by Masimba Musodza<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We watched Jeremy fall in love with The New Girl.<\/p>\n
At first, there was not much to see. We were at our usual table in the warehouse canteen, sometime after 2 a.m. Davinder, Pavel and myself (Gavin), the Three ‘Avs, as the Kids liked to call us. The Kids were Jeremy, Trevaine and Tony. We called them that because all three, being in their early twenties, were young enough to be our sons. Until last month, there were four kids. Then Fisnik \u201cFish\u201d Marku was summoned to HR and told it had come to their attention that his residence permit had expired. It had been whispered that Fish had connections with the Albanian mafia, and they had been using our warehouse to facilitate their own duty-free imports from the European Union.<\/p>\n
I cannot recall what the topic of heated discussion was, but, as soon as the New Girl walked into the canteen, Jeremy stopped participating in mid-sentence. As the ancient nymph Clytie had so longingly and futilely gazed upon the god Helios, Jeremy watched the New Girl circumnavigate the eight long tables until she was at the other end of the canteen, her back to us. She pulled a packet of sandwiches out of the left pocket of her hoodie. I caught a flash of yellow, the ubiquitous reduced-price sticker, before the sandwiches vanished from view.<\/p>\n
I had never seen her before until about a week ago. There was nothing remarkable about her, except, perhaps, for her large green eyes and full lips. I wouldn\u2019t go so far as to say she was not well-groomed, and this was not the job to come fashionably dressed and made up for, but there was an untidy, careless look about her. I guess that\u2019s why she hadn\u2019t yet made friends among the other young lasses at the warehouse; she did not look like one of them. She looked around the Kids\u2019 age range, maybe a little older.<\/p>\n
\u201cJeremy, her name\u2019s Valerie,\u201d said Pav, smiling. \u201cI\u2019m her supervisor, I could give you her number, but Data Protection and all that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy shook his head, snapping out of his reverie, and realised we were all looking at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cJeremy\u2019s going to be first to smash the new lass!\u201d said Trevaine, flicking his right index and forefinger in the air emphatically.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, come on, Trev,\u201d said Jeremy. \u201cIt\u2019s not like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that is the trouble, mate,\u201d said Trevaine. \u201cIt\u2019s never like that with you. Every girl you meet, you are ready to wife up. You didn\u2019t even know her name until ten seconds ago, and you were ready to marry her! You are such a simp, bro!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNever heard that one before,\u201d said Dav, thoughtfully. \u201cWhat is a simpbro?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother fancy American expression Trev here has picked up from his career as a blogger of men\u2019s issues,\u201d I said. \u201cTell them what a simp is, son.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA simp is a man who puts a woman on a pedestal when she has done nothing to deserve it, hoping she will like him back,\u201d said Trev, pedantically.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we used to call a mug,\u201d I said. \u201cOr a fool in love. The male equivalent of a doormat.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you learnt this from how many hours of watching Andrew Tate\u2019s content?\u201d said Jeremy, his face and neck suffused with red.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did a whole post on my own blog,\u201d said Trev, indignantly. \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t hurt you to have a read, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, thanks, mate.\u201d said Jeremy. \u201cI can already feel the misogyny coursing up my toes by osmosis through the floor from sitting next to you for this long!\u201d<\/p>\n
He rose, and walked over to Valerie\u2019s table.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am nothing like Andrew Tate,\u201d said Trev, to no one in particular.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you don\u2019t like women,\u201d said Tony.<\/p>\n
Trev threw his hands up. \u201cDoes anyone ever read my blog? No, don\u2019t answer that! I already know; sixteen thousand hits today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSixteen thousand hits from sad, pathetic incels,\u201d said Tony.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, I wouldn\u2019t call Trev here an incel, Tony!\u201d said Dav. \u201cYou only have to look at his lovely girlfriend, Billie. Phwoar!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been booked for several speaking engagements around the country and online later this year,\u201d said Trev. \u201cThere might even be a chat show on a local TV station.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Kids were all going places from this warehouse job. Trev was emerging as a powerful, bankable commentator on the controversial topic of masculinity in today\u2019s world. Tony was developing an app, or some tech thingy or other, and had investors from an African country, which stood to use it to monitor wildlife migration, this close to handing him a fat check. Jeremy was short-listed for a job at a major bank in London, and would be travelling next week to attend the interview. Us ‘Avs, on the other hand, had retired from careers. The warehouse was our time away from homes where the kids, and, in the case of Pav and Dav, wives, had left to lead their own lives.<\/p>\n
Valerie passed us as she exited the canteen. It looked like Jeremy\u2019s advances had been rebuffed. But, there was a perceptible swish to her gait, a subtle emphasis on her femininity that had not been there before. The other ‘Avs and I exchanged sympathetic glances. With a sigh, Jeremy resumed his seat at our table. Tony looked on straight-faced ahead, but his shoulders shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did not blow me off, if that is what you\u2019re wondering,\u201d said Jeremy. \u201cShe told me her name\u2019s Valerie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI <\/em>told you her name\u2019s Valerie!\u201d said Pav.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then she told me again, Pav!\u201d Jeremy snapped.<\/p>\n \u201cBro, please don\u2019t tell us you broke into a rendition of the Eric Prydz song!\u201d said Trev, throwing up his hands.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean the Steve Winwood song!\u201d said Dav, emphatically.<\/p>\n \u201cTrev, I didn\u2019t sing any songs, alright?\u201d said Jeremy, punctuating each word.<\/p>\n \u201cBut you were thinking it, Jeremy!\u201d said Trev.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, give it a rest, Trev!\u201d said Tony. \u201cSo what if man here is smitten?\u201d The rhetorical question was directed at all of us. \u201cEven you were smitten by quite a few lasses in your time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, and I learned plenty,\u201d said Trev. \u201cSmitten and bitten. It is that wisdom that I want to pass on to my less-experienced pal over here, so he can avoid the mistakes I made.\u201d<\/p>\n Jeremy\u2019s sullen expression remained. \u201cYou know nothing about her!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cMy sermon isn\u2019t about her, pal,\u201d said Trev. \u201cIt\u2019s about you. It\u2019s about your simping. Don\u2019t ruin this relationship by simping.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, so you approve of the relationship!\u201d I said.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d said Trev. \u201cWhat I don\u2019t approve of is man here overwhelming the lady by trying to show her that he is a good guy and expecting her to drop her knickers in return.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, since he did not bring out a wedding ring or even Borat\u2019s marriage sack, I think Jeremy here means to let the relationship grow,\u201d I said. \u201cCome on Trev, you and Jeremy are the same age. True, you might have a bit more experience\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExperience?!\u201d said Jeremy, to no one in particular. \u201cIs that what we call misogyny now?\u201d Bearing down on his friend, he said, \u201cNo offence, Trev, but I don\u2019t need to be the one who restores balance in the universe by acting out your script to fix whatever it is that went wrong in your life in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0There was a tense moment as they stared at each other. Then, Trev\u2019s features relaxed. \u201cSorry, pal. I get too much into this manosphere stuff sometimes and forget that there are always variables. Because of these, no situation is the same. Therefore\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cApology accepted, you pompous doyle, you!\u201d said Jeremy, grinning.<\/p>\n We all laughed.<\/p>\n The next morning, Jeremy and Valerie sat together in the canteen, and left together. The morning after that, she wasn\u2019t on shift. Jeremy joined us at our usual table. The conversation was friendly enough, until the subject of Valerie was raised.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, Jeremy, have you taken it to the next level yet?\u201d Tony asked.<\/p>\n Jeremy looked up and found himself under our interrogative collective stare. \u201cIt\u2019s not like that,\u201d he said, shifting uncomfortably. \u201cShe got two kids, by different fathers, and I don\u2019t want her thinking that I think since she is a single mum, she is, you know, easy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou <\/em>don\u2019t want her thinking you think she\u2019s easy or she<\/em> doesn\u2019t want you to think she\u2019s easy?\u201d said Trev. \u201cThe Devil is in the details.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow can that be a bad thing, Trev?\u201d said Dav. \u201cShe only wants to give the relationship time to grow, reducing the risk of being left holding the baby again.\u201d<\/p>\n Trev smiled back at the older man indulgently. \u201cThat is one way of looking at it,\u201d he said. \u201cAnother is that she is going to let him play the masculine role while offering him nothing in return!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve already said it\u2019s not like that!\u201d said Jeremy.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, yeah?\u201d said Trev, \u201cI can\u2019t help noticing she doesn\u2019t get her sandwiches from the reduced-price section anymore. That\u2019s how it starts, Jeremy. Next, you will be babysitting her kids, taking them to McDonald\u2019s and stuff. Women like her have children with irresponsible men, safe in the knowledge that the world is full of simps ready to pick up the tab!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA\u2019way, mate!\u201d I said. \u201cThat\u2019s rather laying it on thick. The relationship\u2019s only minutes old.\u201d<\/p>\n Trev looked at the sullen Jeremy. \u201cSorry, mate. Sometimes I take all this masculinity stuff too seriously, and I miss the wood for the trees.\u201d<\/p>\n Jeremy stared at him for a moment. \u201cYou use too many big words and all these clever sayings, Trev,\u201d he said. \u201cAs long as there is a solid, manly apology under all that wordy fluff.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere is, pal,\u201d Trev.<\/p>\n A collective sense of relief rose from the group. Tony, who it could be argued had started the whole thing, flashed a smile.<\/p>\n About five evenings later, Tony caught up with me in the locker room before our shift started. \u201cI don\u2019t want to say anything in front of the others, Gav.\u201d<\/p>\n I forgot about what I was reading on my phone. \u201cWhat is it, kid?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s Jeremy,\u201d said Tony. \u201cHe borrowed \u00a3250 off me. He said it was for the trip to London, you know, for the interview? He said the money he had set aside got eaten up by direct debits he had forgotten about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you think there is more, don\u2019t you?\u201d I said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe admitted he had given nearly all his wages to Valerie.\u201d<\/p>\n I only realised I had head-butted the locker when the coolness of the metal hit my forehead.<\/p>\n \u201cHe made me promise to keep shtum,\u201d said Tony. \u201cBut you don\u2019t need to be Trevaine to see the problem here. Jeremy\u2019s my mate, and I am worried about him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe all will be,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t tell anyone else, Gav!\u201d said Tony, grabbing my right arm with alacrity, his eyes pleading.<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t, pal,\u201d I said, patting the hand that clutched my sleeve.\u201d<\/p>\n Later in the canteen, I walked up to Jeremy and Valerie at their table. \u201cMate, the wife booked one of those packages where you get return tickets to London and two nights at a hotel. Turns out her sister, who we were hoping to meet over there, isn’t flying in from Barbados until next week, and she is landing at Tees Valley Airport instead. They wouldn’t refund, but they said we could transfer the name, and I just thought with your interview in London…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh my God, thanks, Gav!\u201d said Jeremy, as soon as resumed control of his vocal functions. He cast a speculative glance at our table, just in time to see Tony direct his gaze at his plate. Trevaine was showing the other two ‘Avs something on his phone. Jeremy was no fool.<\/p>\n I saw the rage simmer in his eyes. Then, good sense washed over him again. \u201cYou will have to give me your bank details so I can refund you, Gav,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Valerie looked at him as he said this. I tried to read that look objectively. \u201cThere is no rush to pay me back, kid,\u201d I said. \u201cYou guys are going to love London!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I couldn\u2019t go along,\u201d said Valerie. \u201cI\u2019d need someone to mind the kids.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight,\u201d I said. \u201cAnother time, perhaps.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d she said, flashing a smile.<\/p>\n I went back to the others.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that about?\u201d Dav asked, glancing back at Jeremy and Valerie.<\/p>\n I shrugged. Trevaine uttered a gasp, and all attention diverted towards him. He was staring at his phone with an expression of utter disbelief. Then, he glanced around. \u201cI had a Zoom interview with an American TV station the other night, and they\u2019ve just sent me an email to tell me that I got the gig!\u201d<\/p>\n He took in the applause and congratulations like an artist who had just finished a performance.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, will you still be working here, then?\u201d Pav asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, they are offering close to seven times what I make here, and a percentage of the online advertising revenue on a sliding scale,\u201d said Trev. \u201cBut, more importantly, I won\u2019t have the time. I will be handing in my resignation soon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLooks like the Kids are finally flying the nest, eh?\u201d said Dav, proudly. \u201cJeremy over there will be off to London, and Tony here will soon be selling his app.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt will be sad to see you boys go,\u201d said Pav. \u201cBut if it means your lives are better for it, then I\u2019m happy for you. All I ask is that you stay in touch from time to time. Don\u2019t forget us, because we won\u2019t forget you.\u201d<\/p>\n Trev opened his mouth to say something. Just then, Jeremy and Valerie walked past, holding hands. They nodded at no one in particular, and did not wait for any of us to even acknowledge. After that, the mood at our table dampened, but it was soon time to go back to work anyway.<\/p>\n Nearly a week after Jeremy was supposed to have returned from London, Myfanwy, his supervisor, told me he had been mugged on his way to the train station and was at North Tees Hospital with a broken arm and leg, and bruised ribs. The attack had been covered in a few paragraphs in the Gazette<\/em>, I might even have seen it.<\/p>\n To say I did not take the news well would be an understatement. I had seen Valerie a few times recently, and she had never said anything. Was she that bent on isolating Jeremy from his friends? His judgemental friends, who had made it clear from the start they thought she was wrong for him.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope he gets better soon, Gav,\u201d said Myfanwy. \u201cIt will take him a while to pay off all these advances he has taken out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdvances?\u201d<\/p>\n Mfanwy glanced around guiltily. \u201cI really shouldn\u2019t have said anything, but you are his friend. I am worried that he has borrowed quite a bit against his wages. He wasn\u2019t like this before, him looking to a career in finance and all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet me guess,\u201d I said, \u201cThis all started recently?\u201d<\/p>\n She nodded, and looked around to make sure we did not have an audience. Just then, three ladies of about the Kids\u2019 age range entered the locker room. I made my exit.<\/p>\n I had to wait till dinner time at 2a.m. to speak to the others. By then, word of Jeremy\u2019s hospitalisation had spread. As we sat down at our table, Valerie entered the canteen. She stopped when she saw us, then seemed to fortify herself for the walk past. I rose to bar her.<\/p>\n \u201cValerie, why didn\u2019t you tell us about Jeremy?\u201d I said.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought you knew,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, we didn\u2019t know,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n She folded her arms across her chest and sighed. \u201cThat explains why you haven\u2019t asked how I have been. I was there too, you know. So were the kids. It all happened in front of us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you want to sit with us, Valerie?\u201d said Dav.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m alright!\u201d she said, and brushed past me.<\/p>\n \u201cThat must have been awful for them,\u201d said Dav. \u201cThey had gone to see him off at the station, I think. Poor Jeremy, I hope the bank gives him another date for his interview.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I think she has recovered nicely,\u201d said Tony.<\/p>\n He shuffled under our interrogative stares. \u201cLook, maybe it\u2019s nothing, but I gave Valerie a lift home yesterday, and there was a man waiting for her. They got into her flat together, and he looked this way and that before he shut the door. She didn\u2019t look too pleased to see him, and was uncomfortable that I had, too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe it\u2019s one of the kids\u2019 fathers,\u201d said Pav.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Pavel!\u201d said Dav. \u201cWe are all starting to think like Trev! Just as well, he\u2019s not here right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be Trevaine or read his blog to entertain the idea that maybe our Jeremy is being taken for a ride,\u201d I said. \u201cBut we can\u2019t say anything. For centuries, male friendships have ended over stuff like this!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd a few more will, soon,\u201d said Dav, sombrely. \u201cLook, why don\u2019t we focus on Jeremy? We should go see him after work.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll ask Valerie if she plans to see him,\u201d said Pav. \u201cWe\u2019ll give her a lift.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow you\u2019re talking, guys!\u201d said Dav. \u201cSeriously, we need to stop treating her like she\u2019s the enemy.\u201d<\/p>\n The subject switched to other things. Valerie left the canteen before any of us did. But, at the end of shift, I saw her walk with Tony to his black Passat. I wondered who she left her kids with when she worked the night shift, and who did the school run.<\/p>\n We found Trevaine and his girlfriend, Billie, waiting for morning visiting hours at the hospital. Trevaine did not look pleased to see Valerie. Surely, he did not blame her for the assault? I shot him a reproving look, and he threw back his hands and head as if to absolve himself of all accusations.<\/p>\n Jeremy\u2019s swollen, bruised face lit up as we entered the ward. Valerie pushed ahead, reaching him before any of us. They kissed. She pulled back, and seemed to melt into the background. However, I was aware of her eyes on me.<\/p>\n \u201cYou should see the other guy, Gav,\u201d said Jeremy. \u201cThey didn\u2019t put it in the papers, but I gave them a run for their money. Bare fists against knuckle-dusters. I grew up in Grove Hill, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA run for their money, he says!\u201d said Dav, with a disdainful snort. \u201cYou\u2019re hardly the typical Teesside lad, Jerry! Even if you grew up in Grove Hill.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNeither were they,\u201d said Tony. \u201cFive lads against you and your lass! Cowards!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe papers don\u2019t say what the problem was,\u201d I said, thoughtfully.<\/p>\n \u201cThe police think it\u2019s a case of mistaken identity,\u201d said Jeremy. There was a guarded edge to his tone. He was looking directly at me, and I had the feeling this was because he did not want to make eye contact with Valerie.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope we get them before the police do,\u201d said Trevaine.<\/p>\n \u201cLeave it, man!\u201d said Jeremy. \u201cIt\u2019s just one of those things. I can\u2019t wait to get out of here, and get on with my life.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHave you heard from the bank?\u201d Pav asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, they said I should take as long as I need to recover, but they still want me for the job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you take as long as you need, you hear?\u201d said Pav. \u201cYou still have the warehouse job, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Jeremy\u2019s parents and teenage brother arrived, so we all trooped out. Pav offered to take Valerie home, it was on the way to his daughter\u2019s house. As we stepped out of the main entrance into the glare of a summer morning, Pav and Valerie detached from our little group and headed left. Pav found a spot at the far end of the parking area.<\/p>\n Suddenly, Tony stiffened, and averted his gaze. I barely noticed the two men who brushed past us and strode into the hospital. \u201cThat\u2019s him!\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s the guy who was waiting for Valerie the other day. I have never seen his mate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure, Tony?\u201d I said. The two men had vanished from our view of the interior of the main entrance area.<\/p>\n \u201cI only saw him once, but I took a good look at him,\u201d said Tony.<\/p>\n Quickly, he briefed Trevaine and Dav.<\/p>\n \u201cHe could be visiting family,\u201d said Dav. \u201cWe mustn\u2019t jump to conclusions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s as plain as day to me,\u201d said Trev. \u201cValerie has baby-daddy issues, and now they are Jeremy\u2019s issues too!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, wouldn\u2019t you just love it, Trev?!\u201d said Tony.<\/p>\n \u201cActually, I wouldn\u2019t,\u201d said Trev. \u201cJeremy is our mate. And what I see in store for him when I look into my crystal ball is not something I would wish on a mate.\u201d<\/p>\n I told myself that now was not the best time to mention what I had learnt about Jeremy\u2019s financial situation.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, do we confront that guy?\u201d Tony asked, cocking his head towards the entrance.<\/p>\n \u201cNot until we are sure he is who we think he is to Valerie,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I have just the means!\u201d said Trevaine, whipping out his phone. \u201cI\u2019ll take a picture of him when he comes out, and this new app will find any websites with more pictures of him, and hopefully a name and other information.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBabe, I thought we were going now!\u201d said Billie. \u201cI have that eleven thirty, and then I have to start cutting the last footage.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou go ahead, Bill,\u201d said Trevaine. \u201cThis is something I have to sort out. My mate\u2019s in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n She sighed, and nodded. They kissed, she took the keys out of his hand and headed off towards the car park. We sat in mine for about thirty minutes. Trevaine asked Tony how the app was coming along. I must have begun to doze off, whatever Tony was telling his friend became an incoherent drone.<\/p>\n \u201cThere he is!\u201d<\/p>\n I was snapped back to the present. I glanced across the windscreen towards the hospital entrance. Tony and Trevaine were stepping out of the car, the former pointing out their quarry to the latter. I caught a glimpse of two nondescript lads in suit jackets and jeans before they were swallowed up in the human traffic. Tony and Trevaine were exultant as they returned to the car.<\/p>\n \u201cCheck this out, our man\u2019s called Chad Rooky,\u201d said Trevaine. \u201cHe\u2019s only thirty-seven, but most of his adult life has been at Her Majesty\u2019s pleasure. He was acquitted last winter of assaulting a pensioner, one Hugh Lockeridge.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChad\u2026Rooky,\u201d I said to myself. \u201cI went to school with a James Rooky. He became Teesside\u2019s most ruthless loan shark.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, it says here in the same article that a James Rooky and one Khalid Aziz were found guilty of beating up 80-year-old Mr Lockeridge over a debt,\u201d said Trevaine.<\/p>\n Realisation hit all three of us at once, stunning us into a moment of silence.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were trying to get away from loan-shark enforcers, fleeing to London together by train when Jeremy got jumped,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n \u201cI told you she would get him in trouble,\u201d said Trevaine.<\/p>\n \u201cBet you never thought it would be loan shark trouble, eh, kid?\u201d I said, turning to face him. \u201cA loan shark problem has nothing to do with her being an unskilled single mum in need of a man to come to her rescue. It can happen to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Trevaine shrugged. \u201cIt\u2019s still her problem, though. If he stops messing about with that lass, he\u2019ll stop bringing her problems onto himself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cHow is he going to do that?\u201d Tony asked no one in particular. \u201cWould you really leave anyone, even a total stranger, at the mercy of those people?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d said Trevaine. \u201cI\u2019ve seen what those enforcers can do. I\u2019d sell everything to save someone from being hurt.\u201d He glanced around. \u201cIs that what we are talking about, doing a whip round for our mate?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, kid,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n Dav looked at me, and I knew he knew I had another plan, one that was perhaps best kept to myself.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to find out how much Valerie owes this Rooky fella,\u201d said Trev, thoughtfully. \u201cI don\u2019t think she\u2019d tell me, though.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf she thought you\u2019d give her the money, she would,\u201d said Tony.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d I said, absently. My attention was on the plan forming in my mind. \u201cTell you what, guys, I will catch her at work tonight and get the information out of her. Then, tomorrow, I will go the bank and cash my bonds.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are all chipping in,\u201d said Tony. \u201cEven if I have to sell something valuable too.\u201d<\/p>\n Beside him, Trevaine nodded emphatically. And, I thought; they are good kids.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n I loitered around Roman Road for a good three hours. I knew exactly where he lived, but I did not want him to know that. My best hope was that he would come out of his house at some point and pass this way. I had run into him twice in this area. We had exchanged pleasantries awkwardly, childhood friends who had long become strangers to each other. I wondered if he had read about me in the papers as well, the way I had read about him? Some of those articles had pictures, too. Well, the articles about him often had pictures, a nondescript, balding man with a thin moustache trying to shield his face from the cameras as he came down the stairs at the magistrate\u2019s court.<\/p>\n I turned to my right, and there he was on the other side of the road, walking at a brisk pace. He wore jeans and a bright blue polo shirt. He passed me, and turned into Oxford Road. I crossed the road, and trotted after him.<\/p>\n I caught up with him as we passed the shops. Seeing me, James Rooky broke into that affable grin of his. His eyes, however, were wary, and his thin fingers tightened their grip around his mobile phone.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, Gav!\u201d he greeted me. \u201cHaven\u2019t seen you around here in years.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cActually, I was hoping to run into you, Jim,\u201d I said. \u201cI need to talk to you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, that sounds rather ominous, pal!\u201d he said, throwing his hands up and making a face. But the eyes remained chips of green ice.<\/p>\n \u201cA young friend of mine is in hospital,\u201d I said. \u201cIn the papers, it was reported as a mugging. But word around the campfire is that it was on account of a debt his girlfriend owes a local, um, lender.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, yes?\u201d said James. \u201cNow that is a shame. I hope your friend gets better. More importantly, I hope your friend doesn\u2019t get himself into any more trouble. A gentleman always pays his debt, I am sure your friend understands this now.\u201d<\/p>\n I grabbed him by the collar with both hands and glared into those chips of emerald. As his face blanched, they seemed less lifeless, less ruthless.<\/p>\n \u201cOi, oi, Gav?\u201d He tried to keep his voice level. \u201cWhat\u2019s all this for, pal?\u201d He shrugged me off. He glanced around. \u201cI\u2019m going to forget you just did that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah?\u201d I reached out again, but he held me off by raising his hands. \u201cOK, I am giving you a last warning, Gav. You and me go way back, but it could all end here and now!\u201d<\/p>\n It could, at that. But, my gaze remained level. After a ten-second impasse, I saw those green ice chips melt a little. \u201cIt\u2019s business, Gav!\u201d he said. \u201cNothing personal. I never force anyone to take out a loan. They come to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve got nowhere else to go, Jim,\u201d I said. \u201cEasy pickings. You call yourself a hunter, but you\u2019re just chasing the lame.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve got nowhere else to go, and I take them in!\u201d he said, with self-righteous indignation. \u201cI take risks with a couple of grand, that no bank, even with their billions and billions more in insurance from some stash in Luxembourg or somewhere, is willing to take. It\u2019s the business, it\u2019s the free market! It\u2019s how a Teesside lad like you and me get to be up there will all those fat cats in London!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo bank sends thugs after defaulters!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHave you seen what the banks do to people who can\u2019t pay their loans, Gav?\u201d He was on very sure moral ground now. \u201cI have never actually killed anyone. Do you know how many people top themselves every year in Teesside alone because they can\u2019t keep up with their mortgage, or the monthly on a mobile phone? Where do you think those old bums shuffling along Linthorpe Road on a Friday night come from?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not right, Jim,\u201d I said, softly.<\/p>\n \u201cIt probably isn\u2019t,\u201d he said. \u201cBut, it is what is, as they say in America.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, that\u2019s your final answer?\u201d I said. He was a low-life, but I did not want to move to that final drastic option. That was what this confrontation was about, a last futile throwing of a lifeline to a man who did not know that he was drowning.<\/p>\n \u201cI am sorry about your friend, Gav,\u201d he said. \u201cBut, I can\u2019t make exceptions. They knew it when they came to me. Unlike the banks, I do not have the law to enforce payment of my debts. They knew it when they came to me. If I let one person off, I would have to let all of them off. See you around, pal.\u201d<\/p>\n He brushed past me, and swaggered off.\u00a0 This was the last time I would ever see him again.<\/p>\n \n ***<\/p>\n The disappearance of Messers James and Chad Rooky, and several of their known associates, went generally unremarked. The consensus among those who cared to make enquiries was that they had simply folded their tents and moved to greener pastures. Lots of small post-industrial towns all over Britain, full of broke, desperate people that no bank would lend a fiver to. The police thought the disappearance of the black leatherbound ledger in which the brothers Rooky detailed their transactions imparted plausibility to this theory of their relocation.<\/p>\n The important thing was the brothers Rooky were gone, and with them, nearly all of Teesside\u2019s loan shark problem.<\/p>\n The kids were gone too. Tony had sold his app to six African countries, and now spent most of the year on that continent. Trevaine had taken his show to the whole world. There were pictures of him with celebrities all over the internet, but he still called on the phone from time to time. Last week, he asked us \u2018Avs to have our passports ready as he had finally popped the question to Billie, she had accepted and they were going to have the wedding at an exotic location. Jeremy lived near London now. His wedding to Valerie was less ostentatious, but he was in the league that made the huge bonuses.<\/p>\n \n ***<\/p>\n I nearly bumped into Fish as he stepped out of the new kebab shop on Crossfell Road. He looked stouter than when I last saw him over three years ago. The giant polystyrene box in his hand suggested that he intended to get even stouter over the foreseeable future. He was wearing a trendy, expensive-looking suit. Even the odd one out of the Kids was doing well.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGav, old man!\u201d The pleasure at seeing me was sincere. He sort of leaned against me, and patted my back with his free hand, while the other tried to keep his kebab from dripping its juices. \u201cHow are you buddy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m alright, pal,\u201d I said. \u201cNice threads!\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, thanks. You\u2019d be surprised what you can get in Istanbul,\u201d he said. \u201cI was there last week, on my way back from Tirana.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHow is your family, Fish? Mum doing alright?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cEveryone\u2019s well, Gav.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDid you see anyone else while you were out there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fish looked startled, and I could have kicked myself. Up until now, I had never referred to the Rooky brothers, and their close associates. When Fish had agreed to take on the job of transporting them, against their will and in need of urgent medical attention, to Albania, where they now stay indefinitely as guests of his Mafia relatives, it had not been explicitly stated that we would never bring the matter up.\u00a0 Still, and not that I am an expert on such things, it was bad practice to casually raise such topics. Walls had ears. God knows what Fish got up to these days. He could be under police surveillance right now.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLike I said, Gav, everyone is alive and well,\u201d said Fish, still grinning. \u201cI will remember you to them next time I am in Albania.\u201d Maybe not all of them. \u201cGot to run, mate. I only have half an hour with this kebab, then it\u2019s back to work. My regards to the other \u2018Avs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fish lumbered past me towards a black Ranger Rover Sport. He opened the passenger door and leaned over. The back of him would have used a modest office desk as a bar stool. He retrieved clutter from the passenger\u2019s seat to make room for his kebab, tossing various items into the back seat. The last item was worthy of more consideration, so he opened the back seat door. My heart lurched when I saw what it was.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A black leatherbound book. Like an old ledger.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I snapped back to the present when he looked back at me and flashed his smile again. Slamming the doors shut, he lumbered over to the driver\u2019s seat. My head spun as I watched him drive off.<\/p>\n THE END<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Masimba Musodza \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We watched Jeremy fall in love with The New Girl. At first, there was not much to see. We were at our usual table in the warehouse canteen, sometime after 2 a.m. Davinder, Pavel and myself (Gavin), the Three ‘Avs, as the Kids liked to call us. The Kids were Jeremy, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1800,77],"tags":[1801,1123,1818],"class_list":["post-15936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-egophobia-86","category-english","tag-egophobia-86","tag-english","tag-masimba-musodza"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6DakB-492","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15936"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15937,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15936\/revisions\/15937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}