No, the source of the problem was right in the middle of the barroom, where two tables had been dragged untidily together to accommodate the noisy crowd of foreigners. It didnt take much to tell they were Brits. Eight of them, all in their twenties, all red-faced from exuberance and the large quantity of local brew they were throwing down their throats. Their T-shirts were loud, their voices louder. Ben had heard their raucous laughter from outside. Their table was a mess of spilled beer and empty bottles, loose change and cigarette packs. To the delight of his mates, one of them clambered up on top of it and tried to do a little dance before he almost toppled the whole thing over and fell back in his chair, roaring like a musketeer. They werent as rowdy as some gangs of beery squaddies Ben had seen, but they werent far off it. The barman was casting a nervous eye at them as he weighed up the risks of asking them to leave against what they were spending in the place. Next, they broke into a chanting rendition of Y Viva España that was too much for the ancient couple in the right corner. The barmans frown deepened as they made their shuffling exit, but he still didnt say anything.
The Dane never looked up from his paperback, as if the noisy bunch didnt even exist. Maybe he was hard of hearing, Ben thought, or maybe it was just a hell of an interesting book. The yobs gave him a cursory once-over, seemed to decide he wasnt worth bothering with, and then turned their attention on the solitary Spaniard sitting drinking on the left side of the room. The response theyd managed to provoke out of the old folks had whetted their appetite for more. A chorus of faux-Spanish words and calls of Hey, Pedro. Cheer up, might never happen quickly graduated into You speaka da English?; and from there into Hey, Im talking to you. You fucking deaf?
They didnt seem to notice Ben sitting watching from the shadows. All the better for them.
The lone Spaniard poured more rum and quietly went on drinking as the loutish calls from across the barroom grew louder. He was doing almost as good a job as the Dane of acting as if the yobs were just a mirage that only Ben, the barman and the elderly couple had been able to see. Or else, maybe he was just too drunk to register that the taunting was directed at him. Either way, if he went on ignoring them, there was a chance that the situation might dissipate away to nothing. The eight lads would probably just down a few more beers and then go staggering off down the street in search of a more entertaining venue, or local girls to proposition, or town monuments to urinate on. Just boys enjoying themselves on holiday.
But it didnt happen that way, thanks to the big porker whod been the first to call out to the Spaniard. He had gingery hair cropped in a bad buzzcut and a T-shirt a size too small for him with the legend EFF YOU SEE KAY OWE EFF EFF in block letters across his flabby chest. He nudged the guy sitting next to him and muttered something Ben didnt catch, then turned his grin on the Spaniard and yelled out, The fucking bitch aint worth it, mate.
The atmosphere in the room seemed to change, like a sudden drop in pressure. Ben sensed it immediately. He wasnt sure if the English boys had. Here it comes, he thought. He watched as the fingers clutching the Spaniards glass turned white. The Spaniards lips pursed and his brow creased. One muscle at a time, his face crumpled into a deep frown.
Then the Spaniard stood up. The backs of his legs shoved his chair back with a scraping sound that was as laden with portent as the look on his face. Still clutching his drink, he walked around the edge of his table and crossed the barroom floor towards the English boys. There was a lurch to his step, but he was able to keep a fairly straight line. There was something more than just anger in his eyes. Ben wasnt sure if the English boys could see that, either.
The Dane was still sitting there glued to his book, apparently oblivious. Not like Ben.
They all stared at the Spaniard as he approached. One of them elbowed his friend and said, Oooo. Touch a nerve, did we?
Im shitting my pants, said the big porker in a tremulous voice.
The Spaniard stopped three feet away from their table. The Arehucas Carta Oro was making him sway on his feet, not dramatically, but noticeably. He eyed the eight of them as if they were fresh dogshit, and then his gaze rested on the big porker.
Quietly, and in perfect English, he said, My name isnt Pedro. And youre going to apologise for what you just called her.
An outraged silence fell over the group. Ben was watching the big porker, whose grin had dropped and whose cheeks turned mottled red. The pack leader; and if he wanted to remain so, peer pressure now demanded that he make a good show of responding to this upstart whod had the monstrous balls to stand up to him in front of his friends.
My mistake, the big porker said, meeting the Spaniards eye. I shouldnt have called her a bitch. I shouldve called her a cheap fucking dago whore slut cocksucker bitch. Because thats what she is. Isnt that right, Pedro?
For a guy with the better part of a bottle of rum inside him, the Spaniard moved pretty fast. First, he dashed the contents of his tumbler at the big porker. Second, he hurled the empty tumbler against the table, where it burst like a grenade and showered the whole gang with glass. Third, he reached out and scooped up a cigarette lighter from the yobs table. Without hesitation, he thumbed the flint and tossed it at the big porker, whose T-shirt instantly caught light.
The big porker screamed and started clawing at his burning shirt. The Spaniard snatched a beer from the table and doused him with it. The big porker staggered to his feet and threw a wild punch that came at the Spaniards head in a wide arc. The Spaniard ducked out of the swing, then stepped back in with surprising speed and jabbed a straight right that caught the big porker full in the centre of his face and sent him crashing violently on his back against the table. Drinks and empty bottles capsized all over the floor.
The Dane still didnt move, react or look up. This kind of thing must happen all the time where he lived.
Then it was just seven against one. The rest of the gang were out of their seats and converging on the Spaniard in a chorus of angry yelling. The barman was banging on the bar and yelling that he was going to call the police, but nobody was listening and the situation was already well out of control. The Spaniard ducked another punch and returned it with another neat jab to the ribs that doubled up his opponent. But the alcohol was telling on him, and he didnt see the next punch coming until it had caught him high on the left cheek and knocked him off his feet.
The six who could still fight closed in on him, kicking him in the stomach and legs as he fought back furiously and tried to get up. One of them grabbed a chair, to slam it down on the Spaniards head. Raising the chair high in the air, he was about to deliver the blow when it was snatched out of his hands from behind. He turned, just long enough to register the presence of the blond stranger whod got up from the corner table. Then the chair splintered into pieces over the crown of his skull and he crumpled at the knees and hit the floor like a sandbag.
The English boys stopped kicking the Spaniard and stared at Ben as he tossed away the broken remnant of the chair and stepped over their fallen friend towards them.
All of you against one guy, Ben said. Doesnt seem fair to me.
One of them pointed down at the Spaniard, who was struggling to his feet now that the kicking had stopped. What you taking his side for?
Ben shrugged. Because Ive got nothing better to do.
You saw what he did to Stu, said another.
Looked to me like Stu had it coming, Ben said. As do the rest of you, unless you do the sensible thing and leave now, while you still have legs under you.
The Spaniard swayed up to his feet, looking uncertainly at Ben.
Youre going to be sorry, pal. All remaining five moved towards him. Except for one, whom the Spaniard caught by the collar and dragged to the floor, stamping on his face. The first to reach Ben lashed out with a right hook that was instantly caught and twisted into a lock that put the guy down on his knees. Ben kicked him in the solar plexus, not hard enough to rupture anything internally, but plenty hard enough to put him out of action for a while.
Ben let him flop to the floor, rolling and writhing, as the next one stepped up. Wiry, shaven-headed, this one looked as if he fancied himself as some kind of Krav Maga fighter, judging from the jerky, spastic little moves he was pulling. Ben blamed action films for that one. He let the guy throw a couple of strikes, which he effortlessly blocked. Then hooked the guys leg with his own and threw him over on his back. A tap to the side of his head with the solid toecap of Bens boot was enough to make sure he wouldnt be getting up again any time soon.
The fight was over after just ten seconds. The last man standing, obviously smarter than his friends, fled from the bar followed by the one the Spaniard had punched in the ribs, still winded and clutching at his side as he hobbled towards the exit. Six inert shapes on the floor, among the wreckage of broken chairs and glass, were going to need an ambulance out of there. The barman was on the phone, jabbering furiously to the police.
The fight was over after just ten seconds. The last man standing, obviously smarter than his friends, fled from the bar followed by the one the Spaniard had punched in the ribs, still winded and clutching at his side as he hobbled towards the exit. Six inert shapes on the floor, among the wreckage of broken chairs and glass, were going to need an ambulance out of there. The barman was on the phone, jabbering furiously to the police.
The Dane had slipped out of the door in the middle of the action, as if hed finally noticed the commotion and decided to continue his reading somewhere less distracting. Ben hadnt seen him leave.
The Spaniard turned to Ben. He was breathing hard and blood was smeared at the corner of his mouth. I appreciate your help, he said in slurred English. He wobbled on his feet and Ben had to grab his arm to stop him from keeling over.