Although she genuinely liked Bubble and considered her a friend, Saffron nevertheless dreaded most conversations with her. For one thing, she often wasn't sure what Bubble was saying; her accent was so thick that Saff had to guess at most of what she heard. And when she did fully understand Bubble, she felt as if a Bubble-To-English Dictionary was required for translation.
The girl was an odd duck. But Saffron had a thing for animals, odd ducks included.
So when she called Bubble in hopes of tracking down Tony, Saffy wasn't surprised at how quickly the conversation went haywire.
"You're lookin' for 'OO?" Bubble shouted into the phone. Saffron could barely hear her for the hollering going on wherever she was.
"Tony!" Saff yelled back. "Have you or Squeak seen him or talked to him today?"
"Tony 'OO?" Bubble shouted.
"TONY!" Saff yelled. "YOUR BROTHER-IN-LAW!"
A loud, raucous cheer went up on Bubble's end of the line.
"TO-nay? TO-nay?" Bubble asked. Saffron could practically hear her thinking. "SQUEAK! DO WE KNOW ANYONE NAMED TO-NAY?!"
Saffy sighed, knowing things could only head downhill from this point.
"YEAH! 'E'S ME TWIN BROTHER!"
Squeak's voice rose above the general din. Bubble paused before returning to her call with Saff.
"TO-nay… TOOOO-naaaay…" Bubble mused. Just then, Saffron heard her yelp "OOOH!" and Bubble excitedly told her "I KNOW 'IM! 'E LOOKS JUST LIKE ME 'USBAND!"
"Yes," Saffy said, hoping this would be a breakthrough moment in the conversation. "Have you or Squeak seen Tony today or talked to him? I need to find him, Bubble. It's important."
"Well, yeeeeahhh…" Bubble replied, sounding as if Saffron were being foolish. "'E's over here at the pub watchin' Squeak play darts. Bit 'ard to miss 'im, y'knooow…"
"Which pub?" Saff asked.
"The one we're at right now," Bubble said.
Saffron balled her fists in anger. But as she'd learned from her mother's dealings with Bubble over the years, getting upset at her would only make matters worse. So Saff forced herself to remain calm.
"And where is that pub?"
"In the city," Bubble said.
"WHERE in the city?!" Saffron demanded. "The STREET name, Bubble! Give me the NAME of the STREET!"
"Any street?"
Finally, Saff lost her cool.
"THE ONE WHERE THE PUB IS LOCATED!"
Bubble laughed.
"Ohhhh, that…" she said. "It's the one 'round the corner from me brother-in-law's flat! You've met To-naay?"
"Yes, Bubble," Saffron said through gritted teeth. She was thoroughly frustrated. "I have."
"I like 'im," Bubble told her. "'E reminds me of my 'usband."