by Timlin, Mark
‘Old St Lucian recipe, handed down from mother to daughter. Or son in this case.’
When the edge of their appetites was sated, Mark put down his soup spoon and said. ‘OK, Uncle John, we’ve had the sentimental journey, and you’re spoiling me with good food and booze. So tell me, what exactly is going on?’
Jenner blew though his teeth, put down his spoon also and said: ‘Well, Mark, it’s a long bloody story.’
‘I’ve got no pressing appointments.’
‘OK, son, I’ll tell you.’
He gathered his thoughts as the waiter reappeared, cleared away their soup dishes, and poured more wine, before Delroy himself bought out the main courses, covering their table with steaming dishes of delicious-smelling food. ‘Enjoy,’ he said when everything was set to his satisfaction. ‘Your men have food, and Mother will be out to see you when you’re finished.’
‘Fine, Delroy,’ said Jenner. ‘We’ll look forward to that.’
‘Come on, Uncle John,’ said Mark Farrow when they were alone again. ‘I’m trembling with anticipation.’
‘It’s all going to hell, Mark,’ said Jenner, tinkering with the food on his plate. ‘To hell in a hand basket. You know what I do. How I earn a crust. It used to be easy, but things are changing. Changing fast. I mean, just look around you. No one ever expected this part of the world to end up like this. Half a million pound houses and carrot cake for sale at the local flea pit. But underneath the surface it actually hasn’t changed that much. Just take a walk through the council estates. Burnt out flats and cars, syringes in the stairwells. What you see on top is cosmetic. What’s really changed is the gap between the rich and the poor. And there’s some seriously rich people round here now. Biggest growth industry apart from organic food is security systems. Those rich folk aren’t fools. They want to protect what they’ve got. And at the other end of the scale, the conmen and thieves know there’s a lot more to score.’
‘Sorry, Uncle, I still don’t get your point,’ said Mark.
‘Listen, son,’ said Jenner. ‘Society came off the rails in the Eighties. If you can’t handle that you’re a fool. And I ain’t one. I got O levels. Christ knows how. Few enough I’ll admit. But in hindsight I know that with a bit of graft I could’ve got a lot more. Maybe even gone to university. But boys like me didn’t go to university in those days. Or precious few. But I read books. I studied politics. That’s how I got to be boss. Now I’m dying. There’s no oddsing that, and to be honest it’s all slipping away. There’s all sorts of chancers coming up. All sorts of gangs trying to muscle in on my territory. Portuguese, Chinese, Asians, and blacks. The blacks are the worst with their crack and guns.’
Mark looked round the restaurant and was aware of the irony of John Jenner’s last remark but let it go.
‘We’ve been getting soft over the last few years. I need someone to come in and sort things out. Someone who knows what they’re doing.’
‘You mean me, Uncle?’ said Mark. ‘No. No chance.’
‘Think about it for a minute.’
Mark shook his head.
‘And Jimmy Hunter’s due out soon. A few months. And he’s going to be looking for trouble.’
‘So?’
‘He killed your father, Mark. My best friend.’
‘And I’ll be waiting.’
‘So wait at the old place. Wait with us.’
‘I dunno, Uncle. It’s so close now, I don’t want anything to get in the way.’
‘Nothing will. What are you doing right now that’s so important?’
‘Nothing. Just hanging around.’
‘So do what I ask. Come back, son.’
‘Uncle John…’
‘Come back home with me this afternoon,’ said Jenner. ‘We’ll talk. You can stay over. Your old room’s still there.’
‘Really?’
‘Really. Just as it was. I get the cleaners to change the sheets every couple of weeks. They think I’m mad of course, but they get well paid for what they do. We’ll talk more. About your dad.’
‘You never did talk much about him.’
‘No. And that was probably a mistake. Come on, what do you say?’
‘I say that this is excellent goat curry,’ said Mark. ‘Now come on, dig in or your mate and his mum aren’t going to be best pleased.’
‘You can say that again,’ said Jenner. ‘And believe me, Tootsie’s someone you don’t want to upset.’
So they ate their food, the previous subject left untouched, merely talking about old times and people, many that Mark hadn’t seen or thought of for years.
The food was good, and when the dishes were all but empty, and their stomachs all but stuffed, a short, plump black woman in chef’s whites with a bandanna over her hair came out of the kitchen and waddled over to their table. Both men went as if to stand but she waved them back, grabbed an empty chair from the next table and joined them. She pulled the bandanna off kinky black hair laid out in corn rows, wiped the sweat from her face, leaned over and kissed Jenner on the cheek.
‘How are you doing, John?’ she asked.
‘Fine, Tootsie, just fine.’
‘Truth.’
‘Not so good.’
‘I’m sorry. But you enjoyed the meal?”
‘Fabulous as ever.’
‘So why you left so much?’
‘A morsel.’
‘That morsel could feed a family back home,’ she said with a stern look in his direction.
‘I apologise, Tootsie,’ said Jenner.
Mark could hardly believe his ears. It wasn’t like his uncle to apologise to anyone, let alone a woman. Especially a black woman. Things had certainly changed in his absence.
‘I’ll have it put into a doggie bag,’ she said. “Snack it up later with a cold drink.’
‘We’ll do that.’
‘And who is this fine young man? Delroy informs me he’s your nephew. Why have we never seen him in here before?’
‘This is Mark,’ said Jenner. ‘A nephew by adoption. His father died a long time ago, and his mother…’ He didn’t finish the sentence. ‘He needed a good home.’
‘And you gave him what he needed,’ Tootsie finished for him.
‘That’s right,’ said Mark, looking up and extending his hand to the woman. When she looked into his eyes, her own widened, and for one moment he thought she was going to cross herself. My bloody eyes, he thought. Things like that often happened to him.
She recovered quickly and took his hand in both of hers and looked at his palm. ‘You have had troubles, young man,’ she said. ‘Bad troubles.’
‘Tootsie’s a bit of a soothsayer,’ explained Jenner.
‘You’re right there,’ said Mark, replying to the woman and making no effort to remove his hand. ‘And something tells me they might just be starting again soon.’
‘A boy needs a mother,’ Tootsie went on, ignoring his last remark. ‘I know. The Lord only knows where Delroy would be without me to keep him on the path of righteousness.’
‘I had a mother,’ said Mark. ‘Two in fact. One wasn’t quite up to the job I’m afraid.’ What am I saying? he thought. Why am I telling this woman anything? Then it occurred to him that it was for the same reason that his uncle had apologised to her. There was something about her that demanded truth and respect. ‘I left her, abandoned her,’ he went on. ‘It was the worst thing I ever did. Almost.’
‘You couldn’t have stayed, son,’ said Jenner.
‘Let him speak,’ said Tootsie. ‘Let the boy speak for himself.’
‘But I had another mother,’ Mark continued. ‘A beautiful woman. John’s wife.’ But she left us, he thought. Abandoned us, before her time. Although it wasn’t her fault. And we had to watch her die, day by day, bit by bit. Getting old in front of our eyes. Fading away until she finally left. He didn’t speak his thoughts, but he saw that Tootsie understood.
‘I know about Hazel,’ said Tootsie. ‘Many a night your uncle and me have sa
t up late with the rum bottle setting the world to rights, and telling stories of our youth.’
‘We’ll do it again soon, I promise,’ said Jenner.
‘Did that stuff I gave you help with the pain?’ she asked.
Jenner smiled. ‘Yes. At night it helps a great deal.’
‘Good. And thanks for the drink, John. It cooled me down plenty.’
‘A pleasure.’
‘Well, I’ll leave you boys now,’ she said. ‘I can see you have much to talk about. But don’t be strangers. Come again soon. And bring Martine. She lights up this place like a lantern.’
‘Just like her mother would’ve done,’ said Jenner, and smiled again at the memory of his wife.
Tootsie stood, collected the dishes and headed back to the kitchen. Delroy came and took their orders for sweets and coffee. When he’d gone Jenner said, ‘So. You going to stay tonight or what?’
‘If you tell me about my dad.’
‘Not all of it.’
‘Some.’
‘All right.’
‘Then it’s a deal.’
FOUR
It took his uncle what seemed to Mark like an age to settle the bill, and included a trip to the kitchen to shake hands with the other staff and collect the leftovers, all neatly parcelled up in foil containers. When they finally got outside, it had been snowing again, the pavements were dusted with white and the black clouds were in a holding pattern over south London.
Once inside the Vogue, Jenner said, ‘You know the way,’ and the car took off towards Tulse Hill and the house where Mark Farrow had spent so much of his youth, still tailed by the Merc. When they got close, Jenner hauled out his mobile and phoned Chas. ‘We’re outside, open up,’ and as they approached the detached house, which sat behind high walls with twin automatic gates allowing access to the short U-shaped drive, the gates opened and Mark parked the Range Rover next to the Bentley. The Mercedes took up a position half straddling the pavement opposite.
‘Come on in and have a drink,’ said John Jenner.
The inside of the house was warm and comfortable with lights glowing against the late afternoon London gloom.
‘You haven’t changed it much, have you?’ said Mark, taking off his coat and muffler and throwing them over the back of a chair.
‘What’s the point?’ said Jenner. ‘Hazel had it done up nice. It always suited us, didn’t it?’
‘It certainly did,’ said Mark, sitting on a long, plush sofa and accepting the brandy that Jenner gave him. ‘So where’s Chas live?’
‘In the granny flat,’ said Jenner. ‘But don’t call it that, he gets a bit peeved.’
Mark laughed and took a sip of his drink.
Jenner sat in an armchair opposite, winced, and took a hand-rolled cigarette from a silver box and lit it.
‘You smoking spliff?’ said Mark when he smelt the smoke.
‘Medicinal purposes only. I get a bit of pain about this time of day. It helps. This is the stuff Tootsie got me. Best St Lucian weed. Want one?’
‘No. I’ll stick to these,’ said Mark, taking out his cigarettes and lighting up.
‘Did you hear they made it semi-legal round here?’ asked Jenner.
‘I heard something like that on TV.’
‘I’m glad you’ve heard something at least. Who’d ever have thought it? After all the bloody fuss and bother they used to make over it. Once upon a time this spliff alone would’ve got me a couple of years inside.’
‘Hard to believe,’ said Mark.
Jenner took a long drag of weed. ‘But we had some fun. Happy days.’
‘Tell me about them. You never have.’
‘Later. First of all I want to know if you’re going to come down and give me a hand.’
‘It could get heavy, couldn’t it?’
‘Very. I don’t like to ask, but with me being the way I am I’m not up to it any more.’
‘I can’t very well refuse, can I?’
‘You could’ve just not bothered to get in touch.’
‘I knew it had to be important. You haven’t tried to get me before.’
‘Not because I didn’t want to. I just thought it was better to let you have your head.’
‘And I’m grateful for that. Grateful for a lot of things. You know that. The way you took me in…’
‘I always wanted a son,’ interrupted Jenner.
‘You’ve got one.’
‘Good. So? You up for it?’
‘I suppose so.’
‘Good. It’s good to have you back home, Mark.’
‘Home. Now that’s not a word I’ve used much lately.’
‘You can now.’ And so they sat together recalling good times as the afternoon turned to evening, the sky grew darker and the snow fell fitfully on the just and the unjust alike.
Around seven they heard the front gates open and the rumble and grumble of an engine. ‘Martine’s home,’ said Jenner.
‘What’s she driving?’ asked Mark. ‘Sounds interesting.’
‘One of those new Mini Cooper S models,’ said Jenner. ‘Dev got hold of it and tweaked it up a bit. Goes like shit off a shovel.’
‘Dev,’ said Mark. ‘I can’t wait to see him.’
‘You will, soon enough.’
‘Sounds ominous.’
The sound of voices came from the hall, Chas’s deep vocals and a woman’s surprised response, the living room door burst open and in she came. Martine Jenner was dressed in a long camel hair coat. Her red hair was damp from the snow, and its curls corkscrewed halfway down her back. Her skin was very white and her dark eyes sparkled as she spotted Mark.
‘Hey, blue eyes,’ she said. ‘Long time. I thought you were dead.’
Mark looked at the young woman standing in the doorway and laughed out loud. ‘Christ,’ he said ‘The brat has grown up.’ He could hardly believe it. The last time he’d seen her she’d been attractive. But now she had matured into a beauty, the spitting image of her mother as he remembered her. It was uncanny. He looked at John Jenner and knew that he saw the same.
‘You’d better believe it,’ she replied. ‘And you’ve grown old.’
‘’Tine,’ warned Jenner.
‘Leave her, it’s all right,’ said Mark.
‘Why didn’t you come to my wedding?’ she asked. ‘You could’ve got off with one of the bridesmaids. Or their mums.’
‘I didn’t miss much by all accounts.’
‘You cheeky sod. Dad, tell him.’
‘You started it,’ said Jenner, memories of so many times when he’d been called in to referee between them in the past.
‘You always did take his side,’ said Martine.
‘That’s not true.’
‘Sorry, Martine,’ said Mark, seeing the hurt in her expression. ‘I was out of order.’
‘So was I. Now come here so’s I can give you a cuddle.’
Mark stood up and she gave him a quick hug before going over to her father and kissing him on the cheek. ‘How many of those have you smoked today, Daddy?’ she asked, looking at the roach in the ashtray.
‘Enough.’
‘You had your morphine?’
He shook his head. ‘Me and Mark have been talking.’
‘I just bet you have.’ She turned on the younger man. ‘He should be resting, not sitting up here talking to you.’
‘I’ll be all right, ‘Tine,’ said Jenner. ‘There’s things we have to talk about.’
‘You’ll kill yourself,’ she said, her expression softening.
‘It’s not me that’s killing myself, it’s this damn cancer. Mark’s staying over. I’ll rest later. What are you doing? You eating with us?’
‘No. I just came back to change. Girl’s night out.’
‘Up west?’
‘No. There’s a new bar in Clapham. Lots of lovely men.’ And she looked at Mark with a challenging expression.
He’d sat back down again and pretended to pay her no attention.
‘Right,’ she said. ‘I can tell you’re going to ignore me. I’ll go and have a shower and put on my gladrags. I don’t want to take the car in this weather. Can Chas drive me? It’ll only take him twenty minutes.’
‘Course he will,’ said Jenner. ‘How’re you going to get home?’
‘I’ll get a cab.’
‘Is the snow getting worse?’
‘It comes and goes.’
‘Well, take your mobile and call us if you need a lift home.’
‘Have you ever known me to go out without my mobile?’ she said back.
‘No, love. I know it’s welded to your ear. I have to pay the bills.’
‘Don’t be a meanie.’
‘Have I ever been?’
She went over to him again and gave him another kiss and a long hug. ‘Never. Not my dad.’
‘Go on then, ‘Tine,’ said the older man. ‘Go and make yourself beautiful.’
‘More beautiful, you mean.’ She danced out of the room and up the stairs.
‘Tootsie was right,’ said Mark. ‘She does light up the room. I’d forgotten.’
‘She’s still hurting though,’ said Jenner. ‘Don’t you believe all that.’
‘I could tell. What was he like? The husband.’
‘Not good enough for her.’
‘You’d say that if it was Prince Charles she’d married.’
‘Especially if it was Prince Charles.’
‘Bad example. But you know what I mean.’
‘Course I do.’
They sat talking for another few minutes before there were foot steps on the stairs again and Martine burst back into the room like a small tornado. She’d changed into a short black dress, black nylons and high heeled strappy shoes.
‘Just the thing for the weather,’ said Mark dryly.
‘But I’ve got a Bentley,’ said Martine, and stuck out her tongue. Her face was newly made up and she did indeed look beautiful as she shrugged back into her coat. ‘Coming, Chas,’ she shouted over her shoulder. ‘Won’t be late, Dad,’ she said. ‘Work tomorrow. You’ll be here for breakfast, Mark?’ And when he nodded, she said. ‘It’ll be just like old times.’
‘What, you in your Rupert The Bear jammies?’ said Mark.
‘I don’t wear jammies to bed anymore,’ she said. ‘You’d be surprised what I do wear.’ Mark laughed.