26.5.2009

BABY TALK.

 

    BABY TALK.

http://www.netsaga.is/media/files/Last_Call.mp3


    Clive and Bernard had been out on the rounds for a few hours when they decided to take a break. They decided that they weren?t going to eat any of their own muck and it was here Clive insisted they tried a local coffee shop. It seemed weird to Bernard that they were stopping here in Camden as the Coffee Club was just up the road and serving drinks which were free. Then as he felt a traitor for going to eat at another joint, he assured himself that Ben and Sharon must eat at other restaurants and café places. He viewed it as a competitive shop, see if their coffee was as good as at home, or the van.

    There they were, well Clive had parked himself with his head buried in a newspaper. Bernard took a look about him and had to admit that the décor was one to be missed. All green and purple with green seats, plastic in nature, all bolted down to the table which made it hard for him to sit down. Instead he decided to work his way towards the cueing system where you picked up a tray, green in nature and pulled open the front of the display cabinet and pulled out what you wanted.

    "What will it be?" Inquired a nice looking lady as Bernard approached the hot drinks section.

    "Um, two cups of your finest coffee."

    "Sure!" Replied the girl of African nature as she went to work pouring two filter coffee?s. Suddenly the lady froze and stood there just staring at something.

    "Um, excuse me, hello! Are you okay?" He asked as he tried to distract the lady.

    "Oh, I?m sorry, I thought I?d seen a ghost."

    Bernard turned to follow the lady?s eye and found out whom she was looking at. "Oh that?s no ghost. His name is Clive, he works with me."

    "He works? Who does he work for, who do you work for?" She asked as a face of disbelief washed over her.

    "The newly opened Coffee Club. He?s our pianist by night and our fast food van driver by day."

    Then her complexion changed as she stared hard at him, "That man is a drunken bum, you should never had employed him. It will only end in tears."

    "Actually he was a drunken bum, he?s given that all up. Told me he was doing it for a special lady he foolishly let go years back. He has shown me a stained old photo of the lady. He keeps by his bed so he can wish her well at night and when he wakes, he can wish her a good morning." Bernard divulged all this with a glow in his heart and pride written upon his face.

    "Do you know who this lady is?"

    "Oh yes! Gloria is her name." As soon as he said it the girl?s eyes welled up and it all fell into place. "You are Gloria!"

    "I?I am, please excuse me." Gloria fled.

    He watched the poor lady flee from this disturbing scene to be replaced by a more stern looking one.

    "Coffees, black or white?"

    "Um white please, make them to take out." He paid in a hurry as he noted Clive had also fled the scene. Bernard knew he?d been duped into coming here and yet he wasn?t angry about it. Clive just wanted to see the girl he loved.

    He stepped into the van noting the whole thing tilt in his direction as he sat down and placed the drinks and nosh on the dashboard. "You okay?" he asked as soon as the whole cabin was stable and he was sat comfortably.

    "How is she?"

    "I don?t really know."

    "I shouldn?t have gone there."

    "Why did you?" As if he didn?t have a clue as you already know.

    "I wanted to show her that I was doing well, that I was holding my promise I made to her down at the pub that night."

    "Oh yes, I remember the promise."

    "Big mistake."

    "Not really."

    Clive looked at him all wide eyed before shouting, "What do you mean not really?"

    By this time Bernard had peeled the lid from off his polystyrene cup and was taking a sip before replying. "Now she knows just how serious you are about her. So in effect the ball is in her court. She can either wait a little longer to see if you fail in the end, or she could decide if she can really love you again, or not."

    "She was all shook up and crying, the girl was upset at me for going in there and ruining her life."

    "Ah, was she? Or was she just so amazed at what you have accomplished in such a short time."

    "How does she know what I have accomplished?" Clive questioned as he started to calm down a little.

    "Because she asked and I told her and that is how she knows about you." Bernard replied as he mentally went over that said sentence hoping it made sense.

    "I am finished, she?ll never forgive me."

    "Forgive you? Trust me buddy what I know about women," which in hind sight wasn?t very much, unless you can count television as education and countless Barbra Cartland books. "This lady is just starting to love you again."

    "What?" Clive questioned as he tried to paste together the whole of this conversation.

    "If you really care about her, send her some flowers to her place of work. Make them an apology about upsetting her and that you won?t go there again unless she would like you to."

    "I can?t do that!"

    "Okay, then just sit here staring out the misted up window and do nothing about finding out how she really feels about you." Bernard said in a kind of mood as he eyed up something and said aggressively, "Are you going to eat that donut, or shall I eat it for you?"

    "No!" Clive replied as he snatched the donut away from Pac Man. He was going to eat it, he really was, until he remembered Gloria. He gave the donut to the man with the large appetite. "No, you have it, I?m off to get some flowers."

    "Way to go Clive!" Bernard enthused as his kind of advice looked to be working for once.

    Clive left Pac Man to eat the donut pill that spewed jam all over the steering wheel. His mission? To get those flowers and remember not to offer to drive when he got back.

    Tiffany hunted high and low for Chang and couldn?t find him. She didn?t care if he was part of the mafia or not, it was his way with her staff she didn?t like, particularly with Sam. It was time to give the guy a dressing down and damn it she was jazzed over her earlier performance.

    On the ninth time of coming to the bar area she finally asked Frank who was polishing the bar surface.

    "Have you seen Chang about?"

    "Saw him about fifteen minutes ago, he was heading out the door had to go and see his father."

    She knew what that meant, hopefully he might have to go back there and stay.

    Chang stood in pitch darkness, it was very still before light filled his eyes. He had to blink several times before he could see properly. Now with the blindfold taken away he could see blue sky before looking down to find? he was standing on the edge of a wall, a very high wall which belonged to a very high multi-storey car park.

    "Whoa!" He cried out as he had just worked out that it was about a fifty metre drop if he was pushed from the wall.

    "Stunning view isn?t it?" Spoke one almost ice cold like Chino as he observed the warm winter?s day sun making it?s bid to climb high on this busy city.

    "Very exhilarating father!" Well if this was it then so be it. After all last night and today had been a bad time. This construction site around him obscured any chance of an innocent bystander observing and helping out by calling the police.

    "Nice face, did someone take a fancy to it?"

    "Accident with a swing?in door. A stupid girl used the wrong one    and got me on the nose."

    "Oh I see," Chino replied as he noted one of his two personal bodyguards re-apply a firm grip on the man who might be taking a dive off this wall, especially if he got his next answer wrong. "What?s going on down at the Coffee Club?"

    "It?s early days yet. Money from last night came in thick and fast. The mayor has forgiven the owner for his flashing incident, how he folded I don?t know, that?s the mystery."

    Chino thought this last sentence through. This was a surprise and one that showed the owners may have a hold, a few secret connections. The next question was a burning issue to him, "Is it a potential trouble spot?"

    This was the nail biter? Could he lie or would he tell the truth. Either way it was trouble.

    "No." The truth had one, it just wanted to come out, "The owners are just ordinary people. I thought at one stage they had the brains to try and hit the show. No, they want to only earn a living in that trade that is all."

    "I want a full report in written form."

    Written form? Chang thought, I never write anything down. "Okay written form. I have my notes, no problem." If this was his release he?d gladly take this way out.

    "Now my son, what do you want to do now?"

    Faced with the high jump or walking Chang had little choice. "I will come back and resume my work for you. I?ll have to give them notice of at least this weekend." He wanted to say he was staying at the Coffee Club, but his life would be ended if he was to say hello to mister concrete floor down there.

    "You will start for me right away. I will tell them when I go and take over their little club for myself."

    "What?" Chang exclaimed as he tried to swing round and face the guy.

    Chino ignored the lad?s outburst as he calmly confessed, "I?ve always wanted a little Coffee house for myself."

    Ben was feeling all smug over his help and sat in the dining room reading a morning paper when his wife burst in. He jumped to attention, though what she said was totally the opposite of what he was expecting and another thing, she was smiling.

    "There you are! I have something to tell you."

    "Okay, I?ve sorted out the flashing incident you see?"

    "I?m pregnant, well I think I am, if this testing kit is right."

    He blinked several times allowing what she said to trickle in..."You could be? I could be?"

    "Daddy!"

    "Mummy!" All loud joyous noise broke out as two lovely people put aside all former hostilities and danced around the room to imaginary music.

    Sharon danced with her husband. She felt good inside, giddy with laughter. Okay so Ben wasn?t without faults, he was a good kind man and would be a wonderful father. In the past she had chased him literally round hotel rooms and night clubs, in fact all the way round Ryde on the good old Isle of Wight. He was worth chasing over that five year period, until one glorious autumn afternoon with the sun shining and the golden leaves glistening with a slight chill in the air, she wed him at Swains Manor. Shaz would never forget the look on his face when she appeared and walked up the isle towards him. He was not supposed to look around, but the lug just couldn?t help it. He exploded in smiles and managed to stutter over his lines.

    The same expression on his face was here and now as they danced and giggled like a couple of college students in the stockroom. Sadly this moment came to a grinding halt when Miss Tiffany burst in on them.

    "Miss Sharon, I have some bad news."

    "Oh, what?s that?"

    "It?s Chang, he has gone. He was supposed to check in for his duty list and has not been seen."

    "Oh, that?s odd."

    Ben sat back down, "No, he wouldn?t miss out on his work, he loves it here. It?s not this Sam issue that has got to him is it?"

    Sharon eyed her husband taking note before replying, "No, he wouldn?t be upset about that. There must be something else that?s taken him away."

    "You mean Chino wants to speak to him."

    She noted Ben?s concern before dismissing it, "Now Miss Tiffany I want you to share some bubbly with Ben and myself."

    "What for, if I may be so bold as to ask why?"

    "I?m having a baby!"

    You could hear the squeals of delight from halfway down the hall.

    It was mid-afternoon, yet the dining room was full of people enjoying the food and playing of music, it wasn?t live but hey they didn?t seem to care! Had the whole of London come out to visit the club? Clive in the end was called back to play some live music and worked with a jazz band to provide this, they sounded good. Josh had been pressed in to add humour to the afternoon?s proceedings. Bernardo found himself press ganged, the evening meals were being eaten into and he was in the kitchen with his team making more extras. Giving them all due credit along with thanks of the verbal nature Sharon helped along with things.

    Sharon voiced her and everybody?s concerns, "Isn?t it weird that people especially on a Saturday want to eat a three course meal from noon till three? I thought they would be more content with shopping?"

    Ben walked along with her feeling the need to reply. "Shaz, if that?s what people want round here, then give it to them. Hey! It?s more money in your pocket and?" He was stopped in his tracks by a large fellow.

    "Excuse me, could you tell me where the toilets are?"

    "Sure! Just down the hall, turn left and you will find them."

    "Thanks! I must remember to read the menu properly," the guy commented as he seemed to dance in front of them.

    "Why?" Shaz asked allowing a little furrow of the brow.

    "Cause for starters I thought I ordered prawn cocktail, but to my surprise it was a prune cocktail." He suddenly clutched his stomach as it made a rather loud noise before literally running flat out in the direction he was told.

    "Well, that explains his strange behaviour," Ben commented as he carried on only to see his wife?s frown drop lower.

    "That flippin Sam has done it again, I?ll kill her. "

    Ben decided to get her off killing over prawn being spelled on the menu and not prune and onto something more important which may kill them. "Are we going round your aunties now?"

    Shaz snapped out of it as soon as her so called relative was mentioned, "Oh yeah, she?s cooking us an afternoon meal this evening."

    His heart sank to an all time low on this news, "Oh. Every time I go round there, I either get drunk or your uncle has trouble with the dog crapping everywhere."

    Sharon looked at him and grinned, "This time I?m giving you a non-incident guarantee, okay?"

    "Sure." He turned and followed his wife out of the building and round to the place where the car should be. "Um, where?s the car?"

    "In our car park," she answered in a very casual way.

    "Our what?"

    "Walk this way." Shaz led him down an alleyway and then behind the big insurance company stood a multi-storey car park. This is owned by the insurance company, but they only use a small part of it. I asked if we could borrow or buy the other half."

    "You didn?t buy it?" Actually it was less of a question, more a resignation.

    "No I didn?t buy it," Feeling a little rattled as she knew all too well her husband would be thinking about the cost and how much money they didn?t have in the bank now. "I, no Bernard asked the director if we could rent the space per month so we could have some exclusive parking for our guests as it is just a stones throw away. He agreed."

    You had to give it to her, she could spot out a good business deal when she saw one.

    It was five in the evening and stood at the entrance to the club looking lonely was one person observing the sun as it was shedding it?s last rays of the day before slowly sinking behind the buildings opposite. The darkness threatened to cast a gloomy shadow over things. She felt sad ever since yesterday?s troubles had flared up and cast a blackness over her life. This dark shadow was Chang.

    A voice called out to her from the bright light of the club?s entrance. "Still no sign of him?"

    It was miss Lampshade. Sam?s voice came over a little broken as she found the easy reply, "Still no sign of him miss Lampshade."

    Tiffany came up besides her and placed an arm around her, "I?m sure he?s okay. Remember he is part of the Triad. You know how they can look after themselves and please themselves."

    "Yes, I know they can."

    "Hey, why not come on inside and have a cup of tea and a slice of chocolate cake?"

    Sam thought about that, her favourite chocolate cake verses Chang?s insults. The stupid lump could look after himself, so why the constant worry about him mixed with numbness in her heart and butterflies in her stomach?

    "No thank you Tiffany. Would it be okay if I just stand here and keep an eye out for him?"

    "Sure, but these doors must be closed within half hour. We need to prep for our evening guests. I wouldn?t want any Tom, Dock or Harry waltzing in here."

    "I understand miss Lampshade."

    Why was Sam so upset about that crook who had been nasty to the girl? Tiffany questioned as she walked back into this place which gave her a buzz. Then again, when she was Sam?s age she always got hung up on upsetting people even though they may have been darn rude to her. It was only as she got older she learned to cope with having to upset one or two people from time to time. Sometimes out of sheer anger and other times to get the best out of them. Walking into the dining room she noted Clive leave while Bernard walked over to take another practice on the piano. This left the man to himself and he looked lonely. "Oh, what the heck, I?ll go on and keep the guy company," she muttered to herself.

    "Hello Bernie, what was Clive talking to you about?" She asked as she helped herself to a seat and felt maybe her question was a little on the nosey side.

    Bernard stared at this pretty lively lady before deciding to open up. "Oh, he?s still upset about going to the coffee shop in town and upsetting the lady he loves. He can?t help but to think that he?s ruined his chances by sending her flowers."

    "I think all women love flowers."

    "They do?"

    Tiffany nodded before recanting her version of this sentence, "Sure, oh unless the lady in question suffers from hay fever then you wouldn?t appreciate a bunch. It would be better to buy her chocolates."

    "Of course, so chocolates would be the best alternative." He stared at her before asking a very burning question, "Would you like a cup of tea, I?m sure there?s enough in the pot?"

    "Sure, why not," Tiffany answered noting the sudden swift change of conversation to a more safe area of tea. She watched him play mum as she carried on the original conversation with a slight twist. "I?ve never been sent flowers before, come to think of it chocolates either."

    "Never?" Bernard did feel a sensation of surprise waft over him as he carried on with, "you must have had boyfriends before?"

    "A few, how about you?"

    "I?m not into men. I can safely say I?ve never had a boyfriend." The big guy pulled a comical face which made her laugh before he felt the need to complete his reply. "No. I?ve never been romantically involved. I?m pretty sure no one has ever found me to be attractive, found me to be fat, but not sexy in any way shape or form."

    "Ah come off it! I used to think like you before realising that there are billions of people in this world, all just like you and I. We come in all different shapes, sizes and personalities, yet many are drawn to each other, attracted to each other. You cannot tell me that no woman would ever fail to be attracted to you, that is bull, many ladies have been attracted to you and you my friend are the one that has failed to notice it." Tiffany took a sip of her drink as her friend thought this through. "Give me a man with drop dead gorgeous looks, no brain and very vain and I will go for the guy with the imperfect body that possesses a heart of gold and the loyal love of a million of the others. Though others may not admit this, I know for sure it is the inner heart of the man that wins, his personality and the way he treats his partners as he would do himself."

    Bernard felt himself getting sucked into those eye of Tiffany?s as he said in a dreamy way, "Is that so? I?ve never thought of that before. Television has lied to me"

    This man?s eyes were focussing on hers. Feeling strange, it was time for Tiffany to change the subject. "Did you know that Chang hasn?t come back?"

    "No, I didn?t," Bernard replied as he snapped himself out of it, "I figured he?d come back after he had calmed down over the door incident."

    "Sam?s worried about him, do you think something has happened to him?"

    "What Chang? He can certainly look after himself."

    "That?s what I said."

    "I wish I could be like him."

    "What?" Tiffany almost dropped her cup in shock of this revelation.

    "Oh not a criminal, but a tough guy. Yeah, I would like to be like James Bond you know, in that film you only live twice."

    "I?ve seen bits of that one, I think."

    Bernard?s eyes were alive as he explained, "There?s a bit in it, that James is on the roof with a Chinese girl and he is busy being set upon by four maybe six guys as he moves along the roof. He keeps taking them out in spectacular style. Now that?s the type of guy I would like to be. Okay I?d have to be a lot thinner and not so stupid as to get knocked out when I climb down off of the roof. All in all a strong man who knows how to handle his lady is my idea of the ideal man."

    Tiffany took a deep breath before confessing, "Well if its all the same to me, I?d like you to be the kind sensitive and gentle man that you are." She lifted herself up from the table as she lost eye contact to look at her watch. "I?d better summon up the troops in the kitchen so they can be battle ready for tonight's guests." She left the big man to think over what she had said prior to what she had just said. Did I say that right?

 

    Clive finished his practice early, only because he felt board with playing the same old tunes. He wandered over to the bar where Frank was stood polishing the brass décor.

    "Got fed up with playing the ivory keys then?" He asked as he carried on polishing the already shiny brass.

    "Yeah," Clive came out with before feeling the need to ask, "Hey man, can I ask you something?"

    "Sure, fire away."

    "Do you think I?ve done the right thing in sending Gloria flowers?"

    "Course you did." Frank leaned forward winking as he did, "Now I?ve got something far more challenging than women and far more entertaining."

    Clive felt himself leaning further back from the guy as he hesitated in asking, "What?s that then?"

    "It?s a gambling game."

    "Gambling," Clive forgot his concerns and moved closer, "What type of gambling game?"

    "It?s a betting game!" Frank grinned as he had this man?s attention. "You see we all take turns in picking our nose and the one who has the biggest bogey wins and if you pick too hard and draw blood you are out of there!"

    Clive?s mouth fell open in horror at the guy?s gross outlook on life. He had to get away fast and did by excusing himself, "I?ve just remembered I have to tune the piano, um again."

    "Okay, suit yourself." Turning to his fellow colleagues he asked, "What about you guys, in for a pick?"

    The three Bob?s suddenly realised he was talking to them. Bob ?A? looked at his brothers and with one thought, one voice he answered for them, "Sorry, we have to go over there, right now, for a meeting."

    "Fine, I?ll just play the game myself," he muttered as he went out the back picking his nose.