Figaro and Rumba and the Crocodile Cafe (7 page)

Mrs Foozy took out a small pair of nail scissors and Rumba cut off the strap. Then he wound the leather tightly around the hole, tying a strong knot at the end.

‘And where did you learn so much about motorbikes?' Mrs Foozy asked Rumba admiringly.

‘My father was a mechanic back in Cuba. All the people in our neighbourhood used to bring their bikes to my papa. There were engine parts lying around all over our front porch.'

‘Well,' sniffed Mrs Foozy, as she tried starting up the engine, ‘
you
should be the mechanic in this town, instead of that lazy Nate. Do you know, once my bike was left lying in his shop for two weeks. “Nate Your Mate” he calls himself.
Ha!'

The engine made a loud
BA-AAAF!

sound like a bomb exploding. Figaro covered his ears. Rumba looked worried.

There was dead silence.

Mrs Foozy tried again.

BANG! BA-BA-BA-BARRRR000MM!
The engine began to purr like Rumba after a plateful of fish.

‘Let's go go go!' Figaro screamed into the wind.

All the traffic lights were green and Figaro lifted his nose to the air. Rumba told him not to lean out too far because they might fall over. But Figaro didn't hear.

As they zoomed around the corner, Figaro leaned out to wave at Nate's cousin Nancy.

‘No!' screamed Rumba, but it was too late. Figaro and Rumba and Mrs Foozy fell in a terrible heap onto the curb.

‘Ouch!' yelped Figaro. ‘Mrs Foozy, why are you so spiky?'

‘Figaro dear,' groaned Mrs Foozy, ‘why are you so heavy?'

Nancy dropped her bag of bananas and danced over.

‘How can you dance at a time like this?' growled Rumba.

‘I was born that way,' said Nancy, helping them up. ‘And I invent all my own steps. See, this is my new Mashed Bananas dance. I feel everything through my dancing. You should try it.'

When they pulled up at the station, the train was there. A man with a cap and a loudspeaker boomed, ‘ALL ABOARD!'

‘Thank you, Mrs Foozy!' Figaro called as he ran onto the platform.

‘That's all right, Figgy dear,' Mrs Foozy shouted back. ‘And thank
you
, Rumba.'

‘I'd go straight to Nate Your Mate after you get your spinach,' nodded Rumba. ‘That leather won't last long. The engine will stop idling and you'll have to keep revving it to keep going – ' ‘Come on, Rumba!' called Figaro. ‘The train is about to leave!'

Rumba sprinted towards the train, juggling the drink bottles and spicy sausages, just as the whistle blew.

Chapter 5

The Very Fast Train

R
umba leapt onto the train. ‘Figaro?' he called.

‘Up here!' Figaro called back.

Rumba made his way through the carriage doorway, into the aisle. He spotted Figaro at the very end.

‘Isn't this fabulous?' yelled Figaro. ‘It's even better than the ad on TV.'

Rumba made his way down the aisle.

‘You know,' said Figaro, ‘this is a really good train. Even though it goes so fast it feels like we're not moving at all.'

‘That's because we're not. The train hasn't started yet.'

‘I knew that,' said Figaro. ‘I was just testing to see if
you
did.'

Figaro set off through the next pair of glass doors. Just then the train jolted forward and Rumba dropped his bag. When he caught up with Figaro he found him with his nose pressed up against a window.