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by Clare Bayley

  ASHA. This is all I have.

  JEMAL. Then ask your mother. We all know she’s got more in those bags than some old rice.

  FATIMA. I have nothing, except what I give to you.

  AHMAD. What about your gold? Eh? What happened to all that? You’re a cunning woman, you wouldn’t let that get lost.

  FATIMA. I swear by Allah, my last piece of gold I had to give away to get me and this child across the sea. It was my grandfather’s ring, it was very precious to me, it was heavy, worth a lot of money. My mother gave it to my husband, and when he was killed I got it off his dead finger and I said, I will not rest until this ring is on the finger of my first-born son. I kept it all this time until we had to cross the sea and it was my last piece of gold . . .

  She breaks down. A pause.

  JEMAL. You have enough for either you or your daughter, then. Which one is going to get off the truck?

  ASHA (to AHMAD). Please, sir, pay for me. I know you have more money there. I am not asking for a gift. I will pay you the money in England. I will pay you the money back.

  AHMAD. When you’re living in Buckingham Palace?

  ASHA. Yes, sir.

  FATIMA. She is a good girl. She is simple, but she will do her best. She will keep her word. I know you are a good man underneath. You would not put a young girl in danger.

  JEMAL. I’m not putting her in danger! You’re her mother! You pay for her.

  FATIMA. I have nothing! You search my bags!

  She starts to undo her bundles, revealing only rice, sugar and bundles of cloth.

  I wanted to bring something to Nuruddin. I understand his letters. He says he is doing so well, so why does he have no proper address? Why do I send letters to a community centre? I wanted to help him, but now I am just an old woman with a few bags of rice, nothing but a burden to him . . .

  ASHA. In the name of my dead sister, I beg you, sir, I beg you to help me.

  JEMAL. I can put some of it in, but I can’t do it all.

  (To AHMAD.) Come on! We both put some in.

  I can’t pay it all. Come on! My girlfriend is in England. My baby’s in England.

  I have to get back to them.

  I swore I would get back to them.

  ASHA. I will repay you, sir. When we are in England.

  JEMAL. If we get to England.

  Listen! I have to get back there.

  Here – take it.

  Your mother should be ashamed of herself.

  He gives her the fifty dollars.

  ASHA. I thank you, sir. I thank you. You are a good man, sir.

  JEMAL (to MARIAM). So it’s just you now.

  He holds out his hat to MARIAM. She doesn’t move.

  Fifty dollars.

  MARIAM shakes her head. ASHA and FATIMA turn to watch.

  Here we go.

  MARIAM holds out a few coins.

  MARIAM. I have come so far. It costs so much. Twice I was turned back. But he said one short journey and you are in England. So I gave him my last money.

  JEMAL. Come on. What’s in your bag? Where did you hide the money?

  MARIAM. This is all I have.

  FATIMA. What else do you have, girl? A watch? A bracelet?

  MARIAM shakes her head.

  MARIAM. I’m sorry.

  ASHA. Don’t you have a ring or a gold coin your mother sewed into your clothes?

  MARIAM. When I paid the agent I had five euros left. So I bought the water, some bread and some chocolate for the journey.

  ASHA. The food we ate?

  MARIAM nods.

  A silence.

  (To AHMAD.) Sir, you are a man from her country. You are a rich man, and she has nothing. You can pay for her, sir. Please.

  FATIMA. You heard when the man said if one person gets out here, we are all in danger.

  AHMAD. Why are we in danger? One person can get down and the rest of us carry on.

  FATIMA. If someone sees . . .

  AHMAD. If he wants to pay for other people, that’s his idea. I can’t pay for someone else.

  ASHA. But you are rich.

  AHMAD. Why has she left her family? Her father? This girl is sick. Maybe it’s best she gets out now. Wait a little, rest, and carry on her journey when she is well again.

  JEMAL. Rest – where? Wait – where?

  How is she going to carry on her journey with no money?

  AHMAD. If she goes to the authorities, they will give her treatment.

  MARIAM. I’m not sick.

  AHMAD. Listen to that – ‘I’m not sick.’

  We know you’re sick. It still stinks in here because you’re sick.

  ASHA. She’s not sick.

  MARIAM. Asha!

  AHMAD. She’s going to make us all sick.

  JEMAL. Someone has to pay or she has to get out.

  AHMAD. Then you pay for her! You’re the one who’s so busy telling the rest of us what to do. You pay for her.

  JEMAL. I’ve already paid twice! You pay for her! You fucking pay for her!

  JEMAL attacks AHMAD. MARIAM restrains him, and AHMAD gets out of the way.

  MARIAM. No! No fighting.

  AHMAD. You must have something to sell. You must have something.

  MARIAM. I have this.

  MARIAM produces her gun from her bag.

  AHMAD cowers behind the pallets. MARIAM notices his reaction. She briefly wonders whether to play the situation to her advantage.

  A gun is worth a lot of money.

  MARIAM hands the gun to JEMAL, who takes it and examines it.

  AHMAD (blustering). How did she come to have a gun? What kind of country is it when young girls carry guns!

  MARIAM. It was my father’s. He fought with the Mujaheddin. But now he has nothing. He gave it to me when they killed my husband.

  AHMAD. Who killed your husband? The Americans?

  MARIAM. Taliban killed my husband.

  AHMAD. Taliban?

  MARIAM. He was a teacher. That was his crime. He was a teacher, and he taught girls. When they came back, they killed him. In front of his class. That was to show everyone they will not tolerate teachers for girls.

  So then I taught them, secretly. Until they sent me the letter in the night.

  That’s why I didn’t stay in my country.

  JEMAL. Is it loaded?

  MARIAM. No.

  ASHA. A gun is always worth a lot of money.

  JEMAL. Not this one!

  FATIMA. She is young. She is alone. Take the gun, and argue for her. If he says no, tell him to spare the young girl. Tell him to have pity. He has many dollars already. Tell him.

  JEMAL. I’ll try. OK? That’s all I can do.

  AHMAD. Why should she get through and the rest of us have to pay?

  MARIAM. At least try for me. Please.

  JEMAL. Yes. OK.

  JEMAL bangs on the side.

  The AGENT comes into the container.

  JEMAL (in Turkish). Bu kiz hariç herkesten parayi topladik. Para yerine bu silahi verse? [We’ve got the money from all except this girl. She’s got this, she wants to barter.]

  The AGENT looks at MARIAM’s gun and shakes his head.

  AGENT. It’s not up to me. The driver decides.

  ASHA. A gun is worth a lot of money.

  AGENT. It’s old. It’s broken.

  You have to pay.

  MARIAM. I have only this to pay with.

  AGENT. Then get out here.

  MARIAM. I paid you to go to England.

  AGENT. What’s the difference?

  MARIAM. I speak English. I speak no French.

  AGENT. Then you have to find a way to pay!

  MARIAM can’t pay.

  You are refugee woman, you know how to pay.

  MARIAM says nothing.

  Listen! I’m trying to help you! You have no money, you have to do something!

  MARIAM. No.

  AGENT. We are waiting for you, all these people who want to get to England. You are lucky, you know, because
you’re a woman. What if a man didn’t have enough money? Eh? Then he’d have to just get out of the truck here. You don’t want to get out here, do you? So come on.

  MARIAM. I don’t want to.

  AGENT. Come, come! This truck going to leave soon. You pay or you get off.

  He takes her roughly by the arm.

  JEMAL. Leave her alone.

  AGENT. You going to pay for her, then? You can’t wait. That driver, he’ll call the police.

  MARIAM. I don’t know what to do.

  JEMAL. I don’t have the money.

  Nobody moves.

  ASHA. She’s having a baby.

  JEMAL. What!

  The AGENT looks at her.

  AGENT. It doesn’t show. He won’t know.

  MARIAM. I am ashamed I have to ask this, but please. If anyone has any money left, if you can put each one a little bit in – one day, I will repay you all. Please.

  FATIMA (to AHMAD). We know you are a rich man. You too have daughters. If your daughter was in her shoes, you would pray for someone to help her.

  AHMAD. No.

  ASHA. Your good deeds will be rewarded.

  MARIAM (in Pashto). Lutfan zahtah sitam sawal kawam. [Please. I beg you.]

  AHMAD. I have my own children to think of! If I give all my money away, there will be none left for my own children! What kind of father does that?

  ASHA. Then who else? Who will give her some money?

  MARIAM. Please. I beg you.

  FATIMA. She is with child! Who will help her?

  Nobody moves.

  ASHA. Give her the ring, Auntie.

  FATIMA (in Somali). Yaahuu! Maxaad ka hadlaysaa? Mahayo faraanti! [Shush! What ring? I have no ring!]

  ASHA. Give her the ring!

  FATIMA (in Somali). Armush. [Keep your tongue, girl.]

  (In English.) You know I gave the ring away so you could get across the water.

  ASHA starts tearing at FATIMA’s hem.

  ASHA. You can’t let her go out alone! She has a baby in her belly! What will happen to her?

  AHMAD. The authorities will –

  ASHA. We know what will happen!

  FATIMA (in Somali). Is dajji, Asha. [Calm down, Asha.] This is France. This is Europe. Nothing bad will happen to her!

  AHMAD. They will look after her.

  ASHA looks at AHMAD.

  ASHA. We ate her food.

  FATIMA (in Somali). Wajirto waxaan kaqaban karno. [There is nothing we can do.]

  ASHA goes back to searching in FATIMA’s hem.

  ASHA. You give her the ring! I know you have the ring sewn here, in your clothes –

  FATIMA. You are getting sick again. (In Somali.) Mahayo faraantigii. Waan gaday. [I don’t have the ring. I sold it.] I sold it. If I still had it, I would have given it for you, eh? Wouldn’t I? But I didn’t have it for you and I didn’t have it for her.

  (In Somali.) Mahayo faraantigii. [I don’t have the ring.]

  This man paid for you, and he is a good man, and you are a lucky girl, but someone will be kind for her, too, and she will be lucky, too.

  Silence. The AGENT stands up. MARIAM gives him the gun.

  MARIAM. Try. At least try. Maybe the driver will be able to sell it.

  JEMAL (in Turkish). Aci biraz şu kiza, yaa. [Have some pity for the young girl.]

  MARIAM. Maybe the driver doesn’t know about guns. Maybe he doesn’t know it’s broken.

  The AGENT turns to MARIAM.

  AGENT. Come with me. You ask him yourself.

  ASHA. No!

  MARIAM. I can’t speak any French. I only speak English.

  ASHA. She mustn’t go!

  FATIMA. Shhhh.

  AGENT. I translate. It’s better if you ask him. It’s easy for him to say no to me. To you, it is harder.

  ASHA. It isn’t safe for her. I know what they do.

  JEMAL. Is it safe for her?

  AGENT. Yes. No police outside.

  FATIMA. But for her, is it safe for her?

  AGENT. Yes. It’s safe. It’s safe.

  ASHA. Don’t take her away! Don’t let them take her! I know who she is!

  MARIAM goes to ASHA.

  MARIAM. It is better for me to ask for myself.

  ASHA is very agitated and upset.

  ASHA. No no no.

  FATIMA (in Somali). Aah – haka baqin. Way soo noqon. [Hush – don’t worry. She will come back.]

  AGENT. Come.

  ASHA. They’ll take her away! She’ll never come back.

  FATIMA. This is not Salma, child. This is a different person.

  The AGENT and MARIAM exit.

  ASHA is agitated. FATIMA is trying to calm and restrain her.

  ASHA. I know what her secret is. I know who she is. You can’t see it, but I know.

  FATIMA (in Somali). Armush. [Hush, child.]

  ASHA. I know who she is. They took her away. I saw them take her away.

  FATIMA (in Somali). Taasi maahan Salma. Tani waa qof kaduwan. [That is not Salma. That is a different person.]

  ASHA. You can’t see it is Salma, but the spirits have showed me.

  FATIMA. There are no spirits.

  ASHA. The spirits are my friends, they are telling me, ‘Don’t let them take her away again!’

  FATIMA. Asha! Listen to me! Asha! (In Somali.) Asha, Idhagayso! [Asha, listen to me!] There are no spirits. The spirits don’t exist.

  ASHA. Salma said –

  FATIMA. There are no spirits.

  With Salma and the soldiers, that was a long time ago. Now is now. You are here with me.

  ASHA. You let them take her! You let them! You let them! You could have –

  FATIMA slaps ASHA.

  FATIMA (in Somali). Jooji! [Stop it!]

  JEMAL. Hey! What’s going on?

  FATIMA. She’s confused.

  JEMAL. Yeah, but –

  FATIMA. She gets confused. She’s seen some bad things and she gets mixed up.

  ASHA. I saw them take her away.

  FATIMA. Yes. But she will be safe. She will come back in a minute.

  AHMAD. Is she a bit . . . in the head?

  FATIMA. You see what I have to put up with! When I found her she was mad! Crazy-mad! What could I do? I have to look after her. What am I going to do?

  ASHA. Why did you keep me if you hate me?

  FATIMA. I took you in from the kindness of my heart.

  ASHA. You kept me because you were afraid and you wanted a servant to look after you.

  FATIMA. What are you talking about, girl?

  Have you no gratitude?

  ASHA. Gratitude? You treat me as a servant. And Nuruddin was even worse.

  FATIMA. You see what I have to put up with? She is a nasty liar.

  He was kind to you! He even gave you a chicken.

  ASHA. He gave me a chicken. To keep me quiet. So I wouldn’t tell the things he did. Why you think he gave me it?

  FATIMA (in Somali). Waxaad tahay gabar qalbi xun oo been ii sheegtay. [You are a wicked girl to tell these lies.]

  After all my kindness to you.

  Can’t you see the girl is crazy-talking?

  And now where am I taking you?

  ASHA. Where are you taking me?

  FATIMA. To England. To safety. I am risking my own life to take you with me.

  ASHA. In England they will take us and lock us up and they will call us bad names and do bad things to us which will hurt and they will tell us we are bad and never let us out.

  FATIMA. Tell her!

  JEMAL. We’re going to England. You will be safe there.

  ASHA. In England?

  JEMAL. In London. Remember. You have friends in high places.

  ASHA. London.

  JEMAL. Do you still have your letter?

  FATIMA. What letter?

  JEMAL. You will get a job and get money.

  He gets an apple out of his bag and starts to cut it up.

  Maybe you will go to school.

  AHMAD. Hey, you got food?
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br />   ASHA. I’ll get a job and get money and send money back, and my sister will get well again and the baby will stop crying.

  FATIMA. She is going to make me crazy, too.

  JEMAL. You’ll get a new life in England.

  FATIMA. Ay ay ay.

  ASHA. I’ve got my letter. I’m going to get a job.

  JEMAL. Yes. You are.

  ASHA. Am I?

  JEMAL. Yes. You are.

  FATIMA. OK. Now rest.

  JEMAL. Do you like apples?

  He gives ASHA half the apple. She eats it.

  FATIMA lies down to sleep. ASHA looks towards where MARIAM went out.

  ASHA. She won’t come back.

  JEMAL. Your sister?

  ASHA. We will never see her again.

  JEMAL. She’s at peace.

  ASHA looks at him. She lies down. JEMAL finds a cloth and covers her. Then he goes to listen, to see if he can hear what’s happening to MARIAM outside.

  AHMAD. Can you hear anything?

  No answer. JEMAL listens. He strains to hear. We hear shouting. MARIAM cries out. More shouting.

  Don’t listen.

  JEMAL. Shhhh!

  After a moment, JEMAL can’t bear it any longer. He starts to bang on the side of the container. AHMAD quickly restrains him, wrestles him to the floor.

  AHMAD. You need to get to England, don’t you? What’s more important to you?

  JEMAL. I can’t just do nothing while she –

  AHMAD. What’s more important to you?

  AHMAD frees JEMAL.

  You’re a good man. You tried. What can you do?

  But now you need to get to England.

  JEMAL doesn’t move. He sits with his head in his hands.

  Blackout.

  Scene Three

  Lights up. The AGENT is with them. They are eating bread and something in tins he has brought for them.

  AGENT. The next time we stop, the door will be opened. Then you are in England.

  ASHA. Are we going in a boat?

  AGENT. No. In the Eurotunnel. Under the sea.

  ASHA. Under the sea?

  JEMAL. Where will he drop us? By the terminus?

  AGENT. Yes, by the terminus, or on the road to London. I don’t know.

  JEMAL. Where will you be?

  AGENT. I put you on the Eurotunnel. Then I go.

  FATIMA. But we can’t trust this man, this driver!

  AGENT. When you are on the Eurotunnel, you are shut in a metal cage and no one can get in or out, so you are safe.

  FATIMA. I don’t like this.

  AGENT. Trust me. Trust me. Eurotunnel is safe. They don’t search and they don’t spray on Eurotunnel.

  AHMAD. What do you mean, spray?