When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

Author:Ayanna Lloyd Banwo [Banwo, Ayanna Lloyd]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Literature, Fantasy
ISBN: 9780241991640
Publisher: Penguin Books; Penguin Random House
Published: 2022-02-03T00:00:00+00:00

19

The next evening Ms Enid walk up Margo driveway and Darwin feel like weeping to see her again. But he know that the fact that is Enid and not his mother mean that she still eh forgive him.

‘Emmanuel.’ She hug him, squeeze him tight, then pull back and scan him from head to foot. Run her hand over his short hair. ‘How you doing, boy?’

‘I alright. Just working. You know. You didn’t have to come all the way down this side. I tell you I would come and check you by your work.’

‘Well, it give me a chance to see that you settle. See Margo too.’

He take her hand and walk her up the drive and they sit down on the gallery, looking out into the street. ‘Plus, I know if you come in between work hours you will make some excuse bout you can’t stay long.’

‘Is not that.’

‘I know, I know. You busy.’ She watch him sideways like she looking for more words in between what he eh say.

Darwin pull out some spare papers from the folds of the Bible on his lap, and start to build a spliff. Sun eh gone down yet and the day have a golden glow. Every now and again a car drive by. Or somebody walk up the road heading out for the evening. He could smell Margo cooking food inside. The onions and garlic simmer, the sound of a sharp knife hitting a cutting board, the chadon beni and celery in the air. The radio playing and Margo humming along out of tune, chattering away at Jerry and Keisha, the couple who come to stay. They had all get well friendly since they move in. He glad for that. Margo don’t focus on him so much again and he could come and go with nobody in his business.

‘You look alright. You look good,’ Enid finally say.

Darwin glance at her, light the spliff and take a deep pull.

‘Well, what else you want me to say?’

‘Nothing.’

‘You want me to come quite here and sit down and tell you nothing? Just stare at each other like strangers? Wait for Margo to finish cook and make small talk around the table?’ Enid smooth down her skirt, take her handbag off the chair next to her and put it on her lap. ‘We could do that if you want.’

‘Here.’ Darwin take the envelope out his back pocket and hand it to Enid. ‘I set up an account for her but I check the balance and I can see she not spending what I putting in there. But if you give it to her …’

‘You know your mother don’t want any of that.’

‘She win the lotto since I here?’

‘You know your mother.’

‘Yes. And you know her too, so make sure she take it. Even self you have to pay the light bill for her or buy the groceries and leave it in the kitchen, so she think is from you.’

Enid take the envelope, open it and rifle through the cash.

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