61

Constance and Judith walked down Braham Terrace with some misgivings. It was Shaza’s tenth birthday and they had been invited to a small family party. Constance was carrying a large teddy bear under her arm; the largest the toy shop had to offer. Judith had a plant in a pot, all wrapped up.

As they approached the house the two women were stopped in their tracks. A number of people were congregating outside, one was setting out some cakes on a table, another was busy blowing up pink and purple balloons and a third man was tying the filled balloons onto some string. And all the dumped rubbish which had previously overflowed the pavement had been removed.

‘Are you here for the party?’ Judith asked them, as casually as she could manage.

One of the people turned around and then Constance recognised her as the woman she had met on her first visit. ‘Cath, isn’t it? How nice to see you again,’ she said.

‘Oh, hello. I remember you. Wanted Mrs Qabbani. I sent you to the café. How was it?’

‘Very good thanks. Was this your idea then?’

‘We all wanted to do something. To show them they’re welcome here after…well, after what happened. My daughter baked the cakes. Mrs Qabbani knows we’re here. We’re almost ready for Mr Qabbani.’

Constance knocked on the door of the house and was surprised that Aisha opened it.

‘We’re a little early,’ she apologised, ‘but it seems you have some company already.’

Shaza bounded down the stairs and hovered at the bottom.

‘Hello Contents, hello Judith. Thank you for coming,’ she announced. ‘Do you want to come upstairs?’ she added cheekily. ‘You have to see my new bedroom.’

Constance obliged and Judith followed Aisha into the kitchen.

* * *

Shaza stood at the door of her room and waved Constance ahead of her. Constance placed the teddy bear down on the bed and Shaza made a space for it among her collection. The room was newly painted in a soft shade of pink and the fitted wardrobes were now a deep purple. At the bottom of one of the wardrobe doors someone had painted a whole shoal of mermaids with streaming black hair.

‘Wow, Shaza! How beautiful your room looks!’

The little girl beamed.

‘Yes it does. Baba painted the walls and Mama painted the mermaids. She said if I was sad about Shadya I could think of her as a mermaid with all her friends, if I wanted.’

‘You miss your sister?’

Shaza shrugged. ‘We talk a lot, so it’s OK I suppose. She loves my new bedroom too.’

‘That’s good.’

‘It was one of my three wishes, you know?’

‘Was it? What were the others?’

‘Number two was that Mama would be happy again.’

‘And how’s that one going?’

‘It’s starting. She still cries a lot, but now she laughs a bit too.’

Shaza sat down on the bed. Constance hesitated but curiosity got the better of her.

‘What was your third wish?’

‘Oh that,’ she said. ‘I wished for Dad to become the best doctor in the hospital, saving lots of people with his operations.’

‘That’s a lovely thing to wish for,’ Constance said.

* * *

Downstairs, Judith gave Aisha her gift.

‘It’s a pomegranate tree,’ she said as Aisha unwrapped it and placed it on the draining board. ‘It’s probably not as impressive as the ones you had back home, and you need to bring it inside from October till May. But you might be lucky and get some fruit in a couple of years’ time.’

‘Thank you, Judith. That is a very thoughtful gift,’ Aisha replied.

‘Oh and I almost forgot.’ Judith fished in her pocket and handed Aisha a cheque for £1,100. ‘I understand you had a problem with a window a while back. This gentleman, he wanted to make a generous donation to the repair fund.’

Aisha smiled in astonishment, then folded the cheque and tucked it in her pocket. ‘That’s very kind. Please tell him we appreciate his donation.’

‘How’s Ahmad?’ Judith asked, spying him sitting in the back yard, at the centre of a group of men, talking loudly and confidently about their plans to make a garden.

‘He is better,’ she replied. ‘He had such good news. The medical course to qualify in the UK. They say he can start next month. But there will be no charge.’

‘That’s the best news. I’m so pleased.’

‘It was Dr Mahmood, from the hospital. He arranged it for Ahmad.’

Constance joined them in the kitchen.

‘Gosh,’ Judith said. ‘People never cease to surprise me.’

‘Yes,’ Aisha replied. ‘He came to see us a few days ago. He said it is all arranged. And that he would make sure Ahmad found a job when he finished the training.’

Ahmad suddenly looked up and noticed Judith and Constance in his kitchen. He made his apologies to his friends and headed inside.

‘Constance and Miss Burton. I didn’t know you were coming.’

‘We won’t stay long. We don’t want to intrude. We just wanted to see how you were and bring a gift for Shaza.’

‘That is so kind. You must stay for tea. Aisha has been preparing.’

‘All right, but first, you need to come and see what our neighbours have arranged,’ Aisha said, ‘if we can tear you away from your friends, that is.’

Aisha led Ahmad to the front of the house. He stood for some moments in silence before going out to each of the neighbours and shaking hands.

‘Dear friends, do come inside and celebrate with us. My wife will make you some tea to go with that wonderful cake,’ he declared loudly.

As the neighbours filed into the house, Ahmad held back to speak to Constance, clearly with something on his mind.

‘You know I still think about Mrs Hennessy, even though she caused me all this trouble,’ Ahmad began. ‘She was a nice lady. She talked to me like, well, like a real person. She was lonely I believe.’

‘Yes. Her daughter only visited once a month. And the son, hardly ever,’ Constance replied.

‘Ah.’ Ahmad held up a finger. ‘Now that is what I wanted to tell you, but there was so much going on.’

‘What?’

‘I saw him. The son, Joseph Hennessy.’

‘What? When?’

‘After the trial. I saw him on television, on the news, with the daughter, Tracy Jones. And then I knew I had seen him before. The night Mrs Hennessy died. I was just leaving the hospital and he was coming in, with a bunch of red roses.’

Constance leaned back against the wall of the house.

‘He lied about visiting her. Oh God, I’ve been so stupid. Thank you, Ahmad. I won’t stay for tea after all. I’d better grab Judith as well.’ She stuck her hand out and Ahmad took it in both his hands.

‘Goodbye, Constance Lamb. Bieltoufeek. I wish you good luck always.’