An Sae The Wur Gan

Lee Reynolds

Tha Nybor

Jackie daednae see thaim flittin in til tha gate. Hit wuz a richt wheen o days afore he kent. He saen tha quine o tha pair o thaim furst. “Nae muckle tae luik at,” wid hae bin a kynn descreeption o horr. Aget roon fowertie he wid o thocht. Scho haed bleck jeans an a bleck an grey jaicket on horr. Baith o thaim cud a daen wi a guid wasch. Scho wuz waakin bak frae tha shap wi a beg o cowl thoo owre horr shoodher. Maun be yin o thaim yins releasit tae community care thocht Jackie.

Thon Setterday Jackie haed a taak wi Sandy, a nybor, quhaniver the wascht thair motòrs.

“Hae ye saen wor new nybors?” quo Sandy.

“Nybors? A saen a quine tha tither day,” quo Jackie.

“Thaur’s a fella forbye. He’s a wrang yin mynn ye. The hae a wee doag an tha tither morn he keckt hit roon tha gairden fur a guid fufteen mannits,” quo Sandy.

Efter thon quhaniver Jackie cum hame frae his darg tha nybor wid jouk oot wi mair wittens.

“Tha social darger taen tha wean aff thaim theday,” quo Sandy.

“Wean? Dae the hae a wean?” quo Jackie.

“A wee lass. Tha quine wuz scraichin an gaun on somethin terbil in tha meddle o tha gate. He jist let thaim tak tha wean then heftit horr bak intil tha hoose.”

Jackie saa horr the neist day heftin anither beg o cowl. Baith horr een wuz bleck.

A foartnicht efter Jackie saa tha mon. Jackie wuz aff darg mynnin tha dauchter quha wuznae weel. Tha dauchter wuz sleepin on tha settee and Jackie wuz sut on tha sate fornent tha leevin ruim windae. Yer mon wuz heftin a hurley-barra fu o windae blines an a pickle dale o lead. Maun hae nyuckt hit thocht Jackie.

Tha neist Sabbath Jackie wuz sut in his chyre watchin tha TV quhaniver he heerd windaes bein brok. He kent quhilk airt tae luik. Thie lads wuz cloddin stanes at yer pair’s hoose. Tha eejits haednae even coverit thair fizogs an rin doon tha raa tha lang wye past a loc o fowk at haed cum oot tae keek. Naeboadie haed bin in tha hoose an efter a hauf hoor tha polis driv up. Yin o thaim gat oot fur a wee luik at tha damage an then gat baak intil tha polis motòr. The waitit fur tha pair o thaim tae cum bak. Quhaniver she saa tha windaes scho stairtit tae scratch agane. Tha windaes wuz boordit up wi’in a hauf hoor. Tha polis daednae speer aaboadie gif the saen ocht. Nae wunner the daednae cover thair fizogs.

Mair wittens cum frae tha nybor.

“Thon pair waur pit oot o tha Aist sae the wur. Nyuckt frae aul hooses sae the daed. Daed ye see hissel tha tither day wi tha hurley-barra. Gif the daenae flit shuin tha boys wull be bak sae the wull,” quo Sandy.

Neist morn paintit on tha boords whaur tha windaes shud a bin wuz “Scum Oot.” Thon nicht at twa in tha moarn Jackie wuz wak up wi a van drivin up tha gate. He watcht thoo tha blynn as the movit thair stoff intil tha bak o tha van. The haed neist tae naethin an hit barelie tuk a mannit. Tha van driv aff. An sae die wur gaun.

Tha Quine

Susan wuz sut in tha bak o tha van. Scho playit wi horr wee doag’s lug. Tha doag thrawit its heid noo an agane tae lick horr hann. Hit haed jist rollt owre tae git hits wame ticklit quhaniver tha van moontit tha kerb. Horr man, Wull, jumpt oot o tha passenger side. He swung apen tha bak dure o tha van.

“C’mon quine. Quat playin wi tha doag an stairt sheftin wor stoff,” he oardherit.

Susan gat oot an tuik a guid luik at horr new hoose. Hoo lang thir time? scho thocht.

In a wheen mannits tha stoff wuz sheftit intil tha hoose.

“A’m awa tae ma mither’s tae git tha wean. Soart oot tha stoff an gie thir place a guid reddin,” quo Wull.

Scho stairtit up tha stairs. Hit tuk horr tha hail day for tae redd tha hoose oot an pit tha claes awa. Hit wuz echt in tha e’en quhan Susan sut doon tae waatch tha Bill on tha TV. Wull haednae cum hame still. Tha sate felt queer. Hit wuz shapt tae someboadie else’s boadie. Susan haed an daed pit up wi a loc bot tha yin thang at ris horr wuz haein nae furniture o hor ain. Twonnie an echt yeir on tha yird an onie sax begs o claes an a pram tae schaw fur hit.

Billy openit tha front dure wi a bang an waakenit Susan in horr sate. He haed nae bairn wi him. Scho kenned richtlie no tae speer quhy.

“Dae ye caa thir clain? Thair’s eneuch on thon cairpet fur a hail femilie o rats.” He wuz luikin for a fecht.

“Dae ye want a wee fry, Wullie?” quo Susan.

“Ah want a wife at can luik efter ma hoose an ma wean.”

He went tae gie horr a clash bot tha doag rac’t forrit an gien him a bite on tha cuit. He loast his balance an fell owre tha sate. He duntit his heid on tha tiles roon tha ingle. Susan checkt fur bluid, thaur wuz nane. Scho pit a cushion unner his heid an thoo a blanket owre him an went tae horr bed as unconcernt.

Tha doag gawt tha blame o hit. Hits yelps as Wull keckt it roon tha gairden woke Susan. Scho pit on horr claes an went tae tha dure.

“Dae ye want a wee fry, Wull?” scho speirt.

“—ye an yer fry,” quo Wull. He gien tha doag yin last keck an wakt aff.

Thon efternuin Wull’s mither brocht tha wean bak. Scho pusht tha pram an wean intil tha leevin ruim an wakt aff wi’oot sayin a wurd. Straucht aff tha wean stairtit tae greet. Tha social darger cum tha day efter.

“Your child is on the ‘at risk’ register. You should have told us you were going to move,” quo tha social darger.

“Ah cannae tell ye quhit Ah dinnae ken massel,” quo Susan.

“I will call back next week at the same time. I expect this property to be made child safe. Here’s an information leaflet. Your husband should be here when I call.”

At sax, Wull cum bak fur his tay. Tha doag hurpelt aff intil tha coarner. Susan toul him aboot tha social darger an schawit him tha leaflet.

“Ye wudnae read hit tae me wud ye?” speirt Wull.

Susan warkt horr wye thoo tha leaflet slow, schawin Wull tha pictures as scho went owre hit aa.

“Hit’ll coast catter tae maak tha hoose safe fur tha bairn. Is tha social gaun a pye fur hit?” quo Wull.

“We cud git a loan frae tha biroo,” quo Susan.

“Nae loan. Tha biroo’s no eneuch as hit is wi’oot thaim takkin catter oot tae pye bak a loan.”

“Thaur’s a wee charity shap a raa or twa awa. We cud mebbe git tha stoff chaip.”

Susan pric’t aa tha stoff an the haed eneuch catter an nae mair. Setterday nicht cum an awa went tha catter. Tha social darger cum on Tuesday. Scho cum bak wi tha polis on tha Wensday an tuik tha wean.

Suin efter Wullie stairtit tae nyuck thangs. Onie thang he cud rip oot o tha empty hooses an sell. He nyuckt a wheen o tha nybors bins tae keep tha nyuckt lead in forbye.

Susan speert him no tae dae hit. Hit wuz a lown gate. The cud dae up tha hoose an git tha wean bak. Horr brither wid gie him a job in his bar. He daednae need tae stairt nyuckin. Whaur cud the gan efter thir place?

Wull’s answer wuz “Quat yer nyirmin wummin,” an a clash tae mak share she kent. He sowl tha pram tae tha chairity shap.

Thon Sabbath the went tae horr brither’s. Wullie haednae bin oot tha nicht afore sae he wuz in guid oardher. The haed waakt hame airm in airm, the haednae daen thon fur yeirs. Fur a mannit scho furgat aboot tha wean an tha nyuckin. Scho wuz happy. Quhaniver the turnt intil tha gate scho felt Wullie tense up. He’d saen tha polis afore horr. Scho saa tha windaes an began tae scraich an greet.

Efter tha polis haed gone Susan toul Wull, “Ah speert ye no tae dae hit bot ye widnae tak tent o me yer ain wife.”

Wull jist glowert an went tae his bed.

On tha Tuesday morn the saa tha grafitti.

“Ah’ll git Tommy tae cum wi tha van thenicht. Ma mither wull taak iz in till we git worsels soartit oot,” quo Wull.

“Soartit oot. Hoo lang wull we git tae stap thonner? Hoo lang Wull?”

Scho packt tha claes in tha begs. Scho sut waiting fur Tommy an Wull tae arrive. Scho luikt roon tha leevin ruim. The’ll be nae daein hit up scho thocht. Scho luikt at tha sax bleck begs. Nae pram. Nae wean. The’ll be nae wean bak scho thocht. The cum in the meddle o tha nicht. Tha begs wuz thoo in an scho tuik up horr wee spot in tha bak agane. Tha doag lay doon fornent horr an scho began tae play wi hits lug. Wull closit tha dures o tha van an jumpt in til tha front. An sae the wur gan.

Tha Callan

John caa’d intil Michael’s hoose on tha wye tae tha club. He pressit tha buzzer an smilt at tha wee camera abeen tha dure. Michael pu’d bak tha bolts an apenit tha dure. He toul John fur tae gan up tae tha spare ruim fur a mannit. John sut on tha bed an luikt at tha bare wa’s fur a mannit. He heerd fowk doonstairs bot he cudnae mak oot quhit the wur taakin o. He pickt up a wean’s comic tae read an lay bak on tha bed.

John heerd tha dure apen agane an Michael ca’d fur him tae cum doon.

“Dae ye ken onieboadie at leeves in Braidwye?” speirt Michael.

“Ah ken Sandy richt an weel,” quo John.

“A pair o new yins hae movit in. Some pair wuz pit oot o tha Aist sae A wiz wunnerin gif hit wuz thaim. Quhan will ye see Sandy?” quo Michael.

“Mebbe thenicht. Ah’ll hae a wee wurd wi him gif he is,” quo John.

John met Diane an a clatter o freens in tha club. Scho gien him tha catter fer a roon o drinks. John wuz stuid at tha bar quhan Sandy cum in. John caa’d him owre an offert him a drink.

“Dae ye hae new nybors, Sandy?” speert John.

“Nummer echteen. Flittit in a wheen o sennichts bak. Quha toul ye?” quo Sandy.

“Ah cannae mine. Hit’s naethin important.”

“The’r a bad pair sae the ir. Tha wean wiz tuk aff thaim Wensday syne. Is tha boys efter thaim fur somethinn?” quo Sandy.

“Naa, naa. Naethin lake thon. Ah jist heerd thon’s aw,” quo John.

John haed mair thon tha usual thon nicht. He kepp stappin Diane iverie wee o dures fur a wee coort. Quhan he cum tae Michael’s John joukt in. He toul Michael quhit Sandy haed said.

“Soon’s lake thaim. We’ll lee thaim alane tae see gif the dae ocht,” quo Michael. John haed saen Diane on tha T.V. screen stannin ootside wi horr airms foldit tappin horr richt fit. He kent scho daednae lake Michael. Efter leein Michael’s scho said naethin an thaur wur nae mair wee coorts. John wuz left at horr front dure wi’oot sae muckle as a guid nicht kiss. John shrugt his shoodhers an wakt aff hame whustlin a wee tune tae hissel.

No tha Setterday efter, bot tha yin efter thon, John caa’d in wi Michael on tha wye hame frae tha maitch. Tha front dure wuz apen sae John waakt in.

“Thon byster frae Braidwye. All want him oot. Git yer team thegither an dae hit the morra,” gulden Michael.

“Quhit daed he dae?” speert John.

“He nyuckt tha copper frae neist dure an a loc o watther cum intae ma hoose. Tha bedruim ceilin haes fell in. Tha wife saen him wi tha stoff. The’r tae be pit oot. Oot. Dae ye hear me?” quo Michael.

John haed waakt up tae tha front o tha hoose an tuk a guid luik roon hit. Thaur wuz naeboadie in. He signallit tae his thie freens tae gan on aheid. John wuz hauf wye doon tha gate quhan he heerd gless breakin. John jist kepp waakin. He met thaim bak at tha club.

“Daed ye git hit daen richt?” speered John.

“Daenae fret, hit’s daen. Mine ye a wheen o fowk cum oot o thair hooses,” quo yin o thaim.

“The winnae say ocht tae naeboadie,” quo John.

On tha Monday John caa’d roon wi Michael fur mair oardhers. John haed a wee collogue wi Sandy tae fine oot gif the haed flittit bot the haednae. Michael wuz still ris.

“Yin mair warnin then burn thaim oot,” oardherit Michael.

John sprayit tha hoose himsel an toul his team o lads tae caa roon his hoose on tha Tuesday nicht. The waitit tae his pairents wur in bed afore makin the peterol bomb. Seein John wuz tha aulest o thaim, he wuz twonnie yeir aul, he wuz tae thoo hit quhile the ithers wud luik oot fur tha polis. The watcht tha TV a richt quhile afore settin aff. Tha ithers waakt aff tae different gate coarners. John heidit fur tha hoose. He cum tae tha far enn o tha gate frae tha hoose an saen a van ootside. He saa thaim loadin hit wi thair stoff. John heerd a whustle, tha polis wur aboot. He went tae tha graitin an thoo tha bomb doon hit. He stairtit tae waak up tha gate. He saa tha mon shut tha bak dures o tha van an jump in tha front. An sae the wur gan.