Free Cleaning Up by Paul Connor-Kearns Page B

always did.
    ‘Hello Noora.’ Keeping it in check in front of her brotherand the old man.
    ‘Tommy!’ That smooth voice of hers, educated and elegant, time folded in on itself.
    Then there was a movement at the back of the shop, and a chubby faced boy of about seven or eight appeared. He trotted up to her and began tugging on her sleeve.
    ‘Mum, Mum can I have a drink now Mum?’ He implored, jiggling from foot to foot with impatience as he did so.
    Her focus immediately switched to the boy, ‘ask your Grandfather Sanjeev, this is his home - remember.’
    ‘Poppy, can I, please, please Poppy?’
    Mr Aziz nodded with all the gravitas of his decorous elder statesman benevolence.
    ‘Of course my boy and take one for your sister too Sanj.’
    The phone rang behind the counter and Jamal nimbly turned to pick it up.
    ‘Dad for you - suppliers,’ Jamal then guided Sanjeev to the living area at the back of the shop.
    He looked at her again and they both smiled and he gave her the once over; nice jewellery, tailored pants, manicured fingers - long and elegant and, he remembered, very dextrous too.
    ‘You look well Tommy - never thought I’d bump into you in here after all this time.’
    She bowed forward slightly and clapped her hands together with pleasure, a mannerism of hers that he had always enjoyed.
    He nodded at her, ‘yeah well more through necessity than design I guess…and you?’
    The word divorce leapt hopefully into his mind.
    ‘Only a quick visit I’m afraid, Raj has been offered a job inVancouver - he has family there.’
    He swallowed, ‘Vancouver, my dad went there. Nice city by all accounts. Soon?’
    ‘Next month if he gets confirmation, his cousin has law firm contacts there. He’s busy negotiating a contract.’
    ‘Soon enough then.’
    She nodded and he held her eyes a little longer than was probably appropriate, obviously causing her a little discomfort this time.
    A girl’s voice called out from the back of the shop, she was upset - Sanjeev not sharing as he should. She tutted with annoyance at the boy.
    ‘I’d better go Tommy, sort them out.’ She gave him a little ‘what can you do’ shrug.
    He held out his hand and that was that, a brief touch and then she turned and quickly walked away.
    Tommy was slightly dazed by their encounter and he had left the shop without buying anything. He took time out for ten minutes or so on a bench in the little park not far from the Community Centre and his thoughts ping-ponged around without any focus, clarity or conclusion. An old lady pushed a trolley full of midday shopping through his eye-line and she turned to him and wished him a good afternoon. He nodded back and returned her warm smile. Fuck it, he thought, it’s all about choices and dealing with their consequences, no more, no fucking less. He’d go back and do some work on that funding application and maybe Jimbo would be up for a drink or two a little later on.
     
    Pasquale, M and Junior spent the Friday up on the Coleshaw, it had been a warm day but as soon as the low sun started todip towards the horizon the temperature had quickly started to drop and they’d rode their bikes in looping circles just to keep warm, their chatter clouding their collective breath over their three heads. Junior’s brother Wes was now getting out as early as December and M’s mum had a new bloke, somebody who had a job according to M. He and Junior shared an amused glance at that bit of news but they’d kept their mouths shut.
    He wanted to tell them about the literacy stuff but he knew they’d just take the piss. He was enjoying it. It was much, much better than school with its dumb-ass rules and smart-ass kids who didn’t know when to leave you alone. His mum was pleased too and yesterday she’d bought him some new trainers, mint they were and they got the thumbs up from the boys too. M never wanted to be a step behind and he told them that he’d blag a pair over the weekend.
    Some of the older