Dad. You are the best …”
Now Dad was crying.
“What’s the matter?” asked Zoe.
“I am not the best. I am so sorry, Zoe. But I will get another job one day. I know I will …”
“Dad, a job doesn’t matter. I just want you to be happy.”
“I don’t want you to see me like this …”
Dad started walking away. Zoe pulled on his arm, but he shook it out of her grasp, and walked off back to the tower block.
“Come and meet me at the school gates later, Dad. We can go to the park, and you can put me on your shoulders. I used to love that. It don’t cost a thing.”
“Sorry, I’ll be in the pub. Have a good day at school,” he shouted, without looking back. He was hiding his sadness from his daughter, like he always did.
Zoe could feel her stomach screaming in hunger. There had been no dinner last night as Sheila had spent all the benefit money on fags, and there was no food in the house. Zoe hadn’t eaten for a very long time. So she stopped off at Raj’s Newsagent.
All the kids from school went to his shop before or after school. As Zoe never received pocket money, she would only come in to the shop and gaze longingly at the sweets. Being exceptionally kind-hearted, Raj often took pity on the girl and gave her free ones. Only the out-of-date ones though, or those with a hint of mould, but she was still grateful. Sometimes she would be allowed a quick suck on a mint before Raj asked her to spit it out so he could put it back in the packet to sell it to another customer.
This morning Zoe was especially hungry, and was hoping Raj would help …
TING went the bell as the door opened.
“Aaah! Miss Zoe. My favourite customer.” Raj was a big jolly man, who always had a smile on his face, even if you told him his shop was on fire.
“Hello, Raj,” said Zoe sheepishly. “I don’t have any money again today I am afraid.”
“Not a penny?”
“Nothing. Sorry.”
“Oh dear. But you do look hungry. A quick nibble on one of these chocolate bars perhaps?”
He picked up a bar and unwrapped it for her.
“Just try and eat around the edge please. Then I can put it in the wrapper and back on sale. The next customer will never know!”
Zoe nibbled greedily on the chocolate bar, her front teeth munching off the edges like a little rodent.
“You look very sad, child,” said Raj. He was always good at spotting when things were wrong, and could be a lot more caring than some parents or teachers. “Have you been crying?”
Zoe looked up from her nibbling for a moment. Her eyes still stung with tears.
“No, I’m fine, Raj. Just hungry.”
“No, Miss Zoe, I can see something is wrong.” He leaned on the counter, and smiled supportively at her.
Zoe took a deep breath. “My hamster died.”
“Oh, Miss Zoe, I am so so sorry.”
“Thank you.”
“You poor thing. A few years ago I had a pet tadpole and it died, so I know how you feel.”
Zoe looked surprised. “A pet tadpole?” She had never heard of anyone having one as a pet.
“Yes, I called him Poppadom. One night I left him swimming around in his little fish bowl, and when I woke up in the morning there was this naughty frog there. He must have eaten Poppadom!”
Zoe couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing.
“Raj …”
“Yes …?” The newsagent wiped a tear from his eye with the sleeve of his cardigan. “Sorry, I always get quite emotional when I think about Poppadom.”
“Raj, tadpoles turn into frogs.”
“Don’t be so stupid, child!”
“They do. So that frog was Poppadom.”
“I know you are just making me feel better, but I know it’s not true.”
Zoe rolled her eyes.
“Now tell me about your hamster …”
“He is, I mean, was, so special. I trained him to breakdance.”
“Wow! What was his name?”
“Gingernut,” said Zoe sadly. “My dream was that one day he would be on the TV …”
Raj thought for a moment, and then looked Zoe straight in the eyes. “You must never give up on your dreams, young lady …”
“But Gingernut is dead …”
“But your dream doesn’t need to die. Dreams never die. If you can train a hamster to breakdance, Miss Zoe, just imagine what you could do …”
“I suppose …”
Raj looked at his watch. “But as much as I would like to, we can’t stand here chatting all day.”
“No?” Zoe loved Raj, even if he didn’t know a tadpole turned into a frog, and never wanted to leave his messy little shop.
“You better be off to school now, young lady. You don’t want to be late …”
“I suppose so,” mumbled Zoe. Sometimes she wondered why she didn’t just bunk off like so many of the others.
Raj beckoned with his big hands. “Now, Miss Zoe, give me the chocolate bar please, so I can put it back on sale …”
Zoe looked at her hands. It had gone. She was so hungry she had devoured every last morsel, save for one tiny square.
“I am so sorry, Raj. I didn’t mean to. I really didn’t!”
“I know, I know,” said the kindly man. “Just put it back in the wrapper. I can sell it as a special diet chocolate to someone fat like me!”
“Good idea!” said the little girl.
Zoe went over to the door, and turned around to face the newsagent.
“Thank you, by the way. Not just for the chocolate. But for the advice …”
“Both are free of charge for you any time, Miss Zoe. Now run along …”
Raj’s words went round and round in Zoe’s mind all day at school, but when she returned home to the flat she felt the same sense of absence. Gingernut was gone.
