I was at the beach on a nice warm spring day. It was the middle of the week and there weren't many people on the beach, which is the way I like it. I was just relaxing, bumming around and getting in a bit of exercise, wanting the day to last as I had to work the next day.
Come lunch time I wandered over to a McDonalds that was on the main road, just a little bit down from where I'd been loafing around. There was a small queue, two people in front of me, but they wouldn't take long to serve. Normally.
I knew the bloke at the front of the queue. Brian, by name. Brian, the bastard, by manner. He was the sort of bloke who thought that any dispute could be handled by abuse and violence. It didn't matter if he was right or wrong, if he was abusive and violent enough he would win. He'd already been in trouble with the cops a couple of times about this little idiosyncrasy of his.
Right now he was abusing the poor girl who was serving, complaining that his order was wrong. She was checking it against what was on the board and assuring him that it was what he ordered and had paid for but he was not happy. Apparently he'd changed his mind about some items and she should have known that and no, he didn't want to have to pay for his change of mind.
His language was a little strong and I was tempted to have a go at him but I knew it would mean a fight. Not just a single fight but a fresh one every time I ran into him. As long as he wasn't going to get violent with the girl I'd stay out of it.
The bloke between me and Brian didn't have the same reservations. He tried to get Brian to cool down. Bad move. The words 'cool down' tell Brian that he's winning and he ups the ante. In this case he upped it by hanging one on the poor chap who dared to interfere.
Turned out that that was a very bad move. The gentleman lying on his back on the floor had a mate with him. A mate with a Taser, and he wasn't scared to use it. Brian landed on the floor next to the first bloke, twitching and burbling. His troubles didn't end there. The guy with the Taser rolled Brian over and handcuffed him, all the time telling him his rights. Apparently a couple of cops in plain clothes had stopped for some Maccas and Brian had assaulted one.
The cops bundled Brian into the back of their car and got ready to depart, taking their meal with them. They didn't worry about Brian's meal. There again, he had told the checkout girl he wasn't taking it so I don't suppose he could complain.
I got my order and enjoyed my meal. I also enjoyed Brian's predicament. Courts and Judges don't take too kindly to unprovoked assaults on cops. They don't even like provoked assaults. Brian was about to enjoy a short holiday, away from care and stress.
I strolled back to the beach which, for some unknown reason, was almost deserted. Funny thing about beaches. Standing on the shore I could see quite a long way along the coast in both directions. To my right, about a kilometre away, there was a reasonable crowd. To my left, ditto. But between the two crowds this long stretch with apparently only me.
I strolled along and I was sure I could hear music. Continuing on my way I found myself heading towards the source of the music. Coming around a small hillock I found her. A bathing beauty, sunning herself, a siren sent to tempt men from the ways of righteousness. Oh, don't get me wrong. She wasn't topless or anything like that. She had on quite a respectable bikini, modest almost.
Oddly enough I recognised her, although I don't think she knew me. Her name was Barbara and I had seen her about several times.
"Well, hullo there," I said in a friendly voice. "Why is a lady as charming as yourself all alone on this great big beach? It's a waste of natural resources to have you hidden away here."
She looked at me and smiled.
"No-one asked you," she said in dulcet tones, "so fuck off, asshole."
I'm like, say what? That's not very nice. I proceeded to explain this to her.
"That's not the sort of answer you give a friendly overture," I told her. "The general idea is that you smile and say hullo back to me. If you prefer my absence to my company you might add, I'm sorry, but I want to be alone."
"And I might just say fuck off, which gets the same message across. Now piss off, why don't you?"
"You don't think that you're being gratuitously rude to a perfect stranger?" I asked. "It seems a silly thing to do when you're all alone with him. He might take exception to your poor attitude."
"You're not a perfect stranger. You're not even an imperfect stranger. You're an asshole by the name of Angelo. And I'm not alone. I have a brother nearby."
"Ah," I said, snapping my fingers. "I know you. You're Barbara. And you know who I am. I'm flattered."
I ostentatiously looked around.
"Ah, I see no brother."
"He's around so I suggest you take a hike. If you're still here when he gets back he'll run you off with a thick lip."
"He might but there again, he might not. Brother, brother," I said in a musing tone. "Ah, I think I've seen him around with you. I assume that it was your brother I saw you arguing with the other day. Big guy, short hair, stupid tattoos, and a loud voice. That him?"
I could see she wanted to contradict my description but she'd only have been quibbling if she did. She contented herself with giving me a nasty smile.
"That sounds like Bruce, so you'd better take a hike before he gets here. He thinks you're a lowlife and I have to say you look like one."
"Ah, but I'm a lowlife with a job," I pointed out. "Unlike some I earn my money through honest labour. Want two reasons why he won't try and take me on?"
"He wouldn't need to take you on, as you put it. You'd probably be running, screaming, as soon as he looked at you."
"Not really. He's already tried it once and found it harder going than he thought," I told her, my voice suddenly very cold. "Also, he has a very bad habit that precludes him trying to fight me today."
"What bad habit?"