The Saulie Bird by Eliza Quancy

Author:Eliza Quancy [Quancy, Eliza]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781913669089
Publisher: Lame Crow Press
Published: 2020-04-21T22:00:00+00:00

22

‘What happened?’ Layla asks as soon as we manage to go and sit in our lawn spot. We know we’re attracting attention with our secrets, but it can’t be helped.

I tell her what has happened but don’t say that I stormed off. I’ve changed my mind since then. I’m going to go back.

‘No, Aulani,’ she says. ‘I’ll go and pay him.’

‘You can’t,’ I say. ‘It’s too dangerous.’ And then I pause and look at her directly. ‘I think he wants me, Layla.’

I see Layla’s hands twisting in her lap. She’s still my mama. She doesn’t want me to go. She wants to protect me like always and this is a step too far. Oh, I think to myself, if only she knew about Saul. If only she did. But she doesn’t. And then I realise where Layla has been getting the money for our food. The money for my present. The money for the passports.

‘It’s what you’ve been doing, isn’t it,’ I say. I’m not asking her, I’m telling her that I know. I look at her and she nods.

‘There was no other way,’ she says. ‘We had no money and we needed food. And now we need passports.’ I go to hug her. I understand what she’s done. I know it is love. And survival. But mainly, I think, it is love. Layla’s love for me.

‘Now, it’s my turn,’ I tell her and feel I have to come clean. ‘I like him, Layla. It won’t be hard.’

She looks at me and her eyes show pity.

‘Oh, Auli,’ she says. ‘It’s not as easy as you think.’

But it will be. I think of Kandin and the prospect of his body. And I think of Saul and how he ripped me and broke me. Layla doesn’t know. She will never know. I shudder. Nothing could be worse than that.

‘It will be fine,’ I say. ‘I’ll be all right, Layla, and we need the passports. There isn’t another way.’ Layla doesn’t argue further. She can see that I’ve made up my mind.

‘Wait here,’ she says and goes into the house. When she comes back, she takes something out of her bag and hands it to me.

‘Take these,’ she tells me. ‘One each night.’ I look at what she’s handing me and see that it’s a pack of tablets in silver paper with the days written on the back where you push them through. ‘They’re contraceptive pills,’ she tells me. ‘I was going to give them to you because you go with Joel. At least you won’t get pregnant.

‘Thank you, Layla,’ I say and we go back to the others. After we’ve eaten, I text Joel.

‘Can you set up another meeting for me with Kandin?’ I ask. ‘Tell him I’ve got the money.’

‘How was it?’ Joel asks. ’Will he do it?’

‘I think so,’ I reply. ‘Tell him I’m ready to do a deal and let me know what he says.’

Jenn is already asleep and as usual, we sit together with the girls after we’ve eaten.

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