Page 30 of A Long Way Back
“Who says I want to?”
Ink clutched his chest. “You don’t?”
Tay huffed.
“It’s really good.”
“Where is it?”
“Do the exercises and you’ll find out. I’m putting the brake on.” Ink took Dog’s lead from Tay and passed him the crutches. “Now get up and walk.”
“Thank you, Jesus.”
Ink laughed.
Once he was sure Tay was steady on his feet, he took the brake off the chair and pushed it as Tay walked round.
Tay was pale and sweating by the time he’d done a complete circuit. Ink thought a couple of times that he’d been going to give in, but he hadn’t. Ink put the brake on again and stood ready to help if Tay needed it. Tay put both crutches in one hand and sank down on to the cushion.
“Well done.”
Tay let out a low growl. “Fuck off.”
“What? I’m not allowed to offer praise and encouragement?”
“I walked around a small park. Big deal.”
“Small park today, Hyde Park tomorrow.”
“Right.”
Ink sighed.Dickhead. Dog jumped back onto Tay’s lap, licked his face and Tay stroked him.
“Oh, so it’s okay for Dog to lick you and not me? Verbally, I mean.”
Dog was standing on Tay’s lap, trying to caress all of his face with his tongue and Tay was laughing and holding him back.
A woman heading towards them smiled first at Tay, then at Dog. She crouched down and said, “What a gorgeous doggie. Aren’t you a cutie?”
“Him or the dog?” Ink asked.
She laughed. “Both of them.”
Ink could see Tay bristling.
“Not me?” Ink put as much indignation into his voice as he could. “Why does he get all the attention? It’s not fair. No one ever takes any notice of me and I’m the one who has to put up with all his whining and moaning.”
The woman stood up. “He can’t walk. Don’t be so mean.”
“He likes it when I’m mean. We have to go now and change his nappy, don’t we, baby? Heluuurvesthat.”
She widened her eyes and hurried off.
“She thought I was cute,” Tay said.
“Only because she doesn’t know you.”
Ink was relieved when Tay laughed. Everything he hated—someone crouching to talk to him, people talking over him… and he’d laughed.
