Mr Dibbs Fixes Bikes

10

Frederick couldn't believe it when he saw it. The old geezer had actually got dressed up to come to dinner! Not, like, a smart pair of trackies, but a proper suit and everything. And he'd shaven. And he'd brushed his hair! Frederick could hardly stop himself from chuckling until Mum gave him one of those glares that he couldn't ignore if he wanted to. Still, a proper suit, with a waistcoat, a shirt and a tie. Shoes that Frederick could see his reflection in, too.

As they waited for Mum to begin handing out the food, the old man sat there as though he daren't touch anything. It was like he made himself look smaller, scrunching up on the chair, shoulders low and tight, hands clasped on his thighs below the table. After a few moments, Mum came in from the kitchen with a glass of beer in her hand, placing it in front of the old man with a smile.

"Thank thee kindly, Missus." He nodded his head like one of those toys some people had in their cars, bobbing and wobbling at every bump in the road. "I'm much obliged."

He even talked quieter, though he still sounded as Northern as anyone Frederick had ever met, which wasn't many people, sure, but enough to know the old man talked differently than anybody, even his own whippet loving, flat cap wearing people. Frederick tried not to stare at him, but the old man acted so different, Frederick almost thought him a different person.

"Do you play games on your phone, Mister Dibbs? I do. There's one set in a jungle where you have to kill chimps by throwing things at them before they swing toward you and hit you, but I'm not very good. Do you want to have a go?" He held out his phone and the old man squinted, moving his head backward and forward. "It's all I do on it now, play games. None of my bruvs have phoned me and I don't know anyone here, but it's alright 'cos I've got my games."

"Frederick! Where do phones go at meal times?" With a hot dish, held between two colourful oven gloves, Mum gave Frederick a different glare, flicking her eyes to the side. "And don't be bothering Mister Dibbs with silly games."

"Ee, I don't mind. I don't understand 'em, but I don't mind." He lifted himself up a little, looking into the dish that held enough Ackee and Saltfish to feed five people, but his face showed nothing of what he thought of it. "Looks lovely."

He'd be saying it tastes lovely soon, too. Whatever else Frederick could say about his mum, he could never say a word against her cooking. Everything she made tasted amazing. When she felt up to cooking, that was. Those days where she didn't feel like it weren't too bad, either, what with getting pizzas, or kebabs, or curries, but Frederick always preferred Mum's cooking. Whether that was proper Jamaican food, or the more boring, but still tasty, English food, Frederick didn't mind as long as Mum cooked it.

"Now, Mister Dibbs, I don't know if you have faith, but we like to say grace before meals. You don't have to join in if you don't want to. Frederick?" She held out her hand and Frederick took hold of it before both of them looked to the old man. "Say something nice for our guest."

The old man looked as though his own mum had told him off. If he had a flat cap, he'd probably have wrung it between his fingers in anguish. Instead, he took Frederick's offered hand, and Mum's, and then lowered his head, though Frederick could see him looking up from under those bushy, wayward eyebrows. The skin of his hand felt both rough and thin. Like tissue paper sandpaper. At a cough from Mum, Frederick closed his eyes.

"Thank you for this food and for Mum. And look after everybody, especially Dad as he's so far away." His mum's fingers tightened a little, then relaxed as Frederick continued. "And Mister Dibbs, too, because he doesn't have anybody to pray for him. Oh! And thank you beforehand for all the enormous fish we're going to catch. Amen."

He opened his eyes to find his mum staring at him, eyes wide, lips pursed before she drew in a breath through her nose. She looked as though she were about to say something, but then took another breath, her face breaking into a smile as she released Frederick and Mister Dibbs' hands. Taking up the ladle, she began to gather in the plates, ladling food onto them one by one, adding spoonfuls of vegetables and offering Mister Dibbs the first slices of bread.