Caryl Phillips - A Distant Shore

Gabriel says nothing. The man begins now to tap his pen and then he quickly shakes his head and pushes back his chair. Katherine leans across the table.

“Are you sure, Gabriel? I mean are you really sure that you remember nothing?”

Gabriel lowers his eyes. Stuart Lewis stands and begins to push the papers into his briefcase. Now it is Katherine’s turn to get to her feet.

“We’ll see you in court, Gabriel. And don’t worry, we’re on your side.” Katherine makes an attempt to look cheerful, but a disappointed Stuart Lewis does not look again in Gabriel’s direction.

As the police van twists and turns its way through the narrow streets, Gabriel peers through the blackened windows at the English people going about their daily business. The driver and the policeman next to him talk and occasionally they throw a comment back in the direction of Gabriel, who sits behind the metal grille.

“I hear they’re gonna put you in with some nice football boys.”

Gabriel does not understand everything they say.

“Chelsea fans, you prefer them, do you?” The men laugh out loud, but Gabriel ignores them and continues to stare out of the window. To Gabriel’s eyes, English people look unhappy, and he notices that they walk with their heads down as though determined to avoid one another. It is strange, but nobody is looking at anybody else, and it would appear that not only are these people all strangers to one another, but they seem determined to make sure that this situation will remain unchanged.

And then suddenly there is no longer a view. They are in a dark underground car park, and both men are now serious. They leave the van together, doors slamming on either side like noisy metal wings. Gabriel hears them unlocking the back door, and then the driver grabs Gabriel by the collar of his shirt. “Come on, sunshine, get up.” Gabriel finds it difficult to maintain his balance with his hands hand-cuffed together, and as they drag him out he bangs his head on the roof of the van. He notices others now, including a half-dozen police officers, and some men with cameras who begin to take pictures, their shutters firing like gunshots and their bright lights flashing in his face. He feels a policeman push down his head so that he is now looking at his shoes, and he is quickly pulled in the direction of an open door. Inside the building there seems to be less commotion. The policeman takes his hand from the back of Gabriel’s head, and Gabriel looks up. They are in a brightly lit corridor. At the end of the corridor, Katherine and Stuart Lewis are waiting for him. As he reaches them, Katherine pats Gabriel on the back, and he notices that since he last saw her she has unfastened her hair so that it is now drifting into her eyes.

“We’ve got a few minutes before the hearing. Are you all right?”

Gabriel nods and looks all about himself. The corridor is filled with policemen who are staring at him, but at least nobody is taking any pictures. Katherine points.

“Come on, we can go in here.”

Stuart Lewis remains in the corridor while Katherine leads the way into a small room, where Gabriel immediately notices that the fluorescent light is blinking on and off. There are a table and four chairs, but on the walls there are neither pictures nor posters, and there are no windows. Gabriel sits across the table from Katherine, and then Stuart Lewis and a policeman come in and the lawyer sits next to Gabriel. Suddenly Stuart Lewis seems relaxed, and he even smiles at Gabriel, who can now see that today the man has what looks like a slight coffee stain on his yellow tie.

“How are we this morning?”

Gabriel is confused by this sudden change of tone. He glances at Katherine, who also seems somewhat puzzled.

“Everything all right, Stuart?”

“Oh yes, everything’s all right.” The lawyer looks at his watch, and then he begins to drum his fingers against the table top.

Katherine waits for a few moments and then she speaks again.

“Stuart, what’s going on?”

The policeman looks at them all in turn, and then he suddenly gets up. He opens the door and steps out into the corridor. Stuart Lewis looks at his watch and then he too stands.

“Stuart, what on earth is going on? I think Gabriel has some right to know, don’t you?”

The lawyer glances again at his watch, and then he looks smugly at Katherine.

“Well, that’s it. The Crown’s lawyer has failed to turn up, and the girl is refusing to testify, so it’s over. I’ve informed the police that you’re taking care of his application for asylum, and so as long as you’ve filed his papers, he’s all yours.”

“So all criminal charges are dropped?”

“The chief witness for the prosecution won’t co-operate, so that’s pretty much it. The case is over, but Mr. Gabriel is not a popular man in these parts. You have filed his papers for asylum?” Katherine nods. “Well, while things are being processed, I would suggest that Mr. Gabriel get as far away from here as possible.”

Katherine stares at Stuart Lewis, who straightens his tie and then pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“Are you going?”

Stuart Lewis seems surprised by the question.

“Of course I’m going. Without the girl there’s no case, and I’ve got other things to attend to. Is there anything else?”

Gabriel looks now at Katherine, who seems confused. She holds her arms out in a gesture of helplessness.

“Well, I suppose not. It’s just that it’s all a bit sudden.” The lawyer moves towards the door.

“Good luck.” He pauses and then looks at Gabriel. “To you both, I mean.” He closes the door after he leaves, and Gabriel and Katherine are left alone.

“Did you understand all of that?” Gabriel does not answer, so Katherine edges her way around the table and sits next to him. “Gabriel, it’s over. The girl has refused to co-operate, so the Crown has had to drop the case. You’re free to go, but Stuart is suggesting that you go far away. I think he’s right. It’s not going to be easy if you stay around here, but that’s not what you want, is it?” Gabriel shakes his head. “Look, I’ll be honest with you, love. Your application’s in and you’re supposed to stick around here, where they’ll house you and feed you as a refugee till they decide if they’ll accept you. My colleagues in the local office here will take care of you.” Katherine pauses. “But the truth is, love, with this hanging over your head, people around here are not going to forget you. You’ll not get a fair hearing.”

Gabriel does not know what to say, and so he waits for Katherine to say something further that will break the silence. Then Katherine takes out a small notepad from her handbag and she begins to write in it.

“Gabriel, I’m going to give you my address in London.” Katherine tears a piece of paper out of her pad and hands it to Gabriel. “Drop me a line if you need anything, but between you and me, your best bet is to do a runner. I shouldn’t be telling you this, but it’s true. Stuart’s right, the press have been all over this case. In fact, even London will be a bit dodgy, given the publicity that you’ve had. Go north. You’ve not really got any papers, so call yourself something else. Take a chance up there as they won’t know who you are.”

“But I did nothing wrong.”

Katherine touches his arm.

“I’m not disputing this, Gabriel. It’s just that people always assume that there’s no smoke without fire. I know it’s unfair, but that’s how it is.”

Gabriel looks closely at the piece of paper that Katherine has given him.

“Can you read it?”

Gabriel nods and Katherine smiles.

“Well, that’s it then.”

“Will I be going back to the prison?”