Eddie and Dave. Ch 8.

Chapter 8

On Friday morning, Eddie returned to East London after delivering a lorry load of second-hand bricks to a builder's yard in Essex. He walked into Pellicci's Café on the Bethnal Green Road just after nine o'clock and Jeff and Dave were surprised to see him back so early.

         "Bloody hell, what's up?" Jeff asked. "Did you get a knock-back?"

         "No, I persuaded them to let me tip the load. The lazy sods didn't need a lot of persuading though." Eddie ordered a large fried breakfast and sat down.

         "Might get another two loads in today then," Jeff said.

         "As long as it's local. If I have to go into London we'll have no chance with that terrorist bomb going off in Chelsea yesterday. Then of course it depends on if you can get the bricks cleaned fast enough." Eddie looked over at Dave. "So, how are you getting on with Anne then?"

         Dave glanced at Jeff, knowing he had been down at the demolition yard earlier that morning and he had probably told Eddie about their night out. "I just took her across London to watch Jeff at the banger racing. It was a good night, wasn't it, Jeff?" But Jeff didn't answer. He just looked back at him and grinned. "What's up, Eddie, you don't mind me taking her out, do you?"

         "Mind, why on earth should I mind, Dave? All right, she used to be my girlfriend and you're supposed to be my mate. Oh, and of course there's the thought you probably grassed me up about going with that blonde at Joy's party."

         "Hold on, Eddie, I never said a word."

         "No, well how come she knows all the details? And it's strange you were the only person at the party who knew me."

         "You know Anne's got lots of friends. Lots of people know her and some of them might have seen her out with you, and that girl you were with, Denise, she might even know Anne herself."

         "Well, thanks for telling me."

         "I don't know if she knows her. I'm just saying maybe."

         Eddie's breakfast arrived and he gave Dave a look of contempt before making a start on it.

         Dave was unnerved by the topic of conversation and now it had ceased for a while and he already finished his breakfast, he decided it would be a good time to make an exit before it started up again. "I'm all done anyway. I'll go over and get the sav's working on the bricks. Make sure the load's ready and that." He forced a smile and walked out in obvious embarrassment like a scolded child.

         Eddie watched him leave then looked back at Jeff. "It was him. He filled me up with Pernod and set me up with that blonde girl. I think he did it on purpose so he could grass me up and make a move on Anne."

         "Like he said, it could have been someone else. From what you told me someone only had to look out of the window. I admit it does look bad for Dave, but you'll have to give him the benefit of the doubt just in case you are wrong. I don't suppose there's any point in asking Anne, is there?"

         "I wouldn't have thought so, but I'll tell you one thing Jeff; if I ever find out that it was Dave, I'll beat the fucking crap out of him."

         They got back to the site and Dave was up on a wall loosening the yellow stock bricks with a demolition mattock before spinning them down onto a mattress. His young labourer stood nearby waiting for him to stop so he could clear the bricks from the mattress before Dave began to spin some more down. Two other men, one with an axe and the other with a trowel, were cleaning off the mortar from the bricks. Eddie was pleased, estimating that there were over three thousand bricks ready, more than enough for his load.

         Jeff called Dave down from off the wall, all hands were needed to load Eddie's lorry. Eddie had already telephoned the office on the way back from the café and got a delivery in Deptford. Even if he got back too late to deliver the last load, he would at least be loaded ready for Saturday morning. The lorry pulled off the site and everyone was aware that the happy banter usually present while loading, had been missing and they all knew the reason why.

         The route was through Blackwall Tunnel but Eddie decided to take a chance and go through the narrow Rotherhithe Tunnel instead. That way he could pass the end of the street where Anne lived and maybe catch her on her way to work. He knew if she was on the first shift she would be leaving her house about eleven o'clock and he might just get another chance to talk to her. He pulled up on the main road opposite the bus stop. There was a crowd of people waiting, but no sign of Anne. He saw her at the same time as he saw the approaching bus. She had just turned the corner and was running towards the bus stop. He got out of the lorry and despite the heavy traffic managed to cross the four-lane road, but he was too late. The bus pulled away with him chasing after it for a short distance, but he knew he was wasting his time and he stood watching it accelerating away. He walked back to his lorry wondering if she had seen him but realised she must have and was obviously still not ready to forgive him just yet.

         Being Friday he would go out, but he wouldn't be meeting Dave. He still had the idea Dave may have been the one who told Anne about him and Denise and he knew after a few drinks, things could turn nasty. The habit of spending Friday night with the lads didn't seem important anymore. He would willingly spend this night and every other Friday night with Anne, if only he had the chance.

* * * * *

         Anne was happy to be seen out in Dave's Hillman Hunter and although she was sometimes a bit scared of his aggressive driving, she always felt more thrilled than frightened, most of the time thinking he seemed to be in control and feeling he was really quite skilful.

         They had been seeing each other for a week and were returning from The Jug House to The Prince Alfred on Sunday night for a last orders drink with her parents. Dave having succeeded after Eddie had paved the way for getting Anne to give up her Sunday family custom of spending the whole evening with her parents. They pulled up at some traffic lights behind a dark Mercedes. The lights changed to green and the Mercedes pulled away. Dave sped off after the car and was just about to pull out and accelerate past when a stray dog ran across the road in front of the Mercedes. The Mercedes came to an abrupt halt, Dave's Hunter ran straight into the back of it and the dog trotted off.

         Anne was thrown forward and hit her head on the windscreen, the impact causing the screen to crack like a spider's web. Blood flowed from a one-inch split just above her left eyebrow and she screamed as the blood ran down her face. She turned the internal mirror and tried to wipe away the blood so she could see the damage to her forehead. "You bloody idiot," she shouted. "Look what you've done to me." She continued to shout abuse at Dave as she searched frantically in her handbag for some tissues.

         "It was that prat's fault," he shouted back at her and he got out of the car leaving her to deal with her distress and her injury. As he walked towards the Mercedes, two men were getting out from the rear doors. "What's your game you stupid bastards," he shouted, but he instantly regretted his words when he saw the size of the heavily built men walking towards him. The man nearest him had a frightening look of menace about him and Dave stood looking at him in fear as if he were suddenly frozen to the spot. The man's savage punch knocked Dave to the ground and he was reeling in pain with blood pouring from his nose, but the man showed no remorse. He just picked Dave up and tossed him onto the bonnet of the Hunter as if he were a rag doll. He turned to look at the damage to the Mercedes then walked back to speak to the driver. Dave began sliding from the bonnet while Anne, full of fright, was staring through the cracked windscreen at him. The other man walked over and dragged Dave from the bonnet before he fell off, pulled him across the pavement, and dumped him unceremoniously onto a grassed area before getting back into the car. The first man returned to the Hunter and got into the driver's seat just as the Mercedes was pulling away.

         Anne was petrified as she looked across at him. He was huge and had difficulty getting into the driver's seat. He was not a fat person, just big: big chest, big arms, big hands, and a neck like a tree trunk. She was in fear of what he might do to her. "Please, please don't hurt me," she pleaded. She wanted to get out of the car and run, but she was too scared to make the move.

         The man looked at the damage on her side of the windscreen then looked at the blood on her face and on her coat. His face was stern but other than that, showing no emotion. "Tell that trappy piece of crap you're with, he can pick his car up from Carpenters Road in the morning." He put his hand across and she recoiled slightly as he put his hand on her chin and gently turned her head. He moved her hand away from her forehead to get a better look at the injury above her eye. "Get yourself a cab and get to the hospital. That probably needs looking at. Now get outta the car."

         Anne didn't need to be told twice and she hurried out onto the pavement. She looked back at the man and he smiled at her before putting a finger across his lips as a sign to her not to involve the police. He looked away and drove off, leaving Anne to look after Dave and to try to get a taxi.

* * * * *

         Eddie had not been out that night, feeling depressed he didn't seem to want to go out at all much now he had lost the girl he loved. He was about to go to bed when he heard the distinctive sound of a London black taxi cab pulling up outside. He looked out of the window and was surprised to see Dave and Anne getting out. He opened the door and was shocked to see the state they were in as they walked towards him. Anne was holding a tissue to her head. The side of her face and her coat were covered in blood, and Dave was holding a blood-soaked handkerchief to his nose, his shirtfront also covered in blood. "What the hell's happened to you two?"

         "This bloody idiot nearly killed me," Anne shouted.

         "Shh, not so loud. My mum and dad are in bed." Eddie took them through to the kitchen. "Sit down, Anne," he said and guided her onto one of the kitchen chairs, showing great concern and care towards her. "Let's clear the blood off. I think that needs looking at." Eddie filled a bowl and took out an unused tea towel from a drawer.

         "They took me car."

         "Who the police?"

         "No," Anne said, "they were bloody gangsters. They beat him up and I nearly wet myself because I thought they were going to get me as well, but I think they let me go because of this." She pointed to the cut on her head.

         Eddie was carefully cleaning the blood from her face and she flinched for a moment as he cleaned the area around the cut. Although she was distressed by the injury, he knew by the way that her tense shoulders relaxed, she was getting some comfort from his concerned attention.

         "They said they'd leave my car at Carpenters Road. Can you run me up there in the Mini-Van?"

         "They said tomorrow," Anne said.

         "They just said that. It's probably there already."

         "You need a couple of stitches in that, Anne," Eddie said.

         "Stitches!" Anne got up and looked into a mirror as the blood began to trickle down her face again. "I'll be scarred for life. See what you've done to me, you bloody idiot."

         Dave ignored her. "Can you take me up there then?"

         "I'll have to take Anne to the hospital first."

         "Well, why can't she wait here? Get your mum up. She can look after her, make her a cup of tea and that. Then I can take her to the hospital when we get back."

         "Oh, charming," she said.

         Eddie passed her another tea towel to stop the flow of blood. "Come on, let's get to the hospital and get that sorted out," he said. He looked at Dave. "Then we'll go for the car."

         They got to the van and Dave was not happy that Eddie wouldn't let him drive, which meant he had to get in the back of the van with all the tools. They arrived at Saint Andrew's Hospital and Eddie escorted Anne into the reception area, assuring her that one of them would call back for her after they had been to find the car. Dave was impatient to get going, but Eddie wouldn't leave until he was sure Anne was calm and settled.

         It was not far to Stratford and they were soon there. Because Carpenters Road was an industrial area, it was deserted when they arrived and the van looked conspicuous as Eddie drove along slowly, checking all the side roads until they were in Hackney. They could see some fire engines pulling up by some wasteland and as they continued they saw Dave's car ablaze and almost totally burnt out.

         "The bastards!" Dave shouted. "I'll kill 'em, when I find 'em, I'll bloody kill 'em."

         Eddie drove towards the blazing car, knowing that was not going to happen. "I can get Jeff to pick me up in the morning," Eddie said. "You'd better drop me home and take the van so you can get Anne from the hospital."

         "That's the least of my problems. Look at my car, look at my fucking car."

         "Yeah, okay. I just drop you off here then, and I'll go and pick her up myself."

         "No, no, there's nothing I can do here," Dave said, suddenly changing his priorities. "It's down to me, I'll pick her up."

Eddie and Dave. Ch 9.  (18+) Anne builds Eddie's hopes up. #1984644 by Bruce.