The Malloys, 7

Molly and her friend, Mandy, joined them on the way home.

"Gee, Michael, you were great. I'm glad that you're my big brother now. Now those sods will stop picking on Hori.He was great, wasn't he, Hori?"

Hori grinned and grabbed his hand. He held it all the way home. They arrived back, Big Mike, Max, Harri and another boy were sitting out at the front of the house. Michael was glad to see that the Rolls Royce had gone. Hori hugged him again, and then ran away inside.

"What's up with Hori? You upset him?" Big Mike queried.

"No, I did not!"

"What then?"

Molly answered, "You should've seen him, Big Mike. Michael was great. Bazza McCutcheon and his goons were picking on Hori and took his frisbee and Michael made them give it back."

"That's good," he nodded. "But you didn't hit them, did you?"

"Maybe a little bit, but they were asking for it."

"Oh, you shouldn't have done that, even if they did ask for it."

"And why not? Nothing else was working and I told Nancy I'd look after him."

"McCutcheon's got brothers, big ones, and they're bad news. They'll be looking for you."

"I'm not scared of any flaming bullies!"

"Well you should be. From now on you don't go anywhere without me."

"Thanks, Big Mike, but I don't need a nursemaid. I can look after myself."

"Listen to him, Michael," Harri said. "You don't know those creeps and they really are bad news. You be careful."

"I will. Thanks, Harri."

Sarah came out with the bandage and strapped his ankle up again. You shouldn't have gone out without it," she growled.

"I was in a hurry to get away from the old dragon."

"Maybe you were, but you still shouldn't have!" she scowled, and then she grinned. "She is an old dragon, isn't she? She won't mess with you again."

"I bloody hope not."

"Ah, she probably will. She only hears what she wants to. Good on you anyway. Now, come and tell Nancy what you did for Hori."

"I don't have to, do I? It was nothing."

"No it wasn't and yes you do. If she hears it from anywhere else, you're in trouble. Best she gets it from you first."

"Okay, I guess." They both stood up. "But it was no big deal really."

"Yes it was," Sarah smiled and she kissed his cheek. "You're okay, Little Brother. Now come on."

"Michael!" Big Mike stopped him before he went in.

"Yeah?"

"This is our friend, Ben. Ben, my brother Michael."

"Hey, Michael."

"Hey, Ben. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah, don't keep Nancy waiting."

He followed Sarah inside and Big Mike turned to his friend. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"What d'you think?"

"I dunno, looks all right, I guess."

"C'mon, Ben. He's more than all right, he's a looker and he's a damm nice kid too."

"Yeah, yea, if you say so."

"I do say so and not just because he's my brother either. You could do all right there."

"If you think he's so great, why don't you get him?"

"W-e-l-l," Big Mike drawled. He looked at Max and grinned. "No, Maxie's more than enough for me."

"And don't you forget it!" Max shoved his shoulder.

"Bloody gay-boys!" Harri stood up. "I'm going to find a real man."

"Hey! We're real."

"Yeah, but real what? See you later, Girls."

There was a chorus of raspberries as she walked away.

They walked into the kitchen and, despite the wet-blankets' warnings about bullies, Michael was feeling pretty good and had a big smile on his face. Nancy soon got rid of that.

"You can get that smirk off your face."

"I wasn't smirking."

"You bloody were! Think you're a big man, do you? Beating up kids! I'm not impressed."

"Kids? One of them was nearly as big as me, and there were three of them."

"That makes it all right, does it? They were kids and years younger than you."

"They're years older than Hori and they were picking on him. One of them hit him! You told me to take him out and you told me to look after him and I did and I'd do it again."

"That's all very well, but I will not have you fighting in the street. We don't do that in this family."

"I didn't have any choice."

"Of course you did. Real men don't fight with their fists."

"I did what I had to. It wasn't in the street anyway," he mumbled. "We were in the park."

"It makes no difference where you were. As long as you're living here, you live by my rules. Don't do it again!"

Damm, she was hard. Michael sighed, "Maybe I don't want to live here. Maybe it's time I was going."

"Please yourself. Where exactly are you going to go?"

"I've got somewhere. I can go back to my mother's."

"To your mother's?"

"Yes. Look, umm, I wasn't quite honest with you."

"I know."

"You know? My mother was moving to Aussie, to live on the Gold Coast, I kicked-up a fuss and I was refusing to go. Mum gave me a choice, I could go with her or I could go and find my father and let him be responsible for me until I finish school. You know about that?"

"Of course I bloody do! Your mother has been in touch and let us know. Better late than never, you were already here when she rang."

"Oh, I didn't know about that."

"Now you do. You mightn't think so, but you're still a child and it is your parents who are responsible for you."

Now he was even more pissed. "Some parents! You can't make me stay here. I'll go if I want to."

"Please yourself. Don't slam the door on the way out."

He glared at her, which didn't hurt her a bit. Damm, she was a hard woman. He left the room, carefully not slamming the door. He went out to the sleepout, sitting on the bed to calm down. He did the right thing for Hori. Dammit. He didn't care what she thought, he was right.

Right. He was leaving. They didn't want him here and he didn't want to be here anyway, this was not his home. His mother might not be perfect, but she was the only mother he had. She was easier to live with than this lot. He was going home, wherever that was.

He pulled his pack out from under the bed, stuffed his gear into it, swung it onto his back and left the room. Big Mike, and the others, had gone from the front of the house. That was a shame, he would've liked to say goodbye to him. Whatever. He'd find out.

He stood for a minute, looking at where the others were sitting before and thinking. Shame it hadn't worked out here. He liked those guys and would've liked them to be in his life, but they wouldn't be. Whatever. Tommy didn't want to know him anyway, he was obviously not interested. He liked the look of that Ben too, now he'd never get to know him. Shame. Oh well, there'd be others. He started walking.

"Michael! Michael, what are you doing? Come back here!" Sarah stood on the verandah, calling out.

He looked back and waved. "Bye, Sarah."

"Michael, you get back here now!"

Bossy thing. She didn't tell him what to do, nobody did - nobody! He kept going, waved and didn't look back. He was almost down to the main street where he'd first met Big Mike when he felt a tug on the back of his shirt.

Hori was behind him. He had his pillow and Pooh Bear under one arm, the frisbee in one hand and the other hand held on to Michael's shirt. He was crying, big tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Hori?" He knelt down in front of him. "Hori, what are you doing? You have to go home, Boy."

Hori shook his head, dropped the pillow and offered the bear to him.

"Hori, I can't take your bear. Pooh belongs here with you."

He shook his head, held out the bear and tears kept rolling.

"I can't take him, he's your bear and he stays here with you. I'm going because I can't stay here. Goodbye, Hori."

Hori launched himself at him, nearly knocking him over backwards. He wrapped his arms, and then his little legs, around him and clung on. He started wailing.

"Hori, don't. Please don't cry." He hugged him, and then forcibly unwrapped him and pushed him off. "Please don't. It was great meeting you but I have to go now. I've got to go and you've got to stay here with your mum. Don't cry."

If he could hear him, he wasn't listening, he was roaring like a bull. "Stop it, Hori! Just stop it."

Michael stood up and picked-up the pillow and the frisbee, Hori still had hold of Pooh Bear. "Come on. I'll take you home, and then I'm leaving. Hori, get up. You have to walk."

He was lying on the ground, curled up sobbing and roaring. "Hori!!"

"Well. You're a piece of shit, aren't you?" Tommy stood glaring at him. "Proud of yourself? You're breaking a little boy's heart."

"What? I never . . "Michael looked down at the boy on the ground. "I didn't want to hurt him. I wouldn't do that."

"Pick him up and take him home then."

"I'll take him home, but then I'm going."

"You're not."

"I bloody am! I'm going to live with my mother."

"She doesn't want you."

"Nobody does!"

"Don't talk rot. Hori wants you to come home. I want you to stay."

"Yeah, well," Michael sighed. "Nancy doesn't want me there."

"Bloody rubbish! Who do you think sent Hori to get you?"

"Nancy?"

"Yes, Nancy. She sent me too."

"She did?"

"She did. So are you taking the boy home?"

"Yeah, okay, we'll go home. C'mon, Hori"

He lifted him up and they started walking back. Hori was still sobbing, but he was grinning now and holding his hand tightly. He wasn't letting go. Michael looked back, Tommy was standing there watching them.

"Tommy? Aren't you coming with us?"

"Me? No. I'm going to the pub. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you, Tommy." Michael decided, yeah, he shouldn't expect too much. Tommy was who he was. At least he wanted him to stay. He took Hori home.