17

‘It’s been a bit busy today.’ Shaza stood on the threshold of her decimated room, the door half open, talking quietly.

‘First the lady with the black hair came. Did you see her?

‘Well you should’ve been. Then two policemen came, well, a policeman and a police lady, and they made such a mess. Just look! And they didn’t even wipe their feet.

‘Suzy said “power goes to their head”.

‘No. I’m not sure what it means either. They still made a mess!’ she lamented, hands on hips.

‘l can see lots of things I thought were missing, though.

‘That pink t-shirt I got for my birthday last year. And the lego car – yuch.

‘No. I’m not sure who she was either. Said her name was Contents and her second name was an animal but I’m not sure which now. She tried to be nice, all friendly, but she couldn’t help Daddy.

‘Yes I asked. She said just to the police station like that’s somewhere we go all the time, like just to the shops or just to school.

‘I don’t know. Mama doesn’t know either. Contents said she would visit him later and tell us what was happening. She asked if we had a phone and Mama wrote down the number, although I don’t know why, as no one will answer if Baba’s not here.

‘No. I know. Baba could have explained but he was already in the police car.

‘I thought the policeman was nice at first, even though he had dirty shoes, because he sort of smiled. But I don’t think it was real smiling ’cos when Contents said Baba didn’t need the handcuffs he carried on smiling and put them on Baba anyway. Then Baba told Mama to take me into the kitchen.

‘Yes lots of them did, I know. I suppose because they were all home from work and “had nothing better to do”.

‘Then Contents got in a taxi and I heard her say “Hampstead”, and that’s where Daddy works.

‘I think I’ll start to fold up my clothes again. I don’t want to ask Mama. She’s crying too hard anyway, although she thinks I don’t know. Will you help me? Let’s do the t-shirts first. You can borrow any you really like. Except for the pink one from my birthday.

‘No. I don’t know what they found.

‘I told you, I don’t know. I don’t want to talk any more.

‘Mrs Crane says you get a lot more work done when you stop chatting, that’s why.

‘I’m not cross. I just think we should do the tidying now and talk later.’