“Dirty glass…Fuck!”
…The first time that Martin had really focused on a dirty glass was decades back, in another one of his lifetimes. He’d had a few lifetimes and each had caused him a different level of grief.
Martin thought back to that morning at 8.00am, when he had been told that he had to check on a property. He found that depressing, fuck all was said about checking on the resident, no, he had to check on the property.
He pulled up beside the row of Maisonettes and sighed as he saw that the main entrance door was hanging off its hinges. He headed into the building. It always made him laugh that this was a building that you had to go inside, to go upstairs, to then go outside to get to the front door. He rattled the door. He could hear some mumbling and drunken giggles, “I hope that’s a lovely lady with nice tits!!”
Martin smiled at the giggling.
“The only way you’ll see any tits is if you have a look around the room! They’ll no be nice though!”
The door opened, “…Martin!! How you doing, son?”
“Jimmy. Will you ask me in or do I need to tell you that you need to let me in?”
The big fellow with the unruly beard and puffa jacket nodded and pointed into his living room.
“You’re always welcome here, son.”
Martin held his hand up to the two men sitting at the table. “Ah, The usual suspects! Lenny, Cobe, how’s it going?”
“Did you bring a carry-oot?”
“Or some women?”
“No! And Hell NO!!”
Jimmy joined them at the table, “Do want a wee hauf son?”
Martin sat down on the arm chair, “No you’re fine, I haven’t had my jags this year!
…Look, you know why I’m here. Jimmy, you can’t have, for want of a better word, guests at your house over-night, you know that.”
“But we’ve no been to sleep.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Do you want us to go? It’s cold out”
Martin looked over at the two long faces and at the booze on the table.
…“The best I can do is give you to lunch time, that’s when I’ll be back in the office. I’ve to report to the hierarchy…” He thought for a second, “I’ll tell them that you were here this morning but you stated that you didn’t sleep here last night and that there was a just opened bottle of cider. So boys if you want another couple of hours in the heat, well sort of, get all those empties out of sight.”
Cobe got up and shook his hand, “Thanks son! ‘Moan Lenny, we’ll get these.”
“Thanks Martin, you know they’ve nowhere to go.”
“I know, but there are two issues here, one, you could lose your house and more scary for you, I could get my fucking arse kicked.”
“Play the game Jimmy. Keep the place tidy. Always have it looking that your guests, I say that loosely, are just in. Don’t annoy the fucking neighbours as they will dob you in every-time. Give nobody any reason to focus on you.”
“Thanks son, I will. I mean look at those two fucking muppets tidying up! You should come over more often.”
Martin nodded, “That table is looking better already.”
Lenny finished emptying the plate that they were using as an ashtray.
“Jimmy, have you any polish?”
“Naw we drank that at four this morning!”
He laughed as Martin began to say something, “Only kidding! Nope, I’ve no.”
Lenny took out a hanky from his pocket, “I’ll use a wee drop of the cider.”
“Will you fuck! Get some water from the tap.”
“That’s a lot better.”
Martin looked around the house. Apart from the remnants of their session, which was now more or less cleared, Jimmy had kept it quite well.
“Jesus Fuck gentlemen, look at your glasses! They’re fucking minging! How did they get in that state?” Martin pointed to the three glasses that sat on the carpet where they’d been sitting.
“Well, we all had a glass of milk last night when the heartburn kicked in and we all had a glass of orange this morning for breakfast…Mind you, there was a measure of White Lightning in it.”
“Can you no rinse them?”
“I will, when we’ve finished drinking…Only three glasses mind, no hunners lying everywhere, see I’ve been listening to what you’ve said.”
“I’d strongly suggest that you wash them…Jesus, you might need a couple of Brillo-Pads!”
Martin stood up, “Okay lads, keep your heads down and watch yourselves.”
Jimmy held his hand out, “Thanks son, you’re one that sees…A wee quick hauf before you go?”
“I’d love to. I’ve got another two days to do in the office and that might take the edge off of doing that shit but no thanks!”
…
Martin wondered if Jimmy, Lenny and Cobe were still alive?
He wondered if in twenty years he’d still be alive?
The alarm from his phone brought him back to the present.
Martin leaned forward, sighed and clawed at his head. After a few seconds he picked up his wallet from the table and put it into his pocket. He looked at the time and knew he had to leave for work.
He poured out the last of his Vodka and toasted Jimmy, Lenny and Cobe and drank from his own dirty glass.
Image: One gin, one vodka and one wine bottle empty and cast aside in a heap.
literally stories 
Aye, drinking vodka from a dirty glass is an allegory for life. It takes care, concentration and effort to stay in control and have a clear clean outlook for the future.
A bit of a wet comment, but then again for some life is not a struggle it’s an existence.
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Hi James,
It’s great to see you around my fine friend.
Thanks so much for the comment.
Your thought makes so much sense. There is an acceptance regarding a dirty glass and a quote that is used which can be an observation on life – ‘Aye, that’ll huv tae do!’
Hope all is well with you and yours.
Hugh
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Kindness comes in many forms and from unlikely sources and when I read this it makes me a) sad that people have to struggle just to live and b) really moved because ‘kindness comes from many sources. I loved this, Hugh. Thank you – dd
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Hi Diane,
Sometimes the only kindness we can give is to look the other way. That and treating a person as a person allows you to sleep at night.
Thanks as always for all your help.
Hugh
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Hugh
“Keep the focus off you” are words to live by for the poor. I see it all the time, grown women and men with the direction of children.
And we all gotta dirty glass! Vodka is the secret boozer refuge because people think it is oderless. Well, the stuff itself is, but the same isn’t true about booze breath!
A special blessing for those Jude like people who tend the herd of the Hopeless Cause.
Great stuff,
Leila
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Hi Leila,
I can’t remember who it was that said, ‘Your born, you keep your head down and then you die.’
I wonder, is drinking from a dirty glass any worse or any better than swigging from the bottle? No matter what, I’m happy to do either but hate using a plastic cup!!
My sister drank vodka to hide it from my mum. I agree with you, I could always smell it. My mum also found out one night. That was the night my sister had been sick all down her new coat!
Thanks as always for all your encouragement!
Hugh
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Hugh
One thing I forgot to mention is the tremendous pressure and lack of appreciation for social workers needs to stop. They need more money and respect. The townies and the rich do not understand the thankless job! Then again they are the ones who send their parents away to die in homes and such. Fuckers.
Leila
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A dialogue master class and a wry observation on the quirky character of public housing. But first and foremost an understated monument to the humanity of those who care without futile rule-following. well done -mick
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Hi Mick,
What is totally ironic…No, that is too kind…What is fucking stupid is the local authority at that time stated that there could be no use of alcohol or drugs in their accommodations. They interviewed folks and asked if they had addictions. They housed them and expected them not to use alcohol or drugs!!!
Logic and Local Authority have never been happy bed-partners!!
Thanks as always my fine friend.
Hope life is being kind to you!!
Hugh
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A genuinely moving story. The dialogue has grit, warmth and wit. Lenny’s “cleaning” the glass with cider and the rapid-fire banter at the door never tips into mockery. Martin’s fondness for these men despite the procedure he’s enforcing is shown, never told, which makes it even more poignant. The dirty glass, opening the story, anchoring its funniest scene, and returning at the end, is really well done. For me, this is one of your best, Hugh.
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Hi Dave,
I can’t thank you enough for your kind and well considered comments.
I appreciate your encouragement and interest.
All the very best my fine friend.
Hugh
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Sometimes it’s the small acts of kindness that make the difference – as always, accurate to the nth degree and filled with humanity. Spot on!
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Hi Steven,
You are quite correct. Even someone simply asking how someone is can help, not that it makes any difference, more that they’ve noticed!!
Thanks so much for your kind comments – Much appreciated!!
All the very best my fine friend.
Hugh
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Hello, Hugh!
Once again you come out swinging and prove yourself to be a master of minimalism.
Your characters must be very fully imagined by you before you start writing.
My theory is that that is the reason why they seem so real to the reader. You know who your characters are before you start writing, so the reader knows who they are when the reader reads.
And your language never bogs down with unnecessary details. The reader is given what s/he needs to know in order to know what’s going on, no more, and no less.
Your gallery of characters is ever-impressive!
And as an American reader, I can say that your use of the Scottish dialect/s is intriguing and it sounds REAL.
Dale
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Hi Dale,
Thank you so much for your kind and very interesting comments.
You made me think!
I was wondering about what you said about me knowing my character??
After much thought, I’ve realised something, thanks to you…It’s not so much that I know my character completely. I know them in the situation that I am writing about. I don’t know what these characters will do at Christmas, at a funeral, at a family gathering or (Hopefully!) if they ever win the lottery. All I know and concentrate on is one particular scenario. I think, maybe, that is why there is clarity about them.
I think that is also the reason that I don’t go into any unnecessary details.
Regarding the dialect, I do find that easy as I write as I say. (I may watery it down a tad though!!)
Thanks so much my fine friend, you make me consider what I have written and why I have written it!!
No writer could ask for a comment doing any more.
All the very best my fine friend.
Hugh
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