Straightening Ali (24 page)

“
Thanks, Mick,” said Ali.

“
I’ll say good night to you. It would have been nice to chat into the early hours, but with Anne not being well I can’t,” said Mick worriedly.

“
I understand. Don’t worry,” Ali said.

“
I’ll see you in the morning. If you get peckish help yourself to any of the food in the kitchen, and if you can’t sleep there are some videos on the bookshelf that you can watch,” he said, heading for the bedroom.

“
Goodnight,” Ali called after him.

Ali made the bed, turned the light off and got in under the duvet covers without changing out of his clothes.

The sofa turned out to be very uncomfortable with the springs digging into Ali’s back. The heating was turned off, too, which made the flat very cold. Ali felt glad that he’d left his clothes on although he still felt cold despite the layers. Ali found it hard to settle down to sleep. He could make out large unfamiliar shadows in the room as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

“
I can’t live like this,” he thought miserably, staring into the darkness. “I don’t want to end up like this, living in a council flat alone. I should go back. I can tell them I had a breakdown.” Ali shook himself, trying to jolt himself out of the comforting thoughts of returning home. “No, I’ve got to carry on. It will get better.”

“
It will get better,” he muttered again to himself before closing his eyes.

The room was bathed in sunlight when Ali opened his eyes again. It took a few seconds for him to realize that he’d been asleep. Ali struggled to sit up, but his body ached from sleeping on the cramped sofa bed. When he finally did manage to sit up, he noticed some movement from the corner of his eye. It was Mick.

“
You’re finally awake,” he remarked. “I was about to wake you. Haseena phoned about five minutes ago to say she’s on her way. Do you want some breakfast before she gets here? I’m just about to cook something for Anne.”

“
No, I’m not hungry right now,” Ali said, unable to face eating anything. “Is it okay if I get freshened up?”

“
Yes, go ahead. You know where the bathroom is. I’ve put a towel out for you,” said Mick.

In the bathroom Ali got undressed and jumped into the shower. He turned it on and then retreated in shock as a spray of cold water hit him. He waited a few moments and then got back under the water, which was now warm. He lathered himself with shower gel, luxuriating in the feel of the warm water against his skin.

He got out of the shower, turned it off and dried himself on the towel that had been left out for him. As he didn’t have anything else to wear, he got dressed in the same clothes as he’d been sleeping in.

Haseena was already standing in the lounge talking to Mick when Ali came out of the bathroom. “What took you so long?” she asked. “You’ve got a flight to catch,” she said, not bothering to greet him.

“
To Strasbourg?” Ali asked.

“
Of course, it’s to Strasbourg. Where else would you be escaping to? Are you ready?” she asked hurriedly.

“
Yes, I’m ready,” Ali replied.

“
Well we’d better leave, then,” said Haseena. “Thanks for putting Ali up for the night. Can you say goodbye to Anne for me. Tell her I’ll pop round next week to see how she is.”

“
I will do. Good luck, Ali,” Mick said shaking Ali’s hand.

“
Thank you,” Ali said as Haseena hurried him to the door.

When they got to the lift they got in and Haseena pressed the button for the ground floor. “I’m sorry for rushing you, Ali, but we have to get you on that flight today. Your sister visited again last night with Yunus. It wasn’t very pleasant,” Haseena informed him.

“
Oh no. I’m sorry. What happened?” Ali asked worriedly.

“
I’ll tell you some other time,” Haseena said not wanting to tell him that she’d ended up having to call the police to get them removed from her doorstep.

The lift came to a stop, and Haseena hurried Ali to the car where Derek was waiting. “Come on get in,” he said. “We don’t have much time. I’ll drop you off at New Street station. You’ll need to catch the train from there to Birmingham International for the airport.”

Ali got quickly into the back seat while Derek started the car. Haseena quietly took the passenger seat next to Derek.

“
I’ve booked the flight ticket for you,” Haseena informed him.

“
How much do I owe you?” Ali asked, worried about the cost, not knowing how much money he had left in his bank account to pay for it.

“
Let’s not worry about that now. When you’ve sorted yourself out, you can pay me back,” Haseena said.

“
Thank you,” Ali said, feeling relieved.

“
Derek’s already put your car in storage at his mate’s garage,” Haseena told him.

“
What about my passport? Did you find it?” Ali asked.

“
Well it would have been silly booking your flight if I hadn’t,” Haseena said humorously. “It was in your suitcase like you said.”

“
What about my wife’s suitcase? It was in my car boot. It’s got all her jewelry in it,” Ali said.

“
It’s sorted. Mick is going to drop it off at your parents’ later tonight,” Haseena assured him.

“
What would I do without you, Haseena?” Ali asked rhetorically.

“
God knows,” Haseena said, turning round to smile at him from the front seat.

“
We’re here, lad,” Derek said interrupting them, as he parked the car at the crowded drop off point outside the entrance to New Street station.

Haseena promptly opened the car door and jumped out. She went to the boot of the car and pulled his suitcase out.

“
Good luck, lad,” Derek said turning round and shaking Ali’s hand.

“
Thank you,” Ali replied before opening the car door and getting out. Haseena handed him his suitcase.

“
Your passport and flight tickets are in the side pocket,” Haseena told him. “I’ve also put some euros in there as well. The ticket’s open return, so you can come back anytime if you need to. You’d better hurry. You don’t have long left for your flight to leave.” She hugged Ali before returning to the car and getting in.

She watched as Ali hurried to the station entrance. He looked back at the car and waved before disappearing into the station.

The station was very busy. Ali pushed his way through the crowd to the platform entrance and checked the information board. The train to Birmingham International was leaving in three minutes from platform seven, giving him no time to buy a ticket. Panicking, Ali raced down to the platform lugging his heavy suitcase behind, not even bothering to use its wheels.

He managed to get onto the train just as the guard blew the whistle and the doors shut. Ali found himself an empty seat and sat down, putting his suitcase on the floor in the gangway, and prayed that there was no guard on board to check for tickets.

Ali arrived at the Air France check-in desk with only fifteen minutes to spare before his flight’s departure. He handed his ticket and passport to the female attendant sitting behind the desk, knowing it was very unlikely that he’d be allowed onto the plane this late. He crossed his fingers hopefully.

The attendant checked the passport making sure the photograph matched Ali’s face. “You’re too late. The flight’s already been boarded,” she exclaimed when she checked the ticket. “I’ll see if there’s any way we can get you on the flight though.” She picked up the telephone on her desk and spoke quickly into it for a few seconds as Ali waited anxiously.

“
There’s a small delay, and the boarding gate is still open, but we’re going to have to run for it,” she said handing him his passport, ticket and boarding pass.

She stood up and picked up Ali’s suitcase. “Follow me,” she said, leaping into a sprint. Ali raced after her clutching his documents tightly. He gasped for breath as his asthma flared up due to the unexpected exertion. It seemed like ages before they came to a stop at a security gate.

“
We have a late passenger,” she informed the security guard. “I’ve got a bet that I can get him onto the flight.”

“
I reckon you might win,” he said to her, taking Ali’s suitcase and shoving it onto the conveyor belt for the x-ray machine. “You’re not running away are you?” he asked jokingly as he checked Ali’s passport and boarding pass.

“
No, of course not,” Ali said, taken aback by the question. “I’m visiting a friend.”

The guard motioned for Ali to go through the metal detector. It didn’t make a sound as Ali walked through. The attendant was on the other side having already gone through, herself.

“
Come on, we’re not there, yet,” the attendant said taking Ali’s suitcase off the conveyer belt and sprinting off again.

“
It’s departure gate sixty-four, so there’s not far to go,” she said, with Ali following after her breathlessly as they ran past departure gate fifty.

“
Late arrival,” she said to the two male air stewards who were waiting at the boarding gate when they finally reached it. “You’ll have to carry his suitcase on board,” she told them.

“
Thank you very much,” Ali said gratefully, turning to her.

“
It’s my pleasure, sweetheart,” she said pleasantly. “You look like a guy with the weight of the world on his shoulders. I hope everything works out for you in Strasbourg.” She then leaned over and gave Ali a quick kiss on his cheek. “Hurry up, or you’ll miss your flight.”

“
Follow me,” one of the air stewards said in a strong French accent, not allowing Ali time to think about the kiss. The steward led him through the gate and directly into the aircraft. “I’ll store your luggage at the front. You can collect it when you disembark from the flight.”

He showed Ali to his seat, which was in the economy section. Ali could only count another eight people seated in economy. “Enjoy your flight, sir,” the steward said and walked back to the front of the cabin. He pulled a curtain behind him to separate the business class section from the rest of the cabin.

The plane’s engines started up as Ali gripped onto the sides of the seat nervously. He stared out of the cabin window, ignoring the safety demonstration, and watched the runway as the plane started to gather speed. It suddenly increased its velocity very noisily as Ali watched the ground slip away from the plane. He let out an anxious sigh of relief.

This was only the third trip that Ali had taken by plane. The first trip had been with the family to Pakistan. The second, which was more memorable, had been to New York with Steve. That flight had been so different. He’d felt happy and excited. This time he couldn’t help but feel alone and insignificant.

Ali tried to hold back his tears. “I should never have married,” he thought. “I should have run away earlier.”

Ali’s thoughts turned to Sajda. “What about my beautiful new bride?” he thought despairingly. “I’ve completely ruined her life. I’m so weak running away. Perhaps it might have worked if I’d given it more time.” He thought about his grandmother who’d be mystified by what he’d done, not understanding why he’d run away.

The picture of his distraught mother entered his mind, and he tried to dispel it guiltily. He thought about the anguish and hurt she would be going through knowing that she was probably feeling humiliated and ashamed by his actions.

Ali’s thoughts jumbled chaotically in his mind. “I’ve let so many people down. Why am I such a failure?” he thought angrily as he started to cry silently. He wiped his eyes on his sleeve. It didn’t matter anymore. He was still wearing the same clothes he’d slept in the previous night, and he could smell the stale sweat. So what did it matter if he wiped his nose on his sleeve as well?

“
I hate myself,” he thought savagely, wiping his nose. He paused momentarily, hearing the chiming sound of the plane’s seat belt sign turning off, and then continued with his crying.

He was suddenly disturbed by a man peering at him through the curtains of the business class section. Ali quickly wiped away his tears and perked up, pretending to be fascinated by the clouds outside the cabin window and embarrassed that he’d been caught crying.

A few seconds later, Ali felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up. It was the same man who had peered at him through the curtains. “May I sit next to you?” he asked. “I’m bored in business class. I would love to sit with you and enjoy your company,” he said speaking English with a trace of an accent that Ali could not place.

“
Yes, of course, you can,” Ali said, hesitantly, not really wanting the man’s company but finding it difficult to refuse the offer in case he sounded rude. “Won’t you get into trouble with the air stewards?”