The Punjabi Pappadum (10 page)

Hooting and hollering, The All Stars finally left the stage and walked straight into Deadly's path. The blond centre-piece, oozing confidence, spotted Sam and muscled his way in next to her.

“Impressive, huh?” he puffed.

“Brilliant,” replied Sam, tying a red and black bandana around her head. “Really cutting edge. For a minute there we thought you boys were going to finish with a human pyramid.”

If blondie was expecting fluttering eyelashes, then he'd chosen the wrong girl. Sam Stewart was not easily impressed. She had no problem if someone wanted to get fresh, she was human after all, but with her it was strictly invitation only.

“First timers I'd say, fellas,” said blondie to his mates. “Have a look at them, they're fair dinkum shittin' 'emselves.”

Deadly closed ranks, stepped clear of The All Stars then joined Ron, Theo and Pete just offstage. Only Dexter saw the fear in Sam's eyes.

“Don't worry, Sam,” he whispered. “You'll be great. If it wasn't for you we wouldn't even be here.”

“Thanks, Dexter.” She smiled. “I think I needed that.”

The last-minute instructions from Theo were simple.

“You've done the hard work,” he said proudly. “Go out there and have a bit of fun. After all, that's what we're here for, right?”

“Not quite,” said Veejay, fingering the cheque in his pocket. “I don't know about you guys, but I'm here for the zing and the zap. Let's rock!”

Each of them filed past Ron, flashed him a smile, then headed out behind a huge black curtain. On centre stage you could hear the crowd in the auditorium growing restless. Deadly moved into position and waited.

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,” boomed Pete from the other side of the curtain. “This is our last act for this category, so join me in making them welcome … All the way from Longwood, may I introduce Sam, Dexter, Veejay and Travis … Get ready to call your doctor, people, because together they are … D E A D L Y!”

After the applause, a hush descended on the packed auditorium as the black curtains opened up. As instructed, the lighting tech killed every light in the house, sending the place into total darkness. For a few seconds nothing happened. Then Sam's angelic voice broke the silence.

“This song is for Nancy.”

It echoed across the dark auditorium, then like magic, the speakers came alive with Theo's groovy re-mix. A single pink spotlight hit the stage and found Sam just before she glided into the first verse. The timing was perfect, and her voice soft and breathy. She worked the phrases beautifully, as if she'd been on stage hundreds of times. As the first verse progressed, Sam got friendly with the microphone and wound up for the last line. Together, Deadly hit the chorus and a cluster of lights exploded on stage. Forward swung the boys, pumped and ready for business. They joined Sam up front and let rip, all four of them in perfect sync. In contrast to the softness of the verse, the chorus was full of energy. The vocals were strong and powerful and the footwork sharp. Each time the verse cut in, the boys took a back seat and let Sam do her thing. Gone was the breathy tone in her voice. She was wailing now, dishing it up like a pro. Behind her, the boys free-danced into position, ready for the last chorus. When it arrived, Deadly came out swinging then shifted to the front of the stage to give The All Stars a lesson in zing and zap. The flurry of footwork ended with a classy one, two, three, accompanied by the Hammond organ and a barrage of lights.

Suddenly everything stopped and for a moment they stood in pose, completely still, lit by four purple spotlights. They dipped their heads, milking the silence for effect. Then, with a flick of a switch, there was darkness.

When it came, the applause was mind-blowing. The house lights came alive and, one by one, people in the auditorium began popping up in their seats. Stunned, Deadly looked to the backstage area for guidance and saw Theo waving his arms, urging them forward.

Catching on, Deadly linked arms and together they moved to the front of the stage and bowed. They hung for a moment, bodies buzzing with adrenalin, and felt the applause rolling towards them in waves. Then, as one, they turned and walked off.

PER HEAD

MAHARAJA'S BANQUET .......... $33.00

Entrée Samosa, Burra Kebab, Onion Bhaji, Tandoori Chicken. Main Course Malai Kofta, Rogan Josh, Prawn Masala, Gost Vindaloo, Coconut Rice, Naan. Dessert Mango Kulfi.

O
n the way home, the passengers switched cars and headed for the closing-down party at The Pappadum. The occupants, oblivious to the kilometres flying by, passed the time raving like lunatics, still heady from the post-performance high. The wrap was the same in both cars — Deadly had nailed it, big-time.

Bringing up the rear, the reliable Morris, under Dexter's instruction, took a quick pit stop at a highway stall just before the Longwood turn-off. In a flash he was back in the car with Ron and Travis heading towards town. The Morris turned left then right into Ferguson Street, which was jammed with cars.

“Must be something on,” said Ron, squeezing the car in next to Theo's beamer.

All three bounced out of the Morris and saw the crowd spilling from the Pappadum's front doors. At work on the front window stood Veejay, paintbrush in hand, finishing off a sign that said “OPEN FOR BUSINESS”.

“This is what I call a party,” said Ron. “Half the town must be here.”

Heads turned as someone in the crowd spotted them. Slowly Dexter led the others into the restaurant's dining room where a fresh wave of support greeted them. Everyone was there — everyone that mattered anyway.

Suddenly Dexter felt a hand on his shoulder followed by a whisper in his ear.

“It's an early call,” said Hugo, looking down at the roses tucked under Dexter's arm. “But I reckon you're in.”

Across the room, Dexter saw her. He locked his eyes on her and pushed through the rowdy revellers … Nearly there.

Indira moved towards him.

“Roses,” she fluttered. “You really shouldn't have.”

“Oh, yes I should,” replied Dexter, continuing on.

A few more steps and he was there. Up close his heart raced out of control then cut loose with an improvised drum solo.

“These are for you,” he croaked.

Sam took the roses and smiled. “Thanks Dexter, they're my favourite. I hope I was okay up there today?”

“Okay? Are you kidding? That was a five-wok performance you put in, Sam. And let me tell you, it doesn't get any better than that.”

First published 2003 by University of Queensland Press
PO Box 6042, St Lucia, Queensland 4067 Australia

www.uqp.com.au

© Robert Newton

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Cataloguing in Publication Data
National Library of Australia

Newtorn, Robert
The Punjabi Pappadum Indian Restaurant

For young adults.

1. Restaurants - Fiction. 2. Boys - Fiction. 3. Fast food restaurants - Fiction. I. Title.

A823.4

ISBN 978 0 7022 3363 0 (pbk)
ISBN 978 0 7022 5859 6 (pdf)
ISBN 978 0 7022 5860 2 (epub)
ISBN 978 0 7022 5861 9 (kindle)