like your brother.’
Col jumped angrily to his defence. ‘Don’t you say a word about my brother. He’s the best.’
‘He hates my kind,’ Klaus reminded him.
‘Why should he no’? You come here. Take our jobs, live off us. Why don’t you just go back to your own country?’
He heard himself repeating exactly what he always heard Mungo saying.
‘I want to, Col. You don’t know how much I want to,’Klaus said.
‘So, why don’t you?’
Klaus shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his anorak and shivered. Col saw fear in his face, and thought he understood why.
‘You’re frightened they wouldn’t send you home. They’d put you in jail. Is that it?’ Col thought of him in his cold, dungeon hideaway. ‘Even jail’s got to be better than this.’
Klaus shook his head. ‘Not jail, Col. I’ve never done anything wrong in my life. I only wanted to make money for my family.’
‘But, you can’t stay here for ever.’
‘I don’t want to,’ Klaus said. His face brightened. ‘Maybe you can help me get home.’
That made Col laugh. ‘Me? I can’t even help myself. I’ve not got any money.’
‘You helped Dominic and you didn’t have any money.’
Col laughed. ‘Jump in the loch then, and I’ll fish you out.’
Klaus managed a faint smile. He was a foreigner, Col thought. Probably didn’t share his sense of humour.
Klaus took him to the shelter where he was hiding out. It was dirty and damp and icy cold. Klaus wrappedhimself in the duvet and told Col all about himself, the village where he came from, all about his family. His mother, who laughed a lot. His sisters, one who wanted to marry and have plenty of babies, and the other who wanted a career and beautiful clothes like the models she saw in tattered magazines.
‘They want a good life, Col. Like everyone else in the world.’ It seemed to Col that he told him every detail about his life. So long, Col thought, since he’d talked to anyone about it, and had anyone to listen. And Col told him about the award, and the trip to London.
‘Why don’t you go?’ Klaus asked him. ‘It would be an adventure.’
‘That’s what my teacher says. But I can’t. Mungo wouldn’t like it. My mother wouldn’t come with me. And I’m not going with them by myself.’ He paused. ‘Anyway, I don’t want to go.’
Klaus stared at him for a long while, saying nothing. ‘But you do,’ he said at last.
And Col knew it was true. He did want to go to London.
But Mungo would never let him.
Chapter Twelve
‘If Col doesn’t want to go, Dominic, you’ll just have to accept it.’ Mrs Sampson had been trying to placate her son since Col had phoned to tell them his decision.
‘But he does want to go,’ Dominic insisted, then added, ‘He told me, he’s desperate to go.’
Ella tutted loudly. ‘What a liar!’
‘Ella!’ Mrs Sampson scolded.
Dominic turned on his sister. ‘It’s all your fault. You don’t want him to go. You don’t like him.’
‘That’s true,’ Ella admitted. ‘I don’t want him to go, and I don’t like him. I don’t trust him.’ She pleaded with her mum. ‘They’re a dangerous family, mother. They’re always in the newspaper. His dad was notorious as well. He was killed driving a getaway car.’
‘I know their reputation,’ Mrs Sampson conceded. ‘But that makes no difference. Col saved Dominic’s life.He’ll always be special to me.’
Dominic stuck his tongue out at his sister. He leapt at his mother. ‘If you asked him, Mum, he would go. Please, Mum! Can we go and see Col?’
Ella screeched at him, ‘You’re not going to that house. We could have a lovely trip to London … just us. I’ll make a cardboard cut out of Col McCann. I’ll even sit beside it.’
‘Shut up you!’ Dominic yelled. ‘If Col doesn’t go to London, neither do I!’
Ella smiled. ‘This trip is sounding better by the minute.’
It was only because of Dominic that Mrs Sampson found herself knocking on the
Col jumped angrily to his defence. ‘Don’t you say a word about my brother. He’s the best.’
‘He hates my kind,’ Klaus reminded him.
‘Why should he no’? You come here. Take our jobs, live off us. Why don’t you just go back to your own country?’
He heard himself repeating exactly what he always heard Mungo saying.
‘I want to, Col. You don’t know how much I want to,’Klaus said.
‘So, why don’t you?’
Klaus shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his anorak and shivered. Col saw fear in his face, and thought he understood why.
‘You’re frightened they wouldn’t send you home. They’d put you in jail. Is that it?’ Col thought of him in his cold, dungeon hideaway. ‘Even jail’s got to be better than this.’
Klaus shook his head. ‘Not jail, Col. I’ve never done anything wrong in my life. I only wanted to make money for my family.’
‘But, you can’t stay here for ever.’
‘I don’t want to,’ Klaus said. His face brightened. ‘Maybe you can help me get home.’
That made Col laugh. ‘Me? I can’t even help myself. I’ve not got any money.’
‘You helped Dominic and you didn’t have any money.’
Col laughed. ‘Jump in the loch then, and I’ll fish you out.’
Klaus managed a faint smile. He was a foreigner, Col thought. Probably didn’t share his sense of humour.
Klaus took him to the shelter where he was hiding out. It was dirty and damp and icy cold. Klaus wrappedhimself in the duvet and told Col all about himself, the village where he came from, all about his family. His mother, who laughed a lot. His sisters, one who wanted to marry and have plenty of babies, and the other who wanted a career and beautiful clothes like the models she saw in tattered magazines.
‘They want a good life, Col. Like everyone else in the world.’ It seemed to Col that he told him every detail about his life. So long, Col thought, since he’d talked to anyone about it, and had anyone to listen. And Col told him about the award, and the trip to London.
‘Why don’t you go?’ Klaus asked him. ‘It would be an adventure.’
‘That’s what my teacher says. But I can’t. Mungo wouldn’t like it. My mother wouldn’t come with me. And I’m not going with them by myself.’ He paused. ‘Anyway, I don’t want to go.’
Klaus stared at him for a long while, saying nothing. ‘But you do,’ he said at last.
And Col knew it was true. He did want to go to London.
But Mungo would never let him.
Chapter Twelve
‘If Col doesn’t want to go, Dominic, you’ll just have to accept it.’ Mrs Sampson had been trying to placate her son since Col had phoned to tell them his decision.
‘But he does want to go,’ Dominic insisted, then added, ‘He told me, he’s desperate to go.’
Ella tutted loudly. ‘What a liar!’
‘Ella!’ Mrs Sampson scolded.
Dominic turned on his sister. ‘It’s all your fault. You don’t want him to go. You don’t like him.’
‘That’s true,’ Ella admitted. ‘I don’t want him to go, and I don’t like him. I don’t trust him.’ She pleaded with her mum. ‘They’re a dangerous family, mother. They’re always in the newspaper. His dad was notorious as well. He was killed driving a getaway car.’
‘I know their reputation,’ Mrs Sampson conceded. ‘But that makes no difference. Col saved Dominic’s life.He’ll always be special to me.’
Dominic stuck his tongue out at his sister. He leapt at his mother. ‘If you asked him, Mum, he would go. Please, Mum! Can we go and see Col?’
Ella screeched at him, ‘You’re not going to that house. We could have a lovely trip to London … just us. I’ll make a cardboard cut out of Col McCann. I’ll even sit beside it.’
‘Shut up you!’ Dominic yelled. ‘If Col doesn’t go to London, neither do I!’
Ella smiled. ‘This trip is sounding better by the minute.’
It was only because of Dominic that Mrs Sampson found herself knocking on the
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