had found the perfect place for them. It was located not far from their present lodgings, and consisted of a duplex owned by an elderly couple who occupied one portion of the premises, and rented the other.
Rani and Jade agreed to meet Walter at the premises, to see if they liked it, and then Jade would sign a lease.
The girls met Walter outside the freshly painted premises, and, after knocking, they were escorted through the rental property by the elderly wife of the owner.
Both Jade and Rani loved the airy premises, and were most impressed with the small yard at the rear. Jade saw it as being ideal for summer entertaining. She could not wait to sign the lease and was about to do so when the owner arrived home.
His wife made the introductions, and indicated the lease forms that were about to be signed. Picking them up, he folded them and crammed them into his pocket.
‘No single women and especially no coloureds,’ He snarled. ‘Get out.’
Rani blushed deeply, and appeared to be about to burst into tears, while Jade felt a searing pain of cold fury. She saw that Walter was about to say something, but placed a hand on his arm to restrain him. ‘Let’s get out of here,’ she said quietly.
They sat together, listening to the jazz band in the Golden Stag. All three were quiet, lost in their own thoughts, as they nursed the beers before them.
Walter was furious, and considered what sort of legal action he could instigate on the girls behalf.
Rani’s eyes were downcast, she felt as though someone had slapped her face in public, and was at a loss as to how to retaliate.
Jade’s eyes were narrowed, deep in thought, mind far away. She turned to Walter. ‘How much change do you have? I need to make a phone call.’
Walter turned out his pockets, and handed her whatever small change he had, then watched as Jade collected it, and made her way to the public phone in the hall leading to the toilets.
She was gone some time, but seemed happier when she returned.
‘The Commodore will be contacting your firm in the next few days. Do whatever he asks. He’ll be acting as my agent.’
‘What’s going on?’
‘You’ll see,’ replied Jade grimly.
It had taken a few weeks, but now Jade’s plan was in place.
Jade, Rani and Walter took a casual stroll, enjoying the sights, as they travelled the short distance to the street where the duplex was located. Approaching the house, they made themselves comfortable, sitting on the brick front fence, as close to the front door as they could get, and settled down to watch.
Several minutes later, at a prearranged time, a family of Jamaicans, consisting of mother, father, and six small children, entered the street, and made their way to the front door of the rental property.
The children were excited at the prospect of a new adventure. They laughed, and shouted, jumping up and down in anticipation, while their father pulled a key from his pocket, and inserted it in the front door.
The excited voices of the children, who were running around the front yard, playing a game of tag, alerted the residents of the quiet street. Faces appeared in windows, as residents sought the cause of all the noise. The trio watched in gleeful anticipation, as the curtain on the front window of the duplex was pulled aside by the elderly male owner.
Seconds later, the front door burst open, as he came rushing out. ‘What the devil’s going on here?’ he demanded of the large Jamaican male next-door.
‘We’re movin’ in, mon,’ said the father of the family.
‘You can’t do that!’ screamed the elderly man in complete shock. ‘ Get out! Move! Get on your way!’
‘We have a lease,’ piped up the mother of the herd of children.
‘You can’t have!’ Spluttered the owner. ‘Let me see it.’
‘Here it is, mon.’
The old man read the lease, going white with rage. ‘This is my house. Get out of here!’ he demanded.
Realising his part in the drama was about to take place, Walter adjusted his coat, and stepped forward.
‘Perhaps I can be of assistance. I’m a lawyer,’ he offered.
‘I have a lease, but dis man say I cannot live here.’ His children chattered noisily behind him.
‘May I see it?’ asked Walter.
The man handed the document to Walter, who took his time reading its contents, and then turned to the landlord. ‘Is this your signature at the bottom of the lease?’ Walter asked the landlord, as he showed him the document.
‘Yes. But that lease was taken out by an elderly white gentleman.’
Ignoring the landlord’s comments, Walter turned to the father. ‘Is this your signature on the lease?’
‘Yes.’
‘And did you pay six months’ rent in advance in cash?’
‘Yessuh.’
Walter turned to the landlord. ‘Well then, it would appear that this gentleman, and his delightful family, will be occupying this premises for at least the next six months.’
‘I said, go away! Get away from my house immediately!’ screamed the landlord.
‘Of course, you could get the police to order them to go,’ offered Walter, ‘but I believe the police may be forced to take this gentleman’s side of the argument. If that were to be the case then you’ll have to get a court order to remove them. That should take about six months, and their lease will be up by then anyway. However, I think they might have quite a good case of Breach of Contract of their own to take before the court. It’s all there in black and white, if you’ll excuse the expression. I should think they might be in line for a sizable settlement.’
The old man’s white face was now red with fury, as he realised that it was a legitimate document, and that he had no recourse but to abide by it. Six months, he thought, we would have to put up with them next-door for six months. The whole thing is intolerable.
With a grin like a Cheshire cat, Walter handed the lease back to the father, while the landlord, swearing under his breath, turned on his heel, and retreated to the sanctity of his home, slamming the door, and causing the front windows to rattle.
Walter returned to his companions, bowing deeply. An actor taking his curtain calls, as the girls clapped him heartily. They all cheered, as the family disappeared inside, taking up residence in their new home.
Later that evening, the three were once again sipping their beers at the Golden Stag.
‘How did you do it?’ asked Rani.
Jade smiled. ‘I had the Commodore inspect the premises and apply to lease it. The Commodore requested to pay six months’ in advance in cash if he could take the lease away for his solicitor to inspect, and for him to sign. The greedy old bastard agreed to anything to get his hands on the rent money. When the Commodore brought the lease and the money back, he was more interested in the money than the name on the lease. He didn’t realise there was a completely different name on it.’
Walter smiled at Jade. ‘Well you certainly got your revenge, but you still have to find a place to live.’
‘Oh, didn’t I tell you?’
‘What?’
‘I had your father ring up that old bastard. He offered to buy the whole premises for a small amount over the market price, on behalf of an anonymous client.’
‘And he accepted the offer?’
‘With those nasty coloured people next-door? Of course he accepted the offer. We’ll be moving