AT SCHOOL THE NEXT day Daniel took the first chance he had to ring Femi. He got a switchboard which put him through to Femi’s phone, but the only answer he got was a machine. As the morning wore on, he tried again a couple of times with the same result. It wasn’t until a few minutes before the end of his lunch break that he was answered by a voice on the other end of the line.
‘Femi Oladapo.’
Daniel told him who he was and that he was trying to locate his mother’s classmates.
‘Oh yes,’ Femi said. ‘I knew her. You want me to come to a party or something?’
‘That’s right,’ Daniel said. After all this, he thought, he’d have to organize something. ‘Do you happen to know how to get in touch with Chris Adebowale?’
The line went silent, and Daniel repeated the name.
‘I don’t think so,’ Femi said slowly. ‘I don’t know who you mean.’
Daniel’s stomach churned. For a moment it felt as if he was going down in a fast lift. ‘But he was in the same class.’
‘Was he? I don’t recall the name.’
‘He was an African from Nigeria.’
The instant Daniel said that he wished he could call it back. When Femi replied, his voice seemed to have lost its warmth. ‘Yes, well, we don’t all know each other.’
Daniel stammered, trying to find the words to explain.
‘I’m sorry,’ Femi said. ‘I have to go now. Let me know if you want me to come to the party. I’d like to.’
The phone went dead. Daniel stood in the corner as his fellow teachers went by, streaming back to their classes. He was sure that the way Femi reacted showed he was hiding something. Until Daniel said Chris’s name he had been friendly and open. Then he had shut down.
Lost in his own thoughts Daniel didn’t notice that Judy had come up and was speaking to him. She had said something about a meeting.
‘A meeting?’
‘That’s right,’ Judy said. ‘I sent you all an email. Today at four o’clock.’
‘I can’t come,’ Daniel said.
Up to that point he hadn’t decided, but as he spoke he knew what he had to do later. Femi was hiding something and he couldn’t get him to reveal it on the phone. Perhaps Femi had assumed that he was a white person when they spoke. When they met face to face he might be more willing to help. He had to go and see him. If he went right away he might just be in time. He knew that college lecturers had more flexible times. Today he knew where to find Femi. Tomorrow the man might be somewhere else.
Judy was frowning and he tried to soften his tone.
‘Sorry. Some family business.’ He knew it sounded lame, but it was all he could think of at short notice.
Judy looked at him and sighed. ‘Of course, I forgot the wedding. All right, but don’t blame me if you get landed with all the crap jobs.’
Daniel shrugged and Judy frowned again. ‘Your mind’s somewhere else, isn’t it?’
Daniel shrugged again. He knew she was finding his manner strange, unlike his usual style, but he couldn’t be bothered to explain.
‘Got your mobile?’ she asked suddenly.
‘Yes.’
‘Get it out. Show it to me.’
She gestured, and he took the mobile out of his pocket. ‘Put this number on the speed dial. It’s my home number. If there’s a problem tomorrow, ring and let me know.’
‘I’ll be here,’ he protested, but he tapped the number in.
At the end of the day, Daniel ran out of the school gates as quickly as he could. Femi’s college was across the river in South London near Elephant and Castle, so he didn’t get there until it was close to five o’clock.
At the desk in the lobby he asked for Femi. The woman sitting there asked for his name in return, then she ran her finger down a list pinned to her clipboard. ‘Does he expect you?’
‘I’m not sure.’
He didn’t want to risk saying no, but he didn’t want to tell her an outright lie.
She gazed at him, her eyes running over him from head to toe. She must have decided he was harmless, because she picked up the phone and spoke briefly. Then she turned to look at him again. ‘What is it about?’
‘It’s about a conference,’ Daniel said, taking a wild guess.
She spoke again, then she put the phone down and said Mr Oladapo would be down in a couple of minutes. Daniel waited by the turnstile. Beyond it was a marble staircase where a stream of students were coming and going. In a few minutes Daniel saw a short, bulky black man with a shiny round face walking down. Femi. He was smiling at the students, but when he saw Daniel his face went blank.
‘What can I do for you?’ he asked, his tone almost abrupt.
‘We talked on the phone,’ Daniel said.
‘Ah. I thought I’d heard the name before.’ He paused, looking straight at Daniel. ‘I told you all I know on the phone. I can’t help you any more.’
‘I know this seems a bit strange,’ Daniel said, ‘but I have a good reason for this.’
He took the photo Brownjohn had lent him out of his pocket and handed it to Femi. ‘That’s him, isn’t it? And that’s my mother.’
Femi held the photo in front of him, looking at it. He was smiling a little. Looking at his face now, Daniel knew for certain that he knew both the people in the photo. His smile said that he was thinking of the old days.
‘That baby,’ Femi said. ‘Would that be you?’
Daniel nodded.
‘I saw Chris not so long ago,’ Femi told him. He was still gazing at the photo. ‘It’s just that I didn’t know who you were.’