A Kind of Hush Read Free Page A

dangerous occupation. And if the intention was to close down a charity that brought many paedophiles and child abusers to justice then it succeeded. A lot of child abusers could rest happy. More to the point the man who had been allowed to bring the action against me had really won. True, he was in prison, but he got his revenge, courtesy of our legal system.
    My euphoria at being acquitted soon abated, reality reentered my life. I was like a Grand Prix driver, my car chained to the start, wheels spinning like mad, but unaware of which direction to take, and unable to take one anyway. I went back to my book. I gave it a title -'Getting Even' - this somehow summed up my feelings. I rewrote the ending, leaving it purposefully ambiguous.
    I guess Mick sums up how I was feeling, with his stumbling around, trying to find a direction.
    Shortly after the trial I was invited to an International Conference in Switzerland, where I was presented with the 1991 Award for Outstanding Service. That was great. I came home with renewed vigour.
    I attended a few gatherings here but soon realised that it was not for me any more. I kept meeting people at those places that I'd known for years but who'd kept a very low profile when I needed help. Now they acted as if nothing had happened, some even said that they always knew that I would win. I couldn't take their hypocrisy, it was a  world that I no longer wanted to be a part of, a world full of pretentiousness and . . . well . . . not very nice people.
    I'd given a copy of my manuscript, as a gift, to a dear American friend while in Switzerland. She called me and told me that someone else in America had heard that I'd been writing, and had asked for a copy. She added that this woman said 'that she knew someone in the business' and that they might help me with it. I'd never thought of doing anything with the work, after all it was just written as an exercise to get rid of the feelings that I was having before the trial. But I relented and said that she could send it if she wanted.
    A month or so later I received an envelope from Hollywood. Boy didn't she know someone in the business. My work was being compared to The Outsiders and Boyz 'n the Hood , both brilliant movies. Of course I was thrilled. But a movie! That couldn't have been further from my mind. Well, it just doesn't happen to working-class blokes does it?
    What do I do? I needed an agent. I called some people that I had worked with when doing my TV stuff and dropped in unannounced at the British Film Commission to see if they could help me. They were wonderful. The combination of the two led me to an agent, and she led me to a British film-maker, and the rest is history. There is now a movie called A Kind of Hush produced and shot in London, and based on this story. I couldn't be more proud. I was a bit miffed though at the name change. Well, A Kind of Hush , what kind of title is that? 'Getting Even' is what I liked because it is what I felt I was doing; but then again things grow on you don't they? And I have to admit that I love the song.

    You know I may not be able to work in the way that I used to with child abuse, but in a funny kind of way I may well have found a better way to help. Because, if what I have written helps just one person out there then all of my troubles have been worthwhile.
     
    Richard A Johnson
     

Chapter One
     
     
     

     
     
     
    ‘Jesus Christ, you’ll fucking kill him!’ screamed Tony.
    ‘Fuck him,’ growled Mick as he pushed the guy’s arm across the kerbstone and jumped on it. The crack was sickening. The bloke screamed in obvious agony and tried to lift his arm. It looked as if he had two elbows, one in the normal place and one near his wrist.
    ‘Please, please don’t hurt me any more!’ wailed the man as Mick quickly rifled through his pockets, stuffed the loot into his jacket, gave the bloke a last swift kick to the side of the head with his steel-tipped DMs and we all legged it.
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