CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Safa

Safa woke up in the middle of the night, for once, not from a nightmare. She woke up and made a decision. She was going to help Ruby and her family. She was not going to let them break.

Later that day, Safa found herself standing outside a big, heavy wooden door. She took a deep breath and pushed it open. She walked into the reception area. There was a woman working on a computer behind a desk.

‘Hello,’ Safa said in her most polite voice. ‘I’d like to speak to Mrs Peabody, please.’

The lady behind the desk asked her if she had an appointment.

‘No, I don’t.’

‘Well, then, I’m afraid you’ll have to come back another day. Mrs Peabody is very busy.’

Safa clenched her fists. ‘I’m sure she is, but I’m not leaving until I speak to her. It’s an emergency.’

The receptionist smiled a thin-lipped smile. ‘What kind of emergency?’

‘I’d like to discuss that with Mrs Peabody,’ Safa said, trying to sound as grown up as she could.

‘Mrs Peabody is busy, young lady.’

‘I’m sorry, but I must insist on seeing her.’

The receptionist’s face turned red. ‘As I said, she is not available. I must ask you to leave now.’

‘I will not leave until I speak to her. If you try to make me leave, I’ll shout and scream the place down.’

The woman stood up from her chair and leaned over. ‘How dare you?!’

‘I’m sorry but I have to speak to Mrs Peabody, and I’ll do whatever I have to do to make that happen.’

The receptionist came around from behind her desk and grabbed Safa by the arm. ‘Get out this minute.’

‘MRS PEABODY, I NEED TO SPEAK TO YOU, THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!’ Safa roared at the top of her voice. Her throat still hurt from all the singing she’d had to do on the night of the musical to calm Robbie down.

A door opened and a woman popped her head out. ‘What on earth is going on?’

‘This young hooligan is causing a scene,’ the receptionist snapped.

‘Are you Mrs Peabody?’ Safa asked.

‘Yes.’

‘I need to speak to you – it’s an emergency. Please, just give me five minutes of your time.’

‘All right, well, you’d better come in before you make any more fuss.’

Safa followed Mrs Peabody into her office and sat down in a chair opposite her.

‘I think you’d better explain what this is all about.’ Mrs Peabody sat back and waited for Safa to speak.

Safa squeezed her hands together and took a deep breath. She had to get this right; she had to make this work. ‘My name is Safa Karim. I have travelled from Syria with smugglers; I almost died twice. I haven’t seen my father in a long time and in the last few months I have had no contact with him at all.’ Her voice began to crack but she managed to get her emotions under control. She had to be strong now. ‘The one person who has been my guardian angel since I came here, my real true friend, is Ruby Fitzpatrick. Her brother Robbie – Robert Fitzpatrick – needs a place in your school and you sent a letter saying that he wasn’t accepted. You need to change that. The family is going to rip apart. Fiona, the mum, is going to break in two if you don’t let Robbie come here. They are a lovely family, but they can’t take any more. I’ve seen families pushed to the edge. I’ve seen families fall apart because they broke. I saw it in Syria; I saw it in the camps in Greece. I am not asking you, Mrs Peabody, I am begging you to save this family. Robbie is a very sweet boy, but he needs help. They can’t keep doing it all themselves. Ruby never gets any attention and Orla, her older sister, is really sad but pretends she isn’t. You have to help them.’

Mrs Peabody sat back in her chair. ‘And how did you survive without breaking?’

‘I guess I’m a strong tea bag,’ Safa said.

Mrs Peabody frowned. ‘I don’t understand.’

‘My friend Clara says that a woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.’

Mrs Peabody laughed. ‘That is a very true saying. You are a very brave young girl.’

‘Well, I’m lucky too. I have parents who love me, and I have made really great friends here – Clara, Denise and Ruby. But Ruby is my best friend and I have to help her.’

‘I’m sorry, Safa, but I can’t help you. There is nothing I can do. The school is full for next year. Unfortunately there just aren’t enough schools that cater for children with disabilities, so the waiting list is long.’

Safa dug her nails into the palms of her hands. She had to keep trying. She was not taking no for an answer. ‘My father always says there is no such thing as “can’t”, only “won’t”. You have to help, Mrs Peabody. I’ll come and sing to the kids – Robbie loves my singing. I’ll help feed them and I’ll clean up for free. Please, Mrs Peabody, you have to help Ruby’s family. I’ll do anything you ask.’

Mrs Peabody looked at Safa for a long time. ‘You really mean that, don’t you?’

‘Yes, I do.’

‘I don’t think I’ve ever met a more courageous or compassionate person than you. What you are doing for your friend and her family is really exceptional. They are very lucky to have you as a friend, fighting their corner. I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I will look at Robert’s application and see if I can do something to help the family. I can’t offer him a full-time place, but I promise to do everything I can to figure out a way to help the family.’

Safa leant forward. ‘Do you promise?’

‘Yes, Safa, I promise.’

‘Well, then, I know you will fix this. I know you won’t let this family break.’

Mrs Peabody smiled. ‘You’ll go far in life, Safa. With the passion and compassion you have, you will reach the stars. Your family should be very proud of you.’

‘Thank you. I won’t take up any more of your time.’ Safa stood up and politely held out her hand.

Mrs Peabody shook it. ‘You are a very special girl. Don’t ever change.’

Safa left the school feeling lighter. Maybe, just maybe, she’d been able to help.