The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas Page A

delivered. He was glad that the boy had been punished, glad he was crying, shocked and terrified. He saw that Connie had dropped from the tree and was moving quickly to the crying mother and child. He could not let her be the one to assume responsibility. He ran in between his cousin and the enraged parents.
    ‘Come on. We’re all going inside.’
    Gary turned to him now. His face was contorted, he was hissing and a spray of spit fell across Hector’s cheek. ‘No, we’re fucking not.’
    ‘I’m calling the police.’ Rosie had her fists clenched.
    Harry’s shock turned into outrage. ‘Go fucking call the police. I fucking dare you.’
    ‘This is abuse, mate. Fucking child abuse.’
    ‘Your child deserved it. But I don’t blame him, I blame his bogan parents.’
    Connie had come up and touched Rosie’s shoulder. The woman swung around angrily.
    ‘We should clean him up.’
    Rosie nodded. Everyone was now on the verandah and they cleared a path for the three to walk through. Hugo was still sobbing.
    Hector turned to his cousin. ‘I think you should go.’
    Harry was enraged but Hector spoke quickly in Greek. ‘He’s drunk too much. You can’t reason with him.’
    ‘What are you saying to him?’
    Gary’s face was right in front of him, nose to nose. He could smell the man’s acrid perspiration and the stale odour of the alcohol.
    ‘I’m just saying Harry should go home.’
    ‘He’s not fucking going anywhere. I’m calling the cops.’ Gary took his mobile phone out of his pocket and held it up.
    ‘See? I’m calling the cops. You’re all witnesses.’
    ‘You can do that later.’ Sandi’s voice was shaking as she walked up to Gary. ‘I’ll give you our details. If you want to make a charge later, then you can. But I think we all need to go home tonight and look after our kids.’ She began to cry.
    Gary looked mutinous, and sneered, as though he was about to turn his abuse on her, when Rocco silently came up and stood beside his mother. His eyes were defiant as he looked up to the man.
    Gary’s next words were quiet. ‘Why are you with that bastard? Does he hit you too?’
    Hector gripped tight on his cousin’s shoulder.
    ‘My husband is a good man.’
    ‘He hit a child.’
    Sandi said nothing.
    ‘What’s your address?’
    She shook her head. ‘I’ll give you our phone number.’
    ‘I want your address.’
    Aisha was beside him.
    ‘Gary, I’ve got all the details. Sandi’s right, you should all go home.’ She had her hand on the man’s shoulder and the small gesture calmed him.
    Hector was filled with love for his wife. Aisha knew exactly what to do, she always did. He wanted to kiss her neck, to just hold on to her. Melissa had come up to her mother, she too was crying. Aisha curled her hand around her daughter’s. Adam came and stood beside him. Hector took the boy’s hand.
    What the fuck am I doing? All that I have, all that I’m blessed with, and I’m putting it at risk ? The boy’s moist hand felt glued onto his own skin.
    Abruptly Hector dropped his son’s hand and walked into the house.
    As he passed his mother in the kitchen, she whispered to him, in Greek. ‘Your cousin was not in the wrong.’
    ‘Shh, Koula,’ his father warned. ‘Don’t make trouble.’ His old man looked frightened. Or maybe he was just tired of this new world.
     
    Hector walked into his bedroom and froze. Hugo was suckling on Rosie’s breast and Connie was sitting next to her, stroking the child’s head.
    ‘I can’t believe that monster did that. I’ve never hit Hugo—neither of us have. Never.’
    Hector felt the boy’s eyes on him.
    Hugo pulled away from Rosie’s teat. ‘No one is allowed to touch my body without my permission.’ His voice was shrill and confident. Hector wondered where he learnt those words. From Rosie? At child care? Were they community announcements on the frigging television?
    ‘That’s right, baby, that’s right.’ Rosie kissed her son’s forehead. How