Recoil

4

I wandered back to Sam’s tent to collect my holdall. As I came out and waited under the cam net for the bet to come to some sort of conclusion, Crucial came and shared the shade.

Jan brought us something to munch as we watched the two dickheads out there playing crazy golf.

‘Lex still trashing him?’

Crucial winked. ‘No, man, Sam will win. Lex might want to be seen as the hard act, but he’s got a little soft in his old age. He loses every time the money has anything to do with the kids.’

I bent down and dug the ring out of my bag. ‘That makes two of us.’

I opened the box and turned to him as if I was going to ask him to marry me. ‘Take it, it’s yours. A little something from me to you, to fill that hole in your gob.’

I wasn’t sure if it was the shock of me offering it, or that you needed an electron microscope to see the diamond, but he hesitated.

‘Go on, mate. I know it’s a bit small and it’s one of those softie non-conflict ones, but think of it as a temporary filling until you can shoot your way to a newer and bigger one, eh?’

As he took the box from my hand, a tear rolled from under his John Lennon gigs. ‘No, man, I’ll always wear it. Every time I smile, I’ll think of you. And every time I think of you, I’ll smile.’

There were Glaswegian-accented shouts of victory thirty metres away. Lex complained bitterly and threw his club to the ground.

Crucial put out a big leathery hand. ‘It’s time to say goodbye, isn’t it?’

We shook.

‘I hope you change your mind and come back to us.’

I didn’t know what to say. Crucial was still bubbling. None of us had had a wash yet; the tears had to carve their way through dried mud.

Lex joined us under the net with Sam. ‘Looks like you got off Scot free, man.’ He punched Sam in the shoulder. ‘Scot free – it’s a joke.’

‘Try to remember what I said about doing something for your heart, Nick.’ Sam shook my hand and locked his eyes on mine. ‘And now fuck off, the pair of you.’

I grinned and turned away.

‘It’ll be easy enough to find us if you change your mind,’ he growled at my back. ‘Make sure you do.’

‘I’ll keep eyes and ears out for Standish,’ Lex called back, as he picked up his clubs. ‘But let’s hope he’s lying out there, half-eaten.’

We walked on board and the ramp was soon cranking up. I squatted by a window as Lex moved us down the runway. I wanted one last look.

The Antonov faced the command tents again and Lex hit the gas. The aircraft rattled down the strip a very short distance before climbing. I looked down to see Sam, Crucial and all eight of the little fuckers lining the strip, waving and grinning, and then they, the camp, the strip, the whole poxy place were lost in a sea of broccoli.