This day in 2003 was the same kind of day as ten years ago, cool and grey. I followed the same road we’d taken in the Land Rover and in a very short time — I must have been driving faster than I thought — there I was looking at Kahakuloa Head and it was looking back at me with the face of the cyclops.
‘You!’ I said, recalling how when I first saw that painting at the Royal Academy I had to throw up. Now my eyes and my mind were no longer under my control and this grey and ugly rock was also being the Iao Needle and the black rock where the souls jumped off. I threw up again and leant against the car trying to pull myself together. ‘What’s the use?’ I said. ‘I’m the bad-luck woman.’ I recited the names, leaving out Badroulbadour because I didn’t know anyone on that boat: my stepfather Ron Burke; Dick Turpin; Sid Horstmann; Adam Freund; and Django. I wasn’t going to add Elias’s name to the list. My life was a thing where I had no place to stand any more. I looked at the edge where Django went over and said, ‘Why not?’ The cyclops, Kahakuloa Head, the Iao Needle and the black rock all nodded their approval.
‘Do you mind?’ I said as I heard Lucille sounding as if she needed a new silencer and a valve job. I wanted peace and quiet but I wasn’t getting any. Now I was hallucinating Elias but he had a stronger grip than most hallucinations.
‘Gotcha,’ he said. Just like that. No emphasis. Here he was.
‘You’ll be sorry,’ I said. ‘I’m nothing but bad news.’
‘As it happens,’ he said, ‘I’ve got good news.’
‘I doubt it.’
‘No, really, look at this.’ He pulled a cutting from The Times out of his pocket. Picture of a Heinz tomato ketchup bottle standing on its head.
‘So?’ I said.
‘After all these years they turned it around. Don’t you see? Things don’t just stay the same year after year.’
‘You’re crazy,’ I said.
‘Not enough yet but I’m working on it. I love you.’
‘OK, I love you too, whatever that’s worth.’
‘It’s worth everything,’ he said, so I didn’t argue with him.
38
The Times
29 January 2003.
ENCORE
Jimmy Wicks, 60, guitarist, singer and songwriter with Mobile Mortuary, was pronounced dead of an apparent heart attack at his home in Clapton earlier today. In the ambulance taking him away, however, he sat up and said, ‘Thanks for turning on the sound.’ He subsequently underwent a triple bypass at Homerton Hospital and is now recovering in good spirits.
Acknowledgements
If the goodwill and hours and miles of help I had on this novel were laid end to end they would reach from here to Kahakuloa Head.
Andrew Bown of Status Quo was my consultant and guide in all musical matters and gave me encyclopaedic data.
Nunu Whiting and Dave Salt let me visit Waterloo Sunset rehearsal studios and Claire Ferris gave me a complete tour.
Ben Schlapak, Manager of Honolulu International Airport, graciously authorised my enquiries and sent me useful descriptions. Jenny Hausler of the Visitors’ Information Office reported on the gardens and the now-closed Mini Hotel.
Emmae Gibson, like me, went through Honolulu International Airport in 1993 and generously shared her impressions.
Dennis Camblin of Hawaii spent days travelling in Maui on my behalf. He sent me voluminous notes and hundreds of photographs as well as books, maps and pressed flowers.
Graeme Wend-Walker provided detailed notes, photographs, and diagrams of Los Angeles International Airport.
Susan Ruskin gave me her current observations of LAX.
Rob Warren of the Greenwich Observatory supplied astronomical data.
Dr Michael Feher of Chelsea & Westminster Hospital was my consultant in diabetic matters.
Dr Ben Hoban answered general medical questions.
Liz Calder, Katherine Greenwood, Phoebe Hoban and Dominic Power gave useful comments.
Gundula, my wife, translated ‘Der Tod und das Mädchen’ on pp. 28-29 and ‘Herr Oluf’ on p. 32. She also kept me up to date with London in general and fashions in particular.
Two National Geographic articles were valuable sources: ‘Hawai’i: Preserving the Breath’ by Paul Theroux, December 2002 and ‘Maui: Where Old Hawaii still Lives’ by Kenneth F. Weaver, April 1971.
The ANAPAESTS FOR PEACE T-shirt was derived from Neil Bennett’s cartoon in the 1 May 2001 edition of The Times.
The Daniel Mendoza and Coffee As You Like It are fictional.
The European free-tailed bat who crash-landed on p. 100 was rescued by Ginni Little of the Cornwall Bat Hospital. Now rejoicing in the name of Hobbit Higgins (because of his hairy feet), he is thriving under Mrs Little’s care. The Cornwall Bat Hospital has no income other then private donations and the money it receives from its adoption scheme. Ginni Littles work with these fascinating creatures deserves all possible support.
R.H.
London, 23 July 2004
A Note on the Author
Russell Hoban (1925-2011) was the author of many extraordinary novels including Turtle Diary, Angelica Lost and Found and his masterpiece, Riddley Walker. He also wrote some classic books for children including The Mouse and his Child and the Frances books. Born in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA, he lived in London from 1969 until his death.
By the Same Author
NOVELS
The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz
Kleinzeit
Turtle Diary
Riddley Walker
Pilgermann
The Medusa Frequency
Fremder
Mr Rinyo-Clacton’s Offer
Angelica’s Grotto
Amaryllis Night and Day
The Bat Tattoo
Her Name Was Lola
Linger Awhile
My Tango with Barbara Strozzi
Angelica Lost and Found
POETRY
The Pedalling Man
The Last of the Wallendas and Other Poems
COLLECTIONS
The Moment Under the moment
FOR CHILDREN
The Mouse and His Child
The Frances Books
The Trokeville Way
First published in Great Britain 2005
This electronic edition published in 2012 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Copyright © 2005 by Russell Hoban
The moral right of the author has been asserted
All rights reserved. You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
50 Bedford Square
London WC1B 3DP
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 4088 3526 5
Every reasonable effort has been made to contact copyright holders
of material reproduced in this book, but if any have been inadvertently
overlooked the publishers would be glad to hear from them and to make
good in future editions any errors or omissions brought to their attention.
‘Hawaii ’78’ by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole © Bigboy Record Company.
Reprinted by permission of Mountain Apple and the estate of
Israel Kamakawiwo’ole.
‘Freight Train’ by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee ® 1959 Fantasy Inc.
Reprinted by permission of Pru Music Publishing.
‘The Worms at Heaven’s Gate’ by Wallace Stevens is from
The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens© 1954 by Wallace Stevens and
renewed 1982 by Holly St
evens. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf,
a division of Random House, Inc. and by Faber & Faber Ltd.
‘Linger Awhile’ ℗ 1962 Capitol Records Inc. © 1923 Leo Feist Inc.,
USA (50%) EMI United Partnership Ltd. (Print rights controlled by
Warner Bros. Publications Inc./IMP Ltd.) Reproduced by permission of
International Music Publications Ltd. All rights reserved.
Words by Larry Owens, music by Vincent Rose.
Lines lettered on Django’s coffin are from Myths and Legends of Hawaii,
re-told by W. D. Westervelt, published by Mutual Publishing Co. of
Honolulu, Hawaii © 1987
‘Now’s the Time to Fall in Love (Potatoes Are Cheaper, Tomatoes
Are Cheaper)’, De Sylva, Brown and Henderson, 1931.
Words and music by Al Sherman and Al Lewis.
www.bloomsbury.com/russellhoban
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