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Authors: Margaret Thomson Davis
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bad as my mother and repeating myself all the time? I’m sorry, Mae.’
‘It’s all right. I was just joking.’
She was wondering what else Jack would tell her about the men who’d robbed the Art Galleries.
18
They were waiting for him at the beginning of Waterside Way, blocking his path to the house. They were a group of white youths in expensive school uniforms. They were the sons of wealthy businessmen – owners of supermarkets and wholesale warehouses, company directors, doctors, professionals and consultants. Mirza was returning from school with Zaida, Sandra, Maq and Ali. He’d invited his pals Maq and Ali home for a meal.
‘Get lost,’ one of the youths said to the girls and to Maq and Ali. ‘It’s him we want,’ indicating Mirza.
‘You get lost,’ Mirza said, ‘you bunch of pathetic cowards. I’ll take on every one of you in a fair one-to-one fight.’
Sandra said, ‘What’s the big idea? What do you expect to gain by picking on Mirza?’
‘We’re here to warn this fuckin’ bastard to keep clear of a white girl like you.’
Sandra’s voice loudened indignantly. ‘I choose to be with whoever I like. And I choose to be with Mirza. You can all beat it and mind your own business.’
Zaida said, ‘Sandra, you just go home. I’ll stay with Mirza. Maq and Ali, you go and wait at our house.’
‘No way,’ Maq and Ali said. ‘We’re staying with you and Mirza.’ And then to the tight mob barring their way, ‘You’re a bunch of cowards, the lot of you. You haven’t the nerve to have a one-to-one fight with Mirza. He’d flatten any of you.’
‘What’s going on here?’ a voice called out behind the youths. They turned and saw two policemen coming towards Waterside Way. Mirza recognised them as friends of Jack Kelly at house number one.
Sandra called back, ‘They’re stopping us getting into Waterside Way and our houses. They don’t belong here.’
One of the youths said, ‘We were just having a laugh.’
‘Well,’ one of the policemen told him, ‘away and have a laugh somewhere else. You’re blocking the way.’
‘Sure, no problem.’
They all began to swagger off but one of them called back to Mirza, ‘See you again soon.’
Once in Waterside Way, Maq said to Mirza, ‘Maybe you should cool it and not be seen so much with Sandra. They’re obviously determined to get you if you carry on like this – always being with her.’
‘Whose side are you on?’ Mirza protested indignantly.
‘Yours, of course. But I don’t want you beaten and kicked to a pulp and maybe even killed by a mob like that. We can’t always be here to help you and a couple of policemen aren’t likely to turn up again either.’
Sandra said, ‘Jack Kelly’s a policeman. We could at least tell him or his wife, Mae. They know about Mirza and me and they’re all right about us. They could at least keep an eye on things, warn them off or something. I don’t know, but at least we could ask for their advice. They know for a start that we can’t make an official report to the police station. My mother would find out about Mirza and me and then all hell would be let loose.’
‘And my father!’ Mirza said. ‘It’s bloody damnable, isn’t it?’
‘How about Bashir?’ Zaida asked.
‘I know he would help but what can he do? That crowd are liable to turn up anywhere and any time, determined to get me. Bashir, or anyone else, can’t know where and when their next stupid attack is going to be.’
Maq suddenly brightened. ‘We could get a gang together.’
‘Start a race war, you mean?’
‘No, I didn’t mean anything racial.’
‘That’s how it would look. White guys from a posh private school, sons of wealthy and influential parents, and coloured guys like us. We’d get all the blame and I can just see the newspaper headlines – “They’re not wanted in Britain. Send them back home to their own country.” etc, etc.’
‘Och, you don’t know that. We could just meet
‘It’s all right. I was just joking.’
She was wondering what else Jack would tell her about the men who’d robbed the Art Galleries.
18
They were waiting for him at the beginning of Waterside Way, blocking his path to the house. They were a group of white youths in expensive school uniforms. They were the sons of wealthy businessmen – owners of supermarkets and wholesale warehouses, company directors, doctors, professionals and consultants. Mirza was returning from school with Zaida, Sandra, Maq and Ali. He’d invited his pals Maq and Ali home for a meal.
‘Get lost,’ one of the youths said to the girls and to Maq and Ali. ‘It’s him we want,’ indicating Mirza.
‘You get lost,’ Mirza said, ‘you bunch of pathetic cowards. I’ll take on every one of you in a fair one-to-one fight.’
Sandra said, ‘What’s the big idea? What do you expect to gain by picking on Mirza?’
‘We’re here to warn this fuckin’ bastard to keep clear of a white girl like you.’
Sandra’s voice loudened indignantly. ‘I choose to be with whoever I like. And I choose to be with Mirza. You can all beat it and mind your own business.’
Zaida said, ‘Sandra, you just go home. I’ll stay with Mirza. Maq and Ali, you go and wait at our house.’
‘No way,’ Maq and Ali said. ‘We’re staying with you and Mirza.’ And then to the tight mob barring their way, ‘You’re a bunch of cowards, the lot of you. You haven’t the nerve to have a one-to-one fight with Mirza. He’d flatten any of you.’
‘What’s going on here?’ a voice called out behind the youths. They turned and saw two policemen coming towards Waterside Way. Mirza recognised them as friends of Jack Kelly at house number one.
Sandra called back, ‘They’re stopping us getting into Waterside Way and our houses. They don’t belong here.’
One of the youths said, ‘We were just having a laugh.’
‘Well,’ one of the policemen told him, ‘away and have a laugh somewhere else. You’re blocking the way.’
‘Sure, no problem.’
They all began to swagger off but one of them called back to Mirza, ‘See you again soon.’
Once in Waterside Way, Maq said to Mirza, ‘Maybe you should cool it and not be seen so much with Sandra. They’re obviously determined to get you if you carry on like this – always being with her.’
‘Whose side are you on?’ Mirza protested indignantly.
‘Yours, of course. But I don’t want you beaten and kicked to a pulp and maybe even killed by a mob like that. We can’t always be here to help you and a couple of policemen aren’t likely to turn up again either.’
Sandra said, ‘Jack Kelly’s a policeman. We could at least tell him or his wife, Mae. They know about Mirza and me and they’re all right about us. They could at least keep an eye on things, warn them off or something. I don’t know, but at least we could ask for their advice. They know for a start that we can’t make an official report to the police station. My mother would find out about Mirza and me and then all hell would be let loose.’
‘And my father!’ Mirza said. ‘It’s bloody damnable, isn’t it?’
‘How about Bashir?’ Zaida asked.
‘I know he would help but what can he do? That crowd are liable to turn up anywhere and any time, determined to get me. Bashir, or anyone else, can’t know where and when their next stupid attack is going to be.’
Maq suddenly brightened. ‘We could get a gang together.’
‘Start a race war, you mean?’
‘No, I didn’t mean anything racial.’
‘That’s how it would look. White guys from a posh private school, sons of wealthy and influential parents, and coloured guys like us. We’d get all the blame and I can just see the newspaper headlines – “They’re not wanted in Britain. Send them back home to their own country.” etc, etc.’
‘Och, you don’t know that. We could just meet
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