So, Jayden Lusty pinches spray cans from the local hardware shop and sprays the world with his unhappiness. It is a cry for help, the problem is that nobody cares enough.
Johnny Venice is a piano player, who sometimes moves pianos for friends, and friends of friends. He has a specialised trolley which allows him to move pianos on his own, if necessary. Uprights. Grand pianos are another deal altogether.
Johnny is moving a piano for his buddy Ryan. Ryan has a new woman in his life, Stella, who he is trying to impress with his organisational skills. Johnny has done something he never normally does, he and Ryan have gone out partying before they move a piano. The piano has to be moved Monday morning from Stella's place, an unmarried piano player and cat lover and, as I have already said, Ryan's new girl. Stella has bought a new piano, which is being delivered Tuesday. Her existing piano is a loaner from her old aunt, Bammy, the woman who instilled Stella's love of piano in her, and it is to be returned to Bammy once it has been extricated from Stella's apartment.
Jayden has been picked up numerous times for tagging, not because he is particularly stupid, because he isn't that, he has just never received very much guidance in life. The police have warned him that they will come down on him heavily next time he is caught.
Mother Maddison got pregnant at 15 when Lachy Gunstan told her that this isn't the way you get pregnant. Maddison wondered what the point of it was, as it hurt like hell, but Lachy Gunstan seemed to understand the point of it, even if he did pull the strangest faces when it was seemingly over.
It wasn't as if Maddison was stupid either, but she was bought up by the devoutly religious Carol and they just didn't talk about things like that. Carol's answer to everything was, "I'll take you to church to pray."
And of course, Lachy said he would stick by her,
"It's me baby too, it’s a part of me and I'll love it and care for it."
And, of course, he didn't, after sleepless nights of Jayden howling, and all those shitty nappies and...
"Sorry Mads, I've got to go and find meself."
Maddison had a series of no hopers after Lachy, all of who had no interest in Jayden. So, Maddison neglected Jayden to please her men.
"He's moiy mein, and I's love 'im." She said this about Roberto, Carlo, Scotty, Chook, Ganger, Panga and Slugger. "Ioy can't helps it, if I'oy don't lyke being on me own, it’s the way I'ym made."
Roberto, Scotty, Chook and Slugger, left her with little sluggers of their own. Maddison struggled with 5 boys. There was a ten year gap between Jayden and the next boy, so Jayden always felt a bit like an only child.
Johnny and Ryan did too many party treats the night before and Johnny got so ragged, as he put it, he made a pass at Ryan. Ryan was good about it last night, but he is a bit tetchy about it in the cold, hard, hungover, light of the day. Ryan only grunts when Johnny says, "Good morning," when he picks him up.
Maddison had met up with Pablo at the pokies Sunday night and she was still, shall we say, entertaining him early Monday morning when Jayden wanted to know what food there was in the house.
"Mum?" No answer.
"Mum!" No answer.
"MUM!"
"Don't come in."
"What's for breakfast?"
"Whatever you can find?"
"I can't find anything." No answer.
"Where are the boys?"
"Aren't they there?"
"No."
"Oh… that are at Grammies."
"I'm going out." No answer.
Johnny and Ryan pull up at Stella's place, which turns out to be an Art Deco block of flats, painted white with black window frames.
"Is this the place?"
"Yep," said Ryan.
"So, which is, um, er, what's her name again?"
"Stella."
"Which one is Stella's place?"
"401."
"Are you saying her place is on the 4th floor?"
"Yes."
"Jees Ryan, you never said it was on the 4th floor?"
"Didn't I?"
"Nah, mate."
"So?" says Ryan.
"So," repeats Johnny.
Jayden slips the cans of spray paint under his jacket and exits the shop. He has always worn oversized clothes, as a way of protecting himself ever since Maddison's man Carlo exposed himself to Jayden.
"I'y don't believe Carlo would do that," slurred Maddison. "He was a man's man, if you know what I mean." Maddison made an oomph gesture with both her arms.
Jayden didn't know what that meant at the time, but he said, "Don't worry." And Maddison never wanted to discuss it again.
The oversized clothes were ideal for hiding stolen spray cans.
"So, point me to the lift," said Johnny. "Let's check it for size."
"Um, er," said Ryan.
"Come on, the lift, show us where the lift is?"
"There's no lift…"
"What the fuck…"
"But there are really wide stairs."
"From the fourth floor," said Johnny.
"Yeah," said Ryan.
Jayden headed to the city, to meet up with Hatchet Ruby, but jumped from the tram when the ticketing inspectors got on, putting him out in Carlton. So, he walked a bit, heading to the CBD.
"Hi Ryan," said Stella. She held the door open, standing half behind the open door.
"Hi Stell," said Ryan
"Right on time, Boo," said Stella.
Boo, mouthed Johnny.
"Like I said I would," said Ryan. He had that idiot grin on his face that even Johnny's mouthing of the name Boo failed to remove.
"This way gentlemen," said Stella. She opened the door to reveal that she was probably wearing her best dress and shoes, with her hair and makeup done.
Johnny looked her up and down. Stella blushed. "It's not every day I get gentlemen callers.”
"Jees, Ryan, you never mentioned that it was a grand."
"Didn't I?" snapped Ryan.
"Nah, mate, I assumed it was an upright."
"Like you, mate, last night, hey?" said Ryan.
"Watcha mean by that… mate?"
"Nothing…"
"You must have meant something?"
"Don't worry, let's just get this moved," said Ryan. "You still want to move it, dontcha?"
Johnny gazed at Ryan, unsure.
Ryan stepped towards Johnny and said in a low voice. "Don't fuck this up for me mate."
"Yeah, sure," said Johnny. "Come on, um, let's make a start."
Jayden couldn't help but notice the pristine white wall of the block of apartments across the road from where he was walking.
"Jesus," he said. He could feel his lower lip curl out as he contemplated what he saw. He tilted his head to one side, and then the other side. It was like a fresh canvas glowing in the morning sun.
Johnny and Ryan struggle to move a grand piano from a fourth story apartment.
"I don't know, Ryan," said Johnny.
"Come on mate, I promised her," said Ryan. "And I let last night slide, when I probably should have clocked ya."
"I was out of it," said Johnny. "I can't be held responsible."
"Bullshit!" said Ryan quietly, trying not to let Stella hear. "You don't do anything you don't want to just because you are on the gear…"
"I didn't know…"
"Don't give me that."
"It's true…"
"Whatever! You owe me today."
"What?"
"You know it's true."
"What are you talking about?"
"I shoulda made it real clear I'm not, I'm not…"
"Everything okay, boys," Stella's voice chimed in the back ground.
Ryan gave a full stare to Johnny.
Johnny exhaled. He wasn't at all sure any of this was possible.
"Well?" said Ryan.
"We'll just have to go slow along the balcony to the stairs," said Johnny. "We'll think about the stairs when we get to them."
"Everything is okay, Stell, don't you worry about that," said Ryan.
Jayden stepped over the Japanese garden so that he was right in front of the big, white, blank wall. He pushed his hand down over his crotch, such pristine painting spaces always gave him a bit of a chub.
Jayden pulled a can of black spray paint from his oversized jacket. Jayden's tag was an abbreviation of Jayden is here, it seemed like the most appropriate for him as he was never really sure that anyone else cared if he was there.
Johnny and Ryan drop had the grand piano on its side on the trolley, tied on with multiple elastic straps. They struggled at the front door.
"I think we have to go keys first," said Johnny.
"No, we should go curve first," said Ryan. "It is the shortest."
"That's precisely why we should go keys first," said Johnny. "Get the largest part through…"
"Everything okay?" asked Stella.
"Yes," said Ryan.
"No, this way," said Johnny. "Here. This way around. Come on…"
"I'm really not sure…"
"Here, you get on the outside and I'll push, and you guide it."
"Hang on wait, I'm not in pos…"
"What?"
"Just… a moment."
"Say when," said Johnny. A moment later. "I can't hear you."
"Yeah, okay… um… wait, wait, wait…"
"Everything okay." Stella's voice trembled.
"I'm going to push, now."
"I'm not sure I have it."
"Pushing now."
"Oh, I thought you meant…"
"Oh…"
"OH NO!" Ryan's voice cried out.
Jayden had just completed his JIH, to a near perfect example, and he was standing back admiring it, mesmerised by its beauty, when he heard the voices above him. Jayden was startled back to reality by Ryan's shrill exclamation. He looked up immediately.
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