From Pasta to Pigfoot (31 page)

It was almost seven o'clock when Rocky returned from the office. He strolled through to the living room, loosening his tie. Amma was upstairs getting ready to meet Edwin while Faye was still on the sofa, engrossed in the glossy magazine.

She looked up with a guilty smile. Not wanting to be caught reading the ‘How Compatible are You and Your Man?' quiz, she quickly clasped the magazine to her chest.

‘Hi,' she said brightly. He smiled back, gently extracting the magazine from her hands. Scanning the title, he looked down at her.

‘So, what do you think?' A mischievous smile crooked his lips. ‘Are we?'

Confused and feeling at a disadvantage as he towered above her, Faye uncrossed her legs and stood up.

‘What time do you want us to leave?' She ignored his question and tried to sound casual. He didn't press the point, although his smile showed that he was well aware of her attempt to duck the question.

‘I'd like to take a shower first.' He glanced at his watch. ‘Why don't we meet down here in an hour – is that okay?'

‘That's fine,' she said. Seizing the magazine, she brushed past him and ran upstairs before he could ask any more awkward questions. Walking down the corridor, she stopped as Amma came out of her room. Dressed in black trousers and a fitted royal blue top with a ruffle running diagonally down the front, she had tied her long braids back and had a silver clutch purse clamped under her arm.

‘You look very nice.' Faye nodded in approval. ‘Now remember, just give him a chance to speak, okay?'

‘Yes, mother,' she replied dutifully and with a weak smile. ‘I can't believe I'm nervous about meeting
Edwin
. I'd better get going. Have a nice evening – and tell me everything tomorrow.'

Faye left her and went to her room where she had a leisurely shower before padding through her depleted wardrobe in search of something to wear. After trying on countless different combinations, she settled on her narrow black cropped trousers and a short-sleeved, pale-gold mandarin-style jacket.

Realising with a shock that it was already ten to eight, she quickly applied some eyeliner and dusted her eyelids with translucent gold eye shadow. After carefully applying some bronze lipstick, she thrust the tube into her purse and brushed her hair vigorously before going downstairs.

Rocky was waiting in the living room and stood up as soon as she came through the door. His parents were watching a current affairs debate on TV and looked up as she walked in.

‘That's a beautiful outfit, Faye,' Auntie Amelia exclaimed. ‘I must say, I wish I was a young girl again. There are so many nice fashions around today.'

Rocky leant over and kissed his mother affectionately on her cheek. ‘Ma, you always look beautiful, no matter what you wear. The guys at work seem to lose the power of speech whenever you go there.'

‘You see, my dear?' his father interjected innocently. ‘That's why I don't talk much – one look at you and I'm struck dumb.'

Auntie Amelia slapped her husband's arm in protest while Faye and Rocky laughed at Uncle Fred's attempts to look serious. He winked at his son and gestured towards Faye. ‘I don't think you will say much this evening either, son, from the look of our own supermodel here.'

‘No, Dad,' Rocky agreed in a solemn voice. ‘I have a strong feeling I'm about to be struck dumb.'

As his father chuckled appreciatively, Rocky gently steered Faye out of the room, calling goodnight to his parents. Grabbing his car keys from the table in the hallway, he led the way out to his car. He opened the passenger door for Faye and she snuggled into the luxurious leather seat, sliding the seat belt smoothly into the chrome holder. Even the click of the seatbelt sounds rich, she thought dreamily.

Rocky headed the powerful car down the dual carriageway and Faye sighed with satisfaction, comparing
the drive in this sleek, high-suspension machine with the bumpy rides in the rickety taxis she had been using over the past few days.

Rocky glanced across at her in the shadowy light of the car and grinned at the wide smile on her face.

‘What are you thinking about?' he asked in amusement.

She looked at his handsome profile and laughed self-consciously. ‘I was just thinking that this makes such a nice change from the taxis I've been travelling around in.'

He smiled at her candour. ‘Well, it's nice to have you in it at last. I thought we might go to one of my favourite places,' he went on. ‘It's a private jazz club not too far from here.'

A few minutes later he drove into a large courtyard where a number of cars were parked. Switching off the engine, he climbed out and came round to open her door. Faye smiled inwardly as she remembered Michael's lectures on how opening a door for women was an affront to their struggle to attain their rights. Smiling in gratitude for the affront, she slid out of the car and walked with Rocky into the club.

As they went in, a tall, slim woman wearing a long black dress and with a black turban wound around her head glided over.

‘Rocky! We haven't seen you for a while.' Her voice was warm and husky; she kissed him lightly on both cheeks and then turned to Faye with a wide smile.

‘Welcome! I'm Marcia – the manager of the Jazz Hut.' Her accent was unmistakably American and Faye returned the smile and introduced herself.

Marcia ushered them over to a small table in an alcove where they had a good view of the band playing on the small stage. After making sure they were comfortably seated, she gestured to one of the waiters to come and serve them before wishing them a pleasant evening and gliding off to greet some new arrivals.

When the waiter arrived, Faye ordered a glass of white wine while Rocky opted for a beer. She looked around the club admiring the 1930s Harlem jazz joint décor. Framed black and white prints of black jazz musicians and singers adorned the walls. The bar extended across an entire wall of the club and was manned by three waiters. A few patrons perched on leather and chrome bar stools and sipped on their drinks while they listened to the band play.

The waiter had just served their drinks when a tall lanky man in his thirties with an untidy goatee beard came up to their table. He stared at Faye in open admiration and patted Rocky's shoulder in greeting.

‘Long time, no see, my man!'

Rocky leaned back in his chair and looked up at him, a resigned smile on his face. ‘Hello Nii, how are you?'

If the man noticed the lack of warmth in Rocky's greeting, it didn't appear to bother him. He looked around, seized a chair from an adjoining table and sat down next to Faye before anyone could speak.

‘So who is this beautiful woman?' he asked with a wolfish smile as he set his drink down on their table. Rocky frowned for a moment before introducing her. ‘Faye, this is Nii. He's married to my cousin, Serwah, for her sins.'

She smiled and shook Nii's hand, tugging her own
away when he appeared unwilling to release it.

‘Hey, Rocky, you always seem to find the pretty ones,' Nii remarked, stroking his goatee. ‘What happened to that model I used to see you around with?'

‘How are Serwah and the boys?' Rocky countered, taking a long swallow of his beer. ‘I haven't seen them for a while.'

‘They're all fine,' Nii said airily with an indifferent shrug. Turning to Faye again, he grinned broadly, baring strong white teeth.

‘So where are you from, pretty lady?' he asked. Rocky sighed with a mixture of impatience and irritation and was about to speak when a young girl marched up to their table, a sulky expression marring her pretty features.

‘Nii, you just walked off and left me by myself!' She glared angrily at him and Faye's lips twitched with suppressed laughter. Rocky, on the other hand, looked thunderous.

Nii sighed. He stood up and put a placatory arm around the young girl's slim shoulders. He took one look at Rocky's face and prudently made no attempt at introductions. Instead, he contented himself with a weak smile at Faye and a casual farewell before steering the girl away.

Rocky exhaled loudly, shaking his head more in sorrow than anger as he watched Nii walking off, his head close to the girl's ear and talking swiftly as he tried to pacify her.

‘The longer you stay in this town, the more you'll come across characters like him.' Rocky's eyes were still on Nii. ‘He has a beautiful wife and two sons and yet he spends most of his time hanging around nightclubs or the university campus preying on young impressionable girls.'

‘She doesn't look too impressionable to me,' Faye laughed, looking pointedly over to where the girl was clearly haranguing a sheepish Nii.

Rocky laughed reluctantly. ‘Serves him right,' he said. Turning back to Faye, he leaned forward and took her hand.

‘Forget about him. Let's talk about you,' he said. She gazed back at him happily, feeling as though she had just stepped into a warm perfumed bath after coming in from the cold.

True to his word, Rocky did nothing but listen to her, prompting her with questions from time to time, as though determined to learn everything there was to know about her. They talked late into the evening, oblivious to the comings and goings of club members, the occasional intrusion by the waiter and curious glances from Marcia.

‘Okay, now I've told you everything about me except my shoe size,' she said. ‘It's your turn to answer my questions.'

Rocky laughed and nodded slowly. ‘Okay. That sounds fair. Although I warn you, you might not like the answers,' he teased.

‘Okay, first question. What do you want right now, more than anything?' She asked the question with a part of her hoping that he would give the answer she wanted.

He replied without hesitation. ‘The international promotion I've been working for.'

It wasn't the answer she had hoped for, but she carried on gamely.

‘Apart from your promotion, what do you really want?' she persisted.

This time he paused and thought for a long moment. ‘I think I have everything I want,' he said slowly. ‘Except maybe the new squash racquet I saw in town last week.' He looked at the downcast expression on her face and burst into laughter.

‘Faye, you are so—' He broke off in the middle of his sentence, groaning as he saw Nii approaching their table. Now relieved of his teenaged burden, he was heading towards them, his eyes fixed purposefully on Faye.

‘I don't think I can stand another minute of that guy,' Rocky said softly. ‘Let's go.'

Faye, who had been feeling increasingly uneasy with each step Nii took towards her, nodded in agreement and quickly picked up her evening bag. She stood up just as he reached them.

‘Oh, pretty lady, are you off so soon?' His face fell in disappointment as she smiled and bid him a brief farewell before walking quickly in the direction of the door. Rocky walked alongside her, stopping at the bar to pay their bill before guiding her out into the warm night.

Safely inside the car, they burst into laughter as he gunned the car engine and drove rapidly out of the car park.‘Did you see his face?' Faye gasped with laughter. ‘He looked like someone had snatched his food away just as he was about to eat!'

Rocky glanced across at her, smiling at her amusement. ‘Talking of food, are you hungry? You haven't eaten anything since lunch.'

Touched by his concern, she nodded. ‘Actually, I wouldn't
mind something to eat – oh, Rocky, look!' She pointed excitedly through the window at a woman sitting in front of a coal pot heaped with burning coals. On top of the fire was a huge frying pan. Rocky, who had automatically slowed down, pulled over to the side of the road.

‘I was about to offer you a decent meal and you want
kelewele
?' He shook his head in mock sorrow.

‘Please, I
love
it!' Sighing in defeat, Rocky slipped off his seat belt and walked across to where the woman was stationed. A few minutes later he was back with a newspaper-wrapped parcel giving off the sweet spicy aroma of hot fried plantain. Faye beamed at him and held onto the parcel as he drove them home, inhaling the appetising scent of ginger, spices and hot chilli.

As soon as they drove through the gates, she jumped out of the car and raced into the kitchen. Emptying the contents of the parcel onto a plate, she sat down at the kitchen table, contentedly munching the delicious pieces of sweet plantain. Rocky came in and sat at the table watching in disbelief as she steadily ate her way through the large portion of food.

When she finally stopped eating, he leaned across and gently brushed an errant crumb from the corner of her mouth. ‘I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes,' he said looking at her in fascination.

Feeling more than a little ashamed at her display of greed, Faye gave a sheepish smile. ‘Sorry, I didn't even ask if you wanted some.' She bit her lower lip and looked at him apologetically.

Reaching for a lock of her hair, he pulled her face close
to his. ‘Don't worry about it, this is what I want,' he said in a low voice. Brushing her lips softly with his own, he kissed her lightly. Tugging gently, he pulled her even closer as the kiss deepened. She reached for him, caressing his strong jaw with her hand as she felt a passion she had never experienced before flood through her. Rocky kicked his chair away and slid his hand behind her waist, standing up with her in one fluid movement. She gasped but didn't break away as she felt his warm hand stroking her bare back.

The sound of the front door slamming caused them both to freeze for a split second before jumping apart. Faye was breathing so hard she could have been running and Rocky, for once, had lost his composure and looked dazed. They jumped again as the kitchen door burst open. Amma stood in the doorway; she looked tearful but had a broad grin on her face.

Faye moved forward in concern but Amma held up her hand to stop her. Her voice was shaking and more breathless than ever.