Run Johnboy Run: The Glasgow Chronicles 2 (46 page)

  “Whit?” Silent whimpered, weeping miserably.

  “This!” Johnboy said, pulling his shite-catchers doon o’er his red raw cheeks, yelping in agony and gieing Silent a wee flash. 

  That wis that.  The pair ae them erupted, howling wae laughter while hauf greeting at the same time.

  “Aw, fur Christ’s sake, Silent.  Don’t make me laugh.  Ah’m dying, so Ah am,” Johnboy howled, trying tae pull up his school issue underpants withoot drawing blood.

  The door burst open and the heidmaster, still sporting his yellow braces, wae his sleeves rolled up tae his elbows, and wae his strong-erm buddies behind him, stood staring at them wae astonished looks oan their coupons.  Johnboy and Silent couldnae contain themsels.  The cork wis oot ae the bottle and they erupted intae fits ae hysterical, greeting laughter, laughing at the stupid basturts staunin there, no knowing whit the fuck tae dae next. 

Chapter Six

  The boardroom wis aboot twenty feet by fifteen.  It hid recently been decorated in keeping wae the age ae the building.  Aw the period features wur original, apart fae a wee part ae the cornice here and there that he’d goat specialists in tae fix.  It hid added tae the final cost, bit Francis Gordon, heidmaster fur the past nine years, thought it wis well worth it.  It wis important tae keep these auld buildings up tae scratch.  It no only showed respect fur the fabric and the history ae the building, bit it earned respect fae those who worked and lived in it.  The only drawback wis the view, or lack ae it.  It looked oot oan tae the boys’ yard.  When he’d taken o’er the reins in nineteen fifty nine, the boardroom hid been the heidmaster’s office, wae the receptionist in the wee ante-room next door.  He’d been happy fur the first week, until the baw that the boys played wae oot in the yard kept bouncing aff the bars oan the other side ae the glass.  That wis the excuse he’d been looking fur. The original boardroom wis situated at the front ae the building and hid superb views overlooking the drive and the landscape beyond.  It wis twice the size ae the room he wis noo sitting in and reflected the importance ae the heidmaster’s position and the distance required between himsel and the rest ae the management team.  There hid been a few eyebrows raised at the time, bit nowan hid said anything, at least no tae his face.  Efter aw, he’d been brought in tae steady a drifting ship.  He surveyed the scene in front ae him.  The team wur jist arriving and putting their files and reports oan tae the polished table, the same table that he used tae administer the floggings.  He used tae keep a log ae the amount ae arses he’d thrashed o’er the years, bit hid gied that up a long time ago.  He’d kept running oot ae foolscap jotters.  He smiled, thinking aboot his auld master, Commander Flogger Moffat. 

  “You’re too easily distracted, Francis.  Join the Navy, see the world and they’ll keep you right,” his commander hid advised and that’s exactly whit he’d done.

  He’d dreamed ae getting tae visit and explore distant lands, bit in the twenty years that he’d served the King and latterly, the Queen loyally, he’d never been oot ae British hame
waters.  He’d been demobbed efter protecting shipping in The Clyde estuary during the war.  He wid’ve commanded his ain ship if it hidnae been fur a wee unfortunate collision wae a destroyer wan night when he wis in charge ae the bridge.  He’d been informed at the court martial that if it hid happened ten minutes earlier, it wid’ve been HMS Hood he wid’ve hit, insteid ae HMS Victoria.  He often thought ae the lives he wid’ve saved if it hid been the Hood that hid been laid up in dry dock fur six weeks insteid ae the Vic.

  “Right, where are we, Mr Bick?” he asked Harry Bick, deputy heidmaster, soon tae be retired.

  “Well, the figures fur October ur a wee improvement oan September’s.  According tae this, there wur twenty three fights, six absconders…soon caught…fourteen liberations and thirteen new admissions.”

“And what does that tell us then?”

  “It tells us that there’s nae visible improvement wae the crowd fae the Toonheid.  Oot ae the twenty three fights, or skirmishes, fifteen involved them.  The absconders, as ye’ll no be surprised tae hear wur Taylor, Kelly, McSwiggan, O’Malley, O’Hara and the mute, Smith.”

  “I’ve just read this morning’s Glasgow Herald.  Have you seen it?  It has a small headline on page nine. ‘Four Abscond From Approved School.’  It goes on to say, ‘Four boys, aged about fourteen, ran away early yesterday morning from Thistle Park Approved School, Paisley.  Police recaptured them in Barrhead.’ End of quote.  I mean, The Glasgow Herald?  It’s only now that I have finally managed to get Edinburgh off my back after all these months,” The Heidmaster said, pushing the newspaper away fae him oan the table.

  “Aye, bit it shouldnae exactly come as a surprise tae the pen pushers in the Home and Health Department, given whit we’re hivving tae deal wae here,” Harry Bick said, trying tae placate and soothe away the pain fae the heidmaster’s frowning face. “At least they didnae pick up oan Taylor and Smith being captured oan the new motorway.”

  “So, keeping them under strict supervision, polishing boots and locking them up in a classroom all day long has not dented their negative impact on the good order of my school then?”

  “It disnae seem so, sir.”

  “Mr Wilson?”

  “Oh, Ah think it’s working fine, heidmaster.  The problem seems tae stem fae when they’re no oan permanent lock-doon o’er in the education block.  Ye’ll notice that the fights ur always either in the yard at break times or during evening recreation.”

  “Ye’ll also find that it isnae always the whole lot ae them that’s involved in the fighting either.  It’s only some ae them that ur getting tore in when it comes tae it,” The Deputy interjected, backing up Mr Wilson’s logic.

  “Why do you think that is, Miss Flaw?  You’ve been studying the situation for a while now.  What’s the social work angle here?” The Heidmaster asked Fanny Flaw, who wis sitting, nervously chewing oan her pencil at the far end ae the table, wae her glasses hinging aff the end ae her nose, looking forty plus insteid ae her actual twenty two years. 

  Guaranteed church spinster material, The Heidmaster thought tae himsel.

  “Well, only yesterday, I spoke to Mr Duponcie, the psychologist, about our meeting today and we went over the action plan again, making a few small adjustments.  Overall, we think it could succeed,” she replied, looking fur and failing tae get positive nods fae aroond the table.

  “And?”

  “Oh, yes, sorry.  He agrees with me that there appears to be a classic gang culture mind-set that is influencing the actions of these particular delinquents.”

  “Christ, Ah could’ve telt ye that, Fanny.  Oot ae the hunner and eighty neds in here, at least a hunner and seventy ae them ur aw signed up members ae gangs fae Glesga,” chipped in Brian Burns, senior hoosemaster, sometimes referred tae as Rolled Back Neck by the boys oan a day they wur being polite aboot him.

“So, what’s the significance of what you are saying, Miss Flaw?” asked The Heidmaster, ignoring Rolled Back Neck.

  “We need to try and split them up…break them apart and try to communicate with them individually.  We need to instigate individual rehabilitation programmes for each of them, whilst at the same time, take cognisance of the fact that they operate as a collective.  ‘Split and divide’ was the term that Mr Duponcie used.”

  “Ah think we need tae ship them oot and up tae they cosy cells in Rossie Farm and no fanny aboot wae them,” Rolled Back Neck declared, looking aboot fur confirmation that he wisnae the only wan in the room that hid the solution.

  “Well, Ah’m afraid that isnae gonnae happen anytime soon.  We’ve tried, bit nowan will take them. The cells up in Rossie are full tae the gunnels. Aw the other schools across the country hiv pointed oot that the reason they’re here in the first place is that we hiv the facilities tae stamp doon oan them…that and the fact they’ve goat enough bother wae the wans they’ve awready goat, withoot us gieing them mair,” Harry Bick pointed oot.

“Whit?  St Ninian’s and St Joseph’s don’t want them?  Dae they no know they’re aw left footers?  Ah think they’ve goat a bloody cheek.  Why should we hiv tae put up wae them if they won’t,” Billy Campbell, Barrheid Loyal Orange Order member, Grand Master and senior-hoosemaster huffed and puffed indignantly oan his wobbly chair beside the windae.

  Ah’ll need tae get that chair fixed, The Heidmaster thought tae himsel.

  “We also hiv the problem ae cost.  We cannae continue tae hiv staff stuck tae them every day, aw day long.  We jist don’t hiv the manpower or resources,” Alvin Jack, president ae the local Wild West Re-enactment Club and the school administrator declared, looking aroond the table.

  “Ah don’t think they’re any better or worse than any ae the rest ae the sleekit wee gits running aboot in here, apart fae that sleekit Tally wan and that sidekick ae his, McManus.  Take them oot ae the picture and ye’ve solved the problem,” Beanpole Wilson chipped in wae nods ae approval fae roond the table.

   “I think we need to run with Miss Flaw’s carefully constructed plan, which we have discussed at our previous two meetings, whilst at the same time, continue to keep them on a short lease.  The suggestion to put the four worst ones to work inside the main building, on assembling the stage for the Christmas concert, whilst dispersing the rest around the place sounds promising.  That way, they’ll always be under supervision and it’ll free up the staff over in the education block,” The Heidmaster said, looking roond the table.

   “That won’t go doon well wae Sandy Button.  He’s awready goat his wee squad picked fur the stage.  It’s the same wans he hid last year who done a really good job,” The Grand Master said. “Let them oot ae that hut and it’ll be like trying tae herd a bunch ae cats, so it will.”

  “Ah don’t know why we’re gieing them special treatment.  Everywan in here will be wrecking the place noo tae get rewarded wae the cream ae the jobs,” Rolled Back Neck declared, realising that his cushy wee number ae sitting back oan that fat arse ae his, across in the education block, wis aboot tae disappear if he didnae dae something aboot it.

  “They are already getting special treatment, Mr Burns,” The Heidmaster reminded him.

  “Right, so whit jobs ur available and who’s gaun where then?” Alvin Jack, the administrator asked, getting in there quick before the heidmaster wis persuaded tae change his mind. “Mr Wilson?”

  “Well, if we wur tae put four ae them wae Sandy, we could put wan in the kitchen, wan in the boiler hoose and two intae the gardens and look aboot fur a fifth place fur McSwiggan, which Ah cannae think ae at this particular moment in time.”

  “So, so far, that’s wan in amongst the knives, wan tae blow us and the school up, two tae be let loose in amongst lethal farm machinery, including scythes, and four tae get access tae hammers and chisels tae take wee Sandy Button and anywan else that happens tae be hinging aboot within the vicinity, hostage.  Dae ye think this will work?” asked Rolled Back Neck sarcastically.

  “Oh, I’m sure we’ll be able to match the most appropriate
job to everyone, Mr Burns.  Over to you, Miss Flaw.”

  “Thank you, Headmaster.  As you have just highlighted, headmaster, Mr Duponcie and I have matched the profile of each boy to the job we think will work best.  Obviously, this is not an exact science, but I think it’s the best we can come up with, under the circumstances.  After speaking with Mr Duponcie at length, we’ve taken various factors into consideration, such as separating the violent ones from the less violent.  Whilst most boys in the school are not shy in using aggressive behaviour as a means of, er, persuasion or resolving conflict, these particular boys tend to strike out without any semblance of justification and actually seem to relish fighting.  Compared to the majority of the boys in the school, our analysis highlights these ones as having excessively violent tendencies.  Another point we picked up was that, although they’re all identified as coming from the Townhead area of Glasgow, deeper research shows that half of them actually come from the Garngad, a Catholic enclave neighbouring Townhead proper.  The ones from the Garngad are all well-known members of The Shamrock, one of the biggest street gangs in Glasgow.  The other four, Gucci, McManus, Smith and Taylor are commonly referred to as The Mankys by the other boys in the school.  There are references to that nametag in all of their background reports from Larchgrove.  I’ve looked up the City of Glasgow Police gang reference book and whilst The Shamrock are well-documented, I couldn’t find any reference to a gang called The Mankys.  Armed with that information, we’ve split them into their natural geographic split, which we’ve then further split up, as much as we can, so they don’t feed off of each other negatively.  Interestingly enough, it’s the Garngad boys that are prone to inflicting unprovoked assaults on other boys in the school.  We need to isolate the natural leaders from the followers and lastly, keep the habitual absconders, Smith and Taylor, inside and under strict supervision at all times,” she said proudly, haunin roond a sheet wae names and allocated jobs oan it.

  “It all sounds very technical, this plan of yours, Miss Flaw, but I think you could be on to something here.  So, on that positive note, please state what job you think would suit each particular boy.”

  “Ah cannae bloody-well believe this,” muttered Rolled Back Neck under his breath, looking doon at his list, as Fanny took a deep breath.

  “Thank you, headmaster,” Fanny said, clearing her throat before continuing.  “Michael Flanagan, aged fourteen, known as Minky.  In and out of remand homes since he wis old enough to be legally charged at eight years old.  Denies everything and blames everyone other than himself.  Excessively violent.  Low level intelligence.  Garden squad.

  Joseph O’Hara, aged fourteen, known as Baby Huey.  Like Flanagan, he’s been in and out of remand homes since he wis eight years old.  Loud and disruptive, typical bully, very immature, strikes out first and doesn’t bother to ask questions later.  Out of the fifteen fights associated with this group over the last month, he’s been involved in six of them.  Excessively violent.  Low level intelligence.  Boiler house.

  Thomas O’Malley, aged fourteen, known as Tottie…don’t ask me why,” she said smiling, looking roond the table.  “In and out of remand homes, same traits as the rest, disrupts anything that resembles normality.  Excessively violent.  Low level intelligence.  Garden.