Westpoint Tales
by Kiwi
Entangled Tales - 10- Justin
On Monday morning, bight and early, Betty Connors was a few minutes late arriving at the hotel. Kathleen was already sitting at the kitchen table with her coffee when Connors came bustling in. Kathleen actually greeted her with a smile, which was definitely a first in the mornings.
"Good morning Connors. Coffee's brewed, grab yourself a cup and take the chill off your bones.
"Morning Boss. You can blame Justin for my being late."
"Justin? What's he done?"
"Oh, nothing really. I was just coming past the Square and saw him there, so I stopped for a minute to see for myself what everyone's talking about. Man can he run! I've never seen anything like it. He just flies along. It really is like he's got a rocket."
"Yes, he's something else isn't he? I might be biased, he is my grandson after all, but he's just such an amazing kid in so many ways. He just excels at everything he does. It's so tragic that he's sick. What a bloody waste."
"It certainly is. Still, where there's life there's hope. You never know what may turn up."
"Nothing will turn up. Dr. Miller says that it's a fatal disease and Justin's going to die. It's in remission at the moment, but one day it will flare up again and that'll be it. Such a waste. I guess that we just have to make the most of the time we have."
"That's true enough, none of us know when our time's up. We all hope that it will be years away, but ..."
"Yes. But let's not get morbid here - today's a big day. Justin's first day at school in five years. That will be why he's out running earlier than usual - probably couldn't sleep. I know I couldn't and it's not me who's going back to school."
"Pretty exciting, eh? I hope he enjoys his time there."
"Yes, so do I. I worry about him though. He's so quiet and withdrawn, a perfect target for the bullies. I hope he's going to be all right. If I had my way, I'd go with him. But I don't think he'd have that."
"Not likely. Still, he's already got some good friends there - Claire and the others - they'll look out for him."
"I'm sure they will. But they can't be there holding his hand all the time."
They were having another cuppa, Connor's second and Kathleen's third, when Justin burst in through the back door. Grinning happily, he spun around the kitchen greeting them both. He hugged his grandmother's shoulders and then Connor's, and was gone - running upstairs to his shower - within a few flashing seconds.
When the whirlwind had gone, Connor's smiled. "Who was that boy? And what has he done with Justin? My lot were never that excited about going to school."
"No, but your lot never missed five years of it."
Justin was cleaned up, dressed and breakfasted in record time. Kathleen stood with him out the front of the hotel as he waited for Claire and Carl to come and collect him. As soon as he spotted Carl's car coming up the street, Justin hugged her again. "They are here. Thank you Grandmother. This is so great!"
He ran across the street and bounced into the car as soon as it stopped. Then they were gone with a cheery wave to Kathleen as they pulled away. She went back to the kitchen to be greeted by her husband.
"Your baby off to school then? Big day. He was really excited."
"Big day indeed. Justin's practically bouncing off the walls. Westpoint High School don't know what they're in for."
"You think? He's a great kid, Kathy. But don't get carried away. I'm sure he can be as horrible as any of them. He's just a boy."
"Just a boy? Robert, that's like saying the Beatles were just singers, or Picasso was just a painter. And when has he ever been horrible in all the months that he's been here."
"No, you're right of course. He's never been less than perfect."
In the car, Carl was telling him. "This is just a 'oncer' you realise, Justin. I'm not running a taxi service here. This is just a special occasion for your first day. Starting tomorrow you can walk there like everyone else does, like I do usually."
"I understand that, Carl. Thank you for driving me there for my first day."
"Don't thank me, thank Claire - she made me do it. It's my pleasure though, really. Anytime you want a ride anywhere, just say so."
They arrived at the school and Justin followed Claire into the maelstrom of the early morning chaos. All through the morning Claire ushered him around, guiding him through the locker room crowds and then through his first classes.
As he was the only new kid in school that late in the year, they naturally attracted a lot of attention, and smart comments, wherever they went. Claire noticed immediately that his 'friendly' side shut down and the old quiet and withdrawn Justin reappeared. Nevertheless she was determined to look after him until he was settled in, and she fussed around him like an old bantam hen with one last chicken.
At lunchtime they met the others by the old drinking fountains and sat at the edge of the sportsfield to eat. After greeting him and asking him how he was finding it so far, everyone soon forgot about Justin as they sat in the sun eating their sandwiches and chatting to each other.
Dee looked around at the only quiet one there and followed his gaze out to the cricket players out on the field. He appeared to be entranced at the sight.
"Hey Justin, like cricket do you? I think they're just warming up. There's a game on this afternoon against a Brownsville High team. So do you play cricket then?"
"No, I could not do that. I have no hand-to-eye coordination. I cannot catch a ball, or throw one, and I could never hit one with a bat thing."
"So you're not going to be a star cricket player. What's so interesting out there then? Something's caught your attention."
"That boy there, with the fire in his hair. The one bowling the ball now. Who is that? Do you know him?"
Everyone heard that, thanks to a lull in the conversations, and they all looked out at the bowler. It was a striking picture on the green field. Alabaster white skin on the small slender figure dressed in cricketing clothes. Shoes, long trousers, and an open-necked, rolled-sleeved shirt all gleaming white in the bright sunshine like an advert for a superior brand of washing powder. He ran up to the pitch, outstretched arms swung in a circle as he released the ball in a sweeping over-arm bowl. His bright, dark-red hair did indeed look like it was on fire in the sunlight.
"Our gay boy's checking out the talent!"
"Okay. That's a nice picture, he's pretty cute at a distance, but stay away from that one Justin. There's lots of nice kids around here, but he's not one of them. He's a Carver and Carvers are bad news. You don't want to know them."
"A Carver? What is a Carver? Is that a local gang or something?"
"Well, close. They are a sort of gang. The Carvers are a family, a big rough-arse family. They're the roughest crowd in Westpoint, always in trouble. Booze, drugs, fighting, stealing - you name it and they're doing it. Just white trash really, the whole lot of them, and they're bad news."
"Rule number one, Justin, stay the hell away from the Carvers, they're just trouble."
"So he is a Carver. But what is his name?"
"It's Bill. Not 'Carver' though - he's Billy Mathieson. But Dee's right, Justin. Keep well away from any Carvers. They're trash and they're trouble, the whole lot of them."
"But he doesn't look like a bad person. He is just a nice looking kid."
Shelley said, "They all start out as kids. Give him five years and he'll have lost half his teeth and gained a beer-gut, scars and tattoos. He won't look so cute then."
Carl agreed. "He's already a hard little nut that one. Foul-mouthed and hungover, when he's not drunk or high, and fast with his fists - usually with a weapon of some kind."
Lucas nodded, "The girls are right, Justin, stay away. You tangle with one Carver and the whole clan will be down on you. The only law they respect is their own."
"Old Ma Carver is their chief, but you never see her. She just sits in her house, like a big fat spider, controlling all her little monsters from behind the scenes."
Claire said, "The only one of the lot of them who's any good at all is that Jeremy Carver. Tall, skinny and very blond. He's a bit like you in some ways - quiet and sort of gentle, and he lives with his grandmother - though she makes your grandmother look like a saint. There's no grandfather around. She probably ate him. Spiders do that."
Dee said, "Fucking bullies around here give that Jeremy a hard time. I suppose it's a bit of a thrill to beat up a Carver who won't fight back. You could call him the 'White Sheep' of the family.
Claire agreed, "I feel sorry for him, but he's still one of them - a Carver, and he lives with Ma Carver."
The cricketers packed it in and were walking back in from the field. They were straggled out in a line and coming towards the group of friends sitting on the grass. As they approached, Justin stood up to get a better look at the red-haired kid. He saw Justin looking at him and stopped. With a sneer on his face, he looked Justin up and down, then spat on the ground. "What the fuck are you looking at? Take a picture, why don'tcha?" And he walked away past them.
Justin stood and watched him go, then sat down on the grass again. Claire patted him on the shoulder and said, "Told you so. Not a nice person, Kiddo. Definitely not good enough for you."
"I am not looking for any sort of relationship, Claire. I cannot. But if I was . . . I think he is beautiful. A really beautiful boy.
Dee asked, "You really think so? Justin, honey, like they say, there's plenty more fish in the sea. And apparently the brightest, most colourful fish are the most poisonous ones of all."
Lucas said, "Do you really think he's good looking? I mean, he's a redhead - a "ginga""
"I think that he is beautiful. But, not for me, not now."
After school Carl drove Justin back to the hotel and dropped him off out the front, with instructions to find his own way to school tomorrow. He walked through the hotel to the kitchen. Connors looked up from scrubbing the old wooden table. "Hello Handsome. How was school? Did you have a good day?"
"It was all right, thank you Mrs. Connors."
"All right? This morning you were all excited about going off to school, and this afternoon it was just 'all right'. Not Great! Wonderful! Fantastic! But it was 'all right.' What happened Handsome? Wasn't it all you hoped it would be?"
"It was all right, Ma'am. Nothing happened. I guess that I just discovered that I have a lot to learn."
"Of course you've got a lot to learn, that's what you go to school for."
"No. Not about school-work. I mean that I have a lot to learn about people."
Kathleen and Bob came in from the hallway behind him. "We've all got a lot to learn about people, Justin," she said. "What makes you say that? Has someone been picking on you already?"
"No Ma'am. There were a few there, like the bullies I met at the Square, who would like to make trouble. But they would not be able to get past Claire and the others."
"That's good Boy," said Kathleen. "You've made some good friends there - Claire, Lucas and the others. Stick close to them and you'll be fine."
Bob interrupted, "That's all very well, but he can't hide behind his friends forever. The time will come when you're all on your own, Boy, and then you'll have to stand up for yourself. We should get you some boxing lessons, or karate classes, maybe."
"Thank you Sir. That will not be necessary. I have no fear of a few bullies. I am not afraid of anyone, not any more."
"Okay Justin. But you just remember that the offer's there if you change your mind."
"Thank you, Sir. I do not need self defence classes. Fighting does not solve anything."
"No, not usually, but defending yourself is not just fighting. Like the song says, "Sometimes you've got to fight when you're a man"."
"Yes Sir. I will deal with the bullies in my own time, in my own way. But now, I am going for a run on the beach - some fresh air will be nice. One more thing though, about the Carvers."
"The Carvers? Don't tell me there's still Carvers coming up through the school. I swear they breed like rabbits those people. You don't have to worry about Carvers around here - they're banned from the Adelphi, the whole lot of them. No Carvers are allowed to set foot in our hotel. If you've got Carvers at school, you stay well away from them, and watch your back too."
"Everybody tells me to stay away from the Carvers. But surely they are just people. There must be good and bad among them like everybody else."
"There are no good Carvers, Justin," Kathleen said. "If everyone's telling you to keep away, well you should listen to your friends. The Carver clan are the worst sort of people that you'll find. trash, scum and trouble, that's the Carvers, every last one of them. I think that you've had more than enough scum in your life."
"Yes. Thank you Ma'am, Sir. I will go for a run now, and then, I have homework to do!"
He left for his room and Kathleen grimaced. "Poor baby. He must be the only kid in town excited about having homework to do."
Connors replied, "The novelty will soon wear off, I'll bet you that."
On his second day at school Justin walked there as he had been instructed. All through the streets of the town he saw other kids heading towards their schools. Some were in cars, some on bicycles, most of them walking, and all of them in groups or pairs. All except for Justin who walked alone in silence. His precious books were cradled in his arms, his shoulders hunched over and his head hung low as he walked alone to school. It was a chilly, overcast morning and he wore his over-sized, gray sweatshirt over his school clothes, his cap on his head and the dark glasses hiding his eyes.
As he approached the school, along Derby Street, someone sung out, "Eek! A mouse! A little gray mouse going to school." It took a few moments before he realised that the taunts were directed at him. He just kept walking with his head down. By the time he reached the school the joke was everywhere - "A Mouse! Look out a mouse!" The jeering laughter was all around him, and Justin had acquired an insulting nickname.
He wasn't concerned about it, but the joke got a bit thin as the day wore on. Wherever he went around the school, he heard people making meowing and hissing noises, but he just kept his head down and didn't react, hoping that it would soon die away when they got tired of it.
As the week went on he was cut loose from Claire's guidance and immediately the bullies moved in, shoving and pushing him around. A couple of times he was actually tripped as he scuttled along, but he didn't fall over completely, just stumbled and kept going. For some reason, some people thought this was hilarious.
The harassment got worse as the days went on, but he still wouldn't react, even when he was punched in the stomach on Friday afternoon. This was said to be "something to think about over the weekend."
The last periods on Friday afternoon were given to sports. Justin had refused to participate, so he sat watching from the sidelines. The phys-ed. teachers had no choice but to let him sit out as they had been made aware of his medical condition, but even so, they were disappointed that he refused to run for them.
At the same time the majority of the teachers and staff were in their regular Friday afternoon meeting and, again, Justin was the topic of conversation. Mrs. McElwee, the senior English teacher had the floor. "I know what you said about this Justin Reynolds, Mrs. Lowry, that he's some sort or genius or something, but I just don't know. Every class I've had with him so far he hasn't participated at all - just sits there watching. It's no wonder that the kids have started calling him 'the mouse', he's as quiet as one."
There was agreement from all around the room. Mrs. Lowry said, "Maybe he's just shy. It's been a long time since he was last in a classroom."
"Well, maybe, but I gave year 11 a homework assignment the other day. We were discussing the imagery of rocks and I asked them for a poem about rocks. This is what Justin produced. I really can't make up my mind whether he's really smart, or just a smart-arse, I suspect the latter. Tell me what you think. There are three pages here. Page one is titled 'The Rock - Justin Reynolds', midway down it reads - "I am a Rock", a couple of blank lines, then it says, "I am an Island." Page two reads - "Hiding in my Room, safe within my Womb, I touch no-one and No-one touches me." Then at the foot of the page - "I am a rock, I am an island." Page three reads - "And a rock feels no pain, and an island never cries." Then there are these three spots of what looks like blood at the foot of the page. Emily, you're the music expert, this is just a rip-off of an old Paul Simon song isn't it?"
Mrs. Lewis replied, "Yes. It's basically taken from Simon and Garfunkel's 'I am a Rock', but he's made a few changes. I think that you have something really deep there, I'd mark him with an 'A'."
Mrs. Lowry asked, "Emily, how do you figure that a rip-off of an old song is worth an 'A'? It's not an original poem."
"Mrs. McElwee didn't say that she asked them to write an original poem, she asked them for a poem about rocks and he brought her one. It's not the whole song; he's just taken a few lines from it. "Hiding in my room, safe within my womb, I touch no-one and no-one touches me." He's saying that his safe room where he's been hiding was his womb, and no-one was touching him there."
Mrs McElwee said, "I'm sorry Emily, I might be a bit slow, but I just don't get it. What are you saying?"
"It's not me; it's what he's saying. No-one is touching him in his womb. My kids have been spending a lot of time with this boy recently. He was an abused child, seriously abused, but also he was a twin, an identical twin. Before birth, identical twins in the womb are all jammed up together inside the one sac. For nine months they are constantly touching each other in their womb. Justin only recently found out that he'd had a twin. They were separated somewhere along the line and he's grown up without ever knowing his brother. He told Claire about this and said that even without being told he has always known that something important was missing in his life. Ever since his grandparents told him that there was a twin brother, he cries himself to sleep at night in his lonely room. In his womb.
As for the spots on the last page - look at the words, a rock feels no pain and an island never cries, then the three splashes of blood. Justin cries a lot because his tear ducts don't function properly, and when he cries, he cries tears of blood. You may think that it's just a rip-off of an old song, but I think that it is brilliant, minimalist poetry. With a few short lines he has told you exactly what's going on inside him, and he's put blood, sweat and tears into it. Well, blood and tears anyway."
Mrs. McElwee said, "I didn't know his story. Perhaps you're right. I'll just sit on it for a while and see what else he comes up with I think. No. Dammit, you're right, it is an 'A' grade work."
Mrs. Lowry agreed, "Okay, thank you, ladies. That's settled then. This Reynolds boy is one to watch I think. And speaking of watching, I hear that he's been getting a bit of a hard time in the locker room and around the school. I think that we need to keep an eye out for him. He's new here, quiet and shy and a bit different. That all adds up to a target for bullying."
Mrs. Lewis said, "I'm sorry if I sound like I think I'm the expert on this boy, but my Claire talks about him constantly . . ."
"Has she got a crush on him do you think?"
"No, of course not. Claire's got a steady boyfriend, and, anyway, she says that Justin told them that he's gay. He's just her friend."
"He's gay as well? If that gets around this kid will be dog tucker."
"Anyway, Claire says that he could stick up for himself, and fight back, if he wanted to. Anyone who can run like he does must be a lot stronger and faster than he looks. He's just not assertive enough."
Mrs. Lowry said, "If that's a failing, then it's a pity that they haven't all got it. Anyway, let's just try to keep an eye on him. We don't want any trouble if we can avoid it. I don't want his grandmother on the warpath either."
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