One of the other times that
Buzz had a mid-life crisis was that summer when his first hair grew out of his
chin. You would have thought that he was Fu Man Choo or somethin’.
He’s tellin’ me he ain’t
decided if he’s gonna let it grow into a full beard, or trim it using his Paw’s
old razor. The one his Paw left him before he ran away with the dancer.
“Now that I’m grown and a
man,” that’s what he said to me, with a straight face - a face with one hair
growin’ out of it.
“Now that I’m a man, I’m
gonna look after my Maw. Keep her good, in her old age.”
Well you know me and peeing
myself, I had to run behind a bush before I wet ma pants good.
What he was tellin’ me, was
that he was ready for a career as a matinee idol – that’s his very words and
I’m not sure if Buzz knew what they meant.
So the time had come that he’d
have to look after his face on account it was gonna be his main source of
income. He said he wasn’t sure if it was fair to let a face like that be blown
up big in a movie theater ‘cause
everyone would pass out.
Of course when he’s tellin’
me this I’m still behind the bush just in case I need to go again, real fast.
That was why Buzz had a
mid-life crisis over the weekend and decided he was too old and too pretty to
play football at school and that was when Mr Fairbanks, suggested he should
join the school soccer team, instead.
“It’ll save your good-lookin’
face, Buzz,” said Mr Fairbanks, who then nudged another teacher and they both
walked off as if they were gonna pee themselves too.
Of course just playin’
soccer wasn’t good enough for Buzz, he had to be a
‘strike……er’ – now, the
reason I’ve said it that way is because that’s the way that Buzz said it. I
thought I could hear a funny accent in there but I assumed Buzz was practisin’
for his movies.
I didn’t see Buzz until two
days later and by then he was talkin’ real funny like. I’m thinkin’ to myself,
I’ve heard this funny talk before and sure enough I remember – right in the
middle of the night, I shout out, ‘Mary Poppins’. Buzz sounded like Dick Van Dyke
in that movie.
Buzz has decided that if
he’s gonna be any good at soccer he had to talk with an English accent. Since
Buzz ain’t ever heard one except in movies and stuff, I’ve got to say he wasn’t
that good.
When our teacher said ‘Good
mornin’ class’, instead of sayin’ good morning back, Buzz said, ‘All right,
Guvner and a fine mornin’ it be’.
I didn’t know whether to
just give up and pee myself there and then or run to the restroom.
“Shall I see you, little
urchin at dinner time as I’m looking forward to me pie and chips, guvnor.” That’s
what he said to me with his one hair chinned face.
“I’m playin’ me soccer game
this afternoon, me old mate. Will you be comin’ to see me?”
They had to take me to the
nurse’s room - I kid you not - as I had gone into hysterical collapse, least
ways that’s what the doctor said. Apparently I had had a real bad shock.
Buzz never ever got a game
of soccer, they picked Alexander as the striker and she was a girl.
“Stupid game,” said Buzz - all
American, like.
bobby stevenson 2013
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