This Green and Pleasant Land by Ayisha Malik

Author:Ayisha Malik [Ayisha Malik]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bonnier Publishing Fiction
Published: 2019-04-05T16:00:00+00:00

Bilal picked up the earth next to him in his gloved hand and played with it absentmindedly.

‘I thought this mosque would make things clearer,’ Bilal mumbled at the sky.

His mother appeared, wearing a white shalwar kameez with a bright red dupatta and matching red Nike trainers. His trainers. She’d refused to let him throw them out when he’d grown out of them. With two pairs of insoles, she’d said, they were practically made for her. He’d insisted they didn’t go with her clothes – she only ever wore shalwar kameez. But she wouldn’t be deterred. Now, not even in his imagination.

Just then he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

‘Hello. It’s Richard. Are you busy?’

‘Oh, just pondering life.’

‘Decent pastime.’ Richard paused. ‘How’s work? No more graffiti? Notes?’

‘No. But there’s always tomorrow,’ said Bilal.

Richard paused again. ‘Listen, I wanted to ask about Bruce … Does he talk about Dan?’

‘Not much,’ replied Bilal. ‘He’s a quiet man, but I mean, it’s Dan …’

‘Hmmm. I’ve never felt that he’s the best influence on Gerald and …’

‘And?’ said Bilal, finding himself sitting up. ‘Hello?’

‘Hi. Sorry. It’s nothing. You know kids. He had a spray can—’

‘What?’ Bilal swallowed hard. ‘You think the graffiti was him?’

He waited for Richard’s reponse.

‘No,’ he replied, finally. ‘No … I’m just worried about Gerald. Anyway,’ added Richard, ‘you and Mariam still set to be beacons of the Nativity?’

Bilal gave a barely audible ‘yes’. His friend’s generosity only heightened his wife-weary state. Richard said bye to Bilal, who closed his eyes again, the image of his mother etched into his retinas. Why was the process of building this mosque beginning to show the cracks in the foundation of their marriage?

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