The Lowlife by Alexander Baron

Author:Alexander Baron [Baron, Alexander]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9780948238451
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

Vic and I came out of the Metropolitan Hospital at eleven o’clock that night. The old lady had died a half-hour earlier. It was dark and cool. We walked with pleasure, listening to the sound of our shoes on the pavement in the night silence.

‘Well,’ Vic said, ‘so that’s how they go.’

‘That’s how they go.’

‘Makes you wonder if it’s all worth while.’

‘What?’

‘Life.’

I like the London streets at night when they are empty. The shops were lit and their neon signs were on, the wide Kingsland Road ran away from us without a human being in sight, and traffic lights winked in three colours uselessly. Night is when you can stretch your legs, walk fast, think. For Vic, evidently, it was a time to talk. He said, ‘What do you think?’

‘Me?’

‘About life?’

‘You know the story of the two Jews? One of them said, “What’s the matter, don’t you want to know how my health is?” The other one said, “Well, how is your health?” The first one said, “Don’t ask me.’”

Vic chewed on this one for a few seconds. ‘Anyway,’ he said, ‘you enjoy it.’

‘Enjoy what?’

‘Life.’

We crossed a road. He said, ‘We’re here today, gone tomorrow. That’s the thing to do, enjoy it.’

‘Yes.’

He said, ‘I do like talking to you. I don’t seem to be able to talk to other people. Isn’t it a lovely night?’

‘Yeh.’

‘Shame about the old lady.’

‘Yeh.’

He said, ‘You’ve got the right idea. Enjoy life. You make it quickly and you spend it quickly.’

‘Quickly is right.’

‘God, I wish I knew how to do it quickly.’

‘You’ll be all right. Couple of years’ time, you’ll be qualified.’

‘I’ll be lucky if I’m making money in five years. Five years! We can all be dead by then.’

‘Five years, you’ll have everything.’

‘Why aren’t I the kind that can have it now? Like you. I sit there at my books every night. I can hear people walking down the street, laughing, cars whooshing past. Life is outside. I’m stuck with my books. What for? I can drop dead before I get the benefit.’

‘You’ll be all right.’

‘When I think of you,’ he said. ‘You walked round that dog track as if you owned the place. My goodness, all you do is go there and collect your money.’

‘Yeh,’ I said. ‘That’s all I have to do.’

‘I wish I had your luck,’ he said. ‘It’s just like going to the bank for you.’

‘Well,’ I said. ‘It’s luck.’

‘You’ve got the courage,’ he said. ‘That’s why. You deserve the luck, you do. Because you’ve got the courage.’

‘It takes nerve,’ I said.

‘Yes,’ he said, ‘that’s just the word. That’s just what it takes. Nerve.’

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