Page 10 of Saint
But it’s Saint, and I find it impossible to say no to anything he asks. I know it’s dumb to crush on him. He’s my boss and a really great one. Sometimes, I catch him looking at me, just gazing over the divide between our stations. He has an expression I can’t read; no one has ever looked at me like he does, and I don’t hate it.
“And you don’t want to go?”
I shrug and cut up another bit of bacon but don’t eat it.
“Did you say no, tell him that you didn’t want to?”
“No. He’s my boss. I can’t say no to him. He might not want me to work for him if I don’t do what he tells me to do.” I push the plate away. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I can eat that.”
“Don’t worry about that. I want to know why you think he will sack you for saying no to him. Saint is one of the most laid-back men I know. Except when he’s at the club. But that’s nothing you need to know about.”
My interest is piqued. I’ve heard him talk to a couple of clients, and they’ve mentioned not seeing him at the club and that the boys are missing him. But his eyes have flitted to me and then, with one look, Saint has shut the conversations down.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to disappoint him. He seems happy when I do as he says.” I don’t know what I said, but Robin’s eyes widen, then he smiles.
“You know gyms are nothing like you think, especially Kip’s. It a safe place for so many people. The first time Kip knew that Saint was in danger at home was from his visits to the gym as part of a youth program he runs. All our kids have grown up there, they know every member, and they love helping out there too. Saint helps with the youth group. Knox now manages it for Kip, so he’s always there. Royal coaches five-a-side football as part of the youth program. He’s a teacher at the local secondary school. You’d think he would have enough of kids, but he loves what he does. Noah, you don’t have to do anything, just have a look around, get the vibe. You may be surprised at the mix of people there. And don’t let Saint push you, you’re a grown man.”
The doorbell rings as the door opens. “It’s only me,” Saint calls out. The door shuts, then his footsteps sound on the wood floor. “Hi, Pops.” He gives his dad a hug before turning to me. “Why haven’t you eaten your breakfast?”
Heat burns my cheeks as I try to think of a way to avoid answering him, but Robin cuts in. “Is that all you’ve got to say? No, ‘Hi, Noah, how are you?’. You’re not his boss in this house, so leave him alone.”
Saint looks taken aback, as if it never occurred to him that he couldn’t boss me about here. And honestly, I like that he wants to know if I’m okay, if I’ve eaten. That sort of stuff. It makes me feel cared for, that there’s now someone who would notice if I didn’t show up. Or if I felt unwell. Saint gives me twenty questions most days. “I’m sorry. Hello, Noah, are you feeling okay? Is that why you didn’t eat?”
Robin throws his arms up in exasperation. “I give up.”
“What? What was wrong with that? He hasn’t eaten and that’s not like him.”
“I’m fine. I wasn’t that hungry. Sorry, Robin.” I try to ignore Robin’s glare and head tilt to Saint. I know he wants me to tell him I don’t want to go. But I can’t. Saint seems excited to take me. “Shall we go?”
Saint looks at me, a frown creasing his forehead. “You can’t workout in jeans, Noah. Haven’t you got anything more suitable?”
I look over at Robin, and he gives me a nod of encouragement. “I don’t want to work out. I don’t like it. You said you were just showing me around.”
“You’ve never had someone as good as me to help you. It will make you feel good, I promise.”
“No, thank you.” Everything inside me is screeching to back down, to be good and do as I’m told. But I really, really hate gyms.
“Fine, come on. Royal will be there too. You’ll like him. I’ll see you later, Pops.”
Saint is quiet as he drives. I still don’t know my way around, seeing as I only go to work and then stay at the house with Kip and Robin. The area Kip and Robin live in has nice, well-kept houses, expensive cars on driveways, it’s suburban, affluent. There are large trees on green open spaces, brightly coloured playgrounds that are fenced in with no graffiti sprayed anywhere. It’s a place I would love to live in one day. I’ve been squirreling money away from the moment I started to earn it. I live frugally so I can bank as much as I can. I want to be able to have pride in what I own because I worked hard and saved for it. The kids at the children’s home were happy to leave there and perpetuate the crappy lifestyles they came from. They were myfriends while I was there. We messed around, and one of them got me a tattoo gun. I don’t how or where it came from, I didn’t ask. But from the moment I held that piece of machinery, I knew it was what I wanted to do. I tattooed the pictures I’d drawn onto my friends. Some of them were sloppy, my freehand work was laughable. They didn’t care, though, and they showed off their ink to all and everyone. I wonder how they feel now. Do they look at them with regret? Have they had them covered by someone else?
Saint breaks my trip down memory lane. I blink a couple of times, clearing away the images of the past. “You’re quiet, Noah. I meant it when I asked if you were okay.”
“I just don’t have anything to say, and I’m fine.” I notice we’ve moved into an area I’m more familiar with—terrace houses, cheaper cars parked on the street. There’s not much open space; walls have been covered in spray paint. Some of it is well done, clever graphics, others are random, angry words declaring the world to fuck itself. “Is it far now?”
Saint chuckles. “That sounds like a ‘are we there yet?’ that we all used to say when we would go on holiday. Even as teenagers, we were like kids. We’d never been anywhere before we lived with our dads. And to answer your question, no. It’s just around the corner.”
When we pull up in the gated car park, I look at the large, grey-bricked building. There is no graffiti here. I expect it to be as covered as every other building, but it is clear. The sign over the doorway claims it was Kip’s and that is it. No other notification of what it is.
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m surprised it’s not covered in paint, and it doesn’t exactly tell you what it is. How does anyone know where they are?”
“First, the kids know better than to mess with Kip. They all want to come here, a safe place to let off steam and hang out without being hassled or moved on. My dad doesn’t put up with any shit, and the kids respect him. Ready to go in?” Saint switches off the engine and unclips his seat belt as he watches me.
I’m surprised by my interest in the place now. I’m intrigued by the set up. I want to see Saint in this place, to find a different side of him. A group of kids make their way to us, and Saint smiles at them. The surround him as he steps out, and he gives each of them a hug.
When I reach him, he stops their chatter. “Guys, this is Noah. He’s my new artist, and his work is awesome.”
