Free Davo's Little Something by Robert G. Barrett Page B

slight hangover, had started to put a bit of an edge on his appetite and he was keen to get something into hisstomach. While he’d been working on the band saw Davo had noticed that Len seemed to be working a lot harder than usual and when he returned from smoko there was sliced steak and chops ready to be packed lying around everywhere. It looked as if another six butchers had been in there.
    â€˜Jesus what’s got into you today?’ he said, as Len kept working away like a beaver while Davo put his coat and apron back on. ‘Someone shove a sky-rocket up your arse or something?’
    â€˜I think he’s trying to kill us,’ said Dutchy, from behind all the meat stacked in front of her and the other girls.
    â€˜To tell you the truth,’ said Len. ‘I’ve got to go out to Parramatta on business after lunch and I won’t be back. So I thought I’d catch up on this cutting—that’s the good news.’
    â€˜Yeah,’ replied Davo. ‘What’s the bad news?’
    â€˜The bad news is—I’ve got to leave you in charge.’
    â€˜Ohh Jesus, this is going to be nice,’ said Kathy. ‘The lunatics are taking over the asylum.’
    â€˜Hey don’t worry groupie,’ said Davo, pointing at Kathy. ‘If I’m in charge you’re the first one I’m gonna sack.’
    â€˜Listen, Davo,’ said Len. ‘By leaving you in charge, all I want you to do is answer the phone, sign the meat delivery dockets and make a note of what goes out the front. If that’s too taxing for that peanut brain of yours, see Dutchy and she’ll help you out. Alright?’
    â€˜You need not worry mein herr gruppenfuhrer,’ said Davo, clicking his heels together and putting on a ridiculous German accent. ‘I vill to everysing to zer best of my ability. Unt zer vill be no prisoners.’
    â€˜Just don’t root nothin’ up, Davo—that’s all. Anyway. I’m off to smoko I’m starving.’ Len washed his hands and got two massive corn beef sandwiches out of his bag in the cool room, then he and Eddie and the other girls went to morning tea.
    When he came back, Len wrote out a list of instructions for Davo and pinned them on the wall next to the phone. Satisfied that everything was in order he and Davo rolled some briskets and roasts of beef till lunchtime while Eddie and Dennis boned out a few sheep for mince and cut up a great stack of lamb forequarter chops; more than they usually did because thesupermarket was running them as their main meat special, along with a lot of other specials, all that week.
    By lunchtime Davo was quite hungry again and glad to knock off for something to eat. He finished the casserole he had in the lunchroom oven pretty smartly then decided to go for a walk through Bondi Junction and maybe grab a satay stick or a cup of coffee and a donut. He avoided going past the chemist shop where Sandra worked in case she might think he was starting to hang around her like some lecherous old stage-door Johnnie. He was sweet there, no real need to worry about that, but it was best to cool it. Instead, he went over to the plaza in front of David Jones, where he bumped into another butcher he knew from one of the shops in the Junction, and they sat there talking shop and eating coffee and donuts till it was time for them both to go back to work.
    â€˜Now remember what I told you, Davo,’ said Len, as he got ready to leave. ‘Just carry on normal and there’s the list of what I want you to do right there.’ He pointed dramatically to the phone. ‘If you get stuck see Dutchy. Okay?’
    â€˜No worries, Len me old son. You can rely on your number one man. There is just one thing though.’ Davo narrowed his eyes and smiled murderously at Kathy.
    â€˜Yeah, what Davo?’
    â€˜Is it alright if I sack someone?’
    Len shook his head and started heading for the door.