Authors: Tom Avery
Too Much Trouble (14 page)
âSome really nice people are looking after him,' they said. That made me cry for a little while. But it was the kind of crying that makes you feel better. Then they took me to a lady's house.
She was a big lady. And I mean big. She was called Esmerelda. She was from Africa too. We talked about that a bit.
I didn't stay with Esmerelda for long. She said that she only looked after children for a little while.
Social Services moved me to live with a lady called Alice. And that is where I live now, with Alice. She's quite old, but really strong. We have arm-wrestles and she normally wins. I think when I win it's because she lets me.
I have a pretty ordinary life now. I go to a new school. I play football. I have some friends. I keep up with the right programmes, but I don't listen to Lil' Legacy any more. I miss Asad and Ikram. I miss Terri. I miss Prince most of all.
A few months ago, during the school holidays, Alice took me to the beach. We stayed for a week in a little, tiny house where you could see the sea from the top windows.
She asked me why I was so quiet all the time. I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to talk about everything that had happened. She asked if I wanted to write it down. That's when I started this. She bought me a big pad of paper. And by the sea, I wrote and wrote. Alice read some and told me to keep writing. So I have, and I've nearly finished now.
You've probably got a few questions that you'd like me to answer.
What happened to Mr Green and Jamal and the others?
I don't really know. I told the Social Services people as much as I knew about Mr Green, eventually. Everything that's written down here, really. I hope the gang are all safe. I hope that they all have their own Alice. Even Jamal. I think he needed someone to look after him most of all. And I hope that Mr Green has been put in prison for a very long time.
What happened to my uncle?
This I do know. About a week after we got back from that house by the sea, me and Alice were watching the news. Alice likes to watch it every day. There was a report about a big police raid. Something to do with drugs. Some men were being deported. Alice told me that this means they were being sent out of Britain to their own country. Then they showed pictures of their faces - and there, right in the middle of the screen, was my uncle.
What about my parents?
Here I have no idea. Maybe they will come and find me one day. Maybe not.
Probably the biggest question you have is what happened to my brother? What happened to Prince?
Here, I have a proper answer for you.
About a week ago, on a Saturday morning, I was reading in my room. Alice had bought me a copy of
Oliver Twist
. She said that I should try to read it again. She helps me with the hard bits. She bought me a dictionary too, that helps as well.
While I was reading, Alice knocked on the door. She always knocks.
âCome in,' I said.
She poked her head round the door, then came all the way in. As she sat down on my bed she said, âHow are you getting on with your book?'
âOK,' I replied.
She smiled a big smile at me and said, âGood.' Then her smile got even bigger and she said, âSomething came in the post for you today, Emmanuel.'
My brow furrowed in surprise. I thought, who knew that I was here? Who would be writing to me?
She sat down on the bed next to me and placed a small, white envelope in my hands. The address was handwritten in a neat, flowing script. I tore open the top and pulled out a lined sheet of paper which had been folded a few times too many.
I looked up at Alice and her smile got even bigger, which didn't seem possible.
I unfolded and read the letter. It was in a different
handwriting to the address, big, unjoined-up writing.
Dear Emmanuel, my big brother,
I hope you get this. The people I live with have been helping me to find where you live now. They are nice. They are called Jubrel and Ruth. They said that I should write to you. I have written my address and my phone number on the top, so you could write back if you wanted to.
I wanted to write to you to say sorry. I was not always a good brother. I didn't listen to what you said sometimes. I hope I didn't let you down too much.
I also want to say thank you. You are the best big brother in the world. You looked after me and I love you Em. I miss you.
Please write back soon,
Your brother, Prince Anatole
PS Are you still a slow-coach?
I smiled at that last line, through the tears that were gathering in my eyes.
Alice touched me on the shoulder and said, âI'd like us to go somewhere today, Emmanuel. I'd like to take you to see someone very special.'
âOK,' I said.
âGet your things together. You can bring your book. I'll meet you downstairs in... five minutes?'
âOK,' I said again.
âOh, and bring your football,' she said as she left my room.
In the car I didn't ask where we were going, but I hoped.
We had driven for around half an hour when Alice said, âRight, I think this is us.' We pulled into a road. There were big houses down one side of the road and a park on the other.
We pulled up outside a house with a red front door and a black knocker. I got out and looked up at the house, and there in the front window was an even bigger smile than Alice had given me earlier. A huge smile on the most familiar face that I know.
And for the first time since I had left Prince, I smiled.
I smiled back at my brother.
TOO MUCH TROUBLE
is the winner of the 2010
Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices
Children's Book Award
The Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children's Book Award was founded jointly by Frances Lincoln Limited and Seven Stories, in memory of Frances Lincoln (1945-2001) to encourage and promote diversity in children's fiction.
The Award is for a manuscript that celebrates cultural diversity in the widest possible sense, either in terms of its story or the ethnic and cultural origins of its author.
The prize of £1500, plus the option for Frances Lincoln Children's Books to publish the novel, is awarded to the best work of unpublished fiction for 8-12-year-olds by a writer aged 16 years or over, who has not previously published a novel for children. The winner of the Award is chosen by an independent panel of judges.
Please see the Frances Lincoln or Seven Stories website for further details.
The running and administration of the Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children's Book Award is led by Seven Stories, in Newcastle upon Tyne. Seven Stories is Britain's children's literature museum. It brings the wonderful world of children's books to life through lively exhibitions and inspiring learning and events programmes. Seven Stories is saving Britain's children's literature by building a unique archive that shows how authors and illustrators turn their thoughts and ideas into finished books of stories, poems and pictures.
Seven Stories believes that children should be able to choose books that reflect the lives of children from different cultures in the world today. Frances Lincoln, in whose memory the Award was founded, had an unswerving commitment to finding talented writers who brought new voices, characters, places and plots to children's books.
Frances Lincoln Limited and Seven Stories gratefully acknowledge the support of Arts & Business for the Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children's Book Award.
grew up in south-east London with two big brothers and one little sister. He followed in his father's footsteps by training as a teacher at the University of Greenwich. Whilst training, Tom ran a church youth club in Lewisham, and then went on to teach in Greenwich and Birmingham. He now works at a diverse primary school in Camden Town, London. Much of Tom's inspiration comes from the pupils he has taught and the stories they have shared, and much of his encouragement comes from his wife and his mum, who has always wanted him to be a writer.
Too Much Trouble
is his first published book.
Tom lives with his wife, Chloe, and their two sons, in Islington, London.