Angel Caging and other stories by Martin Reed

Author:Martin Reed [Reed, Martin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Proximate Dawn
Published: 2017-01-14T00:00:00+00:00

With Gad up top

Gad’s pinching my ears again. The sod always does as much when I'm carrying him on my back and he nods off as we go. Next’ll be the snoring and that will slow my pace. I yell up.

‘Gad, eh, Gad.’

Gad snorts, then coughs, then mutters through his drowse, ‘Oh Jip, son, there I go. That’s me, off like a log. Ha.’

It’s the motion that does it, I think, the gentle rock of my jogging, and of the straps keeping him still against me, snug up top on my back, blanket wrapped, legs around my waste, secure in the harness that bonds us.

‘Jip oh Jip, ah,’ he says now, ‘I’ve drooled the pillow. It’s all – drooled. We’ll be stopping, yes?’

Always, I might have guessed. I should have let him pinch my ears and not worry about it. Not worry about the warm drip down my backside as he pissed himself in his sleep. But I did. So now he’d have us slow.

‘Did you hear me, Jip? It’s wet. My pillow.’

‘I’ll flip it as I run, Gad. There’s no need to stop.’

His pillow isn’t that at all really. It’s a child’s jumper, one of my own from years ago, rolled and tied with shoelace to the top of my head to save my bare scalp from the grizzle of his chin. I slow my pace a touch then bring my left arm out of rhythm, raising it to untie the cord.

‘Jip, son. I think I need to. As well. You know. See. A minute or two, I’m feeling.’

‘Just let yourself go, Gad. Just let it out. I’m not worrying. We have to be home for her. We can’t slow.’

‘It’s not the sort to be let go, Jip, son. Slow for us, would you. It’ll take some pushing.’

I doubt Gad hears me muttering as I slow to a stop at the edge of the track, but I hear him moan at the cut of the straps, as I tug them harder than I need to force their release. With the last one undone Gad drops quick, I hear his panic as he goes but I swing my arms behind me in time to half catch him, slowing him enough that he doesn’t break.

‘Then go do,’ I snarl, without turning.

‘Would you mind? Jip, son,’ he says. I walk with him to a line of low trees. That one, he indicates with a nod. I support him to a squat, hooking a low branch under his armpits to hold him. Then I tug down his trousers and stained underwear, closing my eyes against the sight, positioning my hands away carefully so as not to touch flesh. He nods again, then says, ‘That’s all good. I’ll be good, Jip.’

I skip back light to the track as he strains and grunts.

See how I can spring now. What strength in my legs without the weight of him, as the breeze seems to carry his worried calls from the distance behind me and I wonder how she’ll greet me when arrive home alone.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.