Chapter 16

Mr Patel junior was every bit as nice as his father, born in this country he was every bit as western as me, but with the sort of in-built charm that you can't learn, you have to be born with it and he had been!

"Welcome Jill" he beamed, "Dad never told me I was getting a beauty queen for a tenant!"

He winked at me and I liked him immediately,

"Call me Joe" he said and handed her a bunch of keys, "It's clean, my wife's made sure of that, but there's absolutely no furniture at all I'm afraid"

"That's ok Joe" she smiled and coloured at his compliment, "I've got some money saved up and what I can't afford, I'll do without"

And she and mum ran off excitedly to explore the flat.

"Here Tommy, look at this" he beckoned me behind the counter and pulled open a little drawer, "This is dad's idea, I 'spose he told you about it"

The drawer was actually a till with quite a bit of money in it,

"This is all the money from your vegetables and of course you know that ten per cent of it's yours don't you?"

I looked blankly at him and his jaw dropped,

"He hasn't told you?"

"Told me what?"

"Oh shit!"

"I think you'd better tell me about it Joe, don't you?"

"Bloody hell Tommy, the old man will kill me, he likes you and he likes your mum too, he admires the way you've gone about things, you know, got your act together after a lousy start and knuckled down to it and he especially likes what you've done with the garden, the vegetables won't make any of us millionaires but people love them, they like the freshness of them and the lack of chemicals"

He broke off to serve two women who I noticed looked quite disappointed when told there'd be no more tomatoes until the next morning.

"Oh dear" said one, "The old man was looking forward to some with his dinner"

"Tell you what darling" laughed Joe, "I'll put some by for you tomorrow and in the meantime"

He looked round furtively and lowered his voice,

"Put yourself in some stockings and sit on a plate, that'll stop the old bugger from going to the pub!"

They screamed in pretended outrage, but spent quite a few pounds in there for his cheek before walking out, still laughing!

"Well the thing is Tommy, he's keeping ten per cent of all your sales back so that when they're finished for the year, you'll be able to buy seeds and what have you for the allotment and the garden for next year!"

"Bloody hell!"

"Yeah" he said dryly, "That's what I feel now that I've let the secret out"

"Joe, believe me, he won't learn it from me" I said, "That's a really nice thing to do"

The girls came back then and Jill said that the flat was lovely,

"When can I move in Joe"

"Whenever you're ready" he replied and took her into the back to sign the rent book and agree on a moving date.

"Tommy don't be ridiculous, I can't take that, it's yours" she was staring in amazement at the two thousand five hundred pounds I'd just put in her hand.

"Don't let's argue mum" I said and pressed her hands around the money, "I didn't expect a penny for bringing Jill her this morning, but she insisted, so now, we're both a lot better off than we were yesterday"

"Bloody hell" she said and kissed me, "You don't half rabbit on when you get on your high horse don't you?"

Joe and Jill came back and the excited girl waved a rent book under our noses,

"Look, a month in advance, all paid in cash"

"No bond Joe, for breakages or anything?" I asked and he grinned,

"There's nowt to break Tommy, besides mate, if she's half as good a tenant as you've been, she'll do for me"

"I thought all you Asian guys were supposed to grab every penny?" I laughed teasingly,

"I know mate, I know" he looked down at the floor, "It's sad really, I'm a bloody disgrace to the society of Asian shopkeepers aren't I?"

We all laughed and Jill kissed him on the cheek,

"Well I happen to think that you're a very nice man Joe, so there!"

He suddenly remembered a million things he had to do in the back room and shook all our hands.

"Don't be a stranger Tommy, or you Polly, see you soon Jill" and he disappeared.

"You've embarrassed him" mum said to Polly and laughed,

"She fancies him" I added and she coloured up beautifully,

"Well why not? He's a bloody good looking bloke and he could charm the birds from the trees"

"Or the panties off a randy bitch like you" mum giggled and yelped as Jill pinched her backside.

"Home?" I asked as we left the shop and they looked at me in amazement,

"Are you mad? We're going to get ourselves some retail therapy Tommy, some serious retail therapy"

"Oh I see, well in that case I think I'll join you"

"Great" they enthused but mum took my arm and looked at me seriously,

"Just don't spend it all though will you? Our retail therapy is going to be so bloody intense, so absolutely fucking serious, that we may well need to borrow a couple of bob when we get home!"

Well they didn't quite spend it all, but they had a bloody good go at it, our first call was a large furniture store just down the road from Joe's shop where the manager thought it was his birthday when we walked in and said,