Crash

I was right in the middle of this scene but was apparently invisible; no-one noticed or questioned me. The two teenagers hung back, at first; I thought they’d run but the girl suddenly leapt at the bald guy.

‘Have you seen this bike? He could’ve been killed!’

‘He flew out of the lane; there was nothing I could do.’ Bald Guy waved his arms.

‘Maybe if you hadn’t been driving like a maniac,’ the girl complained to the policeman who had appeared out of nowhere. ‘He was speeding – what you going to do about it?’ she turned and pulled Bald Guy’s hand off the bikes. Copper intervened.

‘Please don’t touch that, sir, just leave it for now.’

‘How long is this going to take? I can’t hang about here all day. These two scallies came tearing out of that lane, Christ, they nearly ran that old woman over, look at her, look at the state of her!’ he shoved his face at the boy, and reeled back. ‘Have you been drinking? Officer, officer, this kid’s drunk.’ He walked around the bikes and moved in on the policeman. ‘I think you should breathalyse him…and her. They should be done for drink driving.’

‘Okay, sir, come over here. I want you to calm down and wait till I can get to you. I’ll deal with the two young people first and get back to you. It shouldn’t take too long. Okay?’

‘Yeah, right.’ Baldy returned to the woman sitting on the wall. ‘We’ll be here all day at this rate.’ She shushed him and gestured that he should sit beside her. Then she stood up and prepared to go. ‘Wait! You can’t go now,’ he said, ‘you’re my witness.’

‘I have to get home dear, and I didn’t really see anything – I’m half-blind to tell the truth. I just needed a rest, got a bit of a shock. They’re only kids, and no harm’s been done.’

‘Kids! They’re chuffin’ monsters, that’s what they are; they’ve ruined my life, and still I can’t get away from them. I’d shoot the bloomin’ lot of them I tell you, I would. And look, he’s letting them go! They’re getting away scot-free. Look at my car; it’s all scratched. How am I going to pay for that, eh? Isn’t this just the end? Typical I tell you.’

The old woman wandered away during Baldy’s rant and as she passed me she smiled and raised her eyebrows, then put a spurt on and had disappeared around the corner before anyone else noticed. I watched Baldy spin in all directions looking for her. When Julie suggested I do a spot of people-watching to help unblock me, I didn’t expect anything like this.