Exercise to write from the starting point of a telephone call out of the blue from an old school friend.
Brr brr, brr brr.
“Hello?”
“Hi ya, Mikey Boy, long time no see.”
“Er, yes, a long time.” Who on earth is it?
“Remember me, Gazzer, from school? You know, Patrick Garman.”
Oh yes, Gazzer, I remember. “How are you, it must twenty years or more.”
“Twenty three actually, I looked it up.”
“You looked it up? Goodness me, how did you do that?"
“The Old Scholars Mag.”
“But you didn’t give a damn about the school, or the O S A.” or anything they tried to teach you either. “You left in the fifth form after that episode with your dad’s car and then you disappeared.”
“Ha ha. I did make rather of mess of the cricket pitch didn’t I?”
“Umm, yes.”
“Do you know, the school tried to sue the old feller. He soon saw them off I can tell you. But it made showing up there again a bit of a no no.”
“You mean because they expelled you?”
“Well yes, but that wouldn’t have stopped me. It was Dad; he laid the law down like, and waved the big stick.”
“You mean literally?”
“Yes, that as well, but he knew all about enforcement did Dad.”
Hmm, I bet he did. “So you joined the old firm?”
“Yer, and then they went and legalised off course betting and it cut the ground from under us so we branched out and after that we never looked back. Well to be honest there’s not much we about it now. Dad got a bit slow on his feet and the business couldn’t carry him.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“He’s alright; the Council are looking after him. Bloody good; that home doesn’t cost me a bean.”
“Oh really! I still don’t understand how you got hold of an O S mag?”
“It was Harry Harty; he’s big into that sort of thing.”
“But you couldn’t stand Harry and he couldn’t stand you. He gave you a good hiding I seem to remember.”
“Not sure I remember it quite like that. Any way, after school he worked for his dad, bit la-di-dah they were, but their business got into difficulties and we, er, helped out. It wasn’t long after that his old feller topped himself and Harry works for me now.”
“I see, so he got my number for you?”
“S’right. He said he didn’t know what you’d done after school.”
“Er, no.”
“Go on then what did you do with the big Michelson brain?”
“I went to university and took a degree in social science.”
“Go on, so you’re a social worker.”
"Er, sort of, I work for people in the community.”
“It figures, you always were a bit wet. You’d always jump to it when you were told. D’ye remember that time Flurry Fisher missed the po and pissed all over the dormitory floor and we shoved your face in it? You were a bit wet that night, ha ha.”
“Umm.”
“Any way, I was wondering if you’d do me a favour, just for old time’s sake?”
“Go on.”
“I’ve got a couple of bags of stuff I want to keep out of the way for a few days. I could always rely on you doing the right thing back then.”
“What sort of stuff?”
“Oh, this an’ that.”
“I suppose I might help out, ‘Non Sibi Sed Omnibus’ and all that.”
“If you say so. I always thought that was about a foreigner with a funny name driving a bus for Yorkshire Traction.”
“Er no, it means ‘Not for One but for All’.”
“Go on, well you’re the one with the education. You’re on then?"
“I suppose so; we can catch up.”
“It’ll take me about an hour and a half to get to you.”
“It should be quite an entertaining evening. Will anyone else be coming to share the fun?”
“Ah no, that’s the point really, it’s very hush hush. There’s no one at my end I can trust any more.”
“You know where to come?”
“Yes, Harry got yer address as well.”
“I see, well I’ll be ready for you when you arrive.”
Click. Dead line, but not for long.
Pip, pip, - Pip pip pip, pip.
Brr Brr, Brr Brr.
“Central Station, Desk sarge…”
“Sam, DCI Michelson here.”
“Evenin sir, thought you were off duty till Monday morning.”
“Yes, well, never mind about that just send a couple of wooden tops along to my house in an unmarked car. Make sure they have a pair of bracelets between them. Oh and make sure they get here in less than an hour.”
“Do I tell them why, sir?”
“Just say there’s a bit of overdue justice to be done.”
Click.
Brr brr, brr brr.
“Hello?”
“Hi ya, Mikey Boy, long time no see.”
“Er, yes, a long time.” Who on earth is it?
“Remember me, Gazzer, from school? You know, Patrick Garman.”
Oh yes, Gazzer, I remember. “How are you, it must twenty years or more.”
“Twenty three actually, I looked it up.”
“You looked it up? Goodness me, how did you do that?"
“The Old Scholars Mag.”
“But you didn’t give a damn about the school, or the O S A.” or anything they tried to teach you either. “You left in the fifth form after that episode with your dad’s car and then you disappeared.”
“Ha ha. I did make rather of mess of the cricket pitch didn’t I?”
“Umm, yes.”
“Do you know, the school tried to sue the old feller. He soon saw them off I can tell you. But it made showing up there again a bit of a no no.”
“You mean because they expelled you?”
“Well yes, but that wouldn’t have stopped me. It was Dad; he laid the law down like, and waved the big stick.”
“You mean literally?”
“Yes, that as well, but he knew all about enforcement did Dad.”
Hmm, I bet he did. “So you joined the old firm?”
“Yer, and then they went and legalised off course betting and it cut the ground from under us so we branched out and after that we never looked back. Well to be honest there’s not much we about it now. Dad got a bit slow on his feet and the business couldn’t carry him.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“He’s alright; the Council are looking after him. Bloody good; that home doesn’t cost me a bean.”
“Oh really! I still don’t understand how you got hold of an O S mag?”
“It was Harry Harty; he’s big into that sort of thing.”
“But you couldn’t stand Harry and he couldn’t stand you. He gave you a good hiding I seem to remember.”
“Not sure I remember it quite like that. Any way, after school he worked for his dad, bit la-di-dah they were, but their business got into difficulties and we, er, helped out. It wasn’t long after that his old feller topped himself and Harry works for me now.”
“I see, so he got my number for you?”
“S’right. He said he didn’t know what you’d done after school.”
“Er, no.”
“Go on then what did you do with the big Michelson brain?”
“I went to university and took a degree in social science.”
“Go on, so you’re a social worker.”
"Er, sort of, I work for people in the community.”
“It figures, you always were a bit wet. You’d always jump to it when you were told. D’ye remember that time Flurry Fisher missed the po and pissed all over the dormitory floor and we shoved your face in it? You were a bit wet that night, ha ha.”
“Umm.”
“Any way, I was wondering if you’d do me a favour, just for old time’s sake?”
“Go on.”
“I’ve got a couple of bags of stuff I want to keep out of the way for a few days. I could always rely on you doing the right thing back then.”
“What sort of stuff?”
“Oh, this an’ that.”
“I suppose I might help out, ‘Non Sibi Sed Omnibus’ and all that.”
“If you say so. I always thought that was about a foreigner with a funny name driving a bus for Yorkshire Traction.”
“Er no, it means ‘Not for One but for All’.”
“Go on, well you’re the one with the education. You’re on then?"
“I suppose so; we can catch up.”
“It’ll take me about an hour and a half to get to you.”
“It should be quite an entertaining evening. Will anyone else be coming to share the fun?”
“Ah no, that’s the point really, it’s very hush hush. There’s no one at my end I can trust any more.”
“You know where to come?”
“Yes, Harry got yer address as well.”
“I see, well I’ll be ready for you when you arrive.”
Click. Dead line, but not for long.
Pip, pip, - Pip pip pip, pip.
Brr Brr, Brr Brr.
“Central Station, Desk sarge…”
“Sam, DCI Michelson here.”
“Evenin sir, thought you were off duty till Monday morning.”
“Yes, well, never mind about that just send a couple of wooden tops along to my house in an unmarked car. Make sure they have a pair of bracelets between them. Oh and make sure they get here in less than an hour.”
“Do I tell them why, sir?”
“Just say there’s a bit of overdue justice to be done.”
Click.