'Guys, things is getting tight. Rent has to go up to £35 per week now. That's including gas and electricity,' Aleck tell us. We don't say nothing but all drink in silence, avoiding each each's eyes and counting our toes.
'Ma-face,' Aleck break the silence. 'You know what, I'm craving sadza nemusoro watsomba with granadilla Fanta all day.' Aleck laugh to himself. 'And yesterday it was Freezits and rock buns.'
I have never think Aleck is the kind of number whose arse I know inside out. Until now. These kind of yearnings – sadza nemusoro watsomba and granadilla Fanta – that's fruit-and-vegetable-vendor-boy diet. Fish head with granadilla Fanta – pure bus-terminus combination. Still that don't say much. But the Freezits? It's the Freezits and rock buns that clinch it. That is true vendor's stuff. Sadza and fish head you can say, maybe anyone can eat that. But Freezits and rock buns – no one have those kind of cravings unless you was once part of it the bus-terminus-vending people. Now we have one proper fruit-and-vegetable-vendor boy inside our house. His rope-like, hard dry arms and them calloused hands have all been there before, but I have not see it all this time.
Shingi and me, we have spend big part of school holidays carrying them bags of mangoes and potatoes on our head to sell to them commuters at the bus station so we can earn our school fees. I know what I'm talking about. Aleck like to talk big. Until tonight I have been thinking that maybe he come from proper family, one that don't have to load they children with bags of fruits and vegetables and send them to bus station. We is same same, now it come out.
'So how come you know about Freezits and rock buns?' me I ask Aleck. He get funny. 'Ah, you know, my auntie used to sell them . . .' yep yep yep and all that kind of talk which people do when they have been catch out. Me, Shingi and Farayi just look. Tsitsi have long slip into house quiet and go straight to she room upstairs because Aleck think he is she big brother and don't like she around when we drink because he say she is too young and also that with all she problems, if she get taste of alcohol things go like spaghetti inside she head and she maybe lose it and end up like one of them women that you find on the streets carrying they babies and pulling faces into all kind of crazy triangles outside Tube station.
'And this was not big part of your diet?'
Aleck deny and gulp his vodka, hoping we talk about something else.
Why should we blow incense over fruit-and-vegetable vendor's arse? Me I want to know.
Aleck have big heart, but sometimes he behave like grumpy old school bursar. Before I move into the house, Farayi once fall sick with some terrible bug and everyone is thinking is it the bird flu. But Aleck will not lend him any money to buy medicine. Shingi have no graft at the time and have turn his pockets inside out to give everything towards rent. Farayi cough like chicken and shake under his blankets. Shingi is convince that Farayi going to die, but Aleck don't want to part with one penny because he think Farayi is trying some funny style on him. Farayi don't want to go to the hospital because he have already become illegal, and he only start to get better when Tsitsi, feeling sorry for him, go to buy him some medicine without telling Aleck.
Also Aleck have had run-in with Shingi. It is all because of quarrel over bunch of bruised bananas that district administrator eat thinking that they is going to the bin as they have go so bad he don't think they is fit to be eat by human being, except himself. He learn that he is not the only one who eat rotten fruit when the original native, with big stammer and pointing one spitting mad stump finger at the house rules, demand his bananas back.
Aleck leave our room and we all go kak kak kak into our pillows. Shingi roll on the bed laughing and by accident knock the pile of things that is by his bed on his suitcase. Things scatter all over the floor and this rectangular pack full of them plastic nails fall out into the open. Halloween Nails – that's what is written on it in red and black. It's one of them packs that is sold at that nail bar. Shingi rush and bundle it together with other things and throw them inside his suitcase like he don't care about these things, you know this kind of style. Now I know.
Tim have barrel stomach. Ricardo have no barrel stomach but he have got funny exposed throat that stick out bent like chicken throat because of his voice box. That's what I'm thinking. But days push you in waves and soon you is washed off on some new and unfamiliar shore. You want things back to being simple like they was so you can focus on few things only but now you have to tight every muscle because if you don't do that then life collect into one big shapeless thing and soon the whole thing slip off your grasp.
It's all because of them kids that live in estate block near Tim's. Two black boys, one Indian boy and one white girl. They is coming to Tim's more and more now. They get on my nerves because I can't focus now. They come in the afternoon, and sit at one of them two tables and play out they is cool and all.
Now I am cleaning them tables and the floor on other side of counter and they drop in, order chips and sit at the table. They don't eat them chips and just sit there talking and watching me cleaning around. Then, leaving them chips untouched, they run away off cackling and pissing they pants wet.
Tim watch this and don't say nothing because he is breastfeeding the machine. They is laughing at me and he do nothing about it.
Next day they come again and leave the place bawling with laughter. Tim call me to one side and tell me that when I am polishing them salt shakers I should avoid spitting onto the cloth that I use to polish. I listen up but them kids keep coming and doing the same thing. Now Tim tell me that when I am wiping dribble from ketchup and mayonnaise bokkles, I should stop doing it with them my bare fingers because, even if he don't mind, maybe them kids think it's not good hygiene, that is why they is not touching they chips. Tim say I must make sure they have nothing to laugh at and it will all end.
This thing now stretch all the skills inside my head.
I do as Tim say and I stop wiping ketchup with them fingers but them kids don't stop coming. Now they come with two more of they friends and they is laughing all the time and Tim is saying we just leave them alone because they is going to get over it.
'I have do like you say and they is still being funny. Now they is only coming to laugh at me and disturb me?'
No they are not laughing at you; they are only school kids, that's what Tim say. Now he cook up some big excuse saying he don't want to start something because kids like them have to be given respect because maybe they carry small gun.
'I know kids me, if you allow me I can chase them away.'
There is big alarm on his face. 'But they're customers!'
Breastfeeding his machine all the time is getting Tim's head out of gear; he don't understand that them kids is only coming to laugh at me. I give him powerful look and he hold my gaze. This is lot of hard work for this kind of peanut money, I don't tell him. I just leave him propping the counter with his barrel stomach.
In the morning I am lying down on the bed looking into ceiling and trying to weigh options because you can't tell what kind of animal is going to come out of the cloud of news from back home.
Aleck and Farayi have gone to they graft and Shingi is busy doing CV so he can send it to Farayi's employment agency and I have two hours before I start graft at Tim's. Suddenly Tsitsi scream out loud and come running down the stairs. She burst into our room with limp baby in she hands. The baby have vomit blood while asleep and now she don't know if it only pass out or has already dead.
We jump out of bed to look but I don't know what to do with them things like that. Shingi take piece of broken mirror from bathroom and hold it over mouth of baby that Tsitsi have now put down on the bed as she wail. Small steam collect on the mirror. He jump and tell Tsitsi we have to get baby to hospital chop chop. Shingi jump into his clothes and they dash out of house to catch minicab to hospital with whole street looking out of they window on account of big racket that Tsitsi is making as she follow behind Shingi who is now carrying baby.
When we arrive at hospital and them nurses and do
ctors take away baby on trolley and leave us in some waiting room, Tsitsi now start wailing in proper native way, wrapping them arms around she head and throwing sheself about on the hospital floor in disorderly way and frightening English people. Two nurses have to help Shingi to restrain and calm she down and in the end Shingi is sitting on bench with his arms wrapped tight around she shoulders and head. She have bury she face on Shingi's chest. That's when Shingi whisper to me that people is looking at us funny. 'Maybe you should go away because if you stay around maybe the hospital people start asking too many questions about immigration papers and all,' that's what Shingi say. 'If that happen it put Tsitsi in hard place,' he add.
I can see on his face the style that he is trying to tackle me with; but me I don't make no arguments because it's not good for Tsitsi. I disappear without no word.
12
Moschino Parfum – I see it on one of them vendors' shelf at Brixton Market. I'm on my way to graft but I buy it straight away. £5. That's because yesterday Tsitsi and baby come back home. She have been given heap of papers about how to feed baby healthy diet and also been telled to stop feeding powder milk to baby because that's where they think he catch the salmonella from.
From the market I step off to graft with hands in my pocket.
I get to my graft and I start working my tail off cleaning every surface in Tim's kitchen. I have just start to work on the other side of the counter, doing them two tables with dishcloth, when them kids come in again. I give them powerful look. One of them whisper to others and everyone turn they heads. Suddenly they go kak kak kak.
None of they mothers has ever cook supper for me; I jump for the broom and they scatter out like rats. I go kak kak kak kak.
Tim give me this vex face and jump into this funny style of talk: yari yari yari you can't do that or you get me in trouble with police; yari yari yari maybe if you stop using water in the pail for cleaning tables maybe it will help; it's the same water that you have use to clean the floor yari yari yari.
'Don't just walk away, I haven't finished talking,' Tim shout because I ignore his talk. Ricardo is just holding his head down, hiding his throat, frying his life away and not wanting to get involved.
Tim press some button and his till open; he count money quick, slam the till shut and hold his hand out to give me the money. 'That's it,' he say.
'Me I know about the law now; you can't tell me to go away like so. You have to compensate I know it,' I tell him straight and square.
'OK then. You're fired, mate!' he shout and open till to put back his money.
'Me I'm not going nowhere, daddy,' I tell him and step off into kitchen with hands in my pockets. He look at me funny.
£2,700, that's the number inside my head; I am ready to throw it at him if he want to negotiate.
Now he start trying to confuse me, talking fast and mixing proper English with his cockney and I can't hear even one thing. Me I let rip in Shona and now things is square. That get his head out of gear and he get red like fire extinguisher. Now he start calling police on his mobile phone and spin them long jazz number about how I do threatening behaviour. To prove that me I am peaceful person I leave the place and let the truth come out. Truth is like termite; you don't catch it by its head while it try to come out of its hole or it go back and you don't see it again. I leave it crawling all over Tim's face and I can tell he don't know what to do with it because he is surprised what hole it crawl out of so fast.
'You hungry?' Sekai ask and I say yes. Now she run like animal to get me plate while I smoke my cigarette like big tycoon. That's life. One time you is blue because your plan is sinking just because of big fat white man, then few hours later you have new big chance landing on your lap like them ancestors is looking after you. That's where I am. Sekai and Paul's house.
After leaving Tim's me I did not want to go home or else I end up turning Aleck into bar of soap. And because last week Paul say I have mail waiting for me to collect at they house, I step off there.
Sekai was shocked to see me and ask me what I want when she open the door. You never ask relative what they want unless your manners is in your pocket, but I don't tell she. I have been knocking on the door for donkey years while she ignore. I don't give up because I know she's there inside; she new car is parked just outside the door.
'Paul is away and I'm busy.' That what she say in short and sharp manner, standing with one hand on the door like she is ready to slam it in my face. But now she is running like animal for me. Things change fast.
'I come to get my letters,' I tell she when and I arrive throwing them glances like there is something behind. Suddenly there is loud bang and she get big fright and turn around forgetting about me. I step inside and the bookshelf that lives in the corridor is face down on the floor and the books is all over. Standing and looking like he had just swallow some wasp was that tall Russian man with small briefcase in his hand and wearing shirt with mismatched button and hole. How he knock down that thing I have no idea because even rhino cannot knock it down.
Sekai's face full of vex and defeat then and all them defiant stares have disappear. She recover from shock and tell Yakov to leave the books alone because she will deal with it. She say it in sharp and vex way; Yakov nearly jump.
She then go inside toilet and lock sheself up leaving me and Yakov looking at each each. He look down at his shoes, he look up at the ceiling in this wooden way, clear his throat but say nothing. He hope that I will say something to make atmosphere easy. Me I say nothing.
I get box of cigarettes out of my pocket, light up and offer him nothing.
He do one short burst of the fast blinking style that Londoners do when they want to avoid eye contact. There is sweat beads on his forehead. He have three long hairs sticking out of his nose, pointing in random directions.
Sekai come out of the toilet and Yakov is relieved. She have puff eyes but better temper. She ask if I remember Yakov and say he have come for cup of tea and I nod my head tight with skill. Things was already shifting my way then.
I look inside lounge, I notice that there has been some big feast, with heaps of food on lounge table.
Sekai say nervous goodbyes to Yakov and me I go sit on the couch. Poor Paul, he don't know that he is pounding front bum that have already been thief by this pointy-headed Rasputin. But life is never fair, me I know. Paul is away in Ireland for few days because of work.
Then Sekai come inside lounge where I was smoking like coal train and she see all this food on the table that she had forget about. I don't refuse it when she offer it to me. That's why now she run like animal to get plate for me. Now she know I am proper relative that have to be respected.
I eat my food silent. I don't say nothing even if I know Sekai want me to say something.
'Get me salt.'
She run, Sekai. You see me stepping down the street with my knock knees and drainpipe-like trousers and you think I am lightweight. But my style weigh as much as hippo, Sekai know now.
She come back with salt shaker and say she have headache so she want to sleep and that I should look for my mail that is in the kitchen.
I don't say nothing. After I finish eating, I collect my letters and shout goodbye from the corridor but there's no reply from they bedroom. I step off to make plan.
* * *
Uncle's letter, this time it say people at Mother's village is being beat up by Green Bombers and police to force them away. Propaganda excuses, that's all this is, I know.
I get to our house and already there is message for me from Sekai on Shingi's phone.
Shingi also want to know when I will buy more food for us; these days I don't waste money because I have to save, otherwise I work for food if I'm not careful. I run to buy tin of baked beans and semolina so Shingi can fill his stomach once.
Sekai. She want to see me 'urgent' at she work tomorrow at the hospital.
She is looking like sharp knife when she come out to meet me, Sekai. She is giving me them funny side
looks, all full of smiles like I have never see from Sekai. She drag me to other end of reception hall so we can sit down at table at the coffee bar.
'You OK?' she say after short pointless talk.
'OK.'
'Have you got graft now' she ask.
'Yes. But I have leave.'
She start spinning me this number about how she don't want to hear that I have die of starvation yari yari yari. She is now suddenly talking sweet to me like I am she best friend ever. Me I play along; she is now giving me them Bambi eyes like this is our secret.
'Yes, money have slip away,' I tell she. I can sniff sniff them pounds dropping out of she purse.
In short time we is good best friends because even when she is laughing she now start to throw she head back like she is having good time with my company. Me I bawl into the ceiling like old friend, giving she the high five and people on other tables start to turn they heads wondering what this party is all about.
She dip into she purse and drop me £50. I don't want to throw the number that I didn't get chance to throw at Tim because that will frighten she.
'Drop us £600. Things is tight at our house and me I have to find new accommodation but I have no money to make deposit for the room that I want.'
She blink she eyes at me. Me I tilt my head, you know in that sweet way so she can get the score.
She say '£500,' and get up to run to cash machine outside to get me more while I drink my Fanta.
'Next time you should also remind the Russian doctor that he is the one that should be dropping them pound notes and not you because you is my cousin's wife,' I tell she as we part. 'We have to hit this white man's pocket together until he cry for forgiveness.'
Harare North Page 9