Mikey had woken several times during the night. It was hard to rest in the same room as someone who coughed and spluttered through to the early hours. It was a relief when the weak sun, emerged from the thick blanket of cloud and heralded morning. Maybe a sup of tae would bring relief. Mikey plugged in the kettle and when the water boiled he wetted the tae.
The brothers had lived in the self-same cottage since they were born. It was at the bottom of the lane, on a spit of ground above river level. Their relationship had grown more comfortable with the passing years, Bachelors they were and would likely remain. Weren’t the girls from the lane all gone abroad. Working in factories beyond in Luton, with steady money coming in. Who’d come back to outdoor lavatories and men who were mostly on the dole.
Tom wasn’t too badly off, if you left the cough and the pains out of the equation. He had a steady job with the council. The work wasn’t too heavy, and the pay was enough to get by on. When you compared it to what the miners used to put up with, he was very lucky indeed. That was all in the past and like Mikey most of the miners were now on the dole.
Mikey kept house for them both. He got the few messages, put on the bacon and cabbage to boil and swept the floor when the humour took him.
“You’ll have to go up to the doctor Mikey” announced Tom. “Tell him you’ve been awake all night with the coughing and say your chest is killing you”. True enough, thought Mikey, I was awake all bloody night. This wasn’t the first time that he had substituted for Tom and listed various symptoms to the taciturn doctor. Mikey had a medical card, which meant he hadn’t to pay the doctor. He’d get the usual prescription and take it to the chemist.
Mikey slowly made his way to the top of the lane, passing the red brick cottages that lined its left side. None of the neighbours were to be seen even though it was past eleven. He hated when Tom asked him to do this, but money was tight. He hesitated at the surgery door steeling himself to go in. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open. There was a sizeable queue, but he got a corner seat and passed the time making small talk about the weather.
Eventually his name was called. The doctor looked more stressed than usual as Mikey went through the list of symptoms, relaying his complaints to the side of the physician’s head. As he waited for the expected prescription slip, the doctor sprang to life, pushing his chair back as he reached for a small bottle. “Alright Mr. Langton take down your trousers and bend over please”.
“But what about the prescription for the chemist”, enquired Mikey, panic raising his voice an octave or two. “No need for a prescription, this injection will do the job faster. You won’t know yourself in the morning”. “Why didn’t I put on the clean long johns” thought Mikey as the needle pierced his buttock.
Was there a twinkle of amusement playing around the doctor’s lips as Mikey made a hasty exit?
© Copyright Berna Boran / Brennan – 8/8/2018
Berna Boran 