Buddha Da (5 page)

‘Is it that time already?’

‘It’s five o’clock, Da, Mammy’ll be hame in hauf an hour.

‘Five o’clock. Ah must of been asleep for hours.’

‘You were snorin like a pig. Are yous no meant tae be gaun oot the night?’

‘Aye, hen. Just gie’s a minute tae come to. Ah hate fallin asleep in the efternoon.’

‘Want a cuppa tea? Ah’ll make you wan afore ah go roond tae ma granny’s. Ah’m stayin there the night.’

‘Ta, hen.’

The wee yin planted a cuppa tea doon on the bedside table and went aff. Ah was sittin, lettin the hot tea help me come to, when the door opened and Liz’s heid appeared.

‘Look at sleepin beauty.’

‘You’re early.’

‘Mr Anderson was feelin kind – he tellt me tae go at hauf-four the day since it’s the holiday weekend. Whit happened tae you?’

‘Ah was pure shattered. Lay doon for ten minutes and the next thing ah knew the wee yin was staundin at the bed tellin me it’s five o’clock.’

‘Is she away round tae her granny’s?’

‘Aye. Whit time are we supposed tae be gettin them?’

‘Angie phoned me at ma work. Siobhan’s no well so they’ve called it off.’

‘Nothin serious?’

‘Naw, don’t think so. Just a wee temperature – sumpn gaun round the nursery. But you know whit Angie’s like. They just need tae cough and she’s callin the doctor.’

‘So, want tae just go oot wersels?’

‘If you like.’

Liz was sitting on the bed, her back tae me. Her skirt had rode up a bit, showin her thigh and there’s sumpn aboot the line of her neck, the way it curves on her shoulder, her hair kind of wispy over it. And it had been over a week noo. Ah put ma haund oot and touched her neck. Then ah moved closer.

‘Or we could just stay in. Phone up for a Chinese. There’s a bottle of wine in the fridge.’

‘Uh huh.’

‘Efter all, we’ve goat an empty the night.’

She turned tae face me and ah knew it was OK.

Later, we were sittin up in bed drinkin the wine, ma airm round her.

‘So how come yous have been workin aw these extra hours? Ah thought you said it was just a couple of rooms you were daein?’

‘Aye, but that was afore this lassie started choppin and changin her mind aboot the colour scheme. See, she’d wanted the lounge painted champagne, tae match her Versace troosers.

‘You are jokin.’

‘Ah’m no, honest. They were leather, skin-tight, you should of seen wee Boabby’s face when she came intae the room in them, ah thought he’d need resuscitated.’

‘Some folk have got mair money than sense.’

‘Nae skin aff our noses. At least we’re gettin some of it. Anyway that wasnae whit caused the hassle.’

‘Naw?’

‘We got the shade matched and painted the room and it was lookin fine and we’d just started on the joe loss when her highness changed her mind. She’d got fed up wi they troosers, she’d bought a new pair and could we paint the room lilac noo?’

‘Whit!’

‘Ah’m no kiddin. It was the boyfriend tellt us, brung the troosers in hissel so we could match the exact shade. She was too busy. It was that important it looked right for a big party they were havin at the weekend.

‘“You know whit women are,” he says.

‘“Oh aye,” says Boabby. “Ma missus is just the same. Gets the kitchenette redecorated every time she gets a wee top oot What Evries.”’

‘You’re havin me on, Jimmy.’

‘Did you no see their kitchenette efter Irene got they leopardskin breeks – it took Boabby days tae get that spotty paint.’

She started tae giggle and dug me in the ribs.

‘Hey, that was sore …’

‘Sorry. Naw … ah mean, you know … the girlfriend gettin the livin room painted lilac.’

‘Are you tellin me if ah had that kindy money you widnae be gettin the hoose repainted tae match yer gear?’

‘If you’d that kindy money Jimmy, ah think you’d have wanny the Spice Girls fur a wife, no me.’

‘That’ll be the day.’

‘The money, or the glammy wife?’

‘Ah think you’re glammy enough for me. Anyhow they Spice Girls are auld hat. Ah’d need tae get Britney.’

‘Britt Ekland’s mair your age. Anyway, if we were that rich, ah wouldnae want a hoose. Ah think ah’d just live out of doors on some desert island … wouldnae wear any claes, just wanny they sarong things, silk, wrapped round me …’

‘Oh, stop it, stop it,’ ah started writhin aboot in the bed. ‘Ah’ve spilled ma wine … aw, fuck me!’

‘Whit – again?’

Ah was that relieved things were back tae normal between me and Liz that the retreat went clean oot ma mind, but on the Tuesday when ah went tae the Centre it all came back tae me. Every week the Rinpoche gied a wee talk then led us through a meditation. After that we’d have a cuppa tea, sit roond and blether. We could ask questions or discuss anythin tae dae wi oor practice and that was a good time
tae have a word on the QT if ye wanted tae say anythin personal.

Anyhow, it was when we were daein the meditation ah started tae think aboot how different it was here fae when ah was on retreat. As soon as ah heard the Rinpoche’s voice it semed tae get me calmed doon and followin ma breathin. Ah could dae it. Felt at hame. Efterwards ah wanted tae ask him about it but couldnae say in fronty the rest. Somehow, though, it was as if he knew. He turned tae me and said, ‘So, Jimmy, how was your retreat?’

‘Kind of haurd gaun, Rinpoche – too many carrots.’

Everybuddy laughed.

‘So you are taking the orange way to enlightenment – the future is bright.’

‘Sumpn like that.’

He didnae say anythin else, just kept lookin at me, smilin. They were all waitin for me tae answer. Ah looked round their faces and back tae the Rinpoche.

‘It was the meditation. It was that haurd. Ah was wonderin …’

He kept lookin at me.

‘Wonderin how come ah can dae it here – ah don’t mean it’s easy or that, just ah feel ah’m gettin somewhere – but there, it was terrible. Ah could hardly sit still, ma mind was birlin. In the end ah just sat and listened tae the rain on the roof.’

‘Tell me, Jimmy, what were you doing when you were listening to the rain?’

‘Ah wisnae daein anythin, ah tellt you, Rinpoche, ah was just sittin, listenin, followin the sound ae the raindraps landin on a roof – ma mind was just empty.’

‘How wonderful.’

‘But ah thought ah was supposed tae be followin the breaths, daein the mindfulness a breathin.’

‘Maybe you were doing the mindfulness of raindrops, Jimmy.’

He reached ower and touched me, on ma airm, lightly, just for a moment. All of a sudden a big lump rose in ma throat and ah felt as though ah was gonnae greet. And he just kept on lookin at me wi that brilliant wee smile of his and it was like him and me were the only two folk in the universe.

Walkin hame that night ah kept seein raindraps. It’s funny, you’d think livin in a country where it’s chuckin it doon hauf the time you’d be pretty familiar wi them but it was as if ah’d never looked at wan afore. Of course ah hadnae. Who goes roond lookin at raindraps – folk’d think ye were mental. But there ah wis, stoppin at a hedge tae look at a raindrap on a leaf. Ah looked right close and could see the pattern of the veins of the leaf. Wee tracks gaun through it. What were they for? Hudnae a clue. Knew nothin aboot leafs or plants or that – just never been interested. But the Rinpoche was right – it was wonderful.

Liz was watchin the TV when ah got in. Wanny they daft decoratin programmes. Ah kissed the tap ae her heid as ah passed round the back of the settee.

‘Want a cuppa tea?’

‘Just had wan. There was a phone call for you – Barbara – fae the retreat.’

She turned tae look at me.

‘Whit did she want?’

‘Didnae say – she’s left a number for you tae phone back – Edinburgh number.’

‘Right.’

‘Didnae know yous were swoppin numbers.’

‘Ah never gied her mines – she must of got it oot the book. Must be sumpn ta dae wi the retreat.’

Ah went intae the hall tae phone.

‘Is that Barbara?’

‘Speaking. Is that you Jimmy?’

‘Aye.’

‘How’s your hand?’

‘Oh, it’s fine – looked worse than it was.’

‘I hope you don’t mind my calling but I was wondering if you ever did any work in Edinburgh.’

‘Work?’

‘You know, painting.’

‘Eh, well, maisty our work is local – we’ve usually got plenty tae keep us busy. We dae the odd job as far as Stirling or that but ah don’t think we’ve ever had a job in Embra.’

‘I’m looking for a decorator – there’s quite a lot of work needing done in my flat. And I’ve kind of put it off because I work at home most of the time and the idea of having someone around whom I don’t know … well. Anyway, after meeting you at the retreat the other week I just thought it might be the ideal solution if you were able to do it. Obviously I’d pay you a bit more to compensate for your having to travel.’

‘Eh, ah’m no sure … when were you thinkin of?’

‘Well, it was more when it was suitable for you. Any time over the next few months. Be nice to get some of it done before Christmas but there’s really no rush. Are you very busy just now?’

‘We’ve a couple of wee jobs on this week and there’s a big commercial wan comin up soon.’

‘Would it be possible for you to come through and see
the place, give me a quote, towards the end of this week maybe? I’d pay expenses, of course.’

‘Aye, ah think we’ll be finished on Friday mornin … ah suppose ah could come through Friday lunchtime if that’s OK.’

‘Great.’

Ah’d never done much drivin in Embra but the flat was quite easy tae find, in a street somewhere up fae the Meadows. Fae the ootside it didnae look much different fae a tenement in Glesga. The close was dark and the front door was painted a dull green. There was a tartan doorplate wi ‘Tweedie’ on it and under that was a piece of card on wi ‘B. Mellis’ typed on it. The bell was wanny they real old-fashioned bell pulls, no an eletric wan – it made a nice jinglin sound. Ah could hear Barbara’s footsteps comin towards the door; she planted her feet doon heavily though she wasnae a heavy wumman, and ah could hear her janglin as she moved.

When she answered the door she was wearin purple leggins, a big baggy jumper and lots of rattly metal bangles up her airms.

‘Hi Jimmy. Nice to see you. Come in.’

As ah came in the door she kissed me on the cheek.

‘Come through and I’ll make us some coffee.’

She led me intae the livin room, which was huge wi a fancy cornice round the ceilin. A couch covered wi a velvet throw and a coupla bean bags was aboot aw the furniture except for an enormous statue of the Buddha in the bay windae wi caundles aw round.

‘My God, you don’t need tae go on retreat. You could set up yer ain Centre here.’

‘Suppose so. He’s lovely isn’t he? A friend brought him
back from India then didn’t have room for him. I find his presence very calming.’

‘Aye.’

‘Have you had some lunch?’

‘Afore ah came through. Could murder a cuppa tea though.’

‘I’ve got Earl Grey or herbal.’

‘Nae Typhoo? Or even Scottish Blend?’

‘Fraid not.’

‘Oh well, gie’s the Earl Grey. Milk, nae sugar.’

When she was oot the room ah had a look round at the paintwork. It was basically in good nick though it was pretty dull, painted a kind of putty shade all round, the cornice a dingy cream. A coupla coats would dae if she was just wantin it brightened up. The hall was a disaster though – a dreary shade of dark green wi a red carpet. Ah can never unnerstaund how folk paint these halls in really dark colours when they get nae light.

‘Casting a professional eye, are you?’

Barbara set a tray doon on a wee table wi elephant legs, which she pulled oot fae behind the settee. Two mugs and a plate a biscuits.

‘Whit was it you were wantin done?’

‘This room, the bedroom and the hall to start off. The kitchen and bathroom have been refurbished quite recently so they’re fine and there’s another room which I use for my work but that can wait till later.’

‘Whit is it you dae?’

‘Research – I don’t actually carry out the research myself but I do the writing up. I examine the data, work out the statistical evidence and all that. Do you know much about homeopathy?’

‘No really. But Liz buys they wee remedies oot of Boots if you’ve got a cold or that.’

‘Yes, it’s getting more popular now.’

‘Right enough. Aboot yer decoratin – did you have any colours in mind?’

‘I’m not sure. Something neutral in here – keep it light. And maybe a violet-blue for the bedroom. I did wonder about orange for the hall. It’s such a healing colour and I think it would be welcoming.’

‘Ah presume you’re thinkin aboot gettin a new carpet.’

She looked at me as if she didnae know whit ah was talkin aboot for a minute, then a smile broke ower her face.

‘I see what you mean. The red wouldn’t exactly go with it. Yes I’m getting rid of it. Actually I might just get a rug. The floorboards underneath are polished – I can’t imagine why they covered it over with that thing.’

‘They?’

‘The people I bought it from. The Tweedies – their name’s still on the front door in case there’s mail for them. Oh, and speaking of the front door – I’d like that painted too. Bright red. Good feng shui. That’s why I haven’t put up a proper brass nameplate on the door yet – I was waiting till I got the door painted.’

‘Have you no been here lang then?’

‘Three months. Look, d’you think you could do the job?’

‘It’s no a difficult job if you’re just wantin it painted. Coupla coats in here and the bedroom, three in the hall tae cover that dark colour. It’s just ah’d need tae talk tae ma brother first – you know we don’t usually work this far out.’

‘Do you work with your brother then?’

‘Aye. We used tae work for other firms but him and me set up thegether nine year ago and we’ve never looked back. Always had work on the go and it’s nearly always word of mouth now. Wan guy works for us full-time and we can call in some others if it’s a bigger job.’

‘So you’re doing well.’

‘Cannae complain. Look, suppose ah send you a quote and throw in a bit extra for the travellin. Ah’ll talk tae John and check he’s up for it. We could fit you in the week after next if he’s OK aboot it.’