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Back Suzy Suzy Save as PDF
Chapters (90)
  1. Cover
  2. By the same author
  3. SUZY SUZY
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. Glossary of Dialect Terms
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. 70
  77. 71
  78. 72
  79. 73
  80. 74
  81. 75
  82. 76
  83. 77
  84. 78
  85. 79
  86. 80
  87. 81
  88. 82
  89. About William Wall
  90. An Invitation from the Publisher

So I took The Dog out for a walk. I think he was surprised but he liked it anyway. He wanted to go down Regan’s Glen and he’s the boss. I let him snuffle along the furze clumps and the riverbank. He had fun. He is always hoping for a rat. I was thinking of the time my dad took me for a spin and we ended up at one of the houses he owns in some Avenue or Close or Paddock or Drive called after some godforsaken English village like all of ours are, and there was a woman there with a new baby. I don’t know what we were doing there. She was nice and the baby was adorable, a little fat Tupac, like when he was bald. Not as black though. More brown. The mother was brown too. She had a long neck. Not just a long neck but like a swan, a brown swan. She was beautiful. Her eyes were comforting. When she looked at me I thought she loved me. I always go for the eyes first.

I asked my dad afterwards.

What was that about, Dad?

I wanted you to meet her.

Why?

She’s a nice person.

I thought about that. My dad never brought me to see a nice person before. For all I know all the people he didn’t evict out of our houses might have been nice people. But he brought me to see this one person. True, she was nice. And she had a baby and babies are irresistible. And I couldn’t see any man things around the place. And my dad made her tea like he knew his way around the kitchen. Well, we own the kitchen. Some kind of special tea, Lapsang thingy. And she didn’t even say, I’ll do it, like my mam would. She let him make it. And bring it out. And my dad even cuddled the baby. I have never seen my dad cuddle anybody especially a baby. The closest is I saw him put his arms around a horse’s neck once.

So, I said, what’s the story about the baby?

He shrugged. The father went back to Africa.

Africa is a continent, Dad. What part of Africa?

Nigeria I think.

Dad, Nigerians are real black, like black black. If you mix a brown person with a black person you get a baby who is browny-black. This baby is the other way. Like the baby is only off-white or something.