Read The Slap for Free Online

shit.’
    Ari turned to him now and Hector was startled by the fiery intensity of his jet-black eyes.
    ‘I’ve got some speed on me. Dedj said you might want some.’
    Hector hesitated. It was a long time since he had taken speed. The last time was probably with Dedjan, at a work Christmas party. He was about to refuse when he remembered that he was giving up the cigarettes the next day. He wouldn’t be able to go near drugs for a long time after that.
    ‘Yeah, sure, I’ll have some.’
    ‘It’s a hundred for a cap.’
    ‘For a fucking cap? It used to be sixty for a gram.’
    ‘And that was back in the fucking eighties, wasn’t it, malaka ?’
    They both laughed.
    ‘It’s good. It’s real good.’
    ‘Yeah, yeah.’
    ‘No,’ Ari’s tone was insistent and serious. ‘I promise. It’s good.’
     
    Hector tapped out half the speed onto the toilet lid. The amount suddenly seemed enormous as he cut two thick long lines. He rolled up a twenty-dollar note and snorted the lines quickly. It hit him almost immediately—he couldn’t tell whether it was the amphetamines or just the old unforgotten rush that came from indulging in something illicit—but he was suddenly flushed and he could feel his heart thumping. Rhys’s CD was still playing and he found the music was whiny and jarring. On his way back outside he switched off the CD mid-song and replaced it with Sly and the Family Stone. He turned up the volume. Anouk, in the backyard, turned around and shook her head, mocking him. Beside her, Rhys was nodding to the music.
    ‘The kids love it,’ he yelled out to her.
    The late afternoon sun was soft and low in the sky, sending sheets of incandescent red cloud across the horizon. Hector stood on the verandah and lit a cigarette.
    From behind him, inside the house, came the sounds of squabbling, then a child was howling. Rosie rushed past him.
    Hugo was in the kitchen, inconsolable. Rosie picked him up and hugged him tightly. The child couldn’t speak, couldn’t get his breaths out.
    Hector walked into the lounge where the four boys were sitting mute and fearful on the couch. Melissa had been crying but she was now wiping away her tears. Angeliki spoke first.
    ‘He didn’t want to watch the DVD.’
    Suddenly there was a rush of accusing voices.
    ‘We wanted to watch Spider-Man —’
    ‘He hit me—’
    ‘We didn’t do anything—’
    ‘He pinched me—’
    ‘We didn’t do anything—’
    Aisha came into the lounge room. The children immediately fell back to silence.
    ‘ Spider-Man is rated PG. I don’t want you to watch it today.’
    ‘Mum!’ Adam was furious.
    ‘What did I say?’
    The boy crossed his arms but he knew better than to protest any further.
    ‘You let Hugo watch what he wants, that’s an order.’
    ‘He wants to watch Pinocchio .’ Sava’s disgust was clear.
    ‘Then you’ll all watch Pinocchio .’
    Hector followed Aisha into the kitchen. Hugo was now quiet and suckling contentedly at Rosie’s breast.
    ‘Why are you smoking in the house?’ asked Aisha.
    Hector looked down at his cigarette. ‘I came in to see what the fuck happened.’
    His mother marched up to him, took the cigarette from his mouth and proceeded to drown it under a torrent of water from the kitchen faucet. ‘It’s finish,’ she announced disdainfully, placing the soggy butt into the bin. ‘Children fight for nothing all the time. Nothing to worry about.’ His mother could not take her eyes off the suckling child. He knew she was disgusted that Rosie was still breast-feeding Hugo at his age. He agreed with her.
     
    Brendan arrived next. Connie wasn’t with him. Hector shook the man’s hand and welcomed him to the gathering. He wanted to ask, Where is she? Why hasn’t she come with you?
    Brendan kissed Aisha. ‘Connie’s coming later. She went home to change.’
    Connie was going to be there. A rush of pure pleasure ran through Hector. He wanted to shout and sing and grab the whole damn backyard,