Whitethorn by Bryce Courtenay Page B

flat of his hand, hard against the side of Pissy’s head.
    â€˜Watch out!’ I yelled. ‘You’ll give him a fit!’ I expected Pissy to begin to shake and wobble on the spot right there in front of our eyes. Mind you, if he did, then Fonnie would have to sit on his chest and put a stick in his mouth and then he’d have to let go of Tinker. But I only thought of that later.
    No such thing happened. Pissy just sniffed a big yellow glob of snot back in his nose and didn’t even cough, he just looked down at his feet. Tinker was still held captive. Fonnie ignored the petulant Pissy and addressed me. ‘You get points for hitting him and not throwing a stone.’ He paused and seemed to be thinking, then he said, ‘Sorry, but you not sorry enough.’
    â€˜I am,’ I pleaded. ‘I’m really and truly sorry, Fonnie . . . Pissy!’
    â€˜Really and truly, your father’s a coolie,’ Fonnie retorted, reciting the common rhyme and thinking himself very clever. ‘No, Voetsek , you have to show him, you have to show Pissy you sorry, man.’
    I looked at him, not understanding. ‘What must I do?’ I asked tearfully.
    â€˜Pissy, take off your pants!’ Fonnie demanded.
    Pissy didn’t hesitate, immediately undoing the buckle of his belt and letting his khaki shorts drop down to his ankles. He had a grin on his face and he didn’t bother to cup his piel that looked just like a fat worm with a snout, something a chicken could gobble up.
    â€˜Bend over!’ Fonnie commanded. Pissy turned and bent at the waist, his bare bum pointing directly at me. It was this pale pink colour and it was the only part of him that didn’t have freckles and, of course, no Chinese writing. Fonnie looked at me. ‘Kiss his arse, Voetsek !’
    I looked up at him in dismay. ‘No,’ I said in a small voice. ‘It’s not nice.’
    â€˜ Ag , man, it’s not nice to nearly kill a person with a fit! You got to pay, man.’
    â€˜I don’t want to,’ I said, not looking at Fonnie du Preez.
    Fonnie’s voice changed. ‘It’s just like a girl’s arse. You’d kiss a girl’s arse, wouldn’t you?’
    â€˜No, I wouldn’t!’ I retorted, shocked at the very idea.
    â€˜Nice and pink and no marks.’ Fonnie’s voice had gone sort of gravelly. I hesitated, waiting, hoping for a reprieve. He suddenly barked, ‘You kiss Pissy’s arse or your dog dies!’ He let go of Tinker who fell dangling, yelping and kicking, the noose about her neck tightening as Fonnie jerked her upwards and held her aloft. ‘Kiss, Voetsek !’ he shouted. ‘Kiss, then lick his arse!’
    All I could hear was Tinker yelping and I fell to my knees and kissed Pissy’s arse.
    â€˜Kiss again, rooinek , inside!’ came the command from above. With Tinker yelping and about to die from throttlelisation I licked the side of Pissy’s bum. ‘ In sy gat ! In his hole, kiss it for me!’ They both laughed and Pissy’s hands came around and parted his bum so I could see his arsehole. ‘Now kiss or the dog dies!’ Fonnie threatened. Tinker’s yelp had become a weak whimper as her throat constricted from the effects of the noose. I kissed into Pissy’s bum, inside the crack but my lips didn’t touch the place that wasn’t pink but sort of purple and nasty. It smelled of shit. I made a sort of smacking sound with my lips. ‘Now do it again, rooinek arselicker, and say you sorry again!’ Fonnie demanded.
    I kissed Pissy’s bum hole but I didn’t lick it. ‘Sorry, Pissy,’ I wept.
    â€˜Stay like that on your knees, don’t turn around,’ Fonnie’s voice demanded. Pissy stood up and moved away from me and I remained on my knees with my back to Fonnie. Tinker was either dead or back in his arms because she’d stopped whimpering.