Bagheads Read online

  “Right Shaun it’s late now, so in the morning I’ll show you around and introduce you to all the staff. I’ll just show you your room for now. So just get your head down for tonight and we can go through the induction in the morning. Is that alright?” Shaun was knackered and couldn’t wait to get into bed, so he just nodded his head and agreed with him. Before they went any further he took him into the large kitchen and looked inside the fridge with one hand on his hip.

  “I’ve got ham or cheese, if you are hungry? I can make you a sandwich or a toastie, which do you prefer?” Shaun loved toasties and jumped at the chance of one.

  “Can I have cheese and ham on it?”

  Bernard agreed and grabbed the stuff he needed. Shaun watched as he cut the cheese and licked his lips as he saw him put it under the grill to melt. Jenny had just left the room and just the two of them sat around the pine table waiting for the food to be done. At first they both sat in silence and it was Bernard who spoke first.

  “It’s not bad here you know. At first it will seem strange because you’re away from home but after a few weeks it will get better.” Bernard held his head up to the ceiling as he stretched his arms out. He looked tired. “There’s loads for you to do here and the lads are alright. You should get some good mates here.” Shaun’s words seemed glued to his tongue and he struggled to speak. His mouth was dry as he stood to get a drink of water. He watched Bernard from the corner of his eye taking the food from the grill. His stomach was making noises as he watched him cut the toastie in half.

  Bernard placed the small white plate on the table as he waited for him to return. Drinking the water Shaun made his way back with the glass still held to his mouth. As he dragged the chair from under the table he spoke.

  “Thanks for that, I’m starving.” Bernard nodded and started to tell him about the activities they had at the home. Shaun felt a lot calmer now. He sat chatting with Bernard. Shaun knew he had to get his head down and try and get home as soon as he could so he told Bernard he thought he was going to do well there.

  The bedroom was dark as they entered. Shaun focused on the beds placed on each side of the room. All in all there were eight. He could see people were asleep in them but he couldn’t see any faces. Bernard led him to his bed and told him he would see him in the morning. He ruffled Shaun’s hair and left the bedroom.

  Shaun sat on his bed and slowly pulled his trainers off. He could hear snoring nearby and giggled as the sound of a pig grunting filled the room. Once he was undressed he jumped into bed and snuggled down. The bedding smelt fresh. He inhaled deeply as he held the blanket up to his nose. It smelt of roses.

  Shaun could hear his heart thumping in his ears and tried to calm himself down by blowing his breath slowly through his mouth. As he lay still he looked through the large window and looked at the moonlight shining through. The moon always made him feel safe and he knew his family would be looking at the same moonlight as they went to sleep too. Shaun reached down into his pants and searched for his friend the pebble. As he found it he held it in his grip and stoked across it with his fingertips. Holding the cold shape to his face his eyes began to close and he felt sleepy.

  Chapter Six

  As the morning light shone through the care home’s windows and the birds outside sang like they were celebrating something, Shaun hid his head under the blanket and wanted to shut out the world. He could hear movement in the bedroom and slowly peeled the sheets from his face.

  A mixed race boy stood near his bed and met his eyes for the first time. Shaun nodded at him as he focused on his massive afro hairdo. The lad was wearing shorts and a t-shirt that didn’t cover his stomach. He scratched his bollocks as he spoke to Shaun for the first time.

  “When did you get here then?” Shaun sat up from his bed and folded his pillow under his head. He slowly turned and faced the lad who had now plonked himself on the end of his bed.

  “It was late last night. I just got straight into bed and got my head down.” The boy now introduced himself as Colby. He seemed friendly enough and shouted out to the others in the room.

  “Ay lads we’ve got a newcomer. He sneaked in last night,” he chuckled. Some of the others came over but some stayed in bed where it was nice and warm. The lads all dressed the same in boxer shorts and t-shirts. He could feel their eyes on him and felt daft as he fidgeted about in his bed. The tallest lad now walked over and moved Colby from the bed so he could sit down. The lad pulled the blankets from the bottom of the bed and snuggled in at the bottom much to Shaun’s embarrassment. Once he was comfy he raised his head and began to speak.

  “I’m Shaky. Well that’s my nickname,” he said with a grin across his face. “But my real name is Joseph. I hate Joseph so just call me Shaky.” Shaun smiled and told them he’d never had a nickname and the lads laughed as Colby shouted out so the room could hear him.

  “You will have soon Shaun. We all have nicknames in this place including the staff.” Shaun felt at ease and started to ask some questions.

  “What’s it like in here then? It looks boring as fuck.” Shaky sat up and a few of the others joined in.

  “Boring! You must be fucking joking. You should see what we get up to. The staff are mint. We get money and clothes from them and everything,” a lad at the side of Shaun spoke with excitement in his voice.

  “I had nowt until I came here and now I’ve got loads of shit!” Shaun’s eyes lit up as the day just seemed to be getting better and better. One of the lads shouted that breakfast was ready and they all jumped from their beds like they’d shit themselves. Shaun remained in bed until Shaky told him to come and join them. Pulling his legs from the bed he picked up his trackie bottoms and went to join them all for breakfast.

  All the lads sat round two tables and a woman in her mid thirties was at the stove cooking. Shaun sat next to Joseph and grabbed his brew in front of him. The first slurp of it made his face screw up, but as soon as he put his normal three sugars in it, it tasted better. Piles of toast were placed in the middle of the table now. Hands from every direction grabbed at it rapidly. Shaun was starving and made his claim to a piece too. The smell of bacon filtered through the room and each lad inhaled as the smell from the pan filled their nostrils. Big steel pans on the stove were cooking something else but Shaun couldn’t see what it was. More members of staff came to join them. Bernard came straight over to Shaun placing his hands at the back of his chair. He dipped his head towards Shaun.

  “Did you sleep well son?” Shaun nodded and carried on munching on his toast. Bernard coughed and asked them to be for quiet for a moment while he introduced Shaun to the group. As he started speaking Shaky stopped him dead in his tracks and shouted out.

  “We all know who he is and we’re sorted. We’ll show him the ropes don’t worry about it.” Bernard smiled and shook his head.

  “Shaky, I bet you will show him the ropes, but I’m on about the rules we don’t break, not the ones we do.” Shaky laughed out loud as the others joined him. Shaky was a bit of a handful and had been in care for just over a year. He was nearly sixteen but still had a baby face. His ginger hair looked like wire and his pale complexion looked spotty. Bernard told Shaun after breakfast he would give him a tour of the place and tell him all about the rules in the home. The sound of munching filled the kitchen. The lads ate like it was going to be their last meal as sparks flew from their cutlery.

  Rubbing his belly and feeling full Shaun swigged the last mouthful of his cup of tea. Everyone’s plate was empty. The cook now started to clear the table with a disgusted look on her face. “Messy fuckers,” she mumbled under her breath.

  Shaky stood first and the lads seemed to follow his lead. Shaun followed them back to the bedroom. As they reached the room the noise level started to rise as they started toy fighting. Shaky jumped on Colby’s back and pulled at his big afro. That was it, within seconds a big pile on started and all you could hear was Colby’s voice from the bottom of the pile telling them he couldn’t breathe
. Shaun loved it and bounced about near the top of the bodies. The next thing he could feel were his boxers being pulled tightly into the cheeks of his arse.

  “Wedgie” shouted another lad. They all attacked each other now yanking their boxers in the cracks of their arses. Colby was still laid on the floor doubled over in pain ranting that they’d broken his ribs. The laughter could be heard throughout the hallway and it wasn’t long until Bernard and Marion were stood at the doorway screaming at the top of their voices.

  “Lads, lads, come on. Keep the noise level down ay.” The boys all fell about laughing and Shaun tiptoed about the room trying to pull his underwear from his arsehole. Marion started to pick pillows up from the floor and told them to get the room cleaned otherwise they wouldn’t be allowed to watch the film tonight. A few of them started to clean up, but Shaky just lay on his bed with his arms folded underneath his head. Marion looked straight at him and he knew she meant business. She was one of the tougher care-workers and he knew she took no shit. Marion had had run-ins with him in the past and he knew how far to push her. Slowly he slid off the bed and picked a few clothes up at the side of him. He could feel her eyes burning into him and found it hard not to laugh. He was giggling.

  Shaun helped clean the room. Just before they left, Bernard turned around and told Shaun that when he was dressed he was to come down to the office to see him. Once they’d disappeared a few more pillows were flung about, but most of them started to get ready and obey the rules. Colby was now up and about but still moaning that his ribs were cracked. No one was listening to him and they carried on getting ready. Sundays were good days in the home and most of the day was spent chilling and doing whatever they wanted to do. One lad called Mike had a visit today from his parents and told the others he couldn’t go wherever they’d planned. Shaky checked his money and had over a tenner in his pocket. The lads in care all got pocket money on Saturdays and Shaun complained that he’d missed it. Shaky was right by his side and told him when he went to see Bernard to make sure he told him that his trainers had holes in them and that he didn’t have any money. Shaun laughed and asked him why, but as soon as Shaky told him a smile spread across his face.

  “No way do they get you new trainers and that?” Shaky was waving his hands around in the air. He was telling him of all the things you could get while you was in the home and Shaun couldn’t believe his ears.

  “Well I’m deffo gonna ask for some new trainers then”, Shaun snarled. “These ones are knackered. I thought this place was gonna be hard, but by the sounds of things I’m gonna like it here.” He told Shaky to wait for him until he returned. His mate agreed and wished him luck in getting some cash.

  The hallway smelt old and musty. The walls were painted in a grey pastel colour. The carpet had seen better days and traces of dirt and mud could be seen all over it. The ceilings in the home were high. As he walked to the office he tilted his head back and looked at them in more detail. The care home reminded him of a museum.

  Bernard’s office was just in front of where Shaun stood. He knocked softly on the wooden door before he entered. Bernard shouted for him to come in. As he went inside the office he could see him sat round a small table with Marion. Shaun’s eyes cast over all the paperwork scattered all over the table. Moving the papers over to one side Bernard told him to come and take a seat at the table. When he sat down he could see his name on a large yellow folder next to Marion.

  Marion was in her fifties and her large round figure just fitted under the table. Her legs looked the same width all the way down. He watched her closely as she sank another chocolate biscuit into her mouth. “Fat bitch,” he thought as she wiped the chocolate from the side of her lips. Bernard finished whatever he was doing and turned to him with his arms folded. His tone was friendly.

  “Right son, this isn’t going take long. Here are some rules about the home. You can have a read of them when you have a spare minute.” Taking the piece of paper from him, Shaun roughly folded it and shoved it into his back pocket. Marion now started to speak.

  “I’m Marion and I’m going to be your case worker while you’re here,” Shaun didn’t understand her and chewed on his lips. Marion widened her eyes and continued. “That means I’m going to get the best out of you.” She tilted her head back and laughed revealing the inside of her mouth. His face screwed up as he saw all her black fillings inside. She quickly glanced through his notes and spoke to him as she carried on reading with her head held down.

  “You’ve been in a bit of a mess lately haven’t you?” Her head lifted up slightly as she gazed at him. “I’m not here to dictate. I’m here to help. If you have any worries or something that is bothering you, I want you to know you can always come to me for a chat. Every problem has an answer and together we can get through most things.” Marion looked pleased with her speech and turned around to face Shaun. His eyes looked all round the room and he felt uneasy. She’s a proper dick-head he thought but tried to listen to her without laughing. Remembering what Shaky had told him he changed his face to a look of sadness and spoke with his head dipped.

  “Marion I do have a problem, my trainers are wrecked. I feel scruffy in them. Look they have holes in the bottom.” Pulling at his trainers Marion watched sympathetically dipping her head over the table. He could see her concern and knew he was on a winner.

  Looking at Bernard Marion asked for some cash and the receipt book. Once he’d given it her she filled it out and passed Shaun £80 for some new trainers. His face glowed with happiness and now he was on a roll he asked was it too late for him to have his pocket money too. Passing him another ten pound note to him he thanked them both. He was buzzing. Bernard nodded at him and told him they expected him to look after the new trainers as he wouldn’t be getting anymore in the near future. Bernard now had a look of concern on his face and remembered the call he’d received from Shaun’s mother.

  “Your mam phoned last night son. Just to see if you got here safely and all that. She seemed upset. Do you want to give her a ring to tell her you’re okay?” Standing to his feet Shaun refused but told him he would phone her later. Marion could see the hate in his eyes as he spoke her name and knew he had some real issues with his mother. Part of Marion’s job was to get him to open up to her and speak about problems he faced in his life. As she looked the lad up and down she knew sooner or later she would find out what was eating him away inside.

  Returning back to the bedroom Shaun fanned his cash out for all to see. Shaky was by his side within seconds and inhaled the smell from the cash with a smile on his face.

  “Told you didn’t I? I knew you would get some money from them. Where we off to then? It’s your treat.” Looking round the room he saw a few faces smiling at him and felt under pressure to share the money he’d got for his new trainers. Shaun picked up his cash, and looked at the lads.

  “Come on then, where we going? I’m new round here don’t forgot. And I don’t know my way around.” Shaky smiled cunningly and told him not to worry he would show him the area. Colby came to join them, but the look from Shaky told him he wasn’t welcome. Colby backed away and called Shaky under his breath.

  “Prick,” he mumbled.

  The two lads left together. You could hear the others left in the room cursing Shaky calling him an arse licker. One of the lads spoke up as he paced the bedroom floor.

  “Ginger tosser. Who does he think he his? He bugs me the way he thinks he can speak to us like little nobheads.” The young lad clenched his fist and his face was going red. “One of these days I’m gonna waste the ginger ferret trust me.” His words fell on empty ears as the others shook their heads. They were all used to Shaky and the way he thought he was the boss of them all. Gary hated him with a vengeance.

  Gary was just a little younger than Shaky and he’d had a few dealings with him in the past. He swore before his time was up in the care home he would get his own back on the bully. As he sat there sulking on his bed with his fist clenched. ”One day,
one day soon,” he whispered.

  Shaun and his new mate walked out of the home. It took around ten minutes before they reached the main gates. They both were dressed similarly in tracksuit bottoms and trainers. Shaun held his hand down the front of his pants and squeezed at his nob as he walked. Shaky led them to the bus stop and they both sat talking as they waited for the bus to arrive. Shaun felt his cash in his pocket with a pleased look on his face. All that was on his mind was getting high. He didn’t know if Shaky was a sniffer and approached him with caution.

  “So what do you do to have fun round here?”

  Shaky looked at him and told him they got pissed at weekends. The look on Shaun’s face showed he wasn’t impressed. He continued talking as he stood up and swung his arms from the bus shelter dangling from it like a monkey.

  “Don’t you sniff?”

  Shaky looked puzzled. You could tell he didn’t have a clue what he was on about. Shaun sat back down and began to fill him in on the new craze doing the actions with his hands.

  “Gas, glue, Tip-ex thinner? Fucking hell everyone’s doing it around our way. Don’t tell me you’ve never tried it?” Shaky shook his head and felt stupid. Shaun saw his embarrassment and told him they would get some in the town centre and he’d show him what it was all about.

  Shaky was from Yorkshire and Shaun laughed loudly calling him a sheep shagger. He joked about with him telling him that he bet that all his mates sniffed sheep’s arses for a high in Yorkshire. Shaky was up in arms now. He stood tall as he reeled off his past experiences. None of them was anything to be proud of and Shaun let him know how much of a geek he thought he was. Shaky saw the bus approaching. He stuck his arm out for it to stop. Once they’d paid the fare they both sat at the back. Shaun got straight back on the subject of sniffing and knew he’d found another glue sniffing partner.