TE23 Double Feature

Simone Buchholz

River Clyde

jakeys, homeless guys, drinkers, working men and that. No a proper home, like, but a wee bit like one.’ Not a proper home but a bit like one: seems a very familiar concept to me. Maybe I should just cancel my hotel room and move into the Great Eastern Hotel. Except it looks so damn shut.

hotel after all.

‘How do I get to the station from here?’ I ask.

‘Wrong way,’ he says and points towards the west. ‘If ye keep walking this way, ye’ll end up in the river.’

‘Might not be a bad thing,’ I say.

‘And now?’ I ask.

He shrugs and spreads his smile out again.

‘Now it’s closed,’ he says. ‘And the men are out on the street or whatever.’

‘Aye, lassie.’

‘What are they going to do with it?’

‘Lassie?’ I ask.

‘Make money somehow.’

‘Scottish for girl,’ he says.

He takes one last drag on his dog-end, then drops it.

‘Oh,’ I say, ‘there used to be someone who always called me my girl.’

Looks like I’ll have to stay in my business 254

And so, for the first time since I got here, 255