Ally Pally again.
But not to skate,
just to sit up there
and watch London
spread out below us like an untouchable 3D map.
‘Weird, isn’t it?’ I say.
Nicu is next to me on the grass
pulling apart dead leaves.
‘What so weird?’ he asks.
‘I dunno.
Just that there are millions of
people in London,
and everyone thinking they’re so important.
But if,
like,
a giant came along
and
squashed them,
hardly anyone would care.
Everything would go on as normal.’
‘News reporting would care,’ Nicu says.
He cups his hands over his mouth,
making his voice dramatic.
‘Killer giant squash all citizens in London.’
I laugh.
‘Yeah, but you get what I mean?’
He is silent. Maybe he doesn’t understand.
Sometimes it’s like that,
and not just cos of the language.
He rests a hand on my knee.
‘You meaning we not important, Jess.
You wrong.
We both very important
enough.’