James Kelman
:: You Have to be Careful in the Land of the Free
Some women ye meet, if ye gie them a cuddle, ye bump into all their bits, their bones and whatever, but no her, we fitted the gether.
The people I have known who disappeared, their names would fill a book.
Ye find that: the world is a foreshortened arena, there aint enough spaces on the planet, ye wind up climbing a tree or a mountain, then ye get to the top and ye breathe out: Aaah, freedom, and then ye fall off the fucker.
... some folks are messy.
Messy? I said.
They don't live in a regular way.
Ye go away for years and that's you. Ye've got nothing to show for it, ye're as well just staying away. Nothing, cannay go hame with nothing. I've never met naybody yet who went hame with nothing, if we dont take something hame christ then what's the point of gaun home? ye wouldnay want to go hame. No me anyway.
The boots had been a mistake. The decision to buy them was based on the foolish notion that wearing them might cast an interesting glow on a dull personality.