4th Instalment - Passenger on Board - short story over one week (or so)
Posted by dannybernardi on Wednesday, September 12, 2007
4th instalment - this nonsense first appeared in Issue 17 of Open Wide Magazine
My spirit lived on though as he terrorised my baby sister when she went to the school just because of me. Took the piss out if her because of her lazy eye. He delighted in telling her how he’d humiliated me in front of my classmates and he he’d do the same to her if she gave him any grief. When you’ve got a lazy eye, life’s bad enough with hop-along Benson on your case.
So I take my foot off the gas and cruise along the rainy roads, using the time to figure out how to make the most if this opportunity. It doesn’t take long. I mustn’t make him suspicious. Everything has to appear completely normal. Handing over his change I flip the door locks down, making out it was an accident, like I’d knocked it over or something.
“Sorry Mr. Benson!”
“Let me out!” he barks.
“Still murdering the piano?” I demand.
“How do you …?”
“DON’T YOU RECOGNISE ME?”
Benson winces, stammering, “Umm … err … well … umm maybe. Now you come to mention it your face does look …”
It is obvious he doesn’t have a clue who I am and why should he?
“I’m Rutherford. You used to teach me music.”
“I’m sorry … I can’t. I mean I’ve retired now on health grounds … don’t teach any more … my leg … couldn’t manage,” he stammers.
“Maybe I can help you remember. I want you to think of your favourite son Benson. Come on tell me what your favourite song is will you!”
“I’m can’t think …”
“Well you’d better start … pretty quick … otherwise!”
“Otherwise what?”
“Otherwise I’ll take you out into the middle of nowhere and drop you. On a day like this you’ll freeze to death while you hobble to the nearest village!” He makes a grab for the door, trying to wrench up the lock. “It’s no good Benson. You can’t get out. Bit of a safety feature I’m afraid. Stops people trying to fuck off without paying. So start singing!”
I’d like to tell you the obvious. Like to say that he refused or that when he started singing it was really pathetic. Like to say that he was really pathetic, weak and much smaller than I remembered or that he looked old and feeble, as if he wouldn’t harm a fly, but it isn’t true. Sure he looked older and could hardly walk. He’s obviously stuffed full of pain and has spent his fully pensioned early retirement hobbling from one side of some scummy room to the other but he still possesses the arrogance and energy of his former years. His anger, bitterness and determination not to be pushed around is what seems to drive him and it’s probably what keeps him alive.
tbc … nearly there!
