Foxy_T

by Tony White

  ‘A robber!’ he say. ‘What you mean T?’ Zafar was vex about this believe me cause him never hear about no robber since him doing security is it.

  ‘Well,’ she says. ‘It was a few month ago now before you was here Zafar but I was sitting up the front of the shop and this thief come in and before he could do anything I saw him right and he just was stand there and a look right in my eyes man. Freak me out good I tell you.’

  She turned back to the telly and stood there on one leg like she was before.

  ‘You catch this robber or call the police or what?’ aks Zafar.

  ‘Shit man no he give me a fucking fright way him a look at me like that. Then when I seed him in the street after him run out the shop then he look back at me and kind of smile in this totally freaky way man.’

  ‘Smiling?’ says Zafar laughing. ‘You was frighten?’

  ‘Well not exackly frighten but he give me a shock man. Freak me out for a second thats all.’

  ‘So you was thinking I was that thief is it.’ Zafar laugh again.

  ‘Just for a second yeah I must of been day dreaming init.’

  ‘So do you think I’ve come fe nick them computer or something then? Or maybe I’m after them phone card.’ He was still laughing.

  She just look at him blank.

  ‘I never been taken for a thief before,’ he says. ‘Except when me use to nick cars but thats different man. I never been taken for a thief by someone I knowed.’ Zafar just shook him head and laugh init then look at Foxy-T and go, ‘Come and sit down man.’

  ‘I’m going upstairs Zafar,’ she says. ‘Rooj will be wondering where I got to init.’ But she didnt move just stand there like that for a bit.

  ‘So when you go answer me question man?’

  ‘What question?’

  ‘You know what question man. You aint that dumb. That question I aks you yesterday man. About us getting marry.’

  ‘I aint answering that,’ she says.

  ‘Phone a friend?’ he says laughing. ‘Fifty fifty? What is it dont you know the answer or something.’

  He was well laughing now init but Foxy-T say nothing and just stand there like before.

  ‘Aks the audience then T.’

  And she just say, ‘No I aint answerin that question its stupid man. You aint got no right to aks me a question like that man. Sheer stupidness is what it is and you know it.’

  ‘Is it because you think I am that thief from before?’ he aks.

  She look at him long and slow but dont say nothing.

  ‘Dont put me down for that thief man,’ he says then pats the arm of the chair again and aks her to sit down one more time. ‘I aint come fe jack you man.’

  Seem like that she wasnt gonna sit down though so him stand up instead init and him talk real quiet now like him whisper some big secret to her.

  ‘Come on sit down a minute,’ he says. ‘Just for a minute man.’ Then he touch her arm again and say, ‘I aint that robber is it T. You dont really think I’m that robber do you?’ And he put his hand on her upper arm and lightly pull her towards him and then he kiss Foxy-T on the neck. She just stand there like shes pretending it aint happening but then he kiss her on the neck again because she turn and looking over at the door and Zafar cant reach her face and her lips.

  ‘Come on say yes man,’ Zafar say and try fe pull Foxy-T a bit nearer so him can kiss her on the mouth but he just kiss her cheek instead.

  Then they hear footstep upstairs and Ruji-Babes is going, ‘What taking you so long man? Isnt you coming upstairs or what?’

  ‘Shit man,’ say Foxy-T turn back toward Zafar. ‘Thats Rooj.’ She kind of pull away and stand up straight. And as she does this he see an opportunity and reach over fe kiss her full on the mouth. Shit man him quick believe me. She feel like she been struck by lightning man and make a funny little noise through pure surprise.

  ‘Come on man! Say yes init.’

  ‘T!’ calls Ruji-Babes from upstairs.

  ‘Say yes.’

  ‘T! What take you so long girl?’

  ‘Say yes.’

  ‘T!’ shouts Ruji-Babes from upstairs in the dark. ‘T!’

  But Zafar not about fe let go man him a hold on tight and whisper, ‘Say yes! Say yes!’

  And Ruji-Babes is going ‘T! T! What you doing?’

  But she couldnt do nothing that Foxy-T and she couldnt cope with the both a them nagging at her like this so she just say like whatever she can think of init and its the wrong thing a course cause you always say like the wrong thing at them kind of time just fe get them other fucker off your back init and think that your words dont mean nothing but they do mean something seen and once you say them words or whatever you cant take them back which was a shame for Foxy-T because what she just blurt out then to get that Zafar off her case and out her face was, ‘Yes! Yes! whatever. Just let me go to bed man.’

  And she try fe wriggle out his grip like that but he got her tight just above the elbow init.

  And him cant believe what he just heard. So him going, ‘You said “Yes” man! You said “Yes”. And thats a promise man so dont be with fucking me about now seen.’

  And Foxy-T is going like, ‘Just let me go. Yes. Yes, alright? Just let me fucking go now man.’ Then she cry out like, ‘I’m coming Rooj!’

  So him shock and let go her arm and she was up that stairs like nobody business believe me.

  Once she gone upstairs to bed that Zafar watch some more telly init. Only now Zafar all wound up and cant concentrate on that film is it since he just think over and over about what happen with Foxy-T and that she gonna marry him. Believe me for once him no sleep good.

  Next day come breakfast they was all up and about and eating there toasts and drinking tea or whatever. His grandad like making tea the old way with all spice and boil milk but them two girl just use teabag like the eastenders that they is. And him sit around like he own the place and like they was the guests in him place. And when he put the kettle on for more tea he look over at Ruji-Babes and says, ‘Listen Ruji-Babes you want fe know something?’

  And Ruji-Babes was still a bit jumpy from last nights upset of Foxy-T not coming to bed when she want her to so she say, ‘Yeah wassup man?’

  Zafar look at Foxy-T sit there and eat her toast and he say, ‘Shall I tell her man?’

  And Foxy-T look up and she would a go red if she wasnt dark skin already believe me. She would of go so red that steam would a come off her.

  ‘Whatever man,’ she says. ‘Tell Ruji-Babes only dont go spreading that nonsense around the street seen.’ Then she took another bite of toast.

  ‘What you say?’ aks Ruji-Babes looking vex and tired. She didnt have them contacts in yet so her eyes look all dry and a bit puffy like she was crying in the night. She look even thinner than usual man and that hair of hers look grey and all.

  ‘Guess man,’ say Zafar gloating and enjoy him moment a glory.

  ‘Dont play game with me this time of day Zafar is it. Come on tell me man.’

  ‘You aint figure it out yet then?’ he aks her and him wink at Foxy-T while he is talking.

  ‘No I aint is it. Like I say stop pissing about man. I aint guessing nothing this time of day.’

  ‘We two is getting marry,’ says Zafar.

  Ruji-Babes stop what she was doing and look down at them pieces of toast on her plate as if she dont even know what they is or where they come from. They was like alien things there on that plate. She felt her stomach knot up inside like she could never eat nothing else ever again long as she live. She just sat there froze and staring with her tired eyes.

  ‘What was that you say?’ she aks eventually.

  ‘We two is getting marry isnt it T.’

  ‘Thats what you say man,’ say Foxy-T. Then she blush that invisible blush of hers again till she fit to bust. She put that half-eaten slice of toast down on her plate too and feel like she not hungry no more.

  Ruji-Babes look sick when she just a sit there and looking
at Foxy-T. She look like some dying puppy on Animal Hospital. Or like that little dog in Geri Halliwell when she down Battersea Dogs Home with like George Michael and there that old frighten dog what is pine away for him old dead master init and you can see all that pain and worry in that little dog face and Geri just bust out crying remember? Thats what Ruji-Babes look like right then. Exackly.

  ‘No!’ says Ruji-Babes.

  ‘For real man,’ say Zafar grinning that sly grin of his. ‘I aks her day before yesterday init and last night she say yes man!’

  Ruji-Babes turn away like she couldnt be near the table no more. Like just the smell of that toast and Nutella was poison. Then she stands up slowly kind of feeling around for something to lean on whether its the table or the back of her chair or whatever.

  ‘You must be fucking joking man!’ She say quietly then getting louder. ‘It aint gonna fucking happen man. You two is not getting marry and that is the end of it.’

  Ruji-Babes was angry now believe me despite that pain what was eat up her stomach and feel like it a pull all the breath out her body. That anger was give her some kind of rush init. Like a new kind a energy.

  ‘Why?’ say Zafar. ‘Why you no believe me man.’

  Ruji-Babes was look at him the way she was looking at her toast a minute ago like him some kind a alien creature she never seen before.

  ‘Boy,’ she say, ‘T would never be so stupid as to fall for such foolishness is it. Listen she got too much self respect fe marry some young rude boy like you Zafar. On my life you is such a stupid little boy init. She never gonna be so foolish and lose her independence like that. Shit man you is a fool if you think she gonna do that. She only know you like two weeks init. Fuck sake man you mad. T aint go marry some rude boy she hardly know.’

  She was like squinting at him a bit with her screwed up eyes because of not having her contacts in yet.

  He was getting cross now, and he goes, ‘Listen man what you know eh? If me know she the one then thats it man. Whats your problem I dont get it man.’

  She go, ‘No exackly init.’

  Zafar done nothing just sat with this angry look on his face. He look mean and well pissed off. Him no like being call stupid is it.

  ‘Shit man! T dont know what she getting into if this a for real.’

  ‘Aint none of your fucking business Ruji-Babes,’ him snap at her.

  ‘It fuckin is my business boy. More than it is yours and thats the truth.’

  ‘Yeah, how you figure that out?’ him aks. ‘I dont know what you mean man.’

  ‘Well yeah like I say. Thats what I mean init.’

  ‘Whatever,’ says Foxy-T who been a sit there quiet and listening to the two of them. ‘Just shut up init. Both of you. You talking about me like I aint here. All this chat achieve nothing man.’ Then she got up and roughly switch the kettle on then make herself busy with kitchen stuff.

  Ruji-Babes didnt know what to make about this is it. She just sit down again and stop there for a second and rub her temples with her fingers and look at the table like she was try and focus on the table cloth. Then without saying nothing she pushed back her chair and went upstairs.

  Zafar didnt move he just sit there fuming with a bad look on his face. If looks could kill man I tell you.

  Foxy-T was clearing up the plates and stuff and chuck them uneaten slice of toast into the bin then run that water fe washing up but Zafar didnt move a muscle. Foxy-T seem to have forgot all about it and she just like humming to herself while she do them things in fact she look like her normal self. She would look over at him every now and then and think ‘Shit you angry. You is just a big kid init. A big sulky kid.’ In all of him anger and that he was as distant from her as he ever been. She watch that anger cross him face like the wind in a tree or like she would watch the traffic going by in Cannon Street Road when she was sat in the front a the shop and think about something else. Funny enough she feel no connection with Zafar at all is it.

  Eventually Zafar get up and grab him jacket off the back of a chair and go down stairs a push past Ruji-Babes who is on her way down fe open up the shop. When she unlock the door him slip out and pull up the shutter on the front window. Ruji-Babes just stood there watching while he chuck the padlocks on the counter then he was off man and didnt say where he was going.

  Shortly after that Foxy-T come downstairs and the two of them get on with the business of opening up the shop. Foxy-T switch on the server and take out the back ups. Then she log on the phones and check they is all working right and then starting up the back of the shop she switch on all them computer one at a time like she normally done. Them little routine was part of Foxy-T day init like breakfast and lunch. She logging in each of them PC now and check that they was all working which they was on this occasion. She didnt even look outside let alone aks Ruji-Babes where that Zafar gone. Ruji-Babes was going about the business of open up the safe and getting out all them phone card and top up and locking most of them in that big glass display counter. Then she take out the float and get the till working and check she got the right amount in there and stuff. Because unlike most of the shop around here where the assistants or whatever are on the fiddle and keep there till open all day and cream off some little tips or whatever they might call them Ruji-Babes was totally together with that money and she knowed what was come in and what was going out all the time and kept a close eye on them kind of things and she werent afraid fe see them thing like print down on paper is it.

  Funny enough in spite of all that shit hitting various fan or whatever they was both feeling strangely relax and chill. Like them argument is clear the air. And this was obviously because Zafar not around. All together that day a shape up like a normal kind of morning like the ones they would of had before Zafar had even appeared at there back door and always be there in them face. They didnt talk about him at all and when Foxy-T went up and fix some coffee they went out and got some biscuits from the Mohamedia and just sit there chatting and giggling about whatever. Like one or two of them regular customer what they would make up stories about or bitch about them or whatever depending what kind of mood they was in. Just like in all shop or whatever when you only see one little glimpse of people life through them your customer but something in your brain join up all a them little moments and fill in the gaps like in between time them visiting your shop where you dont know where they are or what them a do is it. And your mind somehow turn it into a little story so that sometime if you aint careful you think you know about them people and is the same with them customer init like if you buy them thing in some shop regular then just cause you seen them shopkeeper man form idea about them init. But Foxy-T and Ruji-Babes wasnt stupid and for them is some little game or other fe pass the time when it werent that busy which was most of the time because when you run a phone and internet shop like the E-Z Call them customers aint come in fe chat with you is it. They come in fe chat to other people like there friends init so that actual eye to eye contact with your customer them aint happen that often in them kind of telephone and internet shop. Its just the giving people there cards and there change or telling them like Booth number ten man. Or saying ‘Aint you got nothing smaller?’ Or going like, ‘No I only got Girls Talk in thirty pound I’m sorry.’ Or take them money then bar code scan them log in number and give it them. Or saying, ‘How long? One hour yeah? That’s £1.50 man.’ Or going, ‘No sorry the printer a no work is it. You wanna send it again?’ Or going, ‘Yeah its 47p a minute to phone Islamabad yeah like it say on the sheet up there.’ And thinking thats why the sheet is up there fool but just a smile and tell them customer what they want fe hear. Only every now and then them tariff would change like for whatever reason probaly because of like the economy or whatever and then it was a right pain fe get them step ladder out and take down all of them signs and adjust all the figures in the database where the phone stuff all got work out. But that Foxy-T man she is one clever bitch yeah when it come to like computer because she work out a way right
of doing some kind of mail merge thing off the tariff database so that once it was all enter in the database she could just go to like merge in Word or whatever and open up a new thing and then go merge and all them tariff per minute and the country or the city or whatever would just merge into that new document. One on every page. So you got like a fifty page document or however many different place they got a tariff for but each of them page was a new like updated version of them A4 posters. So she didnt have to enter all them new figures by hand. Cause believe me once bitten twice shy init and ever since she had to do that whole job by hand one time she was try fe work out a way so she never have fe do it again. And in her way of seeming like she day dreaming and shake out her pony tail and stand there on one leg or whatever and check all the runnings out in the street thats when the idea come to her man. She well sharp init.

  And the day pass quick enough like this. Like is old times again only they dont find it boring now believe me. Because they just feel relax and like they can stretch out and touch every little bit of this shop and its all theres and no one elses and wasnt no one else what done all the work to get this place going anyway just them two just Ruji-Babes and Foxy-T. And they feel like some eyelash what had got in there eye or whatever is suddenly been take out or something. That aint quite it though because its like a eyelash they forgotten was there or whatever until it been taken out and then man just think, ‘Shit that was painful and I didnt realise it till now.’ Ruji-Babes even went over the Nagina Sweet Centre and fetch some meat samosa and jelabi for lunch. And they was just drinking there coffees and eating all that crunchy and sticky jelabi and enjoying the feel of that cold sweet syrup flood them mouth when they crunch through them curly candy tube init. Jelabi was there favourite sweet from there like I say. It was like a real treat and they both deserve it was what Ruji-Babes say because normally she would never buy them kind of treats and they would just have a sandwich or something for lunch.

  So the day pass in this way. Them both just enjoying there work like they aint done for what seem like weeks. In the afternoon Foxy-T have fe go up the bank init. And normally Ruji-Babes cousin what take them init but just cause him away dont meant them no have fe still do them things. Them two is still need change for the till init and so them cash up a bit and put this in just like a normal carrier bag so it aint look like she is carry a load a money. Also cause the HSBC on Commercial Road is close down now she have fe walk up Whitechapel though is still only like ten fifteen minute walk. And one thing when Foxy-T a cross Commercial Road she see some graffiti on them traffic light there. And who ever writ it done it with one a them silver pen init like them sell up Ekota Stationer and it aint massive that tag is it but it say ‘Zafar’ on them traffic light by the crossing there.