Manning!
Now then this was a long time ago so I�m sorry if it seems all muddled to you, it most likely will be to me! It all started back then when I was a wee boy about your age. I went to an interview for a job and there were about twenty others, my good friend Wilfred was there, we used to call him Freddie because he didn�t much like his name ya see. There were others there that I knew but I�ll be damned if I can remember who they were. Anyways so I goes for this interview and there�s about twenty of us in all and we�s all sat there in this squatty room not unlike this one in fact, waiting for the boss, his name was Richard, Richard Manning and he was something of a big man back in those days, I don�t mean he was a big man, not like that guy who visits Archie other there, no I mean he was the man, the big boss, the big vamoose, the king pin, ahh ya know what I mean. So were all sat there in the squatty little room drinking endless cups of coffee his secretary made, we were waiting there about an hour all in all.
When he finally turned up he just walked right through the squatty room and in to this other door which turned out to be a nicely furnished large office. Some of the others complained around about then but I just sat there content for the moment and anyhow I wasn�t going to complain I needed the job ya see, I needed it more than I ever needed anything �cos I was about to be kicked out ya see, I was staying in a� whatcha call �em a bed-sit, me and this other man by the name of Weasel, that wasn�t his real name of course, we just called him that �cos he looked like a weasel. It was Weasel who was gunna kick me out ya see �cos I hadn�t been paying no upkeep. So I just sat there and drank coffee.
About another half hour later the secretary goes to the other door, which turned out to be an office, and knocks. She goes in and then she comes back out again, she calls a name from this list she has in her hand and this women gets up and goes in, five minutes later she comes back out and I swear she had been crying, although I could never prove it. The secretary calls out another name and its Freddie�s, he gets up from the side of me gives me the thumbs up and then disappears through that door. I was expecting Archie back out in five minutes but when ten rolled around I was �appy surely that was a good sign.
So I sits there with a smile on my face and another cup of coffee from the secretary�s endless supply and waits. Abouts another ten minutes later that door opens and out comes Freddie, I got up then meaning to ask him how it went and shake his hand if need be, but he just goes and strides right past me, he didn�t even look at me. He goes to the secretary and mumbles something to her, she nods and he just walks out. I tell you I could have followed him out and show him a thing or two about manners if I was in the mind to which I wasn�t I needed the job dint I. So I sits there and after �bout another three more people my name gets called out by the secretary. I stand up and feel my stomach just go swish, ya know like it does when you�re on a boat.
I recovered from the sickness and mentally gave myself a �good luck� seems as I dint have no one to give the thumbs up to, then I walks towards the door.
The secretary opens the door for me and I steps in, I have a quick look round and I�ll tell ya the room was huge. You would never have guessed if you looked at that squatty room I had just left, the room was furnished nice like too, there was a fire place and I remember thinking why anyone would need a fire place in an office, but I suppose it was for the look more than anything. In front of the fire there was two green leather chairs and I remember thinking that they were comfy looking. There was all these nice pictures on the walls, ya know like the ones you get at those places where all those homu-sexuals go. And then there was this right big wooden desk, mahogany I think, and behind it sat with his hands behind his head is Richard Manning. He�s a big guy Richard Manning like I said and I felt more nervous then than I ever did. He sweeps his arm to a chair that�s in front of the big mahogany desk, it was one of those cheap plastic ones from the squatty room, so I guess Richard dint have much company in that big office. I sits on the chair and looks up at him and he gives me this right big smile, it wasn�t a friendly smile Oh No far from it, I didn�t know that then but looking back on it I know it wasn�t no friendly smile. So he grins at me and I grin back like you do, and he says to me.
�Roger, I believe you are hired.� Just that, that�s all he says, that with his big unkind grin. I remember I nearly fell of my chair; this was my first ever interview and I gets the job by sitting down. Then he says �catch up with your friend Wilfred, he�ll fill you in on the dates, you need to know, other than that I�ll see you soon, Roger.� He gave him a jumbled thank you then but the secretary was already showing me the door. When I gets to it I hear Richard say from behind me that there was no need to send anyone else in. I walked through that squatty room with a great big smile on my face, I tell ya.
I did catch up with Freddie two days later, he rang me, and we met in the bar down the road from me. We talked for awhile of conquests, and defeats and just women in general. Freddie liked to dream and I let him, he wasn�t the best lookin guy in the world, but I wouldn�t say he was the worst either, No what stopped him from ever really hooking up with a gal was his mother, Freddie was three years older than me, 21, and he lived with his mother. He had tried to move out once but his mother, god bless her dead self, got sick, just like that, he left, she got sick so he went back see. And that�s how it was all the time, if he stayed out two late one night, she would get sick for a week so he wouldn�t be able to go out. I remember one time, when I was having dinner once, they got them selves into a tizzy other something or other, and he had called her a bitch, right there in front of her eyes, I think she got sick for a month or so after that day. So I sat and let Freddie dream and I told him about the previous night I�d spent with my new gal, her name was Sheila Oswald, and I�ll be damned if she wasn�t the prettiest gal I ever saw. She was my first love I think, even though we only courted for a coupla months. She had beautiful brown hair that she would let down and it would touch her lower buttocks, which were round and firm and her breasts, well they were the finest pair I ever saw, and I can say I saw a few back then, but we shouldn�t be talking about her that way. She was a lady, a fine beautiful intelligent lady, and ladies aren�t supposed to be talked about in such a way.
Finally me and Freddie got atalking about what we had met to talk about, Richard Manning of course.
�He wants us to go down to �is place tomorrow an meet him, he says we have to get a good nights sleep �cos were banner need it.� Freddie says from behind a half empty bitter.
I asks him if that was all he said, and he nodded.
�That was a hell of a slow conversation you had den� I says �it took �im twenty minutes to say, you meet me Friday here and get a good night sleep.� I looks at him and he lowers his eyes. �What else did he say?�
�I don�t wanna talk about it.� Freddie says still looking at his crotch, in a tone that was incredible unlike his, it was tough and demanded no more questions. I only asked one more.
�What Time?�
We met again on the corner of Witcham Street, which is the road the boss� office is on. It was a quarter to three. I was nervous as hell and I think Freddie was too. We said hello and then walked to the boss� in silence. I had been thinking of what Freddie didn�t want to talk about; I wondered what the boss had said to him to make him so� edgy. Me and Freddie used to hang around everyday but since we went to see the boss we had only met up twice, the one time at the pub and the other at the market, Freddie was shopping for his ma and I was with Sheila, he dint say much then either just said hello to Sheila and winked at me, then he went around by himself. I was about to ask him then when he told me himself.
�My ma�s in hospital.� He says and I thinks, god Freddie brought up moving out again. �Cancer� he says right bluntly.
�Cancer, God Freddie I�m sorry.� I looked at him and I thought I was going to cry then, right in the middle of the street, he didn�t though.
�Manning knew.� He says and there anger I can feel it coming from him. �He knew and the bastard told me, he just said your ma is going to die, Wilfred, the bastard called me Wilfred. And he says your ma�s going to die of the cancer but you�ll be okay.� He says ��ow the fuck am I going to be okay.� We stops there and I�m kinda dumbfounded ya know I says to him.
�Hold up a sec here, how did the boss know?� he looks at me then as if I�m as dumb as a chunk a wood.
��cos he knows everything that�s why, he knew that you were my mate before he even interviewed you and he knew that you were there to pay the rent, an he knew I lived with my mum, and he says at least you will be able to move out now.� He looks at me and smiles. �If I wasn�t so shocked I swear I�d have lamped him one.� I took out my pack of number ones and offers �I�m one, he didn�t smoke but he took it.
�I�m sorry, I really am, do you think you should be working whilst she�s in the �ospital?� I asks.
�I�m not I�m off to quit that�s what I�m going to do, just march in there and tell �I�m straight.� That was the last he said on the subject he didn�t quit. Manning wouldn�t let him.
From here on it�s a little hazy I�m kinda hoping that as I tell it everything or at least most things will come back to me. We walked into the squatty room which stood empty, apart from the desk that the secretary had sat behind on the day of our interview. The secretary wasn�t in that day nor would she be any other day or so we would find out later. She lay dead in a shallow grave in Briar Forest, her throat slit and her hands chopped off. We knocked on the door and the boss shouted us in. I grabbed the handle and pushed the door wouldn�t budge, I mean it wasn�t like it was just locked it was like it was sealed shut, ya coulda got a car and rammed that door and I don�t think it would have gave an inch.
�Sorry boys let me get that for you� Manning�s voice said from within the room. I still had hold of the handle and the door clicked open. Richard Manning sat behind his large mahogany desk as he had been on the day of the interview. We walked in and I checked behind the door, thinking there must be someone there maybe the secretary �cos there was no way that Manning could have unlocked the door and got back to his desk. There was no one there and the door held no lock. I looked at Manning questioningly.
�It�s time I told you two a few things.� Manning said with a smile. We both looks at each other then and sits down in the two orange plastic chairs.
�Now Wilfred, I see you�ve got something on your mind, would you like to spill the beans as they say?� Manning asked Freddie. Freddie looks at me; I can see he was scared.
�I�I was thinkin that maybe� that maybe I shouldn�t be working with my ma in the �ospital� Freddie spat out, he looked to the floor at Manning said something then that not only made him cry but would also drive him to suicide 31 years later.
�Your mums dead Wilfred, she died as you walked into this room, she died crying out for you.� Manning smiled as Freddie began blubbering. �I don�t know why you�re crying Wilfred, you never loved her, you resented her I�d even go as far as saying than you fucking hated her.� Freddie stood up then and I swear he was going to belt Manning one.
�Sit down!� Manning shouted. Freddie sat straight back down with some force. He began crying out that he couldn�t move. Manning stood then and lent right over his mahogany desk.
�You fucking listen to me Freddie; there is NO fucking way that you�re going to quit this job. Because if you do you will be visiting your mum a lot quicker than you would like to. Spit flew from Manning�s mouth as he shouted and all the while I just sat there stunned, stunned about what Manning knew and how he knew it and the fact that Freddie was going to hit him. Freddie had never lifted his hand to anyone in his whole life, but I could tell he was ready to beat the living shit out of manning, if he could have moved. And why couldn�t he move??
Then a magazine I remembered a magazine I had read a week or so earlier. It was one of those magazines you could get outside the train station. Ya know the ones with all the UFO sightings and the Bigfoot babies in them. Well this article was about a yank who was� what do you call �em�I can�t remember but it was like he was psychic but not just that, he could move stuff with the power of his mind or something like that. That yank reminded me of Manning. Just like him in fact but I thought that was aloud of bollocks back then just like the Bigfoot stuff was bollocks. My paralysis broke then and I stood up.
�Now hold up a minute� says I �what the hell is up here, is Freddie�s ma really dead? And if she is how do you know?� I had to ask and he told us pretty much what I had remembered from that magazine, he told me the proper name but still I forget it. Freddie was still crying when Manning had finished his little talk about how utterly magnificent he was. He showed us a few tricks with a pencil that moved seemingly by itself. He also explained the door. Apparently or according to him anyway many people had the power but didn�t know it. Like you just missed the fact that pencils moved all by themselves when you were around. Ten minutes later we were outside the office and in the squatty room again, with the promise we would both be at the old iron works two days later at three o�clock. We both, me and Freddie kept that promise and we both regretted it for the rest of time.
We arrived at the old Westerner Iron Works at a quarter to three, knowing that if we were late we�d live (or maybe not) to regret it. We sat in silence until Manning arrived at five to.
�Good afternoon boys.� Manning greeted as he pulled up beside us.
�Good afternoon boss.� I says to him, Freddie still sat in silence.
�Right, get in you two and let me fill you in on the details.� We stood and I went to get in the passenger seat. I had this sudden vision that if I was to so much as touch that handle I would get the last electric shock of my life. I climbed in the back and Freddie got in beside me.
�Good boy.� Manning said softly �you learn quick.� He started the car and drove around in a big circle as he talked and we listened.
�You both understand?� Manning asked as he drew up beside the kerb he had picked us up from.
�Sure boss� me and Freddie says together.
It was to be a straight trade, drugs for money. �The best Columbian drugs for money� is what Manning said. The buyers were three Negroes from London. We were to go in as kinda body guards for Manning. He lent over the passenger seat and brought up to black objects. They were guns.
�You sharnt need them, I can protect myself, there just a just in case� Manning said.
We all got out of the car and Manning went to the boot. He opened it and took out a battered, brown leather briefcase.
�Now if anything should go Wrong, you just get out of my way okay, you don�t go running else you�ll regret it, and don�t go thinking them things are just for show.� He pointed at the guns. �These guys play hardball if I say shoot you bloody well shoot or you�ll be deader than his mum.� He said pointing at Freddie. �And if there cops�� He said no more.
We walked across the slower dying grass towards the side entrance of the Iron works. The side door was a fire exit and it stood open, the lock had been broken in two and lay on the floor. When we reached the door I looked at Manning and he smiled, he went in I followed and Freddie followed me. We walked down a little passageway, bits of plaster had fallen from the walls and ceiling and lay on the floor. Everything was painted a uniform grey and it made me feel a little chilly inside, ya know what I mean? Like when people say someone stepped over there grave, it was kinda like that but not. Anyways we went down this passage way and it opened up into this big dusty room, it smelt stale in there like as if the windows hadn�t been opened in years, which was probably true. Bits of machinery lay all over covered in year�s worth of dust; I had a thought then that sent another chill through me. Soon I�ll be like that; in a room were the windows never open, collecting dust, slowly dying and feeling nothing but the years passing away around me. To this day I don�t know if that was my thought or Manning�s but it sure as hell gave me the chills. We walked through the decaying machinery to the other side and into a smaller room. This one looked to me like it was some sort of canteen although I couldn�t be sure, there was only one table and one chair, both had been turned over and lay on there sides. We walked through this room and down another uniform grey passage way. This opened up into another large room. Various broken pallets lay around this one. Overhead was a kind of walkway attached to this was a big thick chain with a hook on the end, suppose it was to big iron up. On the other side of this room stood three men, they slowly towards us and us to them. We met in the middle.
�Misser Mannin glad ya could make it.� One of the men said. He was a big man, very much like the young fellow that visits Archie over there. He had one of those right big hairdos, what ya call em afros and he wore a big gold chain around his huge neck. The other two were smaller but made up for it with there afros which were three times bigger than the big mans.
�An who are dese ere?� he waved a hand at me and Freddie. �Body guards? I dunt tink ya truss us Misser Mannin.� He laughed a hearty laugh then one full of humour. I was happy he was happy maybe no trouble would go down. I was wrong.
�I don�t trust any niggers.� Manning said flatly. This made the other guy stop laughing at once and he looked� well he looked pissed off.
�Dere�s no need for dat Mannin, lets get ta business.� He growled.
One of the smaller men knelt and flipped open a case I hadn�t seen a moment before. The case was full of notes a damn lot of �em, I reckoned at least a hundred thousand, and that was a hell of a lot back then, a hell of a lot. Manning knelt himself and opened his case. It was full of what looked to me like bags of flour, of course it wasn�t flour I know it now and I knew it then but that�s just what it looked like.
�Dere best be no shit in dat Misser Manning.� The big fellow said.
�Check it if you like.� Manning said with a smile. The big guy walked over to the case knelt in front of it. Took out a pen knife and stuck it into one of the bags. As he was taking out the knife. I heard a bang and nearly jumped out of my skin. At first I didn�t know what the hell it was and I was looking around bewildered. That�s when one of the guys with the big hairdos started shouting.
�Police, Police, Drop you weapon Manning.� I span around to look at Manning and realised where the Bang had come from. The big black man lay on the floor with a huge hole in his head. Manning had shot him whilst he was testing the stuff. Then the guy took a shot at Manning but it missed and I still to this day don�t know how it happened, he was only standing a foot or so away from him.
I heard Manning scream at me then but he didn�t move his lips he just stood there and looked at the man on the floor.
�Shoot you mother fuckers, do you want to die.� And before I knew I had drawn the gun to chest level and I took a shot at the guy shooting at Manning. It was like I had no control over myself. I saw the gun come up then the bullet flew out. It was as though I could see the bullet in slow motion. It burst out of the gun and headed straight towards the guy, at first I thought it was going to miss but then he turned a little towards me. What I saw in his eyes then haunts me to this day, pure utter terror. The bullet his him in the fore head and blood shot out from the hole it had made. I collapsed.
Freddie had heard the same as me or so I would find out later. He had drawn his weapon just as I had, but the last police office had been quicker and had put a hole in Freddie�s leg before he could do anything.
I heard Manning Laughing and looked towards him. He had both cases in his hands.
�Stupid, stupid bastards.� He said without saying anything. All the while he was laughing, and then ever I was dreaming or it really happened. Manning began to fade just like the little spot on the T.V does when you switch it off. Just fading away until he vanished. I could here lots of footsteps then, I was loosing consciousness then so I don�t really remember much. I heard a large bang as the footsteps burst into the room and then somebody shouting at the black man to tell them where Manning had gone. Then the world went black.
I woke up in a hospital bed; Freddie lay in the bed beside me. Three police officers stood between us. They interviewed me for about three hours when the doctor said I was fit enough. I don�t think they ever believed our story. (Freddie told me later that he had told them the truth, as had I.) I learnt that the young black man was also in the hospital. He ended up in Sunnyvale Psychiatric unit in Rotherham, he never spoke again. Me and Freddie told them what we could and that we hadn�t a clue where Manning had gone. I didn�t mention the fact that Manning had faded in front of my eyes. I didn�t want to end up in Sunnyvale too. We had our caught case, I pleaded guilty on a Murder charge, Freddie pleaded not guilty, although I don�t if that did anything for his piece of mind. He felt guilty but he hadn�t actually done anything. I got life Freddie got life, which wasn�t fair on Freddie but he accepted it.
We were both sent here to Wakefield; Freddie got a transfer two years ago to Sunnyvale after his seventh suicide attempt. I felt sorry for the guy I still do and I miss him. I was told last week, right after they told me I had a visitor in two weeks that Freddie had finally succeeded. I was a little happier then. At least he wouldn�t have to feel what I feel now. Although I think that maybe he had all this time.
The feeling you ask? Well that�s obvious terror, I�m fucking terrified.
Why you ask? Because I have a visitor tomorrow, a very old friend is what the warden said. I�m terrified of what he wants.
A very old friend named Richard Manning