...And Through Wax Seals and Padlocks

“I’m not going to do it!” I snapped, trying get out the tight grip that was forced on my wrist. No matter how hard I tried to pull away, I failed at trying to get out of the tight wrist grab. For someone who was so tall and skinny and resembled a praying mantis, Luke defiantly had a strong grip. Tears swelled up in my eyes as he pressed down harder and harder on my wrist, making sure all the bones inside it would compress under the immense impact of his hand.
“I don’t care what you want to do! Your going to steal that record whether you like it or not!” he shouted, whilst slamming me against the brick wall of the record shop. Now I was helplessly pinned to the wall by Luke. His dark brown eyes were starring into my emerald eyes and his heavy breathing was starting to make me feel sick. He had to look down on me because he was so tall, which made his arms were press down even harder on my shoulders. I looked away from his aggressive gaze, and tried to hold back the tears that were swelling up inside my eyes. I really hated Luke.
“Echo and the Bunnymen right? You want me to steal Echo and the Bunnymen?” I whispered while trying to pull Luke off me. His thin lips curved up into a smile and he slowly released me out of his forceful grip.
“That’s a good girl. Go in and steal it, you know what to do you’ve done it before. I’ll be waiting outside for you. Don’t pull any funny business or make a scene. Just go in and out, okay?” Luke ordered. I nodded my head and started to make me way to the entrance of the Second Hand record shop in West End. I looked behind me to see Luke’s long brown shaggy haired face behind a cigarette. His gaze was fixed on me and he coldly stared, waiting for me to enter the record shop. I slowly made my way to the entrance, thinking out in my head my plan of attack.

I pushed the postered covered glass door out of my way and walked inside the over cramped record shop. “Leader of the Pack” hit my hears as soon as I stepped out of the door way, causing my mouth to automatically sing along to the words. I looked around and admired all the old vinyl’s and records placed on shelves in no particular order. On the ground were cassettes put in boxes that nobody bought and on the walls were about 30 various cd’s placed in a book shelf. Everything else was on vinyl. I really didn’t want to steal from this record shop; I liked it far too much. Nobody came here so you had a better chance of finding the record you wanted, also the person that owns the store was nice to me and this would have to be the only place I like to visit.

I started to make my journey for finding any Echo and the Bunnymen vinyl that Luke wanted me to steal. I have no idea why it had to be that particular band, he wasn’t into much music but it was a task I had to do, as much as I didn’t want to. Luke often made me do difficult tasks like this for him, ever since he found me trying to find some trace of my family. You see, at St. Jerome’s were not allowed to contact anyone outside the orphanage, not unless they request to be contacted. About 6 years ago, when I was 11, I wrote several letters to the woman that had discovered me before my mother died. Luke had found the letters and threatened to tell the Nun’s at the orphanage about how I was planning to run away. Instead of facing the severe consequences of being beaten and made to fast and not eat for 3 days as punishment by the Nuns; I decided I should do what he wanted me too, instead of dobbing me in. It’s been 6 years now and he’s still managing to blackmail me again and again.

I continued to browse around the old vintage records, which always had that smell of oldness about them. It’s fascinating to think about all the previous owners who bought these back when the records were at their prime, and how years go on and people still manage to recollect the album’s goodness, even if it is 30 old. My fingers flipped their way through various album covers of Iggy Pop, The Sonics, The Standells and even the Velvet Underground, and occasionally I would drool at rare limited vinyls like the Jesus and Mary Chain’s Physcocandy. After minutes of searching their was no luck in finding any Echo and the Bunnymen. This was getting even more disappointing because now I’ll have to actually go up and ask for it. That is the worst idea. I can’t go up and ask for the album I’m stealing! If only I wasn’t so broke, I could at least have £20 to buy the album.

My legs started to tremble as I slowly walked up to the front counter, fiddling with my long wavy black hair and my other hand behind my back (a nervous habit of mine). The man working behind the counter was reading the latest edition of NME; he wore black jeans, your average Ramones shirt and looked rather filled out. His shaggy red hair was covering his face and his brown eyes which hid under the magazine. I waited for a moment, before interrupting with a dry cough, hoping to grab his attention. Maybe he wouldn’t at all pay attention to me and I could leave the store, hoping Luke would believe me that no one would help me find the album.
“Can I help you?” the man annoyingly asked, startling me. I had no idea what I was planning on doing next. It’s nice to know I never think these plans out properly.

“Uh... yeah… um I was woundering if you had anything by Echo and the Bunnymen? Vinyl preferably?” I quietly asked. The man had the blankest expression on his face and put down his magazine.
“Echo and the who?” He ignorantly stated. I hate people who do this to you in record stores. You think they would have the decency to just search for it, rather then mock the customer who happens to know a band that doesn’t exist beyond ’77 punk.
“Yeah, their band, from Liverpool, around about ’78. I suppose their post punk slash alternative. The band Robert Smith successfully tries to rip off” I said aloud, feeling very smug with myslef. The man just stared blankly at me and walked away over to someone else near a box of records. Well that’s rude.

“What was the band you were looking for?” a man came over asking me. He looked at least 4 or 5 years older then me and wore the coolest pair of winkle pickers. Like everyone else in this record store he wore black stove pipes, but they were much more tighter. His shirt was blue and white striped with a white vest over the top. Very cool. He had perfect mushroom cut hair with a fringe covering most of his eyesight, which complimented his high cheekbones; this guy looked as if he just stepped out of 1967.
“Um yeah, do you by any chance have any Echo and the Bunnymen?” I polity asked for the second time that day.
“Yeah we should. Come with me and we’ll have a look” he said before walking away to the other side of the record store. I quickly followed him while admiring all the different record posters that were plastered in the store, giving the shop that over-crowded ‘we know heaps of bands that’s why we put up their poster’ look. Then all of sudden the man stopped and turned to another shelf. Typical, the shelf I forgot to look at it. He started to browse through the records by knowledge pulling one by one to examine its dust cover.

“Did you know the song ‘the killing moon’ is at the start credits of Donnie Darko?” the man asked nicely, obviously trying to start a conversation. I smiled to myself, thinking of how Donnie Darko is the reason I got into the band.
“Yeah, it gives the movie that eerie feel to it. Also could be for the fact the movie has an imaginary physco rabbit in it” I laughed, hoping I didn’t just state the obvious that came to my mind. Well it couldn’t have sounded that stupid because the man laughed aswel.
“Yes, bit ironic isn’t it? Well if you’re interested in echo, you might be interested in the Cure obviously?” he asked while still trying to search for the record. I have a feeling it’s not here, which in my case is an extremely good thing.
“Yeah I am into the cure, but I strongly believe majority of Robert Smith’s songs are ripping off Echo” I strongly stated. The man laughed again, causing him to stop searching.
“I see your point. That’s like every other band now days. I mean, look at Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, it’s almost like the American equivalent to the Jesus and Mary Chain” The man said matter-of-factly. I laughed, causing him to widely smile. He went back to trying to search while I looked around the store. When I looked out the window, my stomach dropped as I saw Luke standing outside the store, obviously thinking what the hell was taking me. I quickly turned away, hoping the man would hurry up.

“Dam! That’s a real shame. I’m really sorry but it looks as if we don’t have it. I’m really sorry.” The man apologized looking a little annoyed at the record shelves while putting his hands on his hips. My heart felt much lighter and I think my face started to light up. I would have been really upset if he did find the record that means I would have had to steal it form the guy.
“That’s okay. Maybe next time you guys might have it” I said while beginning to walk away from the shelf.
“Defiantly. I’ll order it in today and hopefully I’ll have it in by Saturday if you like?” he said nicely with his brown eyes starring at me.
“Yeah that would be great thanks! Oh I’m Nancy by the way” I said holding out my hand. I’ve always hated my name; it’s defiantly a horrible one. I mean, who do you know that’s cool and has the name Nancy? Say for instance Nancy Drew. The perfect average teen age girl who solves boring crimes in her boring neighborhood. See what I mean? And what about the awful Nancy Spungen who dated Sid Vicious? Would you really want to be named after a crack whore? This is exactly why I should change my name.

“I’m Rhys” he said while shaking my hand. His hands were very delicate and weren’t that much bigger then my own.
“Um I gotta go but if you could order that in for me that would be fantastic” I said smiling and walking away slowly.
“No that’s fine. I only do this sort of thing to customers who are into cool music”. He said smirking as I began to laughed. Rhys defiantly knew his stuff, rather then that idiot at the before who wouldn’t know any band apart form the sex pistols or the Ramones.
“Nice meeting you Nancy!” Rhys yelled as I walked out of the glass doors of the record shop. I turned around and waved goodbye to him. It’s not everyday I actually meet someone who wants to talk to me; this is exactly why I should work at a record shop. My happiness was worn off when Luke quickly came over to me, expecting a record to be hidden in my bag or something.

“Where is it” he snapped as he stopped me walking and pushed me. His eyes were woundering all over me, expecting a record to be handed to him at any moment. I didn’t like to be pushed by Luke, especially when he’s twice as tall as me and makes sure his arms just use that extra force.
“They didn’t have it. I looked everywhere and I couldn’t find it” I said carelessly and started to walk away from Luke and his raging eyes. He quickly grabbed my arm and dragged me towards his face. He looked furious and his eyes were bulging out of his big head.
“What do you mean you don’t have it?!” He yelled and gripped me tighter, causing my arm to loose blood circulation. I didn’t look into his eyes and stared at the ground, hoping I wouldn’t break down into a fit of tears. I continued to not answer him.
“Well that’s not fucking good enough! I needed that record, you ungrateful whore!” he yelled. All of a sudden I felt his hand lash across my face. Almost instantly the left side of my face began to burn with pain. He let go of my arm as I automatically clutched my face. Tears were swelling up in my eyes as I was rubbing the impact of his ahnd, trying to get over the fact that he just hit me. He took a few steps back and folded his arms across his chess.
“You deserved it you slut. Now what have you got to say for yourself?”

I just stared into his cold brown eyes. My heart started to thump faster with rage. I could feel my blood level rise as he just stood their, acting as if I deserved all the mistreatment I get.

“I told you I was trouble” was what I spat at him. His face started to turn red, enraged with anger as I quickly started to step backwards before running away from Luke.