LERNERT ENGELBERTS Real Bad People - De Harmonie

‘I can’t buy you another ice cream, because this money’s for the paint,’ Isighed. Phil just laughed again. He reached for his back pocket and pulled out aleather wallet on a chain.‘Your sister asked if she could come for a quick spin on the back,’ said Phil.‘Is that right?’ I answered.He took out a ten-pound note and gave it to Claire.‘Take good care of your sister. She’s one in a million,’ he said and rode off. Asif I didn’t already know she was one in a million. It was none of his bloody businessanyway.Claire threw her empty cone away, walked over to the ice-cream van, wherethere was no queue now, and asked for two new banana ice creams. At theironmonger’s we bought four pots of paint and on the way home she just kept goingon about Phil’s tattoo as if it was something amazing.‘Do you think I could get a tattoo with the money that’s left over?’ she said.When we got back, Dad and Kevin were sitting on two kitchen chairs in the backgarden, stripped down to their underpants. Dad had a wet handkerchief knottedaround his head. He said that was the best way to cope with the sweltering sun. Theirfaces were covered with dust. Claire gave Dad a kiss and asked him how much he’dpaid for his tattoo. He nearly choked on his beer.‘My tattoo? God, it’s such a long time ago. I don’t remember.’ Dad rubbed hishand over the black letter A adorning his bare chest. The A stood for Uncle Antonio,who had disappeared without a trace one day. Dad had loved him so much that hedecided to get a tattoo so that he would always be with him. Uncle Antonio onlyremained without a trace for nine years and then he suddenly turned up with amoustache and a blonde girlfriend in tow. No one said a word about where he’d been