Buddy's Song by Nigel Hinton

Author:Nigel Hinton [Hinton, Nigel]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Tags: JNF034000
ISBN: 0435123386
Publisher: CB Creative Books
Published: 2013-02-06T16:00:00+00:00

16

There was only one place he could think of looking — the breakers yard. He walked quickly, unable to stop himself from worrying about crashes. His dad had been in such a state, anything could have happened. When he reached the yard, though,there was the pick-up truck parked in front of the shed.

The truck was empty and he was just going to look in the shed when he noticed that the door of the caravan was open. He climbed the two steps and saw his dad lying on a bunk, with his arms across his face. He sat up as the caravan shook under Buddy's weight.

"Oh, it's you," his dad said and lay down again. "Did she send you?"

Buddy shook his head and sat down on the other bunk. There was a sink and a small gas cooker near the door, the two bunks, a table and a couple of benches at the far end.

"Is this where you slept?"

"No, the gates were locked — I 'ad to kip in the truck. Des says I can stay 'ere, though. There's a toilet and a sink at the back of the shed — 'ot water, too. Everyfing you need. Cooker, electricity — the lot."

He rolled over and turned his face to the wall. Buddy sat for a long time waiting for him to say something.

"Aren't you coming back, then?" he asked at last.

"You 'eard what she said — she don't need me."

He wanted to say that it wasn't true, that she'd only said it in anger, that everything would be all right, but he couldn't. Things had become so bad recently that, much as he hated the idea, perhaps it would be better if his mum and dad didn't see each other for a while.

There was a loud clanking noise outside and, through the window, he watched a large crane reach down and pick up a car in its claws. The side windows shattered and the roof buckled as the claws closed on the car and it was lifted up and swung round to be dumped on a pile of wrecks.

He sat watching the activity in the yard for nearly a quarter of an hour, hoping that his dad would say some­thing, but he just lay in the same position facing the wall.

"Dad," he said quietly, wondering if he'd fallen asleep. "Are you going to stay here?"

His dad nodded.

"Shall I tell Mum where you are?"

His dad shrugged. There was no point in asking any­thing else so he got up and walked to the door.

"Buddy," his dad said, still not moving. "Come and see me sometimes, will you?"

"'Course I will."

"We've still got the music, ain't we?" his dad said, turning over and smiling sadly at him.

"'Course we have."

His dad nodded, then rolled back to face the wall.

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.