up, still woozy. ‘What time is it?’
Nancy checked her watch, and I noticed again how dirty her hands were. Muddy hands.
‘About half-seven.’
My arm did feel bad. We were in the kitchen. I was on the floor.
‘I think might like to sit on a chair.’
Nancy helped me up.
‘Should we call the police?’ she asked, settling me down again with a small huff of exertion.
‘We can’t call the police,’ Saleem said quickly. ‘We’d be fucking ourselves over.’
I was mystified by this response. ‘Doug will probably want us to call them,’ I said. ‘That Chinese devil destroyed Doug’s greenhouse before he assaulted me.’
Saleem expressed no surprise at this. Nancy didn’t either. ‘In that case,’ Saleem said, ‘we should really let Doug decide whether he wants to get the police involved or not. They’re his vegetables, after all. And you . . .’ She stared at me for a moment with an almost fond indifference. ‘You’ll mend.’
After a short pause she turned to Nancy and said pointedly, ‘Aren’t you in a hurry to unload that privet or something?’
Nancy shuffled her feet. ‘I suppose so. I was just worried about Phil
‘Actually,’ Saleem said, ‘I think we should tell Phil about where you’re supposed to be going today.’ Saleem turned towards me again. ‘Guess where Nancy’s going?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Tell him, Nancy.’
Nancy walked over to the sink and washed her hands. She spoke with her back to me, over her shoulder. ‘Doug’s got me going to Southend again for some more privet.’
‘Privet? How much more?’
‘Loads. And on Friday, too.’
‘Did he give you any order forms?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Can I have a quick look at them?’
‘I’ll get them later. They’re in the truck.’
Saleem butted in, ‘D’you think you might be concussed?’ she asked, purely, it seemed, out of interest, as though she and Nancy had had a small wager on this possibility. I was about to answer and then I
OH, THIS WAS NICE . Kind of wet and slippery and I was moving without any effort. But, thinking about it, something was hurting, was hurting. A bump and a rucking and a grazing. A long distance away I heard a voice, a tight little voice, unfamiliar, which was saying, ‘Can’t force flow. Flow flows.’ Flow flows.
Actually, the more I thought about it - and, be assured, there was no rush, no reason to rush - the more I gave it thought, the less happy I felt. My head was banging on the ground. My arm was aching, turned under me. I was being dragged. I felt mud and grass and then I felt gravel. My beard was so full of it. Bits of stone finding a home. Until, finally, I was still.
Something happened then, but I was no part of it. The gravel shifted, right up close to me, and then my face was wrapped in a warm, soft towel and a vapour darkened everything.
‘Hello Phil. Hello Phil. Hello.’
‘Wah?’
Shit. That was me.
I opened my eyes. Saleem had her face up close to mine and she was covered in blood - her cheek and her hand.
‘Don’t be shocked. I’m not hurt. This is your blood.’
‘Oh.’
She wiped at her face with a piece of tissue while she said, ‘Nancy’s here. She dragged you in.’
Nancy materialized in front of me. ‘I dragged you in. I’m really sorry. I’d never have taken the hoe away if I thought he was going to attack you. He’s so powerful for a little fella. Like David Carradine in Kung Fu.’
‘Where’s Doug?’
Saleem had a bowl full of warm water and a roll of kitchen towel.
‘He’s upstairs. Still in bed.’
She leaned over me again and applied something damp to my cheek. ‘Want to know what kind of injuries you sustained?’
‘Uh, I feel OK.’
‘Well, apart from the odd cut and graze, I think you broke your nose and sprained your arm. Maybe you sprained your ankle too. It’s swelling out a bit.’
My ribs hurt when I inhaled. I tried to sit up, still woozy. ‘What time is it?’
Nancy checked her watch, and I noticed again how dirty her hands were. Muddy hands.
‘About half-seven.’
My arm did feel bad. We were in the kitchen. I was on the floor.
‘I think might like to sit on a chair.’
Nancy helped me up.
‘Should we call the police?’ she asked, settling me down again with a small huff of exertion.
‘We can’t call the police,’ Saleem said quickly. ‘We’d be fucking ourselves over.’
I was mystified by this response. ‘Doug will probably want us to call them,’ I said. ‘That Chinese devil destroyed Doug’s greenhouse before he assaulted me.’
Saleem expressed no surprise at this. Nancy didn’t either. ‘In that case,’ Saleem said, ‘we should really let Doug decide whether he wants to get the police involved or not. They’re his vegetables, after all. And you . . .’ She stared at me for a moment with an almost fond indifference. ‘You’ll mend.’
After a short pause she turned to Nancy and said pointedly, ‘Aren’t you in a hurry to unload that privet or something?’
Nancy shuffled her feet. ‘I suppose so. I was just worried about Phil
‘Actually,’ Saleem said, ‘I think we should tell Phil about where you’re supposed to be going today.’ Saleem turned towards me again. ‘Guess where Nancy’s going?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Tell him, Nancy.’
Nancy walked over to the sink and washed her hands. She spoke with her back to me, over her shoulder. ‘Doug’s got me going to Southend again for some more privet.’
‘Privet? How much more?’
‘Loads. And on Friday, too.’
‘Did he give you any order forms?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Can I have a quick look at them?’
‘I’ll get them later. They’re in the truck.’
Saleem butted in, ‘D’you think you might be concussed?’ she asked, purely, it seemed, out of interest, as though she and Nancy had had a small wager on this possibility. I was about to answer and then I
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