From Pasta to Pigfoot (19 page)

‘And what, may I ask, are those things for?' She raised a pencilled eyebrow as she watched them collapse into a couple of chairs after their exertions.

‘Mama says the shop needs to be reorganised,' Amma replied, trying to catch her breath and forgoing any effort at tact in the process. ‘She says it looks really boring and cluttered.'

The shop consisted of a large room with a low ceiling. The cash register was on a counter near the door, making entry into the shop somewhat awkward. An archway at the back of the store led to a small anteroom. From the main
room, a closed door concealed a small corridor leading to a tiny kitchenette and bathroom. Looking around the room at the indifferent display of traditional outfits and jewellery, gift packs, cosmetics and toiletries, Faye secretly agreed with Auntie Amelia's comment, although she had enough sense to keep her thoughts to herself.

Baaba shrugged and looked round the store without interest, clearly uninspired by the challenge. Her eyes, heavily outlined with a dark pencil, came to rest on Faye and narrowed as she took in her expressive features.

‘Well, Faye, you've just come from London,' she murmured throatily. ‘Why don't you show us natives how things are done in the big fashion shops over there?' Her eyes flashed with malice as she noted Faye's discomfiture.

‘Ah, Baaba, leave her alone!' Amma glared at her friend with indignation. ‘
You're
supposed to be a designer, for goodness' sake. Can't you put some style into this place?'

Baaba shrugged again and swallowed the rest of her tea. She walked across to the front of the shop and the sway of her broad hips caused her skirt to swish against her shapely legs. With her back to the shop entrance, she looked around the room with a critical eye for a few moments and then raised her hands helplessly.

‘Look, Amma, I know how to design and sew clothes, but I've never claimed to be any good at decorating. I haven't got the first idea what to do with those pots, or anything else.'

Faye stood up and walked around the large room thoughtfully, taking in the wall space, shelving and the merchandise on display. ‘Well,' she said, hesitant at putting herself forward. ‘If you like, I'd be happy to try and help – I
love decorating rooms.'

Amma and Baaba sighed in unison. ‘Good', they chorused and promptly sat down, looking at her expectantly like children at a birthday party ready to be entertained by the magician.

Faye giggled at their combined expressions of relief and anticipation. She looked around the room slowly before speaking. Her voice was suddenly brisk as she started listing the things she would need, ticking each item off with her fingers as she spoke. Baaba, clearly grateful for the help, for once made no comment as she quickly seized a piece of paper and wrote down everything Faye said. Once or twice she raised her head and looked at Faye incredulously, but thought better of interrupting her and continued to scribble hurriedly.

When Faye had finished, Amma and Baaba went into a huddle to scrutinise the list and then stood up and announced that they would be back shortly. As they left, Faye flipped around the
Open
sign before any customers could walk in, and locked the shop door.

Turning back into the room, she sighed with pleasure at the task ahead of her and began to stack all the merchandise into one corner. Folding the garments that had been displayed on the mannequins, she was impressed by the beautiful fabrics and the fine workmanship of the clothes. From the similarity they bore to Amma's dress, she guessed that they were Baaba's designs.

Wondering why Baaba didn't wear some of her own range instead of the tight-fitting numbers she seemed to like so much, Faye put the clothes to one side and gathered
up the hand strung bead necklaces and matching bracelets from the window display. She put them carefully into a large empty box she had retrieved from the kitchenette, where she had also found a dustpan and brush and some cleaning materials. She had just finished clearing the shop when Amma and Baaba returned, perspiring from the heat outside and with their arms piled full.

‘Well, I hope you know what you're doing, Faye,' Baaba said doubtfully, looking at the items she had just deposited on the floor. ‘Amma, just make sure your mother knows that this was
not
my idea.'

Amma waved her away impatiently. ‘Oh, let's give her a chance – whatever she suggests can't be worse than what you and I could do!'

Baaba shrugged and handed Faye a long shirt that had clearly seen better days. ‘I couldn't find any overalls, so I hope this will do,' she said. Faye nodded, taking the shirt and slipping her arms into the sleeves. She went into the small kitchen where she had laid out sheets of old newspapers on the floor in readiness. She dragged the pink mannequins into the kitchen and swiftly repainted them jet-black using the gloss paint she had requested. She stood them outside the back door of the shop to let them dry and went back inside to find Amma and Baaba sitting comfortably chatting.

‘Okay, you two need to make yourselves useful,' she ordered, and proceeded to bark instructions at them for the next few hours. By midday the blazing sun had successfully dried the paint on the mannequins left outside, and Faye had completed all the paintwork inside
the shop. She hoisted the mannequins, now a glossy black, back inside the kitchen and dressed them in the clothes she had removed earlier. She picked out some of the bead necklaces from the box and draped a few around the necks of the headless dolls.

She walked back into the shop and dissolved into helpless giggles at the baleful looks directed at her from Amma and Baaba who had collapsed into chairs, exhausted from the orders they had been scurrying around to obey all morning.

‘Okay, girls, one last thing,' Faye said when she could stop laughing. ‘Just help me put these mannequins back in the window and then I think we're done.'

With loud groans and exaggerated sighs, Amma and Baaba reluctantly stood up to help her lift the figures into the window display and they all trooped outside to see the full effect.

‘Wow, Faye – it looks fantastic!' Her tiredness forgotten, Amma clapped her hands with excitement as she took in the new window display.

Faye had draped gold netting around the sides of the large window while tiny swirls of gold paint had been sprayed at intervals along the top and bottom of the glass pane. More of the netting, draped on the floor, created the effect of a diaphanous golden carpet. One of the new flowerpots sat in the centre of the window display filled with long stemmed silk flowers, some of which had been sprayed gold to highlight the gold flecks in the terracotta pot. The now-jet-black mannequins provided a strong contrast to the brilliant colours of Baaba's designs, which
were further enhanced by the contrasting tones of the bead jewellery. The overall effect was eye-catching and dramatic and as they stood outside, a few people walking past stopped to admire the display.

‘Now our only problem is that people will think the shop is too posh and won't come in to buy our things,' Baaba said moodily after staring at the stunning new display in silence for a few minutes. Secretly pleased at how the display had made her designs stand out, she was still reluctant to praise Faye whom she now saw as a threat to any potential chance with Rocky.

‘Don't be so ungrateful, Baaba,' Amma glared at her. ‘Why can't you just admit it looks beautiful? Mama will love it!'

An hour later, the transformation inside the shop was also complete. Earlier, having instructed the girls to drag the cash register to the back of the shop where it occupied less space, Faye had them assist her as she sprayed little golden swirls around the cream walls from the front door all the way around the main room of the shop. To accent the plain white walls, she had carefully painted a thin glossy black line where the wall and the ceiling met and along the top of the skirting board. One side of the room was now dedicated to clothing and shoes, while on the other side she had arranged the toiletries and gift packs on shelves lined with the remnants of the gold netting she had used in the window.

The most dramatic change was the small anteroom, where they had painted the walls a pale gold before turning the room into a display area for the shop's entire jewellery
collection. The small jewellery stands had been given a coat of the black gloss paint and now formed a dramatic backdrop for an eye catching display of bangles, chains, bead necklaces and earrings. Against the wall behind the display, the second ceramic flowerpot, also filled with gold and coloured flowers, formed a backdrop that toned beautifully against the newly painted walls.

Amma gasped in disbelief as she walked slowly around the shop, and even Baaba couldn't help but exclaim at the finished product.

‘Well, I must say I would never have thought of doing anything like this,' she confessed. ‘I was thinking about just tidying up and rearranging the stock.'

Amma hugged Faye in gratitude. ‘Mama will
not
believe this,' she enthused. ‘Why aren't you a designer? I can't believe you are a secretary when you have such talent!'

Faye squirmed with embarrassment and pleasure. Although she was regularly called on by her friends to help with decorating ideas, this was the first time she had been given a completely free hand to use her imagination.

‘Well, I'm glad you like it,' she grinned. ‘Let's hope Auntie Amelia does too or we're all back here tomorrow changing it back!'

Amma glanced at her watch and did a double take.

‘Oh shoot!' She squealed in shock. ‘Look at the time! Faye, let's go and get something to eat and go to my dressmakers before she leaves home for her bible study class or whatever it is she's doing today.'

Faye went into the bathroom and took off the paint-stained shirt. She washed her hands, scrubbing at the
obstinate specks of black oil paint. As soon as she emerged, Amma bundled her off with a quick farewell to Baaba who, too tired to even walk them to the door, waved languidly at them from where she sat.

It was now almost two o'clock and the heat and humidity were intense. Amma's car, which had been parked on the street, felt like an oven. The steering wheel was so hot to the touch that she was forced to open the car windows for several minutes to let some of the stifling air escape before starting the engine.

‘What do you feel like eating?' Amma asked, as she pulled out into the road, grasping the warm wheel as lightly as she dared.

‘Anything,' said Faye. ‘I'm starving after all that work!'

Amma drove quickly through some quiet back roads before turning into a busy single-lane road. The cars were bumper to bumper, honking furiously as they inched along slowly.

Faye pushed her hair back from her face and flapped her hand in front of her in an effort to cool down. Her skin felt sticky and she longed for a cool drink to soothe her parched throat.

She stared in fascination at the activity taking place on the street, forgetting her hunger for a moment, when a skinny beggar approached their car, which was almost stationary in the busy traffic, with outstretched hand, only to turn away sorrowfully at Amma's dismissive gesture of impatience.

A boy carrying a large metal bowl of fish walked alongside their car for several minutes, intent on making
a sale and completely unperturbed at Amma's look of disgust as he lifted the dead fish up to her window.

‘Madam, the fish dey very good,' he said confidently, keeping pace with their slow moving vehicle. Amma ignored him and concentrated on keeping up with the traffic. The young man ducked his head to look across at Faye.‘Madam, I say, make you buy my fish, eh?' His grin was wide as he made his cheeky plea. Unable to resist it, she smiled, giving him renewed hope of a sale, even as the strong smell from the metal bowl wafted into the hot car.

‘Madam, you see de fish? I swear, it dey make good stew or you go make fry ‘um well well plus kenkey.' Undaunted by Amma's glare, he kept up the patter until eventually, after several minutes of fruitless advertising, he finally conceded defeat and ran to the car behind them to relaunch his sales pitch.

‘This is our famous Oxford Street,' Amma explained, blowing the horn stridently while at the same time skilfully swerving to avoid a taxi that had pulled out from a side road and almost hit the side of their car. ‘This road is always busy, but there are quite a few fast food restaurants here so we can stop and get something to eat.'

Looking round, Faye was immediately struck by the contrast between the luxurious saloon cars and four wheel drive vehicles on the street and the endless stream of hawkers who appeared to have set up an alternative market along the side of the road, selling everything from dog chains to lurid wall clocks. As their car crawled along, the young entrepreneurs would tap on the car windows,
grinning broadly while energetically displaying their wares. A number of women, some with children tied firmly on their backs with cloths, seemingly oblivious to the heat, walked in the dust along the side of the road with large bowls on their heads full of items for sale. Some bowls were piled high with bananas, while others were filled with yams, green plantains and even washing up sponges.

Still on Oxford Street, they drove past banks, petrol stations, small boutiques displaying designer clothes and expensive handbags, restaurants and even a large hospital. A neon sign, its lights temporarily switched off, identified a casino set back on a side road.

‘This road seems to have every kind of business and every type of person,' Faye remarked, her nose almost pressed against her window.

Amma honked her horn in irritation at a street hawker who had run out in front of their car in pursuit of a white backpacker showing no desire to buy the framed photograph of three fluffy white kittens the hawker was trying to sell.

‘It's madness here sometimes,' she muttered, looking around for a parking space in front of what appeared to be a very popular restaurant, judging by the number of cars crammed into the small parking lot. Luckily, a car was reversing out, allowing Amma to pull in expertly into the vacated space.