At midday he was back up the lane and along to the old local. He got a pint of heavy, sat in a corner sipping at it. The place had really changed. It was drastic — new curtains!
There were not many customers about but Eddie recognized one, a middle-aged man of average build who was wearing a pair of glasses. He leaned on the bar with his arms folded, chatting to the bartender. Neilie Johnston. When Eddie finished his beer he walked with the empty glass to the counter. ‘Heavy,’ he said and he pointed at Neilie’s drink. The bartender nodded and poured him a whisky. Neilie looked at it and then at Eddie.
‘Eddie!’
‘How’s it going Neilie?’
‘Aw no bad son no bad.’ Neilie chuckled. The two of them shook hands. ‘Where’ve you been?’
‘London.’
‘Aw London; aw aye. Well well.’
‘Just got back last night.’
‘Good. .’ Neilie glanced at Eddie’s suit. ‘Prospering son eh?’
‘Doing alright.’
‘That’s the game.’
‘What about yourself? still marking the board?’
‘Marking the board! Naw. Christ son I’ve been away from that for a while!’ Neilie pursed his lips before lifting the whisky and drinking a fairly large mouthful. He sniffed and nodded. ‘With Sweeney being out the game and the rest of it.’
‘Aye.’
‘You knew about that son?’
‘Mm.’
‘Aye well the licence got lost because of it. And they’ll no get it back either neither they will. They’re fucking finished — caput! Him and his brother.’
Both of them were silent for a time. The bartender had walked farther along and was now looking at a morning paper. Neilie nudged the glasses up his nose a bit and he said, ‘You and him got on okay as well son, you and Sweeney, eh?’
Eddie shrugged. ‘Aye, I suppose.’ He glanced at the other men ranged about the pub interior, brought his cigarettes and lighter out. When they were both smoking he called the bartender: ‘Two halfs!’
‘You on holiday like?’ said Neilie.
‘Couple of days just, a wee break. .’ he paused to pay for the two whiskies.
Neilie emptied the fresh one into the tumbler he already had. ‘Ta son,’ he said, ‘it’s appreciated.’
‘You skint?’
‘Aye, how d’you guess! Giro in two days.’
‘Nothing doing then?’
‘Eh well. .’ Neilie sniffed. ‘I’m waiting the word on something, a wee bit of business. Nothing startling right enough.’ He pursed his lips and shrugged, swallowed some whisky.
‘I hope you’re lucky.’
‘Aye, ta.’
‘Cheers.’ Eddie drank his own whisky in a gulp and chased it down with a mouthful of heavy beer. ‘Aw Christ,’ he said, glancing at the empty tumbler.
‘You should never rush whisky son!’ Neilie chuckled, peering along at the bartender.
‘I’m out the habit.’
‘Wish to fuck I could say the same!’
Eddie took a long drag on the cigarette and he kept the smoke in his lungs for a while. Then he drank more beer. Neilie was watching him, smiling in quite a friendly way. Eddie said, ‘Any of the old team come in these days?’
‘Eh. .’
‘Fisher I mean, or Stevie Price? Any of them? Billy Dempster?’
‘Fisher drinks in T. C.’s.’
‘Does he? Changed days.’
‘Och there’s a lot changed son, a lot.’
‘Stevie’s married right enough eh!’
‘Is that right?’
‘He’s got two wee lassies.’
‘Well well.’
‘He’s staying over in the south side.’
‘Aw.’
A couple of minutes later and Eddie was swallowing the last of his beer and returning his cigarettes and lighter to the side pockets. ‘Okay Neilie, nice seeing you.’
Neilie looked as if he was going to say something but changed his mind.
‘I’m taking a walk,’ said Eddie.
‘Fair enough son.’
‘I’ll look in later.’ Eddie patted him on the side of the shoulder, nodded at the bartender. He glanced at the other customers as he walked to the exit but saw nobody he knew.
It was good getting back out into the fresh air. The place was depressing and Neilie hadnt helped matters. A rumour used to go about that he kept his wife on the game. Eddie could believe it.
There was a traffic jam down at Partick Cross. The rear end of a big articulated lorry was sticking out into the main road and its front seemed to be stuck between two parked cars near to The Springwell Tavern. The lines of motors stretched along the different routes at the junction. Eddie stood at the Byres Road corner amongst a fair crowd of spectators. Two policemen arrived and donned the special sleeves they had for such emergencies and started directing operations. Eddie continued across the road.
In T. C.’s two games of dominoes were in progress plus there was music and a much cheerier atmosphere. It was better and fitted in more with the way Eddie remembered things. And there was Fisher at the other end of the bar in company with another guy. Eddie called to him: ‘Hey Tam!’
‘Eddie!’ Fisher was delighted. He waved his right fist in the air and when Eddie reached the other end he shook hands with him in a really vigorous way. ‘Ya bastard,’ he said, ‘it’s great to see ye!’ And then he grinned and murmured, ‘When did you get out!’
‘Out — what d’you mean?’
Fisher laughed.
‘I’m being serious,’ said Eddie.
‘Just that I heard you were having a holiday on the Isle of Wight.’
‘That’s garbage.’
‘If you say so.’
‘Aye, fuck, I say so.’ Eddie smiled.
‘Well, I mean, when Sweeney copped it. . Then hearing about you. . Made me think it was gen.’
‘Ah well, there you are!’
‘That’s good,’ said Fisher and he nodded, then jerked his thumb at the other guy. ‘This is Mick. .’
After the introductions Eddie got a round of drinks up and the three of them went to a table at the wall, the only one available. An elderly man was sitting at it already; he had a grumpy wizened face. He moved a few inches to allow the trio more space.
There was a short silence. And Eddie said, ‘Well Tam, how’s Eileen?’
‘Dont know. We split.’
‘Aw. Christ.’
‘Ah,’ Fisher said, ‘she started. . well, she started seeing this other guy, if you want to know the truth.’
‘Honest?’ Eddie frowned.
Fisher shook his head. ‘A funny lassie Eileen I mean you never really fucking knew her man I mean.’ He shook his head again. ‘You didnt know where you were with her, that was the fucking trouble!’
After a moment Eddie nodded. He lifted his pint and drank from it, waiting for Fisher to continue but instead of continuing Fisher turned and looked towards the bar, exhaled a cloud of smoke. The other guy, Mick, raised his eyebrows at Eddie who shrugged. Then Fisher faced to the front again and said, ‘I was surprised to hear that about Sweeney but, warehouses, I didnt think it was his scene.’
Eddie made no answer.
‘Eh. .?’
‘Mm.’
‘Best of gear right enough,’ Fisher added, still gazing at Eddie.
Eddie dragged on his cigarette. Then he said, ‘You probably heard he screwed the place well he never, he just handled the stuff.’
‘Aw.’
‘It was for screwing the place they done him for, but. .’ Eddie sniffed, drank from his pint.
‘Aye, good.’ Fisher grinned. ‘So how you doing yourself then Eddie?’
‘No bad.’