Page 32 of A Wish for Jinnie
Notthatgood, if he’d chosen gaining a quick buck over Dhassim and Aaliyah’s happiness. Why couldn’t love be simple? Boy meets girl, they accept each other’s flaws, instead of dredging them up years down the line, and in later life they settle into a comfortable routine of gently bickering about which TV show to watch. Like her mum and dad, in fact. Jinnie no longer believed that love was all about headboard-thumping sex, exotic holiday locations and eye-popping diamonds. Speaking of which, she still hadn’t decided what to do with the ring that glinted at her mockingly each time she opened her jewellery box. Nor could she deny her confusion over Sam and Ed, her emotions flip-flopping back and forth every time she saw them. But that wasn’t love, no sirree. Just good old-fashioned lust — or fancying the pants off someone, as Wilma would say.
‘Listen, you need cheering up,’ said Jinnie. ‘I’m not working till Friday, so let’s do something nice together. How about I teach you to play Scrabble? Or we could watch TV together?’As long as it doesn’t feature Jennifer bloody Aniston, even if my hair is now swishier than hers.
Dhassim watched as Jinnie fetched the Scrabble set, and opened the box. He rubbed his goatee pensively as she tipped out the plastic letters and unfolded the board. Bending over, Dhassim scooped up a handful of tiles and peered at them. ‘Are these runes?’ he asked. ‘Do they have magical powers?’ He scattered the letters across the board, watching as they landed randomly.
‘Erm, no,’ Jinnie replied patiently. ‘It’s a game. You try to make words with the letters you’re dealt, and the person with the highest score is the winner.’ She pointed at the coloured squares. ‘Look, if you place a letterhereyou get a double-letter score. Each tile has its own number of points. Q and Z have the highest, because they’re the most difficult to use —’
She stopped talking. Dhassim wasn’t listening to a word she said, his focus on laying out a sequence of tiles. Still stroking his beard — Jinnie needed to buy him a razor, as his use of hers had resulted in a few nasty underarm nicks — he sat back with a sigh. She read what he’d spelled out.A-A-L-I-Y-A-H.Not a bad word score, even if proper names were not allowed.
‘Jinnie, I do not think I want to play a game or watch television.’ Dhassim gazed at her with pleading eyes. ‘I would like you to make my wish come true. Please can we go out together into the real world, just for a little while?’
Oh, help. Jinnie had hoped Dhassim would forget about escaping the confines of Brae Cottage. Clearly not. And she did owe him. So far, she’d aced cocktail making, gained a massive TV, taken an incredible magic carpet ride, and now had hair that even a soggy Scottish day couldn’t destroy. Still, there were a few teeny tiny details that needed addressing before they could venture further than her front door…
Chapter 31
Jo stamped her feet,wishing she’d worn thicker socks. The temperature was below zero, the sky a dazzling blue. She was waiting for the train into Edinburgh, having decided to make the most of her last day before the café reopened. A spot of lunch, and retail therapy. The sales were well underway and she hoped to snaffle a few bargain jumpers and a new winter coat.
Ken had dropped by several times in the past few weeks. Mainly at the café, where they’d chatted with their usual ease. With customers coming and going, Jo could convince herself he was just one of the regulars, interested in nothing more than her home-baked goods and the welcoming smile and cheery banter she prided herself on.
It was the other three times — or was it four? — when he’d visited her at home that gave her cause for concern. Not because anything hadhappened,absolutely not. But now they messaged each other every couple of days: just silly, inconsequential things. And the fact that Mags was no longer their main topic of conversation wasn’t relevant, either. Jo told herself it was agoodthing. Ken needed an escape, somewhere to go where the burden of his wife’s decline wasn’t at the forefront of his thoughts.
Her initial qualms about seeing him had died down a little, dampened by the knowledge that they made a good team. Ken always said he felt better after seeing Jo, more able to cope with the reality of home life. And Jo, for the first time in longer than she cared to remember, felt needed. Wanted, even. Except she couldn’t ignore the butterflies in her stomach, set in motion by wondering when she’d see him again. Nor could she pretend that Ken’s demeanour didn’t brighten a little more each time he walked through her door.
‘Hey, Jo!’ Lost in thought, Jo started at hearing her name. She’d been the only person on the station platform apart from an elderly gentleman who’d bade her good morning.
‘Fancy meeting you here.’ Jinnie gave her a quick hug, rekindling Jo’s guilt that she hadn’t made more of an effort to get together with the girl.
Angela stood apart, her face barely visible between a beanie hat pulled low and a coat collar zipped up high. ‘Hiya,’ she said, ‘how’s it going? Off to do something nice?’
It turned out they had similar plans: finding somewhere decent to eat, then making their way along Princes Street with an eye out for the 70% off banners.
The train approached, with only a couple of carriages and largely empty. Jo, Jinnie and Angela climbed in, grateful for the meagre heat that greeted them. They sat together — Jo felt awkward but didn’t want to appear rude — and Jinnie produced a flask from her bag. ‘Thought we might need a wee warm-up, so I made some hot chocolate. And you’re in luck, Jo, cos I happen to have a spare cup. Always the Girl Guide, be prepared!’
Jinnie doled out the sweet, steaming liquid, and they sipped away quietly. The journey to the city was short, and soon they were stepping into the heart of the capital. A lone piper played a rousing Scottish tune, the cap at his feet already brimming with coins. Tourists gathered in clusters, listening intently to guides explaining the historical sites, and workers scuttled by oblivious to their surroundings.
‘Just say if you’d rather do your own thing, but you’re welcome to join us,’ said Jinnie, tossing some loose change into the piper’s cap. ‘It’d be great to have a natter together. Right, Angela?’
If Angela were a poker player, she’d be raking it in. Her expression didn’t change, even though her mouth formed the word ‘Sure.’
Jo considered inventing a friend, or an appointment she’d suddenly remembered. Playing gooseberry didn’t fill her with delight, but she liked Jinnie and knew from the rumour mill that Angela had her fair share of troubles.
‘That would be great, thank you.’ And with coats buttoned up and gloves unearthed from pockets, they set off.
* * *
‘Fancy Harvey Nicks for lunch?’said Jo. They’d popped into Jenners department store for a quick look which ended up taking over forty minutes. Jinnie emerged with a couple of tops and a pair of leggings with a faux-leather trim, all reduced to less than half price.
‘Hmm, I'm not sure this coat is doing it for me,’ Jo added. ‘Cinching in at the waist is great if youhavea waist to start with.’
‘Don’t be daft,’ replied Jinnie. ‘You’ve got an amazing figure, which we can go forth and destroy with two courses and a glass of fizz. Ooh, and Harvey Nicks sounds fab.’
Angela looked up from her perch on a chair. She’d given the sales rails a perfunctory glance before sitting down and scowling at her phone. ‘Sorry, count me out; a toastie and a cuppa is all I need. Can’t be doing with fancy stuff. We can hook up again after, if you like.’
Jo didn’t consider herself a candidate for Mensa, though smart enough to deal with most of life’s problems. What shewaspretty good at was picking up underlying, unsaid messages. Angela’s gruff response might fool some people, but it wasn’t fooling Jo. ‘You know, that sounds even better. Something light for now, then how’s about I treat you both to afternoon tea before we head home?’
Decision made, they wandered along Edinburgh’s main drag, Jo holding back until Angela was ahead and Jinnie was by her side.
‘Is she having a hard time money-wise?’ Jo looked at Jinnie, who nodded.
