you’re defending him?’
There was a long sigh. ‘I’m not defending him. I’m just saying he’s not a poofter. Anyway, I think you should say “gay”. You know My Le hates it when you call gay people “poofters”.’ My Le was Marlena’s best friend. She was a beauty therapist what worked with poofters.
‘What, is this a conference call with My Le now? Look, darl, you know I got nuffin against poofters. So long as they not be moving in on me own best girl.’
‘Can we start this conversation again?’
‘Ten minutes!’ someone shouted from a back a the queue.
‘Yeah, ten minutes!’ someone else joined in.
‘Shut up,’ I said.
‘Did you just tell me to shut up?’ Marlena asked.
‘No, no, darl, I was talking to some dickheads in the queue.’ I gave them the finger over me shoulder.
‘Time!’ Dickhead Number One shouted.
‘Finish up!’ Dickhead Number Two added.
I ignored them. She Who blew out some air. ‘I’m starting again. You know Peter?’
‘Yeah, and what about the pink-nutted poofter?’
Another silence. ‘He asked me to the movies. And my parents think I should go. I don’t want to, Zeki, I really don’t, but I just…’
For years now, Marlena’s folks been pressurising her to ditch me for good. What they didn’t think I be. They always had these stooges what they thought be better for her than me. But she never even thought a giving in before.
‘I still haven’t told them you’re Inside. But if you’re not out by Christmas…’
‘Babydoll, you know I’m gonna win at the AAT. I’m gonna be outta here by Christmas, no wucken furries. Gubba was that confidential about it…Fuck. You’re not really thinking a going to the movies with Pink-nuts, are you, darl?’
‘Zeki, you’re not supposed to swear during Ramadan.’
Maaan. Sometimes she’s like me own personal lady cop and the religious police, all rolled into one. ‘You’re right. I shouldn’t. C’mon, darl, you’re not really thinking a doing it, are you?’
She took a few quiet breaths what I could barely hear, me heart was banging that loud in me chest. ‘No, not really.’
‘Time! Time! Off the phone!’ Every dickhead in the queue was shouting by now.
Twelve
Not long after Angel arrived, Hamid went off the pills. He wanted to look after her and said he couldn’t do it if he was doped up. They both put in Detainee Request Forms what asked for permission to see each other more than what was normally allowed. Nadia, the psych, told the management that allowing them to meet in the daytime would be a good idea for their mental health. So they let her come into Stage Two between nine ay-em and twelve-thirty pee-em and again between one and five. They wasn’t allowed to go inside Hamid’s room, or they’d stop her coming. Hamid started sleeping at night again cuz, he said, he had something to wake up for.
Every morning, he’d get up at eight and meet Angel at the gate. She’d have some breakfast, what he didn’t on a count a fasting, and then they’d go to the computer room to play games or to the rec room for billiards. They’d walk around. He’d wait for her to eat her meals, and she’d wait for himwhen he went to prayers. In the beginning, they did a lotta sitting around the playground in the compound, while she went through the withdrawals. She was cleaning up. It was tough. But she was doing it.
One day she appeared with her hair all washed and shiny and her pretty lips smiling, and that’s when we all noticed how beautiful she really was. She had heaps more self-steam than when she first came. We were all feeling happy for Hamid, what was looking pretty good himself. He stood taller, holding his back straight like me dad’s always telling me to do, and even his eyes were brighter. In factuality, he was a handsome little bugger, what I never noticed before. Me auntie Elma is always banging on—when Uncle Baris isn’t listening, anyway—about how Afghani men be the best
There was a long sigh. ‘I’m not defending him. I’m just saying he’s not a poofter. Anyway, I think you should say “gay”. You know My Le hates it when you call gay people “poofters”.’ My Le was Marlena’s best friend. She was a beauty therapist what worked with poofters.
‘What, is this a conference call with My Le now? Look, darl, you know I got nuffin against poofters. So long as they not be moving in on me own best girl.’
‘Can we start this conversation again?’
‘Ten minutes!’ someone shouted from a back a the queue.
‘Yeah, ten minutes!’ someone else joined in.
‘Shut up,’ I said.
‘Did you just tell me to shut up?’ Marlena asked.
‘No, no, darl, I was talking to some dickheads in the queue.’ I gave them the finger over me shoulder.
‘Time!’ Dickhead Number One shouted.
‘Finish up!’ Dickhead Number Two added.
I ignored them. She Who blew out some air. ‘I’m starting again. You know Peter?’
‘Yeah, and what about the pink-nutted poofter?’
Another silence. ‘He asked me to the movies. And my parents think I should go. I don’t want to, Zeki, I really don’t, but I just…’
For years now, Marlena’s folks been pressurising her to ditch me for good. What they didn’t think I be. They always had these stooges what they thought be better for her than me. But she never even thought a giving in before.
‘I still haven’t told them you’re Inside. But if you’re not out by Christmas…’
‘Babydoll, you know I’m gonna win at the AAT. I’m gonna be outta here by Christmas, no wucken furries. Gubba was that confidential about it…Fuck. You’re not really thinking a going to the movies with Pink-nuts, are you, darl?’
‘Zeki, you’re not supposed to swear during Ramadan.’
Maaan. Sometimes she’s like me own personal lady cop and the religious police, all rolled into one. ‘You’re right. I shouldn’t. C’mon, darl, you’re not really thinking a doing it, are you?’
She took a few quiet breaths what I could barely hear, me heart was banging that loud in me chest. ‘No, not really.’
‘Time! Time! Off the phone!’ Every dickhead in the queue was shouting by now.
Twelve
Not long after Angel arrived, Hamid went off the pills. He wanted to look after her and said he couldn’t do it if he was doped up. They both put in Detainee Request Forms what asked for permission to see each other more than what was normally allowed. Nadia, the psych, told the management that allowing them to meet in the daytime would be a good idea for their mental health. So they let her come into Stage Two between nine ay-em and twelve-thirty pee-em and again between one and five. They wasn’t allowed to go inside Hamid’s room, or they’d stop her coming. Hamid started sleeping at night again cuz, he said, he had something to wake up for.
Every morning, he’d get up at eight and meet Angel at the gate. She’d have some breakfast, what he didn’t on a count a fasting, and then they’d go to the computer room to play games or to the rec room for billiards. They’d walk around. He’d wait for her to eat her meals, and she’d wait for himwhen he went to prayers. In the beginning, they did a lotta sitting around the playground in the compound, while she went through the withdrawals. She was cleaning up. It was tough. But she was doing it.
One day she appeared with her hair all washed and shiny and her pretty lips smiling, and that’s when we all noticed how beautiful she really was. She had heaps more self-steam than when she first came. We were all feeling happy for Hamid, what was looking pretty good himself. He stood taller, holding his back straight like me dad’s always telling me to do, and even his eyes were brighter. In factuality, he was a handsome little bugger, what I never noticed before. Me auntie Elma is always banging on—when Uncle Baris isn’t listening, anyway—about how Afghani men be the best
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