Bagheads

by Woods, Karen

  Julie sat up in the bed as she watched him wobble into the bedroom. She grabbed the quilt up towards her neck. Flinging the bath towel to the floor he fell onto the bed. Gripping the covers hard she yanked them over her shoulders as she lay down facing the away from him. Julie fidgeted about in the bed. You could see her eyes were still open and she was ready for war. Turning to face him she poked her stump-like finger in his face.

  “Don’t take me for a prick. If you have got some other slapper just fucking tell me and I’m out of here.” She watched his face but he was out of it and mumbling. Putting her face to his she smelt the overpowering smell of the soap he’d just used. Gripping his shoulder and lifting him slightly from the bed she screamed into his face.

  “That’s why you’ve have had a bath innit. You dirty bastard. Did you think I would smell the sex all over you?” She dropped him back onto the bed and grabbed the blankets. With the quilt under her arm she left the room to sleep on the sofa. As she left she let him have a piece of her mind. “What goes around, comes around arsehole. Just fucking watch me now dickhead,” before she slammed the bedroom behind her. Shaun was half-conscious and dug his head into the stale mattress. He knew he would have to come up with some believable story by the morning. Julie was all he had. His eyelids closed and he tried to keep warm without blankets.

  The next morning Shaun was awoken from a deep sleep by a sharp pain. His face looked white as he felt his arse and realised that’s where the pain was coming from. Looking at his hand he could see blood on his fingers and dived from the bed fearing he was going to die. Grabbing a pair of shorts he hurried to the bathroom. Once the door was locked he sat on the toilet as the spasms of pain shot through his arse. Shaun seemed full of wind and each fart made a loud blasting noise as it left his arse. He was now shitting like a new born baby. Ged was soon banging on the door.

  “Come on hurry the fuck up. I need a piss.” Shaun was glad to hear Ged’s voice and even happier that he’d got out of the police station. When he finished he opened the door.

  “You alright mate. Did they let you out last night or what?” Ged pushed past him and stood pissing as he answered him.

  “Yeah I got out about half eleven. Lizzy said you went down to see what was happening to me but you never come back.” Scratching his balls Shaun began to lie.

  “Yeah I was on my way down to the police station when I got talking to my old mate Mark. You remember him don’t ya?” Ged nodded as he carried on lying. “Before I knew it we were off our heads. We drank about eight bottles of White Ace.” Shaun raised his eyebrows and whispered. “Julie’s seen her arse because I didn’t get in until late.”

  Ged shook his nob over the toilet bowl and smiled. He followed him to the front room. Julie was on the sofa with the quilt pulled over her head. Ged pointed at her as he made a funny face to Shaun. The room stank of sweaty socks and stale cigarette smoke. Shaun cautiously sat on the end of the couch and could see Julie’s feet sticking out from under the blanket. With a smile on his face he placed his index finger to his mouth and whispered to Ged to be quiet. At first he tickled underneath her foot but she remained still. Seeing long hairs on her big toe he carefully grabbed hold of one of them and yanked at it. Julie revealed herself from under the blanket with a face that would kill. Her hair was stuck up all over the place and the make-up she’d worn the night before was still visible on her face.

  “You daft cunt. What the fuck are you doing that for?” Shaun jumped on her and began to kiss her arms. The sound of his lips puckering together could be heard as he kissed all the way up her arm. Within a few seconds she saw the funny side of things and welcomed Shaun back into her arms. As he sat next to her like a devoted puppy she made it known she still wanted answers of where he was the night before. As she started speaking Ged left the room. He didn’t want to be involved in any of the dispute and headed back to the bedroom to wake Lizzy. Julie started her interrogation.

  “Right no bullshit. Where was you last night?” Shaun started to answer but she jumped in. “Listen you came in and got straight in the bath. What does that tell me? Why else would you have got in the bath if you wasn’t washing fanny from ya nob?” Shaun looked at her and paused. He knew she was on to something and dug deep for a story that would win her over. Shaun had his hands spread out in front of him.

  “Julie on my life I wasn’t with anyone else. I feel a twat telling you this but you won’t believe what happened.” Julie sat up and pulled her legs in front of her. She urged him to continue.

  “Shaun, just fucking get on with it. If you’re telling me where you was, stop fucking hanging about.” Losing eye contact with her he stared at the front wall. The wallpaper was still hanging down from the ceiling and he promised one day he would paste it back up. Julie dug her clenched fist into his ribs.

  “Right, right”, he shouted, “for fuck’s sake.” He licked his bottom lip and held her hand as he spoke. “I was at Mark’s. You know Mark?” She nodded quickly. “Well we had a smoke and that and we were drinking all night. I told him I was going a few times, but you know what he’s like he just kept on passing me beers.” Julie held her head to the side as she lit a cig. He asked her to light him one before he continued. Taking a deep drag from his cig he blew the smoke into her eyes.

  “I was fine till I hit the fresh air you know. I don’t know what came over me. I just farted. At first I thought it was just the cold on my legs, but as I carried on walking I realised I had followed through.” Julie pissed laughing. He knew she loved the story and continued. “Fuck me Julie, the shit was all over my legs. I must have had a bad hit or summit. As I walked I could smell it. It was fucking hanging, I can tell you.” Julie was made up with the story and she believed every word the lying fucker told her. She could hear the others coming into the room and pissed herself as she repeated his story to them.

  The four junkies now sat in the front room. As if someone had twitched a button on the back of their necks they all looked agitated. Ged was rubbing his sweaty palms together and Lizzy was wiping sweat from her face. Ged grabbed his jeans from the side and started to put his trainers on. Any money they had between them was put onto table. Ged quickly counted it, there was £15. Shaun kept quiet about the £20 he had and looked away as Ged spoke.

  “Fucking hell. Is that all we’ve got? That’s not enough to score for four of us.” Lizzy fidgeted about and looked at Julie. She knew she was out on the game last night and she’d only put a tenner on the table. She looked at her with devious eyes as she probed her.

  “Is that all ya earned last night? A fucking tenner?” Julie was up in arms and was frothing at the mouth.

  “Yeah it is. It was dead last night. Anyway a tenner is more than you have put on the table, so get off my fucking back. If I had any more money I would put it on the table.” Lizzy backed down. She still gave her an evil look though. Shaun broke the atmosphere. He stood tall and stretched his rattling body.

  “Let’s hit Asda. They have some garden furniture near the exit. I clocked it the other day.” Ged didn’t need telling twice and urged his fellow druggies to get ready. The girls both sat there like gun-slingers at dawn. They stared at each other and Julie was at breaking point. She couldn’t stand another minute in the same room as the raving smackhead and told Shaun she would come with them. Lizzy now followed her lead. She knew if she didn’t go with them she wouldn’t get any drugs until later. Both girls left the front room to get ready and the lads urged them to be as quick as they could.

  Asda was buzzing. The nearby market was on that day and it seemed everyone in Harpurhey and Moston was out shopping. Ged walked into the superstore. His eyes clocked the boxed garden sets straight away. Shaun told the girls to have a wander around the market to see what they could have away. They both hesitated at first but once Shaun screwed his face up at them both they left his side and trudged towards the market. The sound of people chatting filled the air. People were sat eating in the cafe and Lizzy told Julie how hungry
she was. Julie couldn’t have given a flying shit about her appetite and carried on walking towards the bedding stalls.

  Ged and Shaun walked up and down a few aisles in Asda. They were casing up the job before they put their plan into action. They’d learnt from past experience that if they hung around any longer than necessary it would be on top and the security would be on them like a rash. By now Shaun was sweating buckets. He wiped the palm of his hand across his face. His head was dipped low and he struggled for breath. Every time he was gonna do a job, he felt like he was going to have a heart attack and today was no different. Ged grabbed a large box containing the garden set and Shaun took the back end of it. They quickly left the store. The box was heavy and Shaun found it hard to keep a good grip. A few people who knew them both, smiled as they watched them leave the store. Harpurhey was full of shoplifters and grafters and it was an everyday occurrence to see somebody up to no good.

  They headed down Rochdale Road carrying the large box. As soon as they could, they hit the side-streets. Ged led them to an alleyway at the side of Conran Street. He dropped the box onto the floor. Ged shook his hands vigorously as he paced the floor.

  “My fucking fingers are on fire. I couldn’t have carried it another second. It’s fucking heavy innit?” Shaun agreed. Both of them stood panting for breath. They knew they needed a buyer. Ged asked who they should approach first.

  “What about err... that guy who lives on the Two Hundred Estate he’s always got cash. Peter Kenyon I think he’s called.” Shaun knew exactly who he meant and agreed.

  “Yeah he buys anything. You wait here and I’ll run over and see if he wants it. How much are we asking for it?” Ged pulled the box from the wall and looked at the picture of the garden set. It had four chairs a table and an umbrella. The retail price was on a sticker at the top of the box and Ged read it out.

  “It says here seventy-nine ninety-nine. Let’s say thirty-five quid. What do you think?” Shaun nodded and set off to the buyer’s house.

  Peter Kenyon had lived on the Two Hundred estate for years. He was always into this, that and the other. He was well known for having a few bob and all the grafters went to him first with any knock-off stuff. The back gates of Peter’s house were opened. Shaun popped his head inside and whistled hoping to get someone’s attention. A large man now appeared. He pulled his face as he looked at Shaun. Peter came walking towards him looking fierce. Shaun panicked and stuttered.

  “Hiya mate. I’ve got a brand new garden set still in the box if ya interested?” Peter walked right near him and caused him to step back out of the garden. Shaun hadn’t dealt with Peter before and the buyer wanted to know the ins and outs of a cat’s arse hole. Peter could be seen checking all the cars outside as they drove past his house. He’d had run-ins with the dibble so many times in the past and didn’t want them on his case again. Once he was sure Shaun wasn’t undercover police he let him stand in the garden. Peter asked him about all the other criminals in the area and once he was confident he was part of them he asked about what he was selling. Shaun explained what he had and how much he wanted for it. Peter shook his head. He told him he wasn’t really interested in the garden set as he already had one. This was the trick of most buyers in the area and Shaun knew it only too well. They made out they weren’t keen on the item and often waited for the smackheads to drop the price to an absolute bargain before they showed any interest. Peter thought for a while and told him he would come and have a look at it in his white Transit van. Shaun jumped in the passenger seat and they headed to meet Ged.

  Ged was pleased to see them and spoke directly to Peter telling him the price and how the goods were still in the box and brand new. Peter could see Ged was roasting his nuts off and he knew the garden set would be his for next to nothing. He asked them where it was from and tried picking the box up on his own. Ged told him how heavy it was and watched him drop it back on the floor. This was another bargaining point for Peter as he knew the lads would have to carry it about with them if he didn’t buy it. Kicking at the wall Pete made them an offer.

  “I don’t really want it lads but I’ll take it off your hands. I’ll give you twenty quid for it.” Ged gasped.

  “Fuck off mate. It’s boxed up and everything. We can easily get thirty-five for it.” Peter played the part well and started to walk away. Ged was desperate and gritted his teeth as he shouted him back.

  “Right give us twenty. You know you’ve got a bargain, don’t you?” Peter smirked but insisted he didn’t really want it. The lads helped him load it into his van and watched as he drove away.

  Ged was fuming. “Conning cunt!” he snarled as he watched him drive away. He looked at Shaun.

  “Tell ya what. It fucking bugs me how these cheeky bastards take the piss out of us. We’re smackheads not fucking mental patients. He knew we were rattling. I had no choice but to sell it to him did I?” Shaun wasn’t arsed, he just wanted to score and told Ged to shut up fucking moaning. They both walked to Tavistock Square and used the pay-phone to place their order.

  The process was much the same as every other time they scored. They would ring a number and someone would deliver the drugs. Very few words were ever spoken between the courier and the addict. It was just a case of exchanging the cash for brown. Once they had the heroin they hurried back to the flat. They both looked as if they’d shit themselves as they marched across the road with speed.

  The front door was opened when they got back to the flat and you could hear Julie talking to Lizzy. The day had been good for them both, too. They seemed to be friends for now. Once Julie saw Shaun she told him of the stuff they’d had away. Lizzy now joined in the conversation and told them both they’d earned thirty quid from the stuff they’d nicked. Julie spoke of legs of lamb, packets of bacon and razor blades she’d had away. They were always top sellers and wouldn’t remain in a junkie’s possession long, once they were for sale.

  The four of them shot the heroin deep into their veins. The day had only just begun and they all knew they had to go back out to earn some more money. Each of them was spending at least sixty quid a day on drugs. It just seemed that every day that went by, their habits got bigger. They would take anything that was going. Pills, beer and every now and then Ged would buy a stone, otherwise known as crack. Shaun had seen him in the past smoking crack through a pipe and wondered what the rush felt like. Crack was a treat for Ged and he only bought a stone when he’d had a good day’s grafting.

  Wasting their lives, they sat gazing into thin air. They all had a similar look about them; dark circles around their eyes and grey looking complexions. The girls’ hair looked dull and their once white teeth looked like brown mouldy stumps. The clothing they wore was old and tattered and not fit for the bin. The small television on a wooden side cabinet was the only real possession Ged had in the flat. Many a day when he’d been desperate for drugs he would take his TV to the local cash generator store. Some drug dealers let the junkies pay for drugs with knocked-off stuff. They were always placing orders with the junkies for stuff they needed.

  Shaun sat on the chair and needed to get out. He felt suffocated and weak. His legs trembled as he tried to stand. The heroin had made him feel strange. He feared he was going to die. Julie was out of it and never said a word to him as he left. Once into the open air Shaun tried to walk to his mother’s house. As he crossed the main road his body slumped to the ground onto the pavement. Within minutes the traffic was at a standstill and onlookers were trying to help him. An ambulance had been phoned. A middle-aged woman sat stoking the side of Shaun’s face unaware he was a drug addict. Thick white froth hung from his mouth. His body was shaking slightly and his eyes were rolling to the back of his head. Everybody looked scared and prayed the medical help to hurry up.

  Someone who knew Shaun ran to inform his sister Katie. She didn’t live far from where he lay. As she ran to his side in her pyjamas she gripped her coat tighter around her body. Her hair was screwed up on top of her head in a bu
n. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her as she bent down. The woman who was holding Shaun in her arms passed him over to Katie. As she stood up her body was shaking and she found it hard to hold back her emotions. Looking into her brother’s face Katie whispered.

  “Our kid, come on. Don’t be dying on me. My mam will go mad if you leave her.” Her tears fell onto his face as the sound of help arriving filtered the air. Within seconds the medics had Shaun in the back of the ambulance and on his way to hospital. Katie told one of the lads at the side of her who knew her to run and tell her mam what had happened.

  Stepping in the back of the ambulance Katie sat on a small seat at the side of her brother. She hadn’t really seen him for months and the life he led had broken the bond they used to share. He’d stolen from Katie months before and she swore she would never forgive him but her heart couldn’t stop caring for him.

  The medic was monitoring Shaun’s body functions. He looked like he was a breath away from death. Everyone worried he wouldn’t make it. As they pulled up outside the hospital he was rushed to a small room where the doctors inserted a drip into his arm. Katie cringed as she watched the doctor placing the drip in his arm. He must have forgotten Katie was there and commented on how bad the drug-addicts veins were.

  Katie was now asked to leave the room. She looked at Shaun’s face and hoped this wasn’t the last time she saw him alive. Chewing on her bottom lip she walked outside. Katie had her own problems at the moment and the years of torment from her own boyfriend had taken its toll on her. Her body looked thin and her clothes hung from her. She looked like a bag of rags. Looking at her face you could see the remains of yet another black eye. If you wouldn’t have known her, you would have said she was a baghead as well. Sitting in the waiting room she watched all the people coming and going into the hospital. Looking at her dirty feet through her flip-flops she tried to hide them from view. Katie turned her head as she heard the screaming voice of a woman from outside. As she looked closer she could see it was her mother. Gladys was hysterical.