CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The roads were quiet as they left London and headed towards the M11. Jay had hoped for a lie-in but Zu was adamant that they had to leave by 07:30am. She wanted to be in Cambridge in time for when the shops opened and she had already researched the possibilities; two shopping centres, one in the town centre and one a little further out. There was also a market square and wealth of quaint little shops. Zu kept telling Jay how much fun it was going to be as she conveniently pushed the idea of sightseeing to one side.
They turned off the motorway and drove a short distance into the city centre, passing several large houses on the way. The transition from countryside to bustling city centre was quick as they met narrowing roads, hordes of cyclists and queues of traffic within minutes. The immediate challenge was to find a place to park. There was a long queue for the main car park so they decided to chance it and follow the signs for alternative parking, hoping that it wouldn’t be too far from the centre. A row of small houses topped by inordinately large chimneys lined the road to Parkers Piece where eager shoppers were already traversing the grass in their hunt for bargains. The buildings on the far side were just as beautiful as Jay remembered from when he was a child; old, distinguished, perhaps even regal. His dad had called them clapped out old rabbit hutches.
Jay concentrated on his driving as he navigated across a large roundabout, avoiding aggressive taxi drivers and suicidal cyclists who were unsure as to which direction they should be travelling in. Successfully on the other side, they noticed a sign pointing towards the Grafton Centre car park.
“That’s good.. I’m not sure my nerves could take much more of that”
“You did well Jay” Zu patted him on the thigh.
“So.. what do you think?”
“It looks very pretty.. I’m just waiting to see what the shops look like”
“Yes.. I bet you are.. But.. as you know.. Cambridge is renowned for its history and its university.. which dates back to the year twelve hundred and something..” Jay squeezed Zu’s hand as he swerved into a parking space.
“Yes.. and it’s shops!” Zu kissed Jay on the lips and hopped out of the car “Aha! Shopping centre that way!” Zu pointed to a sign hanging by a set of swing doors and immediately set off walking.
“Hang on Zu! ..Let me lock the car at least!” Jay ran after her, zapping the car’s locking system into effect as he did so.
The swing doors led them directly out onto the upper level of the shopping centre. They peered down into a large atrium containing shops of all descriptions. Jay held on to Zu as she skipped off down the escalators.
“Erm.. darling?”
“Yes Jay?”
“Are we going to shop all day.. or do you want to do something interesting as well?”
“Don’t be like that Jay.. shopping is fun!..” Zu pulled Jay down onto her step and threaded her arm through his “..I’d like to have a bit of a look around and do some shopping first.. and then we could maybe have some lunch and do the touristy stuff after that?”
“Yes.. we could do that.. I’m just not very good at standing around in shops though”
“Isn’t there anything you want to do?.. Maybe we could look at some clothes for you whilst we’re here?”
“Ohh.. I don’t need any clothes!.. Besides.. I buy most of my stuff online”
“Yes.. I can tell” Zu winked at Jay as they stepped off the escalator.
“I’m sorry young lady..” Jay smiled as he grabbed Zu’s arm and pulled her round so he could see her face “..Are you saying I dress badly?”
“No.. It’s just that some of your stuff doesn’t.. well.. it doesn’t necessarily suit you that well.. And some of it.. erm.. some of it doesn’t really fit you either.. Sorry!”
“But apart from that you are happy with what I wear?”
“Yes” Zu kissed Jay on the lips to soothe his ego. They walked out of the main doors and onto the street.
“Ahh!.. I know what I can do!.. As far as I remember there’s a music shop and a pawn shop down here..” Jay pointed to his left “..Why don’t I go there whilst you have a look around in the clothes shops?”
“Porn shop?.. Why do you want to go to a porn shop Jay?!” Zu gave him a filthy look.
“It’s pawn as in P-A-W-N.. It’s a second-hand shop where they sell music gear and stuff”
“Oh.. well.. you can do I suppose.. but I thought we were going to spend the day together Jay?”
“I’ll be as quick as I can.. honest!”
“Ok.. I’ll see you soon.. Just ring if you can’t find me” Zu kissed Jay on the cheek and hurried into the nearest clothes shop.
___________________
“Oright mate?”
“Oh.. yes.. hi” Jay hadn’t seen the diminutive, long-haired shop assistant behind the counter until he stood almost on top of him.
“Can I elp yer wif sumfing?”
Jay refused to believe that the man actually spoke like that naturally. He had, after all, met many of his type; music shop assistants who had mastered the art of inverted snobbery in the pursuit of sounding ‘cool’ to their peers. The only problem was, that their peers were no longer their customers – most were now middle-aged business men.
“Oh err.. no.. thanks.. I’m just looking around at the moment” Jay spotted a weak but nonetheless annoying sneer from the man as he turned his focus once again to the crossword puzzle lying in front of him. It was more often the rule than the exception mused Jay; as soon as a ‘normally dressed’ person comes in to a music shop, they will automatically be judged as being ‘amateurs’, not ‘real musicians’. Jay guessed that maybe eighty percent of them had the same attitude given his experience. He walked over to a pillar in the middle of the room where a row of effects pedals lay neatly lined up on the floor. Jay had speculated about buying a digital looping pedal for a while, so he could record a guitar melody and then play it back instantaneously whilst he played a lead solo over it. He could do that on his pad computer already, but it was fiddly. On the other hand, looping pedals weren’t exactly cheap. One of the pedals lying in front of him, however, seemed to be quite reasonable. Jay decided to ask for a demonstration.
“Yeah.. be wif yer in a minit” was all Jay got out of the man at the counter as he continued to dedicate all of his attention to his crossword, his head now almost lying down on top the counter. One minute turned into two, two into three. Zu would be getting impatient. A tall man with piercings in both ears, nose and lips, came over to Jay. He smiled as he asked “Can I help you sir?”
“Err.. yes.. maybe..” Jay glanced over to the counter where the small man was still very much preoccupied “..Do you know anything about these?” Jay pointed to the looping pedals on the floor.
“Yeah.. a little.. but Dave our manager is our guitar man”
The tall man looked towards the man at the counter and walked towards him. They talked out of ear-shot for a moment before the tall man returned.
“I can try I suppose.. but I’m really a drum man.. so you’ll have to excuse me if anything strange happens”
“Yes.. sure.. no problem” replied Jay.
The tall man plugged in a guitar and started flicking various switches before activating the looping pedal. He played a heavy guitar rhythm which he then played back and played over with a simple guitar solo.
“You play well.. for a drummer” said Jay.
“Thank you.. I do my best.. Here.. have a go yourself..”
Jay tried the pedal for a few moments before he decided he had to get back to meet Zu.
“I’m impressed.. Do you have them in stock? ” asked Jay.
“No unfortunately.. this is the only one.. But we can order one for you”
“Maybe..” Jay looked over at the counter. The manager was still totally engrossed in his crossword. Jay quickly scanned the rest of the shop to see if there were any other customers. There were none. “Let me think about it.. I’ll come back.. Thank you very much for the
demo though”
Jay left the shop with absolutely no intention of coming back. The manager’s attitude was just wrong, verging on arrogant. Whatever happened to customer service thought Jay. In Jay’s mind there was no wonder that shops like them were having difficulties competing with online sites on the Internet. If the manager was anything to go by, he added absolutely no value, so why not save money and buy directly on the Internet? Jay did, however, feel sorry for the tall guy.
___________________
“Hello angel.. I thought I’d find you here” Jay stood in the ladies underwear department, embracing Zu from behind.
“Hi Jay.. Ooohh.. they’ve got sooo many wonderful things in here!.. I could go crazy!.. Did you find anything interesting darling?”
“Only a rude shop manager who thought that doing his crossword was more important than serving customers.. I decided to give the pawn shop a miss just in case you missed me” Jay winked at Zu.
“Of course I missed you darling..” Zu passed Jay several heavy shopping baskets .. Here.. hold these!”
Zu continued shopping for a couple of hours whilst Jay looked on. Zu off-loaded her bags onto Jay as they changed shops. Jay then lugged the bags up to the car so he could regain circulation in his fingers and Zu could continue shopping. By lunch time even Zu was tired. They decided to grab a bite to eat at a sausage stand in the middle of Grafton Street.
“Hello Sir.. What is your pleasure?”
Jay quickly consulted the menu which hung on the side of the stall.
“Two normal bangers with onion please” Jay turned to Zu “We can get something else in town later if we’re hungry” Zu nodded back.
“Yes sir.. coming right up” The stall owner turned some sausages on the griddle in front of him and looked up to study Jay’s face “Do you know sir.. you’re the spitting image of that man on the telly?.. Yes.. what’s his name.. err..” The man placed some buns on a toaster “..Oh.. it’s gone now.. but you look just like him!”
“Ok..” replied Jay, unsure as to what he should say “..Well.. let me know if his name comes back to you so I can tell you whether I’m flattered or not” Jay handed over some cash with a smile.
“Will do sir.. will do!” The man gave a broad smile as he handed Jay his change.
Jay and Zu walked across a park towards the town centre, passing the bus station on the way. They held hands as they ate their sausages.
“What a nice man”
“Yes.. He was very friendly.. He seemed to like you” Zu squeezed Jay’s hand teasingly.
“Yes.. I don’t know what it is.. but this beard is getting some strange reactions from people”
“Yes..” replied Zu in an unmistakably negative tone “..and when exactly are you going to get rid of it?”
“Well.. actually.. I was thinking of shaving it off in a week or two”
“Why a week or two?.. Why not now?”
“I can’t.. “ Jay wracked his brain for plausible excuses “..I’ve.. committed myself to keeping it until the end of the month.. just to prove to myself that I can”
“You’re strange Jay”
“Thank you darling..” Jay patted Zu on the bottom “.. flattery will get you everywhere!” Jay planted a ketchup-covered kiss on Zu’s cheek as the sun broke through the trees around them.
“I suppose I’d better wipe that off” added Jay, wiping Zu’s cheek with a tissue.
“Yes.. thank you.. So.. where are we going now Jay?”
“Well.. on the other side of the main road is Lion Yard and the Grand Arcade.. I was thinking that we could maybe go through the market square over to King’s College Chapel and then down to the river.. That way we get to see a little bit of Cambridge”
“Sounds like a plan!”
“Good.. let’s just see if we can get you past the shops shall we?..” Jay put his arm around Zu’s waist and pulled her closer to him, kissing her on the lips “..Oh look.. Rubbish bin.. “
“Who are you calling a rubbish bin?” Zu laughed, rubbing her nose on Jay’s.
“You of course ..my lovely little rubbish bin!”
They threw their serviettes into the ornate cast-iron bin standing at the side of the path. There were several groups of people gathered on the grass, some sitting in circles playing games, others lying down, playing at love. Jay couldn’t imagine a more idyllic setting as he walked hand in hand with Zu.
They walked down an alleyway towards the main road. Buses, taxis and cyclists all vied for space as pedestrians dashed precariously between them. Zu and Jay found a gap and crossed the road. They walked past a church and continued up a ramp leading to the shopping arcade. Zu’s eyes lit up as she realised what they were entering. Both of them admired the impressive architecture. The inside of the marble-clad building was cavernous, with a spacious air to it, the likes of which you would probably only find in the Middle East. There was a sea of people inside ranging from shoppers carrying out head-down solo missions to mildly stressed families trying to stay united. Doddering elderly passers-by attempted to remember what they otherwise had forgotten as a cacophony of excited foreign language students completed the ensemble. From the outside one would be hard pushed to tell if the Grand Arcade even existed. The façade gave very little away. Zu was eager to look around but Jay hurried her through to the other side and into the market square, promising her an ice-cream and telling her that they would come back later.
The ice cream seller stood on one corner of the square surrounded by eager tourists and even more eager pigeons. Jay bought two cones with chocolate flakes and handed one to Zu.
“Better eat it quickly before it melts” Jay gave Zu a serviette as she licked the side of her ice cream.
“Thank you!” Zu turned to survey the square. Traditional stalls occupied the cobbled middle part of the market square which was ringed by a narrow tarmac road. There was no traffic. Shops stood on the far side and to the right, together with an outdoor café. Zu decided to walk over to the stalls and look around, dragging Jay with her. The first stall sold old books, the musty smell of which did not blend well with Zu’s ice-cream, prompting her to move swiftly on to the next stall which sold old records. The sound of Jimi Hendrix blasted out from large speakers behind the counter. Jay stopped to listen. He was in the throes of telling Zu which track it was before he realised that Zu had already moved on. She stood by a stall with vibrantly coloured fruit and vegetables and bought some cherries.
“Cherry?” Zu held the bag open for Jay.
“Yes please!” Jay drew two intensely red cherries from the bag, biting into one of them. It tasted surprisingly sweet given the fact that he had just finished an ice cream “Mmm.. they are good!”
“I could stay here all day Jay”
“Me too.. even if most of the stuff is a bit touristy.. but I think we need to move on.. if we’re going to see any of the sights”
“Ok.. So where are you going to take me now Mr. Livingstone?”
“Just down there..” Jay pointed to the far corner of the square “..that should bring us out by King’s College Chapel”
“Are we going in to a church?”
“Not exactly.. but we’re going to look at one from the outside.. A very famous and beautiful one at that”
“Ok.. but are you sure you aren’t a bit of a closet church-goer my darling?”
“Yes.. I can assure you that I am not..” Jay winked at Zu “..Come on.. let’s walk”
He took Zu’s left arm and led the way.
King’s College Chapel came into view as they rounded the corner. It looked like something taken directly off a postcard; magnificently bold yet perfectly refined. An old lady in her best years. The sound of metal clashing against metal distracted them. The noise came from a cyclist who had narrowly avoided being forcibly dismounted from his bicycle as he cycled over an emerging automatic bollard in the middle of the road. Jay took Zu’s hand and crossed the road. Zu sat down on the low wall in front of the chapel and summonse
d Jay to take pictures of her as she changed pose. Jay’s comments about her being an incorrigible tourist fell on deaf ears at which point a large group of real tourists arrived and elbowed their way to find the perfect camera vantage point. Zu and Jay decided to move on. They walked past the front of the chapel, admiring the sides of the building as they went. They veered right onto Silver Street. The footpath narrowed with every step, finally placing them in precarious proximity to oncoming traffic. Pedestrians walking in the opposite direction made sure that they held the inner course, thus forcing Zu and Jay to take the outside. Luckily, the footpath widened again as they approached a bridge.
Jay peered over the side of the bridge and down at the river Cam. There were jubilant screams and foreign sounding voices shouting in all directions. Three punts were locked in a three-legged tangle as they tussled their way under the bridge and conveyed frantic instructions to each other. Jay looked over to the other side of the road and noticed there was a pub. A menu board stood outside. Jay was about to suggest that they should eat there when a battalion of tourists arrived and half of them entered the pub. Jay looked down-river as far as his sight could take him. He remembered having seen something alongside the river when he had been there with his dad and Jessica. They walked on as the sun’s heat intensified, reflecting off the paving stones like a pizza oven. They turned left and re-joined the river at a bend where the Granta pub and a couple of restaurants stood, flanked by a large area of open water. The drooping branches of large willow trees provided coots with shade as they inspected grass verges for morsels to eat. Zu and Jay walked up the steps to the beer garden, thankful to find space in the otherwise packed pub. Jay went to the bar and ordered a smoked salmon club sandwich and a glass of wine for Zu and a ‘farm-assured’ chicken and streaky bacon sandwich and a pint of IPA for himself. The bartender handed Jay a receipt and informed him that the sandwiches would take some time to prepare. Jay carried the drinks to the beer garden and waited for their number to be called. They agreed that the view was idyllic. Their part of the beer garden consisted of a large wooden balcony which jutted out from the main building. Opulent flower baskets hung down from struts on the outside of the uprights. The pond glistened in the summer sun, it’s tranquil surface calmly giving way to lazy punts and quacking ducks. Zu rested one elbow on a ledge and admired the view. Jay sipped his beer and smiled.
“Would you like to go on one of those Zu?” Jay nodded towards a bank of punts moored beneath them. Zu recognised the unmistakable cry of hope resounding in Jay’s voice.
“Could do.. but you’ll have to drive.. or steer.. or whatever it is you do with them”
“No problem!” Jay smiled. He was as happy as a child with a new toy. His dad hadn’t allowed him to steer their punt, saying he didn’t want him to fall in. Jay collected their sandwiches and ordered two more drinks.
“Are you sure you should be drinking that Jay?”
“What?.. Oh this?..” Jay stopped eating his sandwich and held up his pint glass “..No.. actually I was forgetting I had to drive.. It’s just so hot..” Jay pulled his shirt away from his body to fan himself “..Better leave it I suppose”
“Yes.. I think so.. Anyway.. I’ve got a bottle of water in my bag.. Do you want that instead?..” Zu rummaged around in her handbag, pulled out a half-empty water bottle and handed it to Jay “..Here you are”
“Thanks..” replied Jay before he emptied the bottle in one go “..I’d better go and fill it up I suppose” Jay wandered off to the toilet. Zu was already standing up by the time he got back.
“How was your sandwich?” asked Jay.
“Very tasty thanks..” Zu wiped the side of her mouth with her napkin “..How was yours?”
“Good thanks” Jay picked up his half-eaten sandwich and continued eating.
“We’d better get going Jay.. Have you seen what time it is?”
Jay looked at his mobile “Yes.. you’re right.. We don’t want the shops to close do we?” Jay stuffed the remains of his sandwich in his mouth as they walked down the steps towards the punts.
“Whatever you do.. don’t get water in the boat!” exclaimed the punt attendant adamantly, threatening to withhold their entire deposit if he found evidence of any water on their return. Zu took her place carefully at the back of the boat facing Jay. The attendant released the tie rope as Jay stepped onto the front, causing the punt to rock violently from side to side.
“Oops..” Jay grabbed hold of the pole “..this isn’t as easy as it looks!”
“It looks very easy from here Jay.. and very entertaining too!”
Jay pushed hard against the pole, shoving the punt out into middle of the pond. He remembered to pull the pole up before the punt floated too far away. The punt gathered speed. Jay stuck the pole in the water again to act as a brake. He discovered that he could make slight directional adjustments in the same way. So far, so good thought as he steered the boat up the river. Before long they had passed the bridge by the first pub and were heading towards the Mathematical Bridge; an unassuming wooden bridge with an arch, allowing boats to pass underneath. Jay felt rather proud of himself, having avoided collisions with banks, bridges and fellow river travellers. Zu lay back in her cushioned chair, occasionally dipping a hand in the water to cool off and sipping water from a bottle.
“I could get used to this” said Zu.
“Yes.. I bet you could”
Zu lay resplendent and outstretched in the boat. Jay admired her beauty, her face, her hair, her eyes, her smile, the elegance of her neck. Jay loved her more and more with each passing day. But he loved her no matter what she looked like.
“What’s that you’re singing Jay?”
Jay stopped himself subconsciously humming as they neared another bridge “Oh.. it’s just a little melody I wrote”
“Sing it for me please” Zu pulled the cushion up in front of her, hugging it like a teddy bear.
“I’m a really bad singer Zu.. Besides.. I might frighten off all the tourists.. not to mention the ducks”
“Please Jay?.. There’s no-one around”
Jay let the pole drag again to slow the progress of the punt. He cleared his throat and began singing.
If I told you
That I love you
Would you push me away
With nothing to say?
Anyway, the thing is
I love you
Anyway, the thing is
I love you
“Aww.. that was sweet Jay..” Zu clutched her hands in front of her as if she was about to clap “..and you have a lovely voice!”
“Thank you Zu.. You are very kind.. even though you should maybe get your ears checked”
“Hey!..” Zu threw the cushion at Jay’s legs almost knocking him out of the boat “..I’m not deaf!” Zu put on a sulky face which quickly changed to a smile.
“Come here Jay..” Zu held both arms stretched out in front of her “..and kiss me!”
Zu pulled Jay down to her and kissed him solidly on the lips “Jay? ..I’m not very good at saying this sort of thing.. but.. I love you.. I really really love you”
Jay squeezed her hand and smiled sympathetically as Zu’s eyes welled up with emotion “I love you too Zu.. the only difference is.. that I love you more!”
“Heh! ..This isn’t a competition!” Zu pushed him gently backwards.
“Yes it is Zu.. and I will always win!.. Because I will always love you more!.. Just live with it darling” Jay winked at Zu teasingly.
They reached a stretch of water with tall university buildings on either side and a bridge connecting them.
“Wow!.. What’s this Jay?”
“It’s the Bridge of Sighs”
“Size?.. It isn’t that big”
“No.. “ Jay let out a small chuckle “..Sighs as in S-I-G-H-S.. It has borrowed its name from a bridge in Venice”
“Very romantic”
“The one in Venice was used to move prisoners from interrogation cha
mbers to their cells though”
“How sad”
“Yes.. but this one belongs to one of the colleges.. There aren’t many prisoners here.. Only the ones following their own convictions”
A group of punts carrying Italian tourists had caught up with them. Jay tried to turn their punt to avoid a collision, but without success. Two punts rammed into them. Zu held on to both sides to retain balance. The three boats had become lodged together, entwined in a triangle of multi-cultural panic. Jay pushed the boat closest to him unceremoniously away with his hand amid shouts of “stronzo!” and showers of angry water as they pulled away. Jay’s face reddened as he offered his apologies. Zu was amused, albeit slightly wet, and spent the remainder of the journey mopping up all visible traces of water she could find using tissues from her handbag.
The punt attendant scoured the boat suspiciously on their return but could find nothing of significance. He grudgingly handed Jay the deposit and returned to his deckchair. Jay made a point of saying thank you and goodbye but the attendant merely managed a half nod back.