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Authors: Benjamin Zephaniah
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possible but they both insist on entering guilty pleas.’
The judge looked towards Lionel and Ramzi.
‘Do you understand that you are entering a guilty plea which cannot be changed at a later date?’
They both said, ‘Yes.’
‘These are serious charges. Are you happy with your legal representation?’
They both said, ‘Yes.’
‘And you wish to stick with your plea?’
Once more they both said, ‘Yes.’
‘In that case,’ said the judge. ‘There will be noneed to call any witnesses. We will review the reports and return at nine a.m. tomorrow morning for sentencing. If there is no other business we shall adjourn until tomorrow.’
It was quick and it was strange. The woman claiming to be the mother of Ramzi certainly caused some courtroom drama, but I was more surprised by the way that Lionel and Ramzi seemed to have no life left in them. They remained emotionless throughout the hearing; they just didn’t seem to care about what was going to happen to them.
After the judges left the courtroom and people were collecting their belongings and making their way out, I saw the woman who had caught my eye earlier. I nudged Mrs Joseph.
‘Who’s that?’ I asked.
‘I have no idea,’ she replied.
I looked behind me. Mrs Martel was still there.
‘Mrs Martel. Who’s that lady over there?’
‘Don’t you know who that is?’ she replied. ‘That’s Miss Ferrier, Lionel’s mother.’
‘Didn’t you recognise her?’ asked Mrs Joseph.
‘I didn’t get a good look at her face,’ I said, a little embarrassed. But I had a plan. When we had left the courtroom but were still in the court building, I left Mrs Joseph for a moment and went to Miss Ferrier. I knew it was going to be tough but it was my one chance.
‘Miss Ferrier,’ I said. ‘Do you remember me? Jackson Jones.’
‘I remember you,’ she said. ‘Most kids just want to shout at me and throw things at me. You were the one that said you wanted to talk to me, but you couldn’t fool me, I’ve seen enough tricks in my time. Talk to me.’
‘But Miss Ferrier, it wasn’t a trick, I really did want to talk to you. I’m not like the other kids.’
‘All kids are alike. No manners, no discipline, no anything.’
I smiled in an attempt to humour her. ‘I got manners, lots of them, and discipline, I got that too. I’ve even got anything, or I’ll do anything, anything to get to the truth.’
She looked at me as if to pity me. ‘Why do you want the truth? What would you do with it?’
‘I don’t really know until I know what the truth is, but when I know, I know that I’ll want others to know so that people will think about truth and not believe lies. That’s the truth, Miss Ferrier.’
She looked at me wondering about what I had just said. I looked at her wondering about what I had just said.
She yawned. ‘Are you clever or just full of fancy talk?’
‘I’m just a kid trying to make sense of all this.’
‘You want to talk to me that badly, do you?’
‘I do, Miss Ferrier.’
She glanced around. ‘I can’t see what’s so important about talking to me. I’m just a nobody.’
‘I think you’re a somebody, Miss Ferrier.’
The pitch in her voice changed. Instead of speaking at me she spoke to me.
‘I understand that the kids on the street give you a hard time.’
‘You understand right.’
‘Come and see me Sunday morning, about nine. The street’s empty then, they’re all asleep.’
‘Oh, thanks, Miss Ferrier, thanks so much.’
‘Just make sure you come early or the kids will give you hell. They give me hell all the time.’
I thought for a moment. ‘Will you promise not to give me a warm shower?’
‘I don’t promise anything,’ she said, and walked away.
Chapter 15
Mr Edgar Arnold Joseph
After we left the court Mrs Joseph took me to a small restaurant in the same park that Lionel and Ramzi had been arrested in. We sat outside in the sunshine, which was good for her, she was wearing a light
The judge looked towards Lionel and Ramzi.
‘Do you understand that you are entering a guilty plea which cannot be changed at a later date?’
They both said, ‘Yes.’
‘These are serious charges. Are you happy with your legal representation?’
They both said, ‘Yes.’
‘And you wish to stick with your plea?’
Once more they both said, ‘Yes.’
‘In that case,’ said the judge. ‘There will be noneed to call any witnesses. We will review the reports and return at nine a.m. tomorrow morning for sentencing. If there is no other business we shall adjourn until tomorrow.’
It was quick and it was strange. The woman claiming to be the mother of Ramzi certainly caused some courtroom drama, but I was more surprised by the way that Lionel and Ramzi seemed to have no life left in them. They remained emotionless throughout the hearing; they just didn’t seem to care about what was going to happen to them.
After the judges left the courtroom and people were collecting their belongings and making their way out, I saw the woman who had caught my eye earlier. I nudged Mrs Joseph.
‘Who’s that?’ I asked.
‘I have no idea,’ she replied.
I looked behind me. Mrs Martel was still there.
‘Mrs Martel. Who’s that lady over there?’
‘Don’t you know who that is?’ she replied. ‘That’s Miss Ferrier, Lionel’s mother.’
‘Didn’t you recognise her?’ asked Mrs Joseph.
‘I didn’t get a good look at her face,’ I said, a little embarrassed. But I had a plan. When we had left the courtroom but were still in the court building, I left Mrs Joseph for a moment and went to Miss Ferrier. I knew it was going to be tough but it was my one chance.
‘Miss Ferrier,’ I said. ‘Do you remember me? Jackson Jones.’
‘I remember you,’ she said. ‘Most kids just want to shout at me and throw things at me. You were the one that said you wanted to talk to me, but you couldn’t fool me, I’ve seen enough tricks in my time. Talk to me.’
‘But Miss Ferrier, it wasn’t a trick, I really did want to talk to you. I’m not like the other kids.’
‘All kids are alike. No manners, no discipline, no anything.’
I smiled in an attempt to humour her. ‘I got manners, lots of them, and discipline, I got that too. I’ve even got anything, or I’ll do anything, anything to get to the truth.’
She looked at me as if to pity me. ‘Why do you want the truth? What would you do with it?’
‘I don’t really know until I know what the truth is, but when I know, I know that I’ll want others to know so that people will think about truth and not believe lies. That’s the truth, Miss Ferrier.’
She looked at me wondering about what I had just said. I looked at her wondering about what I had just said.
She yawned. ‘Are you clever or just full of fancy talk?’
‘I’m just a kid trying to make sense of all this.’
‘You want to talk to me that badly, do you?’
‘I do, Miss Ferrier.’
She glanced around. ‘I can’t see what’s so important about talking to me. I’m just a nobody.’
‘I think you’re a somebody, Miss Ferrier.’
The pitch in her voice changed. Instead of speaking at me she spoke to me.
‘I understand that the kids on the street give you a hard time.’
‘You understand right.’
‘Come and see me Sunday morning, about nine. The street’s empty then, they’re all asleep.’
‘Oh, thanks, Miss Ferrier, thanks so much.’
‘Just make sure you come early or the kids will give you hell. They give me hell all the time.’
I thought for a moment. ‘Will you promise not to give me a warm shower?’
‘I don’t promise anything,’ she said, and walked away.
Chapter 15
Mr Edgar Arnold Joseph
After we left the court Mrs Joseph took me to a small restaurant in the same park that Lionel and Ramzi had been arrested in. We sat outside in the sunshine, which was good for her, she was wearing a light
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