Stan & Maud

by John Riley

“What time is it..?
“I’m losing track, Maud. What d’yer say..?”

“Maud..? ‘Bout time you had a wash…
“…I think we should go out…
“…maybe tomorrow, I’m thinking…
“I don’t trust anybody ’round here; don’t know who they are…
“How long have we lived here..? We worked hard to get this place… Used to be a nice street…”

“That front door does let in a January chill. I’ve boarded it up a bit more…
“I can’t open that back door, swollen too much… Haven’t got the strength now…”

“They’ve been banging on our front door again…
“Hey! Are you not going to drink that tea I’ve made you… It’ll be getting cold…
“I’ve had mine and taken the tablets…”

“Look at yer… yer look so funny… Y’know, once upon a time, you wouldn’t have dressed like that, would you..? You still look lovely to me…
“I say you look like you’re losing a bit of weight as well, ’round the…
“I don’t like people around here… I don’t go out so much… well, we both don’t go out much…
“We’ve got each other…”

“Ohh, mi leg… so sore, sore mother…
“I think cold in ‘ere shall I put the heating on? And find some wood for the fire… I think there’s something else we can burn…
“I’ve a piece of coal somewhere…
“I can still hear them outside… Her down the street, she’s a vulgar tongue…
“She says our house smells… more her dogs… big things; she lets them mess in our garden…
“Have I to put our record on? And should we talk again about the good old days..?
“I saved a few of the records, the ones we play more of… didn’t burn them in the hearth…
“I’ll have to find some more wood though…”

“Remember how we danced on the beach before the war came and took our George..?
“Oh, Maud, why did he have to die…
“Why did they make him go to war…?
“I know, Maud, I shouldn’t think back and get all upset…
“Aye, a tear, Maud, mard-arse ain’t I..?”

“What was that tune..?
“Shall we have a dance now, would you like..?”

“Maybe not yet…”

“Are you comfortable on that settee, warm enough..?
“You used to say, we need to move with the times, Stan… remember move with the times or we’ll get left behind…”

“What time is it? What day is it..?”

“I won’t put light on yet, don’t want to let them know…”

“I’ve been thinking about things again… and come to a decision…
“I’ll not let them take yer… You wait here with me… We’ll go together…
“See what I’ve found upstairs in an old drawer. Your old scarf and a couple of old pennies…
“I’ll place them on your eyes now and tie up your jaw and stop it slipping…”

“I’ll not let them take you in some box to be burnt… You rest in peace here while I wait for those tablets to take me as well!”