They could never understand
it, the way I loved that
Oh, the song, must make
some effort
she must
see me singing
of life continue strong
Throughout old age, however long
If only we can cheerful
stay, And every day.
not what we’ll
What matters most that we’re free
joys of life continue strong
Throughout old age, however long.
Important to do
stay alive
No matter if future’s
knows best, and brings good cheer AAA!
the pain shoots again
again!
Work, no, that
will mean moving. No matter how still I try to
keep my arse, if my hands are moving then it
gives me gyp, aaaa, there.
Careful?
How can you be careful with her scrappy bits
of paper when your arse is giving you gyp all
the time? You can’t keep your mind
on anything, can you?
Just a smear
along one edge, sounds
easy, but she doesn’t take
into account my fingers
aren’t what they used to
be, with this arthritis
liable to finish them off
altogether if — Yes, I don’t care.
That woman’s
language! They are the gentle sex, they say.
Some of them.
Oh. I’ll
try to work, then, it may take my mind off of
it, my arse, though I doubt it, I doubt it very
much.
The red paper, this isn’t the
roller I had yesterday, mine was newer than this,
this is grubby. That slimy old
woman must have been using it, getting her
filthy spittle all over it! Ugh!
But don’t complain, never
complain about such a
small thing. Never com-
plain about the small
things. Get on with it.
aaaaaaaaaah, the pain shoots, shoots!
I can’t Ivy, it’s my arse. I’m in constant pain
from it. There’s no words to describe it.
Whether I work or not I still get it, nothing I
can do makes it any the easier.
Nothing to lose.
You’re right, Ivy, I’ve nothing to lose, nothing.
The best one? Can’t think what state the others
must be in, then. Have a look.
Yes, the others look pretty lousy, all glued up
and bristles coming out and dirty. For small
mercies.
I’ll just finish this one on my own.
There’s no satisfaction
in it, in any of it, now.
Off we go.
Sloppity glue.
In the mind, mind the
pain shooting up my! Went to the doctor. Piles,
he said at once. No, I’ve had them, not the same
this time. No, he said, doctors know best. Must
ask her if I can see the doctor sooner than Thurs-
day. Can’t wait till then. She’ll not like it,
she hates anyone making a fuss. I can’t do it!
I can’t wait, either, till Thursday.
Keep quiet about it, then.
Ivy understands about my problem, would make
someone a good wife, still, Ivy. Nothing to look
at, of course, she doesn’t even seem to have that
look of peace that some of the other women have.
Did she have a hard time of it?
There’s no telling.
Still hurts to glue, I still have to move even
ever so slightly. How can I think about anything
else, it’s constant, the pain, what else
is there to think about, it goes round and round
in circles, my mind, off it, on it, not very
often off it.
Luxury bed, downy pillows, none of your plastic-
filled articles. Out,
out, he said, and out he took it, left a gap
at the back of my mouth, felt like a bomb
crater, kept poking my tongue in it, all salty
blood, you can’t help it, can you?
Stray,
stray, stray.
And then you don’t know where you are. Still
don’t understand how he swindled me on that deal,
just know he definitely did swindle me. I paid
him three hundred for the whole consignment, and
somehow when I got it it was only a consignment
for which I would have paid one-eighty, if that,
two hundred at the most. His
name was Flannery or Chinnery or something like
that, a sharp one he was, he could swindle you
so’s you had no way of getting back at him, offices
he called it — Yes?
More careful still?
My hands, this arthritis, Ivy, I’m being as
careful as I can, really I am. Not very
interested, anyway, balls to it, nothing makes
the pain any better, don’t make one any better
concentrating on the other, aaaaaaaaah!
Yes, I know what she’s like when she’s crossed.
Yes, Ivy, I’ll try. Don’t want to cross House
Mother.
Then there was that
sneaky little sod who also had one of the railway
arches down there behind the Broadway, he could
drop you in the fertilizer too if you weren’t very
careful, though with him you could see it coming
and you could watch out for it. And never deal
with him unless you had to. The best way was to
play safe and sell before you had bought. Make
sure you had a sale before you paid for whatever
it was. Even then you could get caught sometimes,
find yourself aaaaaaaaah!
Not again, I could do with a better cushion than
this, she ought to provide an air cushion for
people in my condition, I’ve even seen people take
them on buses, if they were in this painful con-
dition, what can I do, only ask, and I’m afraid to
do that.
More glue
Mrs Bowen, can you pass me
your glue, please? This one’s finished.
Thanks very much, Mrs Bowen.
Yes, all right now.
There may be others
like me. I hope so. I hope
not, on the other hand. I
would not wish it on
them.
Finish,
finish now. Didn’t do much to take my mind
off of it. A little. A very little.
Still, it’s something. A little something.
She’s all right,
that Ivy. A good sort. Finish this last
one, nice and tidy.
Yes, here it is, Ivy. They’re nice and tidy
today, aren’t they, Ivy?
Try again. They’re better today, Ivy?
No proper answer,
Well, I think they’re better than yesterday’s.
And considering all the circumstances, too. Let
them complain. That’s it, until they complain
then I don’t care.
Ivy and that Mrs Ridge are always having a go
at each other. Stupid bastards, the pair of them.