Chapter 3 Smack head magpie

Luke walks out of the bank, he was allowed to withdraw one thousand five hundred quid, sitting down beside the homeless man.

Luke asks "How did you become homeless my man?"

The homeless man with a crooked nose, most probably from many fights trying to survive from being swallowed up by the streets, wanting to avoid being another John Doe on the Leichendiener table, if your not sure what Leichendiener means, let me educate ya a little, it means corpse servant or someone that's a doctor of a morgue, it's a German word, google Is a handy tool to have mate.

The homeless man responds "My name Is Liam, I think I was about twenty two when I become homeless, this country along with its system is ass backwards, I was an aspiring boxer until I ran into some bad men, that wanted me to throw a fight, oh how I wish I had because it didn't go down how they thought it would, Instead I knocked the guy out in round two. Of course they come after me, when I put a few of their henchmen in hospital, they decided to kill my parents along with sister, so I had to flee my city I come to this city with barely two coins to rub together, no place to stay I went to the council, well they are about as helpful as filling a chocolate tea pot with hot water."

Luke responds saying "That is madness, I can Imagine you couldn't even go to their funerals, I am Luke by the way."

Liam responds "Nah if I did I would of got kidnapped then killed, I am sure they got a paupers send off."

Luke responds asking "That is sad mate, do you miss boxing?"

Liam nodding responds "Of course, It has helped me being on the streets In so many ways, I don't smoke or drink apart from water on occasion someone gives me a fizzy bottle as a handout, so I save money there also when other homeless people come to take your sleeping spot, I can fight them off, it's funny though I used to knock men out in the ring fairly quick but these fuckers take a bit longer, that's how I got this nose, it wasn't crooked before street life."

Luke responds asking "Yeah to be a boxer you have to be well disciplined. Listen if I give you this, you will invest it wisely, won't you?"

Liam responds "Well If there is one thing I have always learnt, invest in yourself."

Luke pulls out five hundred quid from his pocket, passing it to Liam, that can't believe this is happening."

Liam stammers in shock as he says "Thank you, you are a saint."

Luke says "I hope this will help you a little, next time I see you I hope you're in a better position Liam."

They both stand up, Liam hugs him tightly with a tear rolling down his weather worn cheek, Luke hugs him back.

George still sitting in the café, facing the window in the center of the room, so he can see the people passing, going about their business, mainly doing shopping in the city's center. The chef behind him doing little bits of cleaning, waiting for customers to come or go, a few tables still taken up by builders. Now you might be wondering or you won't be, but George isn't just a regular here, The Fellow Gents own this café, all five members get ten percent of the earnings, the other fifty percent gets reinvested into the café. The Fellow Gent members are of course George, Flames, Dr Carver, Pinpoint last but not least is Mr Knuckles.

The bell rings as the café door opens, Mr Carver walks In. He walks over to George, Mr Carver is a big, bald, African geezer, not big as In fat but big as in muscular. He always wears stylish suits today he is wearing a white suit, brown shirt, Sassello tanned brown leather shoes, along with fur felt brown fedora hat. He sits down opposite George, which puts his phone on the table. They finger snap handshake, Mr Carver takes his hat off, placing it to his left.

The chef shouts over asking "All healthy Carve? Got time for a cuppa?"

Mr Carver responds saying "Tea please man, all healthy here, how's yourself?"

The chef responds saying "Yeah all healthy here."

George puts his empty coffee cup up in the air while saying "I will take that second one please chef."

A woman walking past being nosy, looking in, must think that George is raising his cup to her because, she puts her hand up with a puzzled expression as she rushes past, George grins at her misunderstandings, but his eyes soon notice another thing across the street, which would be Luke walking towards the bus stops.

His concentration on Luke is soon broken by Mr Carver speaking in a hush tone.

Asking "Any news yet on who killed the boss?"

George responds saying "Not yet bro, the first place I went to only landed me with a dead body, like I need them, the only time I need them is completing contracts."

Mr Carver responds asking "Yeah I heard Tomas Is dead, man is it true that Pinpoint shot through a peephole?"

Two builder to their left get up, to leave on their way they both say "Thanks", "Cheers."

"Have a good one lads!" Comes from the chef that's chopping some lettuce fast in the kitchen, beside the flat top grill, getting ready for the late afternoon folks that need feedings, lettuce that will be used for salads along with baguettes.

George responds "Ahh bro you should of seen it, right through the peephole straight between the guys eyes."

Mr Carver responds asking "Certainty lives up to his name, so you got anything for me?"

George nods as he pulls a brown envelope out from the inside of his suit jacket, passes it to him.

The chef walks over with their drinks, placing them down on the table.

He asks "I know it still might be a sensitive subject, but who is in charge now?"

"We all are, the only difference is all of the contracts come to me first, then I have the privilege to share them out fitting the ability that is required, since day dot I spent it under the boss, he taught me everything I now know."

The chef placing his hand on George's shoulder while saying "Yeah he was a great man, got some big shoes to fill Georgie."

He taps his hand on his shoulder once after walks back into the kitchen.

George says to Mr Carver "If you think you need someone for the job, then let me know, I personally think Flames would be fitting, but as you know If you do use him or another member, you split your fifty percent with them fairly."

Mr Carver responds "Yeah standard rate, I will let you know when I have had a look in privacy."

George picks his cup up to drink while they carry on talking.

Luke steps onto a bus, in front of him an elderly Indian lady's showing her bus pass.

"Thank you driver." Comes from the elderly lady.

Luke shows his day rider, the drivers eyes scan the date, which is todays date, he nods to the chunky bus driver In exchange he nods back. Luke heads to the back of the bus, walking past some filled seats with different types of multi cultural folks sitting within them, som old, some young. Two Italian teen ladies get on the bus, they walk upstairs of the double decker, speaking in their mother tongue, as Luke sits down at the back near the window. He sits observing everything around him, the bus doors shut, as it's pulling away from the towns stop, to go through its daily route again. His eyes flicks to a pair of elderly ladies, sitting beside each other with their filled shopping trolleys, in front of them that they are holding on to, as they are nattering but imagine being young with their amount of wisdom, personally I wish I had my wisdom when I was younger, I would of done a lot of shit different but that's hindsight for ya. Luke's eyes flicks to a younger lad, about fourteen years old sitting beside what would be presumed as his mother, but how does Luke know that? because he just heard him call her mum. I personally don't neither does Luke for that matter, or anyone I associate myself with judge someone by the way they look or the clothes they're wearing, because we come from the real world where we don't have much so what we got we share, I can't tell you the amount of times I wanted to come home to see my mum, give her a kiss on her cheek, then give her a nice amount of money so she wouldn't have to worry about the many different types of taxes there is, let alone needing money for other things like food to keep ourselves alive. It used to frustrate me seeing my mum also my family struggle to keep their heads above water, but I suppose that's the way they keep the poor well poorer so the rich become richer anyway I shouldn't get myself started because I won't stop telling them they are greedy self centered cunts.

Luke presses the button, as the bus is near his stop but is stopped by traffic lights, Luke takes this time to make his way up to the front of the bus but on his way, he stops off at the young lad, his mum looking out of the window, you can see their has been struggle in their lives. As the bus moves forward again Luke takes the other five hundred quid out of his pocket, he passes It to the young lad.

He whispers "Treat your mum lad."

The young lad takes the money off Luke, smiling at each other, Like carries on walking to get off from the bus. The bus stopping at Its designated stop, the doors open.

Luke says to the driver "Thank you sir, have a good one."

The driver responds saying "You're welcome, you too mate."

Luke looks back at the young lad that is explains what happened to his mum, that is holding the cash, Luke gets off the bus.

Luke smiling to himself walking left, parallel to the bus he looks at the woman with her son still on the bus, she mouths to Luke "Thank you."

Blowing him a kiss. Luke smiles along with winking at the woman, as he carries on walking through this council estate towards his mother's home.

George still sitting within the café, chatting with Mr Carver when a guy called Jake walks in. A local junkie not for me to judge I get paid to cook sexy food, but you can tell he Is a type of addict that would suck your dick for a line of coke, dressed In tattered clothes, dirty face also just dirty overall, most probably from sleeping in houses of squalor with squatters or others junkies. George keeping an eye on Jake as he sips his coffee, because he has had a couple of run-ins with this "Rat bastard" (George's words not mine) before, he will do anything to get his hands on anything that's worth cash to buy more drugs, what is it that George calls him? Oh yeah that's it a "Smack head magpie."

He sits down beside Mr Carver, that tells him "Keep your hands on the table, if you steal from me I will brake your fingers, one by one then crush both of your hands."

Jake responds in his thick Scottish accent "I understand pal."

Jake carries on to say to George "I'm sorry to hear about your boss, getting killed."

George responds asking "Who said he was murdered?"

Jake placing his hands flat on the table while responding "Just word on the grapevine."

George responds asking "Any word on the grapevine on who pulled the trigger?"

Jake's jaw swinging like a fighting boxer with his back against the ropes, making sure he doesn't get caught with a punch that will turn his lights out, while his fingers creeping towards George's mobile that is laying on the table beside his coffee table.

Jake starts to express his words as he responds a

Saying "I heard that a civilian approached a mob out of town, he personally went out of his way to put the hit on you's twos boss."

His hand expressions are just a cover to distract their eyes so he can steal his phone, but George's eyes are always scanning, because George knows the devils in every detail. *Slowly, slowly catchy monkey.* *Smash!* George gripping his coffee cup handle, but the mug smashing Into the side of Jakes gurning jaw, coffee rocking, spilling out of the cup, shards of cup slowly exploding around his face, some shards cut deep into Jake's jaw, as he is flung backwards dropping George's phone about three inches off the table, George's hand cushioning his phone from hitting the table screen down.*Back to natural speed.* Jake falls off his chair with a few smaller shards of cup in his mug, blood leaking from his wounds, down his dirty cheek. Everyone that is in the café suddenly turns to look at what's the commotion, they eventually go back to minding their own business but not before...

Chef shouts out an order from within the kitchen "There best notbe no fucking fighting out there!"

George shouts back asking "Sorry chef, the rubbish is getting taken out now, can you make me another coffee please? Jakesface seems to have broke my cup."

George continues to say to Jake then speaking to Mr Carver "You did get told what would happen if you tried to steal. Bro can you take him out please, I will see you later."

Mr Carver shakes George's hand *Click* after Mr Carver picks up his hat, placing it where it's made for, his head.

Mr Carver says "See you later bro, love."

George responds saying "Love bro."

Mr Carver puts the chairs in under the table after picking Jake up from the scruff of his dirty hoody, dragging him out of the café, see if that was me or you that got smashed in the face with a mug, it would hurt like walking over glass barefooted, but for a junkie Jake, I'm sure his jaw was numb like having a tooth pulled out from a dentist.