couldn’t wait five minutes. She just upped and left me with a joke personal trainer.
‘What’s up?’ said Keif.
‘Nothing’s fucking up,’ I said. ‘I need a drink.’
‘Finish yer tea.’
‘Stuff yer tea.’
‘My arse ain’t a satchel,’ he said. ‘All what you told me to stuff this evening wouldn’t fit into a warehouse.’
‘Listen, satchel-bum,’ I said, ‘you ain’t my gaoler – get off my case.’
‘Safe,’ he said, getting up. ‘Stew in it.’
See? He didn’t give a toss neither. And I was
paying
him.
At which point Simone walked back into the Static.
‘Where you
been?’
I said.
‘Just down the shops,’ she said. ‘I saw you didn’t have anything to eat. Don’t yell. You didn’t think I wouldn’t wait, did you?’
I should never of doubted her. She unloaded a carrier bag, and pulled out a lovely big bottle of Jamaican rum. Now that’s what I call a sister.
Keif said, ‘You really Eva’s sister – same mother, same father?’
‘Same mother.’
‘Fer true? Her well-being your well-being an’ all that?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Well then,’ Keif said, ‘you won’t object if I carry this away.’ And he picked up the lovely big bottle of Jamaican rum and walked out with it.
‘Oi!’ I yelled.
We both ran out after him but by the time we got to the door he’d vanished into the rain.
‘The cheek of it!’ Simone said.
I was so narked I could hardly utter.
‘Did you see what he did?’ Simone said. ‘Did you
see?
Who does he think he is?’
‘Keif,’ I said. ‘He’s my …’
‘Personal trainer. You told me. You let him treat you like that? I’m surprised at you, Eva. You used to be able to stick up for yourself.’
Ouch. I said, ‘Well he’s …’
‘I mean, can’t you get someone better than him?’ Which gave me a problem. I couldn’t talk Keif down like I wanted to ‘cos then Simone’d think I couldn’t afford anyone better. So I said, ‘Well he’s very good on basic fitness and that sort of thing. I been sick recently.’
‘Yeah, but Eva, a black guy with no manners – or is he your boyfriend?’
‘
Shit
, Simone …’
‘Because, otherwise, why would you let him dictate to you like that?’
‘I
ain’t
letting him dictate,’ I yelled. ‘And ’sides, I’m thinking of letting him go.’
‘I should bloody well think so,’ Simone said. ‘And don’t shout.’
‘But he
ain’t
my boyfriend. He
ain’t
.’
‘So you might fancy him or something.’
‘I ain’t
got
a boyfriend. I ain’t
interested.’
‘All right, all right,’ said Simone. ‘I didn’t mean you couldn’t have one if you wanted one.’
‘I
told
you,’ I said. ‘I ain’t interested.’
‘Don’t get so worked up,’ Simone said. ‘You’re better off without, believe me. It’s just I couldn’t stand to see that guy treat you so mean – walking off with your rum – the cheek of it.’
See? She did care. She really did. She was looking out for me just like I always looked out for her.
‘I bought you a toothbrush,’ she said. ‘You couldn’t find yours.’
I was so melted she’d remembered, I went straight off to the cubicle and scrubbed my teeth. My mouth felt cool and my teeth felt slippery. And then I noticed that the muscles in my calves and thighs felt warm and burny. So I thought, I
can
get it all back – if I work I can get hard again. If I had Simone behind me, Simone to watch me, I could do it all – be the London Lassassin again. There wasn’t nothing I couldn’t do if I could do it for her. I wouldn’t mind the pain at all.
When I got out of the cubicle she was there, leaning her back against the counter looking at an old poster – a Deeds Promotions poster with my name on it. All the old names were on it – Harsh, Gruff, Pete, Phil and his dad – and it gave me quite a turn. I don’t know where she found it ‘cos I thought I got rid of everything that reminded me.
I said, ‘Yeah, well, it’s hard coming back
‘What’s up?’ said Keif.
‘Nothing’s fucking up,’ I said. ‘I need a drink.’
‘Finish yer tea.’
‘Stuff yer tea.’
‘My arse ain’t a satchel,’ he said. ‘All what you told me to stuff this evening wouldn’t fit into a warehouse.’
‘Listen, satchel-bum,’ I said, ‘you ain’t my gaoler – get off my case.’
‘Safe,’ he said, getting up. ‘Stew in it.’
See? He didn’t give a toss neither. And I was
paying
him.
At which point Simone walked back into the Static.
‘Where you
been?’
I said.
‘Just down the shops,’ she said. ‘I saw you didn’t have anything to eat. Don’t yell. You didn’t think I wouldn’t wait, did you?’
I should never of doubted her. She unloaded a carrier bag, and pulled out a lovely big bottle of Jamaican rum. Now that’s what I call a sister.
Keif said, ‘You really Eva’s sister – same mother, same father?’
‘Same mother.’
‘Fer true? Her well-being your well-being an’ all that?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Well then,’ Keif said, ‘you won’t object if I carry this away.’ And he picked up the lovely big bottle of Jamaican rum and walked out with it.
‘Oi!’ I yelled.
We both ran out after him but by the time we got to the door he’d vanished into the rain.
‘The cheek of it!’ Simone said.
I was so narked I could hardly utter.
‘Did you see what he did?’ Simone said. ‘Did you
see?
Who does he think he is?’
‘Keif,’ I said. ‘He’s my …’
‘Personal trainer. You told me. You let him treat you like that? I’m surprised at you, Eva. You used to be able to stick up for yourself.’
Ouch. I said, ‘Well he’s …’
‘I mean, can’t you get someone better than him?’ Which gave me a problem. I couldn’t talk Keif down like I wanted to ‘cos then Simone’d think I couldn’t afford anyone better. So I said, ‘Well he’s very good on basic fitness and that sort of thing. I been sick recently.’
‘Yeah, but Eva, a black guy with no manners – or is he your boyfriend?’
‘
Shit
, Simone …’
‘Because, otherwise, why would you let him dictate to you like that?’
‘I
ain’t
letting him dictate,’ I yelled. ‘And ’sides, I’m thinking of letting him go.’
‘I should bloody well think so,’ Simone said. ‘And don’t shout.’
‘But he
ain’t
my boyfriend. He
ain’t
.’
‘So you might fancy him or something.’
‘I ain’t
got
a boyfriend. I ain’t
interested.’
‘All right, all right,’ said Simone. ‘I didn’t mean you couldn’t have one if you wanted one.’
‘I
told
you,’ I said. ‘I ain’t interested.’
‘Don’t get so worked up,’ Simone said. ‘You’re better off without, believe me. It’s just I couldn’t stand to see that guy treat you so mean – walking off with your rum – the cheek of it.’
See? She did care. She really did. She was looking out for me just like I always looked out for her.
‘I bought you a toothbrush,’ she said. ‘You couldn’t find yours.’
I was so melted she’d remembered, I went straight off to the cubicle and scrubbed my teeth. My mouth felt cool and my teeth felt slippery. And then I noticed that the muscles in my calves and thighs felt warm and burny. So I thought, I
can
get it all back – if I work I can get hard again. If I had Simone behind me, Simone to watch me, I could do it all – be the London Lassassin again. There wasn’t nothing I couldn’t do if I could do it for her. I wouldn’t mind the pain at all.
When I got out of the cubicle she was there, leaning her back against the counter looking at an old poster – a Deeds Promotions poster with my name on it. All the old names were on it – Harsh, Gruff, Pete, Phil and his dad – and it gave me quite a turn. I don’t know where she found it ‘cos I thought I got rid of everything that reminded me.
I said, ‘Yeah, well, it’s hard coming back
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