Good Night

Roddy felt a sort of emptiness as he curled himself underneath Rita’s sock. He would be going home. He was very glad of it, this bottom world was not at all to his liking. Even so he felt a certain amount of guilt over lying to Rita. It wasn’t as if she would find out, she wouldn’t be going all the way home with him, but how was he supposed to answer those kind of questions? ‘Why no, I don’t have any family. I’m all alone and I only want to go home so badly because these sewers are so disgusting.’

Fantastic way to speak to a lady when you want something from her.

Besides, she probably wouldn’t have understood anyway. Having so many brothers and sisters, she wouldn’t know the peace you can only get from absolute solitude. Perfect, unbroken peace...surrounded by empty rooms with no one to bother you...worry over you...

A sigh escaped Roddy’s lips as he turned his head to glance at the brick far overhead. It wouldn’t matter anymore anyway. That was how it had always been.

“Good night.” he said, more out of habit than actually wanting to. The motion of the boat registered dimly in his tired mind, lulling him towards sleep.

“Good night, Roddy.”

Roddy paused in his wriggling, opening his eyes in surprise. Had she said it? Or had he merely been drifting off and imagined it? “Good night.” he said it again, just to be sure. Rita answered again, a hint of confusion showing through her tone. Unable to help himself, Roddy grinned happily. So was that what it was like, then? To not be totally alone in the quiet of evening, when it really is nice to have someone answer you? He happily said it again, relishing the feeling it suddenly gave him.

“Good night!”

“Good night.”

“Good night!”

“Good night, Roddy!” she replied with a laugh in her voice. Finally he lay still, wondering how just two words could be so delightful as he dozed off. He hadn’t known it then, that somehow in those few moments a part of him had suddenly thought that maybe this was better. Maybe he didn’t want to go home after all.

x x x

“You’re awfully quiet tonight.” Roddy rolled over to face Rita, where she was curled against the side of the boat. They had ended up head-to-head, so he bent his neck to look at her.

“Sorry, I was just thinking.” she nodded, knowing that he would come out with it if it wasn’t something too private. It had become a routine for them, on nights they spent on the Jammy Dodger Mark II to talk together as they went to sleep. Topics of discussion varied widely, from what they had managed during the day to the slugs’ latest tune. Sometimes they didn’t talk of any particular thing. They were happy to relax together.

And they both knew whatever Roddy was ‘just thinking’ of would come out sooner or later.

“So, what’s in the docket for tomorrow? We’ve not gone over the East End yet, may be something to be had there.”

“I don’t know, I was thinking of going to see mum and dad. It’s been a couple of days since we’ve been home.” Rita sighed, thinking of her chaotic family. Sometimes it felt more like visiting a zoo, but she was still very fond of them. Roddy, too, had grown attached to the mob known as the Malones. He delighted in every moment he spent with them. It was good for him, Rita had once thought, to be a part of something.

“Wonderful! We can take your mum that mirror we found for her!” the mirror wasn’t much more than a shard of glass, big enough that Rita had been using it as a sort of side-mirror, but small enough that she could hold it in one hand to look at herself. Roddy smiled, immediately sitting up to look at where the piece of glass was lashed to the ship’s side. “You said her last one was broken some years ago?”

“Nothing breakable lasts long in our family. Especially when it’s shiny, then everyone wants it.” he laughed, but Rita pursed her lips and flipped onto her back, looking away from him. “It’s a little frustrating. We can’t very well afford to buy that sort of thing, can we?”

“No, I suppose not.”

“It was a good find.” they lapsed into silence. After several moments, with no sound or movement from Rita, Roddy lay down again, deciding she had gone to sleep. He was not far from dropping off himself when she began to speak quietly.

“It’s odd.” she said, turning to her side again. Her could see in her face that she was thinking very hard on something. It was something he was beginning to recognize more and more as he grew to know her.

“What is it?”

“I was just thinking...it’s so quiet out here. Most everyone stays in town, occasionally someone passes by but for the most part it’s just the two of us here.” Roddy didn’t say anything. He felt a strange sort of sensation inside of him as she spoke. “It’s peaceful, like if everything just stopped it would be something like this. Being here, I think of things at home...all those little brats...but then when I get there again I’m so glad to see them. There’s really no one else I’d rather be with...” her voice trailed off, leaving the statement unfinished.

“No one?”

“What?” Roddy was a little startled. He hadn’t actually meant to say it, it was just the first thing to pop into his head when she finished. Rita looked at him expectantly, one eyebrow quirked questioningly.

“There’s no one but your family?” he asked. Now that he had asked he couldn’t very well take it back and ignore it. “No one, say, outside the Malone clan that you love to be with?”

“What are you getting at?” he shrugged, but it wasn’t enough for her. “Roddy!”

“I don’t know what I meant. It just sort of came...out...” Rita watched as he began to fidget and looked away from her.

“I suppose I should change the subject before you start babbling?” she asked with a smile. Roddy huffed and did just that.

“I do not babble! I get a little excited sometimes, yes, and my thoughts do sometimes run together but that is most certainly not babbling. It’s excitement is what it is. Happens to everyone. I mean, really, babbling! That’s nonsense! No one even does that anymore...”

“So what was it you were thinking about earlier?”

“What?”

“I’m changing the subject. What were you thinking about?”

“Oh, right.” Roddy relaxed and lay back down. “Do you remember when we first met, before you took me home we spent the night here?”

“Yes.”

“And I kept saying good night to you?”

Rita laughed, remembering their first night together. “You started doing it in different voices. Were you just trying to get on my nerves, Roddy?”

“Not at all! It was just...well...that was the first time I had ever actually had someone to say goodnight to. I couldn’t really help myself...”

“Really?” Rita asked, a little surprised as she sat up and looked at him. His nod drew her to him, and she moved to sit next to him. “I didn’t know that. The way that you went on about your ‘family’ I had thought you were just goofing off. I guess...I put it from my mind. When I found out the truth, it never occured to me.”

“But none of that matters now.” Roddy straightened and laid an arm around Rita’s shoulders. “No more of that, we’re a team now.” smiling at her, he gestured widely at the dark sewer around them. “Just the two of us. With hearts high and the world at our feet.” Rita was still looking at him, her brow creased as she frowned.

“What’s bothering you Roddy? Besides the memories?” He looked at her for a momernt.

“To be quite honest...I don’t know. I’ve had this strange feeling with you...it’s hard to explain.” Realization dawning on her, Rita smiled at him fondly.

“Don’t worry, it’ll come to you. Try sleeping on it.”

“But-“

“Goodnight, Roddy.” he started to protest. Still smiling, Rita turned his head and kissed his cheek. He watched, a little confused as she lay back down apart from him. Why had she done that? She...she kissed him. Him! The realization caused him to blush heavily, and he smiled to himself as he settled back down into his sock.

“Goodnight, Rita.”