Tandia (17 page)

Jamal Vindoo had felt the same way. Tandia's beauty had left him devastated from the moment the solution in the developing tray brought her into being. He was aware of his hand shaking as he washed the print and pegged it to the drying line. With this picture alone he had disobeyed Mama Tequila's orders and had printed two ten-by-eights for himself.

The light kicking back from the overhead mirror moulded Tandia's body perfectly and he told himself, as a professional photographer, it was his duty to keep these prints for his portfolio. Besides, without the police officer, whose name he didn't know, the picture was not incriminating.

There could be no possible harm in owning it. Despite Tandia's apparent vocation, the young girl with the beautiful sad expression held such great emotional appeal for him that he knew he would not be able to rest until he got to know her.

'Where are the negatives?' Mama Tequila asked. His hands still in his pockets, Jamal Vindoo shrugged. 'You asked only for the prints.' A photographer always keeps his negatives.'

There was a pause. 'I see.' Mama Tequila said. Then she looked up at him smiling. 'How much?'

Jamal too smiled. This was turning out much easier than he'd expected. 'Negatives are a photographer's bread and butter. People re-order, sometimes years later.' His right eyebrow was slightly arched. 'You never know who or where these orders will come from, do you?'

Mama Tequila made a note to get to know him better. He was clever and he was corrupt. It was a combination she understood and generally found to be useful in a young man. 'Okay, sonny, let's talk!' She smiled, then pointed to the oval picture on the wall. 'Your daddy has told me how proud he is of you, Jamal. He tells me you the first one in his family, even if you could go back three hundred years, even more,' who has been to the university.
Magtig!
He thinks the sun and also the moon shine out of your backside!'

Jamal Vindoo looked slightly uncomfortable as he too looked up at the picture of his father. 'He is a good man, even, in his own way, an
éminence grise.'

'You can say that again!
Eminence
is right. Only the other day I heard they going to make him a member of the Indian Academy! This is a very big exclusive honour for a man who didn't go even to high school.'

'Yes, he's delighted, election to the Academy is very important to him.'

'Not only him, man! Only very high-up Indians are on that thing.' Mama Tequila paused, 'Your father, he is more than a good man, you hear? More, much more! Your father is a man a person can trust!' She produced a small handkerchief from her bag and, sighing, dabbed at the corners of her eyes. She replaced the hanky and withdrew an envelope which she offered to the young Indian photographer. 'Here, open it, see what is inside.'

Jamal Vindoo took the envelope while Mama Tequila returned to scrummaging in her bag. The photograph he withdrew from the envelope lacked the quality of his own work but the subject and detail was unmistakable. It showed Mr Dine-o-Mite in the nude, his small body and spindly legs no bigger than those of a prepubescent boy. He still wore his steel-rimmed glasses and his face carried a slightly bemused expression as Sarah knelt in front of him, enclosing him.

'Ag, here it is!' Mama Tequila exclaimed as she produced a second envelope. 'The negative!' She removed the negative and held it up for him to see, then she replaced it in the envelope.

Without a word Jamal rose and, placing the picture he held back into its envelope, he put it into his shirt pocket and disappeared through the curtained doorway. He returned a minute or two later carrying a second envelope which he dropped on Mama Tequila's lap.

Mama Tequila looked up and smiled, fanning herself with the envelope containing the negative of Jamal's daddy. The young photographer now stood in front of her, a surly expression on his handsome young face, his hand arrogantly proffered, ready to take the envelope she held.

Mama Tequila continued to fan herself with it, seemingly unaware of his open hand. Jamal felt his hand grow heavy, as though it suddenly contained too much blood. Every muscle in his body strained to snatch the envelope but he lacked the courage to do so. Mama Tequila held her small smile and he found himself mesmerised, quite unable to act. He bit down hard on his back teeth to prevent himself from crying out in frustration.

Still smiling, Mama Tequila put the envelope he had given her into her bag. Then, to Jamal's consternation, she also replaced the envelope containing the negative. This was too much for the young Indian. 'That negative belongs to me now!' he expostulated.

Mama Tequila reached forward and withdrew a cork-tip from the silver case and, squinting, lit it with her Zippo.

Inhaling deeply, she rested back into the wicker couch and blew a cloud of blue smoke into the young man's crutch.

Finally she looked up at him. 'Negatives are a madam's bread and butter.' She arched her eyebrow slightly, imitating his own earlier expression. 'You never know when and how you going to need them, do you?'

When Jamal Vindoo hadn't snatched the envelope from her hand, Mama Tequila knew she'd broken him. She picked up her silver cigarette case and thumbed it open, offering it to Jama!. 'Cigarette?'

The young photographer bent down gratefully and took a cigarette from the silver case, lighting it from the Zippo Mama Tequila held. Then he moved over to sit in the wicker chair nearest to her.

Mama Tequila's voice was businesslike. 'Your pictures are good, man. I can use you. Ten pounds with the negative. That for every client.' She drew on her cigarette, then exhaled. 'What do you say, Mr Photographer?'

Jamal Vindoo suddenly burst into laughter. Bending forward he stubbed his cigarette into the brass ashtray. 'You know something? I, don't even smoke!' he exclaimed. Turning to her he extended his hand. 'You got a deal, Mama Tequila, but only if I get that negative of my father!'

Mama Tequila rose slowly. 'I'll do better than that, my boy.' She plucked a paper rose from the brass vase on the table and held it to the God lamp on the wall. The crinkly paper flared and blazed. Taking the envelope from her bag, she held the corner to the blazing rose, and finally, when the flames threatened to bum her fingers, she dropped what remained of it into the brass ashtray. She added the wire stem of the spent rose to the ashtray and withdrew a second, which she now lit. 'Here, give me that photo of your daddy.' She held her hand out and Jamal Vindoo hastily withdrew the photograph from his shirt pocket and handed it to her. Mama Tequila touched it to the burning rose and waited until it was well alight before she added it to the ashtray. With a melodramatic sigh, she said, 'There you are, finish and klaar! No more bad luck for someone who is nearly, almost, but now definitely going to be a member of the Indian Academy of South Africa!'

Jamal Vindoo rose from his chair and extended his hand. 'Mama Tequila, I have acted in a churlish and reprehensible manner, I apologise.'

Mama Tequila grinned and before shaking his hand she placed the second spent rose into the ashtray. 'First apologise for the dirty language, jong! What means
churlish
and
reprehensible,
also, I know what means
eminence,
but what means
eminence grease?'

Jamal laughed, embarrassed. 'It means a person of great respect who has grey hair.'

'Ja that is a good way to think of your daddy,' Mama Tequila said, gathering up her cigarette case and Zippo and moving towards the door. 'Thank you, Jamal, it was a pleasure to do business with you, you hear?'

Mama Tequila and Juicey Fruit Mambo returned to Bluey Jay to find that Or Louis had just arrived and was attending to Tandia. He had given her a local anaesthetic and was making a proctoscopic examination. The area was badly swollen and while the muscle hadn't been tom she required quite a bit of sewing up. The effects of the barbiturate had largely worn off and Tandia was awake and in a lot of pain when he arrived. The needle he used for the anaesthetic needed to be inserted in several places and Tandia, biting into the soft part of her thumb, drew blood trying to refrain from screaming. Now, as he stitched her, Or Louis said, 'Tandia, you're going to be extremely sore for the next couple of weeks and must go on a diet of soft food only. I will treat the infection with sulphur drugs and you must rest for at least a week. You can't go to school until you can sit down again.'

Tears ran down Tandia's cheeks as she spoke. 'When will that be, Or Louis?'

Or Louis stroked her brow. 'No use going for a couple of weeks, I'd say.' He touched the cheekbone just below her left eye. 'Anyway, my girl, you're going to have a doosey of a black eye, you don't want to go to school wearing a shiner like this, do you?'

'We're doing our matriculation trials, I can't miss them!' Tandia's consternation was obvious.

'Look, I'll come every day and help you with your Latin and science. I think I'm still good for those. Maybe maths also. The rest is just silly stuff you can study on your own.'

Or Louis withdrew two small bottles. He held up the first.

'These, they're called Amatyl, you take one at night before you go to sleep for the next week.' He held up the second bottle. 'These are painkillers, you take two every four hours.' He was about to put the pills on the table beside her when Juicey Fruit Mambo's hand appeared and took the bottles from him.

Dr Louis turned in surprise. He had been aware that Mama Tequila had entered the room while he had been examining Tandia but he hadn't seen the black man enter and stand quietly beside the window directly behind him. Juicey Fruit Mambo sensed what Dr Louis was thinking. 'I been nurse aide one time, I will look after Missy Tandy, doctor.' He grinned. 'I hear also for de food, only soft, very soft. I will make for her.'

Dr Louis turned back to Mama Tequila. 'I will come every day for the next week or so.' He saw Mama Tequila's expression and put his hand up. 'Don't worry, no fee. You pay for the barbarian in hospital, I'll take care of Tandia.' He placed his hand on Tandia's shoulder. 'It's going to be a bit painful when the anaesthetic wears off but Juicey Fruit Mambo will give you a pill. You've had a hard time, but you're going to be all right. I'll come and see you tomorrow. Goodbye, Tandia.' He rose and gathered his stethoscope and other belongings from the bed and placed them in his bag.

'Is he, you know, is he going to die, Doctor?' Tandia asked fearfully.

Dr Louis laughed. 'No fear! But he's going to be a very sick policeman for a while.'

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean it! I tried to do what Mama Tequila said. I don't know how it happened. Will they throw me in jail?' she sobbed.

Dr Louis took Tandia into his arms. 'Sssh! Tandia, take it easy, hey? Nothing is going to happen to you. You go to sleep now. In the morning it will be all right, you'll see.' He lowered Tandia onto the bed and pulled the eiderdown over her. 'You poor little bugger,' he said softly as he rose and moved to the door.

'Thank you, doctor, thank you for coming to see me.' Dr Louis stood at the door. 'You couldn't do me a favour could you, Tandia?' He didn't wait for her to reply. 'You couldn't get a first-class matric and then study law and then take on the barbarians in Pretoria and beat the bastards hollow, could you?'

Tandia nodded through her tears. 'Ja, doctor, I promise,' she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Or Louis waited for Mama Tequila to pass through the door before he shut it quietly behind him, leaving Juicey Fruit Mambo with Tandia.

'Is she going to be truly orright, doctor?' Mama Tequila asked as they walked down the yellowwood corridor.

'Ja, physically, yes, the revolver did surprisingly little damage. It is more the shock than the physical aspect which concerns me. The body can heal but the mind takes a lot longer. That's why I will come every day for the next week. She will be very depressed. It is important to keep her mind on other things.'

Mama Tequila felt "reassured by his words. Mental anxiety was the prostitute's lot in life. You learned to cope, to bury the hurt and the fear so deep that you sometimes found it difficult to find. It was better to be hard. It was best to get that over with when you were young.

At the top of the stairs they found Jasmine waiting. 'How is she, doctor?' she asked shyly. Jasmine was a Cape Malay and a favourite among the girls, quiet as a mouse.

'You can go in, sit with her if you like. She's a bit upset now, but she's going to be all right,' Dr Louis said.

Mama Tequila glanced at her watch. The little prostitute reacted immediately. 'Sarah said it was okay, Mama Tequila? We only got five clients, she said I could come?'

'Ja, okay, but not too long, you hear.' She looked at her watch again. 'It could get busy before midnight. Juicey Fruit Mambo is also with Tandia. Tell him he must go and help Sarah in the bar.'

'Yes, Mama T. Goodnight, doctor,' Jasmine said, hurrying away.

Jasmine opened the door to Tandia's room quietly. Tandia was lying on her side with her back to the door and Juicey Fruit Mambo stood to attention at the foot of her bed. The huge black man held his hands clasped in front of him and slow tears rolled down his cheeks. There was absolute silence in the room and he seemed not to notice Jasmine's entrance until she walked over to him and took his arm.

Standing on tiptoe, she whispered Mama Tequila's instructions. Juicey Fruit Mambo nodded and walked from the room, making no attempt to stem his tears.