Page 79 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - Winter 20
P. 79
coming… Where's the bike? I can't see a "Nearly every bloomin' night someone
bloody thing." crashes into my garden, and I'm sick and tired
of…"
The car's lights illuminated Simon's
silhouette staggering towards me and the The whining voice trailed off as the
fence. We'd been thrown in opposite featureless head retracted and the window
directions. The bike was firmly wedged into closed with a squeak and a bump. No help or
the fence, and there was no way we could sympathy in that part of Kent tonight.
extricate it without help. Then, to my utter "What ruddy use are you as a night
horror, I saw that all our papers had been watchman, Sime? You fell asleep as soon as
strewn across the road in all directions. we left the office. Okay, let's inspect the
Miraculously, neither of us was badly hurt. In damage. What's with your hand?"
the dim light from the cottage, I could see that
Simon's hand was bleeding, so we bandaged "The bleeding's stopped and I don't fink it's
it with a handkerchief. Luckily, it was clean. broken. Just 'urts. Look, 'ere's the bike.
Blimey. The fence has swallowed it up."
Suddenly, an upstairs window of the cottage
was flung open, and a woman's angry voice My shoulder hurt badly too. "I don't
shouted down: understand, Sime, the side-car's closed, so
how the hell did you get out?"
"Can't you be quiet down there? Some people
are trying to get some sleep." "Dunno, mate. I was asleep, and suddenly I
woke up lying there in the bloomin' road…
"Sorry, Madam, but we've had an accident."
Hahahaha," and he began giggling like a little
"That's your hard luck, right. Now just clear girl. I was beginning to see the funny side too.
off you damn drunks, or I'll call the police." "The sidecar's bottom ripped open. Look," he
said. "How else would I get out?"
That would probably have been the best
solution under the circumstances. At least "Yeah, right. God, you could have been run
they'd take us home or to a hospital for over, if a car had come along."
Simon's hand. Then the nice lady retracked: "Yeah, mate… Just fink."
"Anyone hurt?"
"Christ, we're lucky. I flew right over that
"No, I think we're both alright. The motor- ruddy fence."
bike's damaged, and we're not drunk, "Look. All the papers. They're strewn all over
Madam."
the road."
With her manner, I couldn't imagine her even "So, I've noticed. Okay, let's try and get them
allowing us to use the phone, if she had one, all together. I can see some still in the
and who would we have called at that time of sidecar."
night. Good job I didn't mention her fence.
She'd probably have made me pay damages "Shit. After all that 'ard work."
on the spot. "Never mind, the main thing's we're alive."
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