Tammi's Date
Tammi was lost. She didn't know if to turn left or right. Then, she saw a boy staring at her.
'What are you looking at?' she said to him.
'You look lost. Are you?'
'Where's Palmer Street?'
'Carry on down this road for about a hundred metres, then you should see an old brick building with a load of broken windows. Turn right after there, then you are in Palmer Street.'
‘Thank you,' she said trying to remember all the instructions, so as she didn't get lost.
She arrived at Palmer Street to find out she was late for the interview - an hour late, according to the person doing the interviewing. But Tammi remained calm and somehow managed to get the job.
'You can start on Monday,' she was told by a smart middle-aged lady, wearing spectacles.
At least it was something to be happy about. She hadn't had a job for ages. She walked out on the last one she had had. The supervisor wasn't a very nice person to work for. Tammi couldn't have taken much more. She stuck it for as long as she could, then decided to walk out. Her mum was furious. She gave Tammi a hard time over it. Tammy also needed new stuff. The first thing she wanted to do was get a new mobile phone. The one she had now was old. She was almost too embarrassed to get it out in public. She saw an amazing phone in the Argos catalogue but it was nearly £200. She'd have to save up. She couldn't get it on credit because of being blacklisted.
Making her way to the nearest bus stop she was looking out for the boy who gave her the directions. He was so cute. She wouldn't mind seeing him again, she thought to herself while waiting for the bus. But where was the bus? It seemed to be taking a long time to arrive. It was a good job it was, because, then, she saw him on the other side of the road. He was about to make his way over to her.
'Did you find Palmer Street?' he asked her, wondering why she was giving him a dreamy look.
'Yeah, I found it. I just followed the building with the broken windows.'
'What were you doing going there anyway? There's nowt but old factories down there.'
'I had an interview,' she answered, wondering what is name was.
It turned out to be Darren. All she wanted now was for him to ask her out. Now came her chance.
'Oh, here's my bus,' she said, realising it was the wrong one, but he didn't know that, did he?
'Can I see you again?' he asked with a look of anticipation.
'Maybe.'
'Cinema tomorrow night. Be outside at 6.30,' he told her as she was about to get on the bus.
She paid her fare and decided to get off a couple of stops later. The driver seemed confused, because she had asked for a ticket to Union Street, but she was getting off long before there.
Once she got off the bus she was hoping she didn't run into the boy again. Instead she ran into her mate, Teri.
'What are you doing around here,' Teri asked.
'I got lost. Hey, fancy nipping into town for a bit?'
And that is what they did. She told her all about her new job, and about meeting Darren, who seemed to be brilliant in giving directions. She found out it was Teri's boyfriend's name as well. She was starting to convince herself it was the same person. She was going to ask him when she saw him on their date at the cinema.
She and Teri had a great time in town, looking at mobile phones. They had spent ages just walking around the shops. They saw a great phone, which turned out to be on sale for £80.00, but £80.00 is a lot of money when you haven't got it. Tammi was hoping the sale would last a few more weeks, but she was beginning to doubt it very much. She could ask her mum to lend her the money, but she already knew the answer to that, especially after walking out of her last job.
‘See you next Saturday,' she said to Teri before making her way home. She had missed the bus, so she decided to walk. It was only about two miles, and it would give her a bit of an appetite. At this moment, she felt too excited to eat. It was all the thinking about the date she was going on with Darren.
When Tammi arrived home, she had her tea, then got herself ready. She spent a long time looking for something to wear. She must have tried on the entire contents of her wardrobe. She ended up in a T-shirt and jeans, but what did she care? She reckoned she looked tidy enough.
Tammi then left to make her way to the cinema, but as she got to the door, she looked at herself in the mirror in the hallway. She didn't look right at all. She decided to go back up the stairs and change into something more formal. She wished she'd never bothered.
On arriving at the cinema, there he stood by the entrance. He had jeans on that were ripped at the knees, a Che Guevara T-shirt and the scruffiest leather jacket she'd ever seen. He looked better when she had first met him when she was on her way to the job interview.
'You all right?' he asked her as she got to the entrance. He didn't even comment on how nice she looked.
'Yeah, I'm fine,' she answered. 'I see you went to a lot of trouble with your appearance, then?'
'Oh. thank you,' he said, looking pleased with himself.
They made their way inside. She made sure they didn't sit in the back row. She didn't want him poring over her all night.
'Can I ask you something?' she said to him just as the film was about to start.
'Course you can.' He answered with a smug look on his face.
'My mate has got a boyfriend called Darren. I kept wondering if it was you, but you don't seem the type to two-time anyone.'
'Would I do a thing like that? What's your mate's name, anyway?'
'Teri. She lives over on the Hardcastle estate.'
He seemed to go a funny colour quickly. Tammi knew something was wrong. Then she had an idea.
'My throat is very dry. Could you go and get me a choc ice. Oh, and can I have a bag of popcorn as well while you are there?'
'Of course,' he said, reaching into his pocket to get some money out.
As soon as he got up and left to go and get the choc ice and popcorn, she fished her mobile out of her back pocket. Then twenty minutes later, while they were watching the film, she said:
'It's a good job you don't know my mate Teri, cos she's over there, making her way to us.'
He couldn't believe what was happening. He got up abruptly, saying he had to be somewhere else.
'Thanks, Tammi, I owe you one.' Teri said, soon after taking her seat.
‘I didn't realize he was a two-timing so and so. What shall we do now?'
'Might as well watch the film, hey? He's left enough sweets and chocolates behind to last us ages. Here, have a Mars bar.'
'I don't mind if I do. Cheers, Tammi!'
