Run Johnboy Run: The Glasgow Chronicles 2

by Todd, Ian

  “Ah goat nabbed in Rodger The Dodger’s wae a pram full ae blocked tin.”

  “And they sent ye doon fur that?”

  “Aye, that, plus tanning three shoaps and stealing a till wae twenty seven quid in it oot ae the hairdressing college canteen oan Cathedral Street. Ah tried telling them it wisnae me, bit Ah goat the impression that they didnae believe me.”

  “Aye, there’s nae justice in this world, eh?” Freckles said, as he caught the wee red baw oan his chest and managed tae kick it tae the other side ae the playground withoot it landing oan the ground first.

  “So, whit’s this place like then?” Johnboy asked, looking aboot at the familiar wee groups he’d clocked every time he wis in The Grove, huddled roond the yard.

  “Ah’ve never been tae Butlins, bit Ah don’t think it’s anything like that,” Patsy volunteered.

  “That’s because ye’re banned, even though they don’t even know ye exist, Patsy, ya plonker, ye,” Joe chipped in.

  “Think ae The Grove and then think ten times worse,” Tottie said, starting an argument aboot whit place wis the maist shitty tae be in.

  Johnboy looked aboot, while the jail experts started scoring points aff ae each other. The steps they wur lounging aboot oan wur wan ae two that jutted oot fae doors oan the second flair ae the building, and crossed the moat, which ran the length ae the main building. They wur in an oblong-shaped yard, wae the main two-storey building oan three sides ae it. Tae their right, at the bottom, there wis a wee red brick building joined oan tae the main building, which enclosed the yard. It hid a slated, sloped roof, wae doors running the length ae it. There wisnae any drain pipes tae be seen anywhere and the windaes ae the wee brick building hid aw been bricked up. It looked like a storage area. Oan the far corner, across fae where they wur staunin, there wis a normal sized playground shed, which wis aboot thirty feet wide. Between the shed and the wee slated roofed building, there wis a gap which looked tae be jist wide enough tae let a car or a van through. In front ae that gap stood seven teachers, daeing their usual job ae hinging aboot, talking and smoking…daeing fuck aw and being paid fur it.

  “So, that’s the only way oot ae the yard, is it?” Johnboy asked.

  “Fuck’s sake, Johnboy, ye hivnae even tasted the lumpy porridge yet and ye’re fed up awready?”

  “Ah’ll go wae ye, Johnboy,” Silent volunteered, brightening up and amazing Johnboy that he’d heard him speaking twice in the same day.

  “Hoi, Silent, we’ll decide who goes and who disnae aboot here. If Ah knew ye wur a wee chookter who came fae the Toonheid oot in Kirkintilloch and no fae oor Toonheid, ye’d still be back in The Grove getting love bites oan that spotty arse ae yers and planning yer wedding tae Sleazebag Slapper,” Patsy said.

  “How dae ye know he’s goat a spotty arse, pervo boy?” Johnboy asked.

  “Because Joe telt me. He said it puts him aff when he’s humping him, ya diddy, ye.”

  “Aye, Joe wis right, Patsy, ye still hivnae goat o’er that Slapper dumping ye the last time ye wur in The Grove,” Tony said tae laughter.

  Chapter Five

  Johnboy hid been in Thistle Park a month before he decided tae test the water. He couldnae get Skull oot ae that heid ae his. Every time he shut his eyes tae hiv a wee kip in the classroom o’er in the huts or in his bed at night, Skull’s face wid appear. There wisnae the same banter as before. In fact, there wisnae anything said. Skull’s face wid jist appear, staring at him silently wae that tear running doon his cheek. Johnboy hidnae telt any ae The Mankys or the Garngad crowd aboot Skull fur fear ae being laughed at…or worse.

  “Whit’s wrang, Johnboy” Tony hid asked him mair than a few times, gieing him a funny look.

  “Nothing,” he’d say.

  “Aye, there is.”

  Everywan wis in agreement that it widnae be that hard tae get oot ae the place if they put their minds tae it. At first glance, the building didnae look like a fortress, bit wance ye looked closer, ye goat a wee hint. Aw the glass in maist ae the windaes hid faint wire crisscrossing through the middle ae it and the windaes that didnae wur either oot ae bounds or Johnboy and his pals wur kept under strict supervision, wae at least two teachers per boy, while in the vicinity ae them. Behind every windae, oan the other side ae the wired glass, thick metal bars wur painted white, tae remind them that if they managed tae get through the glass, they’d them tae contend wae then. The doors in the building looked like ordinary four panelled wans. Johnboy hid checked oot ae few ae the panels tae see if they could be panned in wae the heel ae his shoe or dislodged using a knife or a screwdriver. By the feel ae the wood, it wis clear that the doors, or at least the panels, wur a couple ae inches thick. A guy fae Castlemilk called Jim Maguire, who worked wae the joinery teacher, hid telt Tottie that aw the doors hid plate steel running through the middle ae them. Despite checking this oot, Johnboy couldnae detect how they wid’ve been able tae dae that withoot there being any tell-tale signs ae how it wis put in. It didnae help that aw the doors, while being chipped tae fuck fae aw sorts ae things banging aff ae them o’er the years, hid been painted back in the days ae the Ark. Another wee deterrent tae contend wae wis that the doors leading oot tae the ootside ae the building wur aw alarmed. None ae The Mankys or the Garngad crowd could go fur a shite withoot two teachers in tow, sniffing whit they wur up tae. The Garngad crowd, or The Shamrock boys, as everywan in the place called them, didnae help the situation either. Johnboy liked them and hid plenty ae time fur them, bit they wur jist too free wae they hauns ae theirs. Everywan stayed well clear ae them, especially Patsy, who wis a total nightmare and wid start a fight in an empty hoose. There wis hardly a day went by that wan ae them wisnae punching or sticking the heid oan somewan fur something. Johnboy often struggled tae fathom oot whit the offence wis. Even boys who knew they’d probably be able tae take Patsy oan and knock the shit oot ae him, steered well clear due tae the back-up behind the wee bucked-toothed angry basturt. As far as Johnboy wis concerned, his biggest problem wis how he wis gonnae get back intae Glesga tae speak tae Flypast, if he did manage tae escape, withoot being caught oan route. Whitever Flypast hid tae say, wid decide whether Johnboy wis doo-lally, wae voices in that heid ae his or if he wis as sane as any ae the other Mankys. He hid tae find oot if he hid actually spoken wae Skull and the only wan who knew whit hid happened efter Skull left Johnboy doon at his closemooth that night, back in nineteen sixty five, wis Flypast. The fact that he wis hivving this conversation in that heid ae his made him feel uncomfortable. Wis that the voices speaking? When Johnboy hid spoken tae some ae the boys in the school who’d been hame oan leave, they’d telt him that they wur always escorted oan and aff the train at Gilmore Street train station, doon in Paisley. Nowan seemed tae know the way hame other than by catching the train. None ae The Mankys or the Garngad crowd hid ever been let oot oan day or weekend leave and it didnae look as if that wis gonnae change anytime soon. Aw The Mankys and the uglies hid coloured pegs that wur perched oan the bottom hole ae the big leave board up oan the dining hall wall. Baby Huey hid goat terribly upset wan Friday tae discover that he’d somehow managed tae get himsel moved up a week.

  “Baby, ya fat fucking crawling basturt, ye. Whose knob did ye suck tae get a good mark then, ya bum-boy?” Patsy hid shouted oot loud, jist efter breakfast wan Friday morning, when they wur announcing everywan’s tick score fur that week.

  Within two seconds ae the announcement, Baby hid goat up, walked across tae another table and punched a big skinny boy called Abdee, who came fae Aberdeen, oan the mooth, fur laughing at Patsy’s outburst.

  “Who the fuck asked ye fur yer opinion, ya bampot, ye?” Baby hid growled at Abdee, who wis lying oan the flair, haudin his face, as the teachers huckled Baby oot ae the dining room.

  “Don’t try and smother it up by trying tae distract us away fae the subject in haun, Baby!” Minky hid shouted at his back, as everywan pished themsels laughing.

  While Johnboy quite liked being in the Garngad crowd�
�s company, it hid its doon-side as well. It hidnae taken Johnboy long tae find oot where he fitted in tae the big scheme ae things in the school efter he’d been processed. The school hid automatically lumped Johnboy in wae the rest ae the Toonheid and Garngad boys. Insteid ae being allowed tae work ootside oan the farm or in the gardens, he’d been put alangside his pals, who the school hid tagged as losers…the wans that wur gaun naewhere fast…the wans that couldnae be trusted…the wans that definitely wur gonnae spend every single day ae their sentence, and no a day less, in Thistle Park, wae nae early release in sight. The routine wis the same, day in and day oot. Due tae the fact that they couldnae be trusted, The Mankys and the uglies wur stuck in a classroom in a hut, aw day, daeing nothing, except watching The Wooden Tops. The thing that really goat oan everywan’s tits though, wis the dawn detail. At hauf past five every morning, when everywan else in the school wis snug in their beds, the losers wur dragged oot ae theirs and marched oot tae the shed in the yard. Lined up in rows wur every pair ae boots that wur worn by the boys in the school, waiting tae be polished. It depended oan how many boys wur oan the boot cleaning squad oan a particular day, as tae how many boots each ae them hid tae clean. There wur always other boys, coming or gaun, if they’d been fighting or committed some other crime in the place which hid goat them placed oan a report and sentenced tae a week ae cleaning boots. Seeing as Johnboy hidnae done anything, he couldnae understaun why he’d been automatically chucked in wae The Toonheid and Garngad crowd. He’d tried raising it wae some ae the teachers, who’d aw jist shrugged their shoulders at him or refused tae even acknowledge his existence, never mind speak tae him. Tae make matters worse, Patsy hid been like a stuck record. He’d been pointing oot tae everywan, every bloody five minutes fur the previous two weeks, that the new boys who wur sentenced tae a stint in the boot cleaning detail never seemed tae be allocated any ae the boots belonging tae the garden squad. These wur always allocated tae The Mankys and Garngad crowd, who’d tae sit there every morning, freezing their baws aff, trying tae get the mud aff the boots ae some selfish basturt who’d been deliberately traipsing through muddy fields aw day. There wisnae much time fur slacking either, as they wur allocated an hour tae dae aboot a hunner and twenty pair ae boots. Patsy convinced himsel that there wis a noise-up oan the go fae a few ae the boys fae the Springburn Peg. Johnboy jist thought it wis a fluke as the four Peg boys aw happened tae work in the gardens.

  “Ah’m telling ye, they wankers ur walking through mud and coo shite oan purpose because they know it’s us that his tae clean it aff…the pricks,” Patsy wid growl.

  “Aye, Ah know. Ye’d think hauf ae the population ae Springburn must be working in the fucking gardens, Patsy, wae the amount ae coo shite covering they fucking boots,” Tottie kept telling him, egging him oan.

  “Exactly. That’s whit Ah’m trying tae tell youse. Ah’m gonnae dae they basturts in, the first chance Ah get.”

  A boy called Peter Burns fae the Peg, who Johnboy hid goat tae know when he wis in The Grove, came up tae Johnboy a few days later and telt him they didnae want any trouble. Johnboy thought Peter wis okay and he’d shared his fags wae Johnboy when they wur up in court oan the same day, earlier in the year.

  “Kin ye no talk some sense intae him, Johnboy? We hivnae done a bloody thing. It’s no oor fault that we work in the garden squad. Aw we want tae dae is get oan wae oor time and get tae hell oot ae here,” Peter said tae him in the queue at breakfast time.

  The Garngad crowd hid jist come in efter another early boot-cleaning stint when Patsy stuck the heid oan wan ae Peter’s pals, while Freckles started kicking the poor basturt aboot the heid when he landed oan the deck. That same day, wan ae the Milton Tongs telt Minky that if they wur gonnae hiv a go at the Peg boys then they’d hiv tae take them oan as well.

  “Whit the fuck his this goat tae dae wae any ae youse? Ah thought youse hated that Peg crowd?”

  “We dae, bit we know maist ae them ootside and we think youse ur taking a liberty.”

  “Is that right?” Minky snarled, sticking the nut oan him and breaking his nose.

  They wur the talk ae the school…and no fur the first time since Johnboy hid arrived either. At teatime, Baby stood up in the dining hall, in front ae everywan, and announced loudly that if ‘any basturt wanted tae try and hiv a go, then they wur mair than welcome anytime, day or night.’ Ye could’ve heard a pin drap. Some ae the teachers turned a bit peely-wally, no sure whit tae dae next. Johnboy looked across at Tony, who’d been sitting there as if it wis nothing tae dae wae him, as he spooned another moothful ae mashed totties intae his gub, seemingly enjoying the show. Hauf the place wur looking o’er at them while the other hauf wur daeing aw they could tae avoid eye contact.

  “Right, c’mone, boys, settle doon noo and eat yer tea,” Rolled Back Neck said, in a hauf whimper, looking pale aboot they gills ae his.

  It wis enough tae break the ice though and the tension passed…fur aboot ten seconds, at least.

  “That’s the basturt that booted me in the ribs when Ah wis snoozing in the cells, the day Ah goat sentenced,” Johnboy said cheerily tae nowan in particular, attempting tae change the subject.

  “Whit wis that? Ur ye trying tae tell us that it wis that baldy thick-necked prick that took a liberty and booted ye in the ribs when ye wur sleeping, Johnboy?” Freckles shouted oot loudly, scowling across at the crowd ae teachers that wur gathered at the door, looking across at them, as Johnboy sat, wishing the flair wid swallow him up.

  Later oan that night, they wur hinging aboot the snooker table, expecting tae be attacked by the Peg and Milton Tongs boys. There wis double the amount ae teachers oan duty than usual. Patsy, Minky, Freckles, Tottie and Baby Huey wur aw psyching themsels up tae go running across and start ladling intae the Springburn and Milton boys wae their snooker cues. Johnboy, Joe and Silent wur perched doon oan the flair, wae their backs against the wall, watching whit wis gaun oan. Tony hid been shouted oot tae go and speak wae the heidmaster. Johnboy wis gonnae tell Silent aboot his dream doon in Central wae Skull, bit he kept getting interrupted wae aw sorts ae advice oan whit direction he should take wance he’d cleared the grounds, fae the Garngad crowd, who wur refusing tae let go ae their snooker cues tae the line ae guys who wur supposed tae be oan the table next.

  “Whitever ye dae, don’t heid towards that big hoose away in the distance, Johnboy. That’s Dykebar, the loony bin. If wan ae they patients gets a haud ae ye, ye’ll end up strangled.”

  “Aye, Ah heard that there’s mair than a few boys lying buried doon there, who made the mistake ae heiding that way. The bizzies stoapped looking fur them in Glesga ages ago because they know fine well that they’re buried in shallow graves o’er there.”

  “Aye, bypass it and heid fur Barrheid.”

  “Heid towards Paisley and then follow the bus route back tae Glesga.”

  “Don’t listen tae tit-face, Johnboy. It’ll be daytime, so ye’re bound tae be spotted.”

  “Aye, bit still heid intae Paisley and then hide until night time. Then follow the bus route.”

  “If Ah kin get tae Paisley, Ah’ll see if Ah kin get a hudgie oan the back ae a lorry intae the toon. That Paisley Road West goes straight fur miles and heids intae the toon centre,” Johnboy telt them, hivving made up his mind oan his route the day before.

  Tony hid tried tae persuade him no tae dae a runner.

  “Tony, why the fuck ur ye no coming?” he’d asked.

  “Because ye’ll get caught within a few miles. When Ah go, it’ll be in style. And anyway, Ah’m quite enjoying ma wee break in here. Ah’ll go when Ah’m ready. Ye’d be better aff waiting yersel…unless there’s something Ah don’t know aboot that ye hivnae telt me,” he’d retorted, looking intae Johnboy’s eyes.

  Johnboy hid jist aboot blurted oot aboot his dream there and then, bit hid hesitated, and then turned away. He’d felt Tony’s eyes drilling in tae the back ae his skull. It hid been clear that Tony knew Johnboy wis hinging back wae someth
ing. Johnboy knew he widnae be too happy, as Tony liked tae know everything so he could take control ae the situation. Bit say whit? That he’d hid a dream where he’d spoken tae Skull who wis obviously lost and wisnae happy that his best pals wurnae daeing anything aboot it tae help him oot? He could see that gaun doon like a brick, especially wae the mad bunch ae psychos, that wur playing snooker and scowling across at the Springburn and Milton boys, in front ae the teachers aw bunched up across at the door.

  When Tony arrived back, the boys huddled roond aboot him. He telt them that the heidmaster hid jist telt him that if a fight wis tae start between any ae them and the boys fae Springburn or Milton or between any ae them and the teachers, then no matter who started it, aw the uglies and The Mankys wid be shipped up tae the closed block at Rossie Farm, in Montrose. He also said that he wis shifting the Peg boys oot ae the gardens.

  “Fuck the pricks! We’ll bloody-well wreck the place when we arrive if they try that wan,” Patsy declared.

  “Ah thought ye hid tae hiv been in two approved schools before they could put ye there, Tony?” Joe asked.

  Everywan knew full well that the only reason Silent and a few ae the others wur put tae Thistle Park wis so that they could fuck up, which wis guaranteed, and that they could then be sent tae the closed block, which wis a secure unit, wae cells, within Rossie Farm Approved School. It wis set up tae deal wae the really bad boys who kept getting intae trouble in approved schools, fae aw o’er Scotland. Johnboy’s big brother, Charlie, hid been sent there.

  “Aye, that’s whit Ah heard as well,” Johnboy said.

  “That’s whit Ah telt the auld basturt, bit he said that wan approved school or no, he’d declare us too unruly and we’d be offskie. He said he wisnae gonnae fuck aboot wae us.”

  Silence.

  “Aye, and another thing…he also said that aw the teachers ur up fur a fight and that they hivnae lost a battle yet and they wurnae aboot tae lose wan noo.”