by Stan Mason
James looked up at him. ‘Yes... you were technically correct... a bit textbook style... but correct. It doesn’t count for practical experience... you realise that.’
‘I could get the experience if I worked for you. Is there any chance of that?’
The mining consultant smiled wryly. ‘As a man of honour, I ought to warn you about the business first. Do you know what a mining consultant really does? A guide to the ignorant. A parasite wending his way in and out of the mountains of economic recovery and the valleys of recession. Clients are generally greedy fortune hunters. Everyone seeks a fast buck from the information provided. So a mining consultant is merely flotsam in an abundant sea of commerce. I have great doubts whether someone as quick tempered as you would be successful in the profession but I need an assistant at this particular time so you have found me at the right moment. As is the custom, you will need to pay for the apprenticeship. I suggest a thousand pounds to be reasonable.’
‘I’d like that,’ returned Ivan eagerly, ‘but I have only nine hundred pounds.’
‘Very well,’ returned James. ‘I’ll accept that and you can owe me the other hundred.
The Russian reviewed the proposition briefly and then reached for the bulge of banknotes inside his pocket that Elsie had given him. It was too good to be true that he could ever hold money in his possession for any length of time. James took the notes, produced a writing pad and wrote out a receipt. The he tore out another sheet of paper and scribed an IOU which he presented to his new apprentice for his signature. Ivan signed it and handed it back. The deal was done! He had a job... at last! He had a proper job!
***
James was about to learn that life was never dull when the Russian was around. He collected Ivan later on and drove him back to Valentine’s Park. As they alighted from the car, they could see that a fun-fair had been installed, standing against the sky with multi-coloured lights and a crescendo of noise pounding out to sail across the lake on the evening breeze. They walked past the stalls to a boxing booth where a barker was shouting to a large crowd. A banner stretched across the booth challenged: “Beat the champ for a hundred pounds!” It soon became clear that Ivan was intent on winning the balance of the money he owed for his apprenticeship.
‘Ladees and Genelmen,’ began the barker, dressed smartly with a black coat and tails, a black silk top hat and shiny shoes. ‘On this veree special occasion, we are proud to present the champion of the boxing ring who, for many occasions, fought the roughest and the toughest and won against the best of them... Bomber Jackson! The enthusiastic crowd which had come to see blood spilt in the ring for their morbid pleasure released mixed expressions involving acclaim and contempt. ‘And the prize for standing up against him for three three minute rounds is not five pounds, not ten pounds, not fifty pounds but one hundred pounds... for just three minutes in the ring. For those of you without edification, let me tell you that works out at over ten pounds a minute.’ He pointed randomly to a man in the crowd. ‘Do you want to earn eleven pounds a minute, sir? No? What a shame! I’m looking for someone with guts and determination. A real man! A person with gumption to win our major prize of a hundred pounds. They told me in the army never to volunteer, well we’re not in the army now So who’s gonna be the first challenger and win that one hundred pounds without having to pay an tax on it? Who’s gonna go for the gold?’
‘I will!’ shouted Ivan raising his arm as high as it would go.
‘Are you crazy?’ cautioned James, staring at Bomber Jackson, a huge giant of a man, as he climbed into the ring.
‘I owe you a hundred pounds and I’m going to pay you back,’ the Russian told him solemnly before making his way into the ring.
By now, the booth was packed with paying spectators and Ivan stripped naked to the waist as someone placed a pair of boxing gloves on his hands. He raised his arms into the air to the cheering of the crowd and then sauntered over to the champion, cheekily aiming a playful punch some way short of his chin. Bomber Jackson responded in like fashion moving forward quickly, aiming a savage right-hand punch to Ivan’s midriff bringing the young man to his knees. The crowd erupted to howl with anger at the unsporting action. The Russian was helped into his corner by his second and he began to recover as the man rubbed his stomach vigorously.
‘If I were you, son,’ the second advised him. ‘I’d keep well away from him in the first round and take a dive in the second.’
Ivan inhaled deeply a number of times before finding his voice. ‘I came here to win the prize,’ he managed to say. ‘Why should I take a dive in the second round?’
‘Look, son. The man’s an animal! He puts twelve people down on the canvas every day. He even killed a man once.’
‘You do your job well,’ commended the Russian. ‘Putting the fear of God into contestants to scare them so they won’t win the prize.’
‘You dope! Why do you think they put up a hundred quit? They never have to pay out because the challengers don’t stand a chance. Not a chance!’
The barker stood in the centre of the ring to announce the start of the contest. ‘Ladees and Gennlemen, this is a contest of three rounds, each round being of three minutes... between Ivan Obsi... something and Bomber Jackson, the ex-British lightweight champion.’
‘What... in 1929?’ yelled a wag in the crowd, whose quip brought roars of laughter.
‘In the red corner, Bomber Jackson,’ continued the barker unperturbed. ‘In the blue corner, Ivan the Terrible! And may the best man win!’
The bell rang for the start of the contest and Ivan’s second pulled the stool from under him sharply. Bomber Jackson charged from the other side of the ring and the challenger took two savage blows on the nose before he could acclimatise himself to the event. The spectators roared at the sight of blood so early in the fight as it streamed from Ivan’s nostrils. The two men circled and held each other in a tight clinch. The champion used this opportunity to bring his head down forcibly into the forehead of his unsuspecting contender. The Russian saw a myriad of stars and felt dizzy for a moment, hanging on for as long as he could, even after the referee told them to break. After that, he retreated into a corner with Jackson hunting him like a tiger. He managed to clinch again with blood streaming from a cut above his right eye. His second, who jumped about in an animated fashion, felt obliged to shout from his corner.
‘Take a dive, son! He’ll know the living daylights out of you!’
The effect was to instil the Russian with a sudden surge of defiance as the words spurred him on. Following a short spell of vicious sparring, the bell sounded for the end of the first round, at which time the boxers returned to their respective corners. Ivan wasn’t certain where he was and had to be guided back by his second.
‘You’re a glutton for punishment, lad,’ he was told, as was pushed on to his stool for a necessary rest.
‘I’m not throwing in the towel with a hundred pounds at stake. I need that money... so you can save your breath!’
The second wiped the blood from below Ivan’s nose and attended to the cut above his right eye. ‘Listen, son! I’ve been in this business more times than you’ve had hot dinners. I know what I’m talking about. He’s going to mince your brains if you go back into the ring. Get wise! He doesn’t warm up until the second round.’
The bell rang for the start of the second round and the boxers moves to the centre of the ring. Jackson delivered two sharp left-hand punches, followed by two more which rocked the contender’s head. Nonetheless, Ivan fought back gamely even though he was completely outclassed. Blood started to flow from his nose again while the gash about his right eye opened up again. He produced a volley of ill-timed inaccurate blows which did little to concern the champion. Then Jackson moved in for the kill. He released a vicious punch which struck Ivan well below the belt. The Russian buckled, falling to his knees as the crowd screamed wil
dly with disapproval. By sheer doggedness, he managed to scramble to his feet at the count of nine to keep himself in the contest. Immediately, he threw himself at the champion engaging him in a very tight clinch. The referee tried to separate them and quietly offered some advice to the challenger.
‘What are you trying to prove, lad? You’ve shown that you can take it like a man. Call it a day before you really get hurt!’
Ivan leered at him through a red mist and found himself forced against the ropes with blows raining on him from all quarters. He managed to secure himself in another clinch and heard the bell ring for the end of the second round. As he staggered away, Jackson stalked him striking him with a solid blow at the side of the head. The crowd began to boo the champion again as Ivan’s second led him back to his stool.
‘Are you plain stupid or something!’ chided the man with an element of anger in his voice as he start to work on the Russian’s face which had begun to swell badly.
‘I’ve held him for six minutes so far,’ came the response. ‘Another three can’t do any harm.’
‘Don’t kid yourself,’ he was told. ‘The man was a professional. He keeps a lot in reserve.’
The bell sounded for the last round and the contestants moved to the centre of the ring once more. Jackson unleash a series of vicious punches which made the Russian wince with pain. It was now beginning to hurt. Suddenly, one of the blows connected with his chin, rocking his head back sharply. The world seemed to spin like a vortex and he fell to his knees. This failed to halt the champion who moved forward to unleash a volley of punches to the challenger’s head while he was down, to the horror and anger of the spectators.
‘E’s gonna kill ‘im!’ shouted someone at the back of the booth.
The champion’s second leapt into the ring to pull Jackson off the Russian and he pushed the champion through the ropes to avoid any adverse incident with the angry spectators. Ivan was totally unaware of what was happened. He was laying unconscious face down on the canvas away from the world. The barker dipped a towel into a bucket and wiped the Russian’s face to revive him, and he continued to do so until the defeated man opened his eyes. He blinked a few times and then struggled to his feet painfully.
‘I’ll take care of him,’ James told the barker. ‘He’s with me. Give me a hand with him to the car, will you?’
They lifted the hapless young man from the ring and carried him to the parking area, placing him on the front seat of the vehicle. Before James started the engine, he took the IOU from his pocket and tore it into little pieces.
‘You’ve got some guts,’ he commended. ‘If you want the apprenticeship that badly then you don’t owe me a thing. But I hope it taught you a lesson... don’t get into situations over your head. As far as the job goes, you can start when you like.’
‘When I like,’ repeated the Russian through swollen lips, trying hard to concentrate after the beating he had taken. ‘That’s good.’ He leaned back painfully into the passenger’s seat as James produced a business card which he handed to the young man.
‘There’s the address,’ said the mining consultant. ‘The office opens at nine o’clock, but in view of your condition, you can start half-an-hour later.’
Ivan turned to stare at him out of bloodshot eyes and then burst into laughter. ‘You know it hurts when I laugh,’ he said bursting into a bout of coughing, and then both men burst into laughter.
***
When he returned home, Ivan was looking awful. His face was badly swollen and there was blood around his nose, broke skin on his cheeks, one fully- closed eye and the other one half-closed. Elsie was shocked to see him in that condition and expressed her concern but he laughed loudly offering her a precis of the facts.
‘I need more money,’ he told her peering with difficulty through the half-closed eye. ‘I’m short of one hundred pounds.’
‘You’ve had all my savings!’ she countered angrily. ‘I haven’t any more!’ Quite calmly, he went on to explain the apprenticeship with James ignoring her comment and she threw her hands in the air with frustration.
‘You fool!’ she reproached angrily. ‘You stupid fool! You gave all that money to a complete stranger!’ He took the business card from his pocket and showed it to her. ‘Ivan,’ she went on mercilessly. ‘There’s a printer at the end of this street. He’ll print business cards with any name you fancy!’
He rose and gripped her tightly by the arms, wincing with the pain that shot through his body. ‘I’ll make a deal with her,’ he told her. If I’ve been a fool, I’ll do anything to repay you. Dig ditches, empty dustbins, sweep floors, anything! I’ll even work nights to do it.’
She recoiled at the declaration for if he carried out his promise she would never see him at all, ‘Why would you have to work at night?’ she asked with a puzzled expression on her face.
‘Because I’ll be an apprentice by day so I’d have to earn the money at night.’
‘I’ve got another twenty pounds in cash but that’s all,’ she confided.
‘Come on, Elsie,’ he countered. ‘You must have some more hidden away somewhere!’
She burst into tears and he realised that she was telling him the truth. He loosened his grip on her and kissed her gently on the nose. ‘Let’s forget about the money,’ he added. ‘Let’s forget about it!’
She put her arms around him and kissed him passionately. He responded, wincing with pain from his injuries but he was devoid of emotion. Without money to support him, there was little that she could do for him any more.
***
On the following morning, he approached the office block named on the business card and walked into the main hallway, scanning the list of names of firms and companies occupying the building. To his horror, he was unable to find the name on the business card. Elsie had been right! He was an idiot to allow himself to be taken in by a confidence trickster, yet James appeared to be so straight and honest... but that was the guise of a confidence trickster. Then his eye fell on another list attached to the opposite wall and he blew out his cheeks with relief as a familiar name came to his attention, James rented an office on the third floor and Ivan went to it immediately. He hesitated for a moment outside the door then, and then barged his way inside. A startled woman applying coagulating liquid to a ladder on her stocking glared at him as she stood with one leg on a chair, her skirt lifted high on her thigh.’
‘Don’t you knock when you enter an office?’ she chided, lowering her leg and smoothing down her skirt.
‘Is this where I find James?’ he blurted ignoring her question.
‘Mr. James to you,’ she countered pointedly, staring at his ill-fitted coat. ‘What do you want?’
‘I’m his new apprentice,’ he announced proudly, noticing that she looked with distaste at his damaged face. ‘What’s your name?’
She paused for a moment and then conceded, ‘Teddy... it’s short for Edwina if you must know.’
‘Just call me Ivan!’ He removed his scarf and overcoat, hanging them on the coat-rack. ‘By the way, it’s a pleasure to look at your legs. They’re very lovely!’
She stared at him as though he was an earthworm and pressed a button on the switchboard. ‘A person called Ivan, who looks as though he’s been in a street fight, is here,’ she announced. ‘He says he’s your new apprentice.’
James came to the door of his office and called him into the room, motioning to an executive chair and pointing to an open box filled with cigarettes. ‘Smoke?’ Ivan shook his head as the mining consultant examined his face closely. ‘Your face looks awful!’
‘Where do I start?’ asked the Russian ignoring the comment.
James stubbed out a partially-smoke cigarette in a glass ashtray. ‘You’ve met Teddy, my secretary, She’ll be a great help to you. Your first task is to take her out to dinner tonight... all
expenses paid... and go back to her apartment with her. I’ll be out most of the day but I intend to bring a client to her place this evening. I’d like you to meet him. Do you have any questions?’
‘Yes,’ responded Ivan calmly. ‘Why don’t we meet him here in this office?’
James smiled and shook his head sagely. ‘You’ve a lot to learn, my friend. Clients like to be wined, dined and entertained. We’re taking a case through the Stannary Court. You’d better become conversant with the workings of the Stannary Court. All the details and history are in the cabinet over there. It’s of great importance in Cornwall, I’m afraid I must go now.’
After he had gone, Ivan returned to the outer office where Teddy was opening letters with a stiletto paperknife. She began talking to him about the firm while concentrating on her work. Ivan watched her closely unheeding her words. Occasionally she halted to absorb the essence of a letter then continued talking from the point at which she had stopped. His eyes stared at her blue-striped blouse which tucked neatly into her skirt at her waist. He followed the sleeves buttoned down to her wrists and then raised his good eye to the stripes running from the collar which curved gently over her well-formed bosom. This short slender woman, with a doll-like face, attracted him and he derived a great deal of pleasure simply gazing at her beauty. Teddy rambled on for a while until she realised that her words were falling on deaf ears. It was only then that he lips pressed tightly together as an element of anger showed in her face.
‘You’ve not been listening to a word I’ve said,’ she complained bitterly.
‘How can I concentrate when I find you so attractive?’ he returned easily.
‘Get this into your thick head... Ivan!’ she lashed out unaffected by his flattery. ‘During the day you’re just a worker for this firm. After five-thirty, you no longer exist!’
‘But I though we were going out to dinner tonight and go back to your apartment. That’s what Mr. James said, didn’t he?’
