Billy. Going where darkness fears to tread… - Colin David Palmer

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told to see Billy, Billy Nelson – Mr Howcroft said he would look after me.”

      Billy was stunned again; his normally precocious brain dumbfounded – Howcroft had delivered him an angel! He wondered if Howcroft had seen her? No way! If he had, the old lech would have been here giving her private coaching lessons, not referring her to him. He replied hesitantly.

      “Ah, that’s me. Billy. Um, Howcroft said see me?”

      “Yes. Mum rang during the week and went in and, you know, registered and paid the fee and here I am! Do you need a hand with anything?”

      “No. Yes!” He spoke sharply. “I need to put the nets up, the lines will be fine for today.”

      Billy realised how late he really was when she asked if he needed help. He knew he really should do the lines but after a late start there wasn’t time to load the lime and run it around both courts – it wasn’t as if any of them was a John McInroe or Evonne Goolagong! He ran through the gate and she followed him into the clubhouse, where he rummaged in the equipment chest for the nets, and as he turned she was standing right behind him, eyes looking straight at his with a strange sparkle.

      “Give it to me,” she told him, “I know how to do it.”

      He passed her the first net then dragged out the second and they walked out onto the courts together. She dropped her net at the closest end and bent over in front of him to unroll it. Billy rolled his eyes to the heavens and she turned back to look at him – it was his turn to be standing there looking at her with a sparkle in his eyes. Now he knew what she’d been looking at in the clubhouse, and he had just returned the favour!

      “I think I’m going to like it here after all,” she said straight to his face and then immediately turned around, bent over again and finished unrolling the net.

      Since that first meeting over a month ago they became inseparable, which annoyed Tony somewhat. They turned into Billy’s street and Billy decided to stir him up a bit.

      “I was thinkin’ of asking Wendy but it is Saturday and I usually see Jen on Saturday.”

      “I know,” Tony said sullenly.

      “So, I thought if I see Jen tonight, then I could still ask Wen tomorrow!”

      Tony’s shoulders slumped appreciably and Billy almost wished he hadn’t done it. Poor Tony! One day, and Billy knew it would be soon, one of Tony’s propositions was going to be accepted and he hoped to God he was there to see it. But his guilt is too much for the moment so he decided to cheer him up.

      “Nah, stuff the women! Let’s just you and me hit the town tomorrow, okay mate?”

      Tony lifted immediately, as if nothing had happened. He was like that, resilient as all hell and Billy liked that about him too.

      “Okay, okay! I’ll see ya after then”.

      Billy slapped him on the back before opening the front gate. “Don’t wanna come in for a drink do ya?”

      Tony didn’t even stop walking to reply over his shoulder and was past the yard by the time he’d finished. “No, sorry, gotta go. See ya mate,” and with a backward wave, he crossed the street. Tony had only ever gone into the house once and Billy’s Mum and Dad had made him feel about as welcome as small pox.

      “Aren’t you Barry Smiths’ son?”

      “Yes sir.”

      “You a drug addict boy?”

      “No sir.”

      “How come I hear the Smith boy is a drug addict?”

      “That’s my big brother sir.”

      “Brothers! Thick as thieves. Your brother ever give you drugs?”

      “No sir.”

      “You expect me to believe that?”

      “Yes sir.”

      “Why? Tell me why I should believe you, boy.”

      “No sir.”

      “What d’ya mean no?”

      “Oh! Sorry, I mean, yes sir, it’s the truth sir.”

      “Dad! Stop it will ya. Tony’s’ okay Dad, trust me.”

      “Why? You gimme one good reason why I should trust a smart alec fifteen year old? You takin’ drugs too?”

      “Dad, you know better than that. Trust me ‘coz I’m your son.”

      “You’re hangin’ around with a drug addict.”

      “He’s not a drug addict Dad. Let it go will ya?”

      “What, yellin’ at me now are you? You ain’t so big that I can’t throw you over my knee.”

      “Dad, you know as well as I do that you couldn’t if you wanted to. Sorry for yelling. Let’s go Tony.”

      “Where you goin’ boy, haven’t you got homework? I forbid you to go down to that, that drug addicts place. You get back here. Billy? Billy?”

      His mother’s voice floated out to them as they had walked to the front gate. “Where are you going Billy? You haven’t upset your Father again have you? Billy? Come back here son. I’m your Mother, don’t you walk away from me. Billy?”

      That was why Tony never went back inside Billys’ house! His old man was okay, just a bit grumpy at times. But that was then. Today, Billy walked into the house and his Dad was sitting where he always sat. He nodded to Billy without even looking away from the television and Billy went straight to his room.

      Billy didn’t always tell Tony everything, in fact he tried to tell him as little as possible and it had been the truth about seeing Jen tonight – his Dad wouldn’t let him go. But what Dad didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, the same with Tony for that matter and as much as his Mum and Dad talked and blustered they never stopped him from doing anything. So Billy would be going to the drive in with Jen tonight only no one except the four of them going knew.

      He walked out of the house around six-thirty but stopped suddenly on the front step – something made him go back. He stood at the entrance to the living room and looked at his Dad whose eyes remained glued to the TV.

      “You okay Dad?”

      “Yep. Where ya goin’?”

      “Just down the servo, meet a couple of the guys, grab a burger, you know.”

      “If I knew I wouldn’t ask. Be home by ten.”

      “Yeah, no worries. You sure you’re okay?”

      He did look up this time. “Don’t you pull that crap on me son!”

      “I’m not Dad, I’m not. You’ll be fine. See ya.” He was back watching TV before Billy finished speaking.

      He was at the front gate when his Mum came out. “Billy” she called softly. He went back, her concern etched across her face. “What did you see Billy, what did you see?”

      “Nothin’ Ma, it was nothin’.”

      “You ain’t ever said what you just did to your Dad before. What did you see Billy? You know he don’t believe, but I do. I do.

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