Page 43 of All That Remains
I filmed a few confessionals for the documentary before heading outside to mow the lawn. My dad's riding mower took a few tries to get going, but soon it was rattling me along the lawn for the next half an hour. I contemplated what was next on the itinerary when we got back to London.
Nathan came out and chatted with me a bit as I cleaned everything up, and told me his mum was pissed at me for getting him sick the other night.
“She was absolutely tamping, she was. Said food poisoning killed me great-uncle.”
"Mate, maybe if you didn't eat everything in sight, you'd be ok?"
"You're one to talk, butt, you steal food from everybody all the time."
"Well at least I don't get myself sick, now do I, mate?"
He conceded I had a point and laughed his hysterical laugh. We talked about him repairing his guitar string which popped off the other day. He’d rigged it good enough to work for now, and said he'd have a shop take a look at it when we returned to London. Later he and I walked to the store in town and ran into Alex and Levi, the former getting a piggyback ride from the latter.
"Giddy-up! C'mon, lad. Look alive!" Alex shouted.
"I can't, mate! You're proper heavy! My knees are givin’ out!"
"It's all in his bum!" Nathan chuckled as we approached.
"You two have no shame.”
I snooped through their bags while they were distracted. There were loads of snacks so I took what I wanted because they couldn't stop me.
"Damn it, Rafe!” Alex cried. “I wanted those! I've been thinking about them all night."
"Better luck next time!" I said, opening the white chocolate biscuits he always swore by.
"Save meoneat least!"
"I'll do you one better, mate, I'll save youtwo!" I let out an evil cackle.
Levi staggered beneath Alex’s weight as we made our way down the street, slowly being recognized by the crowd.
“Absolutely heaving this way,” Nate said.
A few girls stopped us for a photo, and we knew it was a sign we needed to head out before a mob formed. I imagined they were already calling in the reserves, passing around our location with all the diligence of a military reconnaissance troop.
"It's getting thick out here, boys.” Levi said. “I think we better split."
"Like this plumber's crack staring uz right in the face!" I laughed, pulling Alex's pants up over his bum where they’d slipped down to reveal more than we were comfortable with.
"You love it!" he scoffed. "Take it all in, Ralph!"
In a flash Nathan jumped onto his back, and Levi was brought to his knees beneath their combined weight. When they dropped to the ground, I dogpiled everyone with a triumphant shout, but was quickly flipped over onto the ground. My back slammed against the pavement with a thud.
"Fuck’s sake…"
***
As instructed, I went to check on Rome, hoping to greet him with a cold ginger ale, but each time I knocked he was still out cold. Sometime in the early evening, I knocked and he finally answered. I entered and he was lying on his side, facing the door with a tiny smile. He had keyed up one of my old mixes in the CD Player, and Blaze Foley's "Oooh Love" crooned softly about the room.
As I approached, he stretched his arms out in a weak display. I went back to lock the door, then hurried to snuggle him. Relishing the weak noises he emitted when he wrapped his arms around me. He dug his fingers into my hair, massaging my scalp.
"Hi..." I sighed.
"Hi..." he mimicked me, making fun of how husky my voice was.
Something bubbled up within me I couldn't quite contain. I pressed my lips to his—warm, plush, inviting.
