Laura caught him once, after hours, in the storeroom, huddled in a corner, poring over something. She drew close and then softly spoke his name.
Nathan?
He sprang up, knocking pictures to the floor, a pile of photographs polaroids mainly, but some others too, black and white photos. She knelt down to help him retrieve them.
Isnt it funny, she asked gently, the things people leave behind?
And in her hands she saw photographs of a little boy with brown eyes and a mop of hair, naked. And there was something wrong with the photos.
It is strange, Nathan muttered, his face reddening. It is strange.
And so it was.
Hello?
Laura looked up, trying to make eye-contact with the next cus-f tomer in a long line. It was Friday, a busy day, usually She I focused on a tall man with a beard and dark hair. He was holding a large cardboard box and a white form that hed just filled in.
Whos next?
She waved at him. The man hesitated and then came over. He put the box down on the floor beside him. The thing is, he said, I was hoping to speak to
He pointed towards Nathan who was in the furthest cubicle, collecting the fee and giving receipts.
You have to see me first.
Laura put out her hand to take the mans form. He had terrible writing. She stared at it for a while.
Youve lost a watch?
He nodded.
When did you lose it?
The man felt his right wrist with his left hand. Uhvery recently.
Okay Fine. Hold on a second.
Laura stood up and went over to the computer. She keyed in the relevant details. Nothing.
She returned to the counter. Im sorry. Theres nothing on file at the moment. But dont lose heart. It might be a few days before its finally handed in. Can you give me any extra details about the watch?
The man shook his head.
Make?
He shook his head.
How old was it?
Old.
Was it valuable?
I dont mink so.
Well perhaps you could draw an illustration of the face so that if its handed in we might have some means of recognizing it.
The man tried to oblige her. With his left hand he drew a traditional clock face with all the numbers. Laura couldnt stop herself from smiling.
Youve got a lovely smile, the man said.
She floundered. He looked straight into her eyes. I like the way that you said dont lose heart before. I loved that.
Then he paused. Im sorry, he scratched his cheek, I didnt mean to embarrass you.
Im not embarrassed.
But she was. There was something about his salad-green eyes that disgusted her. Something not right. An emptiness. He was like an old sandwich with curling edges, left on a plate at a pointless leaving party which nobody wished to attend.
She handed him back his form and spoke rather abruptly. Its a two pound fee. You pay at the counter.
Thank you. The man nodded, took the form, bent down to retrieve his box, then staggered over towards Nathans cubicle. He had a funny walk, Laura observed. Her next customer arrived and passed over his slip. She took it, but her eyes were focused, with some disquiet, on Nathan and on the man.
Nathan had been thinking about his lunch. His stomach had been growling. He checked his watch. Someone handed him a slip.
Thatll be two pounds, please.
He looked up. His jaw went slack.
Its me, the other Ronny said, like a bad coin. Back again.
Nathan snapped up his jaw and struggled to contain his surprise. You shouldnt have come back, he said quietly, not so soon. Things are too complicated.
Why? the other Ronny looked confounded, Why are things complicated?
Nathan cleared his throat. Ill have to tell Margery.
Margery who?
Nathan passed his hand in front of his eyes. Dont kid around with me, James.
No. Not James. Im Ronny. Remember? Call me Ronny.
Nathan shifted on his stool. Dont be stupid he was virtually whispering now, weve already had this conversation.
The other Ronny smiled. His teeth were immaculate. Im Ronny, he said softly. You gave me his shoes.
What? Nathan looked mortified.
His shoes. You gave them to me. Three weeks ago.
Nathan put his hand to his face. His cheeks were hot. He looked around, vaguely panicked. He caught Lauras eye. His blush went deeper.
They werent his shoes. You have no reason to think that they were. Anyway, I told you quite clearly last time you came here that if you returned then I would have to call Margery. I made a promise.
The other Ronny nodded. He obviously remembered. You did tell me that last time, but then you went straight ahead and gave me his shoes. His white shoes.
There was no hint of malice in the other Ronnys voice. Nathan made his hands into fists on his lap. He knew that there was never malice. Not ever. He took a deep breath. I covered up for you before. Not again. And they werent his shoes. Theyre your shoes.
He told me they were his shoes. He said he wore them for work. Hes shorter than me but his feet are larger than mine. I have very small feet.
Nathan inspected the other Ronnys form.
You want a watch?
Yes. I believe I lost one.
Here
Nathan began to unfasten the strap to his own watch. The other Ronny stared, unblinking. He said he hadnt seen you in over ten years. Hes got alopecia.
Nathan unfastened the watch and held it out in the palm of his hand. It was a gold watch, an old watch.
He was driving a green Volvo.
Take the watch.
Nathan proffered the watch. The other Ronny took it.
Its gold.
Yes.
It must be worth a lot.
Its mine. I want you to have it.
Nathan glanced up and over towards Laura. She was momentarily occupied.
Youd better go.
You dont believe me, do you? The other Ronny was frowning. You dont believe I actually met him.
Nathan shook his head. No.
Maybe I dreamed it.
Nathan shrugged. Maybe.
Thanks for the watch.
The other Ronny smiled again. He took a step backwards. Hed deposited his cardboard box on Nathans counter. Nathan scrutinized the box.
What is this?
Nothing. Look after it for me. Try not to open it.
Nathan stood up and touched the box. Whats inside?
Everything.
Nathan scowled. Dont be stupid.
The other Ronny turned to leave. Nathan couldnt stop himself.
Where will you go? he asked.
The other Ronny scratched his nose. Manchester.
Why Manchester?
He just shrugged.
Nathan took a deep breath, then expelled it nervously. He wished he hadnt asked. Now hed be obliged to tell Margery where the other Ronny was, if he was going to be honest. And he wanted to be.
Thanks.
The other Ronny limped out. Nathan snatched up his form, screwed it into a ball and pushed it into his jacket pocket. Then he picked up the box it was heavy deserted his post, walked into the mens toilets, dumped it down next to the latrines, walked a few steps, rested both his palms on the sink, stared at himself in the mirror and retched. He retched again but nothing came out. Just air. Just gas.
Thanks.
The other Ronny limped out. Nathan snatched up his form, screwed it into a ball and pushed it into his jacket pocket. Then he picked up the box it was heavy deserted his post, walked into the mens toilets, dumped it down next to the latrines, walked a few steps, rested both his palms on the sink, stared at himself in the mirror and retched. He retched again but nothing came out. Just air. Just gas.
A retch, he thought, is like a dry fuck.
Oh Christ. Oh Christ. Where did that come from?
Three
The waters flat and brown. The sands made of shells. Its been raped by those whelk farmers. The sea, I mean. Raped by those fucking seafood fishermen.
Lily pointed towards the sea. The man she spoke to was fat and smelled of fish, but he had a good tan and a big prick. He was on his way to the beach.
Lily sat astride her mountain bike. She was seventeen. She was conducting her own little war, but she didnt know what she was fighting about, not yet, at least. She had widely spaced eyes. At school theyd called her Miss Piggy, because of her strange eyes and because her parents ran a farm. They kept wild boar. Although, as Lily often observed, wild boar actually had eyes that were quite extraordinarily close together.
Lily had wide eyes and a flat nose and a gap between her front teeth. It was as though her face had hardly bothered fitting together. But the skin had been persistent. It had stretched and stretched until it finally joined up, until it met in the middle. It had touched bases. It was one of those faces.
Lily pointed. Thats the Swale. Its a nature reserve.
I know.
The man looked uncomfortable. He made as if to surreptitiously cover over his genitals with his hands. Lily noticed. Youve nothing there that I havent seen countless times before.
He grimaced.
She rubbed her arms. Fuck, its cold. You must be freezing.
Im just going in for a quick dip.
Like I was saying, Lily continued, ignoring his response, thats the Swale, and that theres the Blockhouse. Right over there, beyond where you can see is the Ferry Inn and the church. Harty church.
I know.
Lily scowled. Would you stop saying I know all the time?
But I do know. Im renting one of the prefabs. Im living in Sheppey now.
Yeah, well, what you dont know, apparently, Lily said, smiling, is that I can report you to the police for walking down this road naked.
The man, under considerable duress, tried his best to hold his own. Thats my prefab, he said bullishly, I mean Im renting it. So this here is the front of my house. And that he pointed, is the nudist beach.
But this, Lily indicated with a flourish, this is the sign that says you must put on clothes to go beyond that point. See?
But theres no one about.
Im about. And someone else lives in that prefab. Your neighbour. Hes short and bald and hes always well covered. He would probably also be disgusted if he saw you this way.
Im not disgusting, Im just naked. And this is a nudist beach.
That is a nudist beach. This is the public highway.
The man said nothing. Lily appraised him, coolly. Ive lived around here a long while. See those over there?
She pointed at a cluster of houses; small, purpose-built chalets. He nodded. Thats where you people go.
Pardon?
The Hamlet. Its fenced off, see? Thats where all the temporary people go. Nobody permanent has anything to do with them. We think theyre weird.
He glanced over at the chalets as though he hadnt truly noticed them before. Perhaps they think youre weird.