A Blow to the Heart
Created | Updated Nov 16, 2008
The sound of police sirens drowned out the news story on the radio. Rachel turned it off. It was only more bad news. A racially motivated attack on some poor old Asian guy. Too depressing. She wondered why Barry had gone rushing off in such a panic and whether he'd be home for dinner. Kids! She sighed. Just like his father. Always putting the world right. Never any time to relax.
But it had been a busy day and now she was determined to wind down, block out the world and relax - come what may.
Rachel was startled out of her peaceful doze by thunderous hammering on the front door. The urgency of it jerked her out of the warm, scented bath. There was a hiss of extinguished candles as she sloshed and almost slipped over the side, grabbing a towel from the radiator as she tried to get her balance. Achieving the vertical, she ran down the stairs, dripping a trail of soapy water behind her and flung the door open. Two police officers stood on the door-step. They both looked serious.
"Mrs Green?"
"Yes."
"We're looking for Barry. Is he here?"
"No. What do you want with him?"
"There's been some trouble. A man's dead. There were witnesses. Your son was... involved."
"Dead? And Barry was involved? How was he involved?"
"Do you know where your son is, Mrs Green?"
"No. He got a text message a while ago and rushed out."
"Did he say anything?"
"No."
"How long ago?"
"About five hours I guess. Look, what has Barry got to do with this? Why do you think he was involved? He's a good boy. He wouldn't hurt anyone."
"Sorry Mrs Green. Witness statements indicate that he attacked a man as he was getting into his car. There was a violent fracas in which your son fatally injured this gentleman, then jumped into the car and drove off."
"No! That's not possible. What witnesses? Who are these witnesses? They must have my son mixed up with someone else. He's not like that. If you met him..."
"We want to meet him Mrs Green. Do you have any idea where he might go - friends, relatives?"
"I can't think. He has lots of friends. Relatives too. He might be anywhere. Wait a minute. I can 'phone him."
She stepped back from the doorway, to a telephone table at the foot of the stairs, picked up the 'phone and keyed in a number. After listening for a minute or so she looked up and shook her head slightly at the policemen.
"Come home or ring me as soon as you hear this message Barry. The police want to speak to you. I know they must be mistaken darling, but they believe you've killed someone. Don't worry. We just need to sort out this horrible mix up."
After a few more questions, an exchange of contact information and instructions, the police left.
It had only taken a few minutes but now Rachel was shivering, and not just from the cold. She got dressed and sat next to a radiator in the living room, telephoning everyone she could think of who might have any idea where Barry could have gone. First she tried his girlfriend - his fiancé actually, as they had decided to get engaged only last night. There was no reply, so she left a message. Understandably, every one of the friends and family she spoke to, were ready to discuss the matter at length so she had to be ruthless and cut them short as soon as she knew that they couldn't help.
Finally, and reluctantly, she decided to telephone her husband. He was thousands of miles away, working. It wasn't an easy decision to worry him when he was so far away, but he would want to know what was happening and, in any case, Rachel wanted to hear his voice. Just now she needed his strength. Gabe wasn't available. He was in a meeting.
Nobody knew anything. There was no-one else to 'phone. She'd even tried Barry's in-laws-to-be out of sheer desperation. They'd been hostile to the relationship from the start so there was no previous communication between them and the Greens. She had to look them up in a telephone directory. There was no reply.
In a growing state of agitation she paced the room. Went to the kitchen and filled a kettle. Left it on the draining board and poured herself a glass of wine instead. Switched on the radio and frowned to hear the news reader reporting the same story she'd caught earlier, about the vicious, racist attack on a dentist outside his own home. His family had put up a fight but the attacker had landed a blow to the man's chest and he'd collapsed and later died in hospital. Rachel shivered again. It definitely wasn't the cold. Poor man. She took a sip of her wine, wondering if it was possible Barry had been the victim of an attack. Perhaps the witnesses had just misconstrued...
A knock at the door interrupted her line of thought and almost caused her to drop the glass. Heart racing she put it down carefully and tried to compose herself as she opened the door. It was Anna, her sister. They hugged each other for a long time.
"Alright Rache?"
"No."
"Where is he?"
"Don't know."
"Haven't heard anything yet?"
"Nope."
"God! You must be frantic."
"Just a bit. Want a glass of wine?"
"Yeah. Go on then. I'll keep you company."
Rachel poured a glass and handed it to Anna. "I wish he'd 'phone or something. What could've happened Anna? You know what he's like. He would never hurt anyone. The police say there are witnesses but they must have made a mistake. And who are they? Not his friends. I've asked them all - or all the ones I could get through to. They're all as mystified as I am."
"And me. Of course it must be a mistake. It's someone else - maybe someone who looks like Barry."
"I'm so worried Anna. The news seems full of it lately. An Asian man has just died tonight, after some racist moron beat him up in front of his family."
"I know. I heard that. There were pictures on the news. It's only just across town. I drove past there on my way here. The place is abuzz with activity."
"Do you suppose Barry could have got into that sort of bother and someone thought he started it?"
"Maybe. Come on sis. You're just upsetting yourself. Don't speculate about all the worst things that might have happened. It's probably just some ghastly mix up, like you said."
"It's not fair, is it. I didn't think it would be like this in 2008. You remember that old Blue Mink song, "Melting Pot"?"
Anna smiled and started singing "what we need is a great big melting pot, big enough to take the world and all its got, and keep it stirring for a hundred years or more, and turn out coffee coloured people by the score."
A tear trickled down Rachel's cheek. "Yeah. That's the one. That's how I thought things would be by now. A generation of coffee coloured people. Barry and a biggish chunk of his generation. The future seemed so much brighter when we were girls Anna. Mum and dad were concerned - no more than that - just concerned for my future and the future of their grandchildren when I fell in love with a Nigerian. They liked Gabe though. It never occurred to them to imagine we were better because of our race or colour. All that concerned them was the prejudice that we might suffer."
"That's how they brought us up sis."
"They tried to warn me that it wouldn't be easy."
"And it wasn't, was it?"
"No. It wasn't. I don't regret it though. Gabe's away a lot of the time, it's true. But they've found him a permanent post in the London office, starting next year. And Barry's a wonderful kid. Not a kid any more - got engaged to Rafa last night. They plan to marry next year. It's a shame her parents are so set against it. I guess they'll just have to learn that you can't live your children's lives for them."
The telephone beside Rachel rang. She snatched the receiver to her ear. "Hello."
Her face brightened. "Oh Barry! Thank God! Are you okay?"
Her face darkened as she listened to his reply, eyes filling with tears, tears brimming over.
"Come home baby, please. Don't...."
"No, please don't.... Barry?"
It took some minutes for Anna to get her sister to respond to her questions, but eventually she composed herself.
"It was him. It was Barry. He killed that man. And he's not coming home."
"No. I don't believe it! What happened? Tell me."
"The text message was from Rafa. She said her parents were kidnapping her. They said they were taking her to Pakistan to marry a man she'd never met. That's why he rushed off. He rang her from his car and when he got through to her, she was terrified. She'd been beaten and they'd bundled her into the boot of the car. Barry got to the house just as they were leaving. He blocked the road with his car, then dragged her father out of his driving seat. Her brothers tried to stop him but he fought them off, jumped into their car and made his escape with Rafa still in the boot."
"My God! Are they alright?"
"No. They're not. He stopped as soon as he'd put some distance between them and went to release Rafa. She wasn't conscious. She was bound and gagged and her phone was smashed. They must have heard her talking to Barry, given her another thrashing, then tied her up. He tried to revive her. Took her to A&E. They pronounced her dead."
"No!"
"Yes. And he believes they meant to do it too. She'd talked about it before. It's what she was afraid of - what they call an 'honour killing'. They used the story of a trip to Pakistan to lure her away, but she suspected the worst."
"Her own family? It's unbelievable!"
"Anna, I'm frightened for Barry. I'm afraid of what he might do. They were so in love. He might...."
"What Rache? You think he might kill himself?"
Rachel nodded.
"Call the police. They'll find him. Did he leave the hospital?"
"The police are going to arrest him."
"That doesn't matter. It sounds as though his future in-laws gave the police a very misleading impression of what happened. He may have accidentally caused that old ogre to have a heart attack, but he's not a murderer. Ring them!"
Rachel found the telephone number the police officers had given her and made the call.
Then they waited.
When the news came, it was the worst.
But it had been a busy day and now she was determined to wind down, block out the world and relax - come what may.
Rachel was startled out of her peaceful doze by thunderous hammering on the front door. The urgency of it jerked her out of the warm, scented bath. There was a hiss of extinguished candles as she sloshed and almost slipped over the side, grabbing a towel from the radiator as she tried to get her balance. Achieving the vertical, she ran down the stairs, dripping a trail of soapy water behind her and flung the door open. Two police officers stood on the door-step. They both looked serious.
"Mrs Green?"
"Yes."
"We're looking for Barry. Is he here?"
"No. What do you want with him?"
"There's been some trouble. A man's dead. There were witnesses. Your son was... involved."
"Dead? And Barry was involved? How was he involved?"
"Do you know where your son is, Mrs Green?"
"No. He got a text message a while ago and rushed out."
"Did he say anything?"
"No."
"How long ago?"
"About five hours I guess. Look, what has Barry got to do with this? Why do you think he was involved? He's a good boy. He wouldn't hurt anyone."
"Sorry Mrs Green. Witness statements indicate that he attacked a man as he was getting into his car. There was a violent fracas in which your son fatally injured this gentleman, then jumped into the car and drove off."
"No! That's not possible. What witnesses? Who are these witnesses? They must have my son mixed up with someone else. He's not like that. If you met him..."
"We want to meet him Mrs Green. Do you have any idea where he might go - friends, relatives?"
"I can't think. He has lots of friends. Relatives too. He might be anywhere. Wait a minute. I can 'phone him."
She stepped back from the doorway, to a telephone table at the foot of the stairs, picked up the 'phone and keyed in a number. After listening for a minute or so she looked up and shook her head slightly at the policemen.
"Come home or ring me as soon as you hear this message Barry. The police want to speak to you. I know they must be mistaken darling, but they believe you've killed someone. Don't worry. We just need to sort out this horrible mix up."
After a few more questions, an exchange of contact information and instructions, the police left.
It had only taken a few minutes but now Rachel was shivering, and not just from the cold. She got dressed and sat next to a radiator in the living room, telephoning everyone she could think of who might have any idea where Barry could have gone. First she tried his girlfriend - his fiancé actually, as they had decided to get engaged only last night. There was no reply, so she left a message. Understandably, every one of the friends and family she spoke to, were ready to discuss the matter at length so she had to be ruthless and cut them short as soon as she knew that they couldn't help.
Finally, and reluctantly, she decided to telephone her husband. He was thousands of miles away, working. It wasn't an easy decision to worry him when he was so far away, but he would want to know what was happening and, in any case, Rachel wanted to hear his voice. Just now she needed his strength. Gabe wasn't available. He was in a meeting.
Nobody knew anything. There was no-one else to 'phone. She'd even tried Barry's in-laws-to-be out of sheer desperation. They'd been hostile to the relationship from the start so there was no previous communication between them and the Greens. She had to look them up in a telephone directory. There was no reply.
In a growing state of agitation she paced the room. Went to the kitchen and filled a kettle. Left it on the draining board and poured herself a glass of wine instead. Switched on the radio and frowned to hear the news reader reporting the same story she'd caught earlier, about the vicious, racist attack on a dentist outside his own home. His family had put up a fight but the attacker had landed a blow to the man's chest and he'd collapsed and later died in hospital. Rachel shivered again. It definitely wasn't the cold. Poor man. She took a sip of her wine, wondering if it was possible Barry had been the victim of an attack. Perhaps the witnesses had just misconstrued...
A knock at the door interrupted her line of thought and almost caused her to drop the glass. Heart racing she put it down carefully and tried to compose herself as she opened the door. It was Anna, her sister. They hugged each other for a long time.
"Alright Rache?"
"No."
"Where is he?"
"Don't know."
"Haven't heard anything yet?"
"Nope."
"God! You must be frantic."
"Just a bit. Want a glass of wine?"
"Yeah. Go on then. I'll keep you company."
Rachel poured a glass and handed it to Anna. "I wish he'd 'phone or something. What could've happened Anna? You know what he's like. He would never hurt anyone. The police say there are witnesses but they must have made a mistake. And who are they? Not his friends. I've asked them all - or all the ones I could get through to. They're all as mystified as I am."
"And me. Of course it must be a mistake. It's someone else - maybe someone who looks like Barry."
"I'm so worried Anna. The news seems full of it lately. An Asian man has just died tonight, after some racist moron beat him up in front of his family."
"I know. I heard that. There were pictures on the news. It's only just across town. I drove past there on my way here. The place is abuzz with activity."
"Do you suppose Barry could have got into that sort of bother and someone thought he started it?"
"Maybe. Come on sis. You're just upsetting yourself. Don't speculate about all the worst things that might have happened. It's probably just some ghastly mix up, like you said."
"It's not fair, is it. I didn't think it would be like this in 2008. You remember that old Blue Mink song, "Melting Pot"?"
Anna smiled and started singing "what we need is a great big melting pot, big enough to take the world and all its got, and keep it stirring for a hundred years or more, and turn out coffee coloured people by the score."
A tear trickled down Rachel's cheek. "Yeah. That's the one. That's how I thought things would be by now. A generation of coffee coloured people. Barry and a biggish chunk of his generation. The future seemed so much brighter when we were girls Anna. Mum and dad were concerned - no more than that - just concerned for my future and the future of their grandchildren when I fell in love with a Nigerian. They liked Gabe though. It never occurred to them to imagine we were better because of our race or colour. All that concerned them was the prejudice that we might suffer."
"That's how they brought us up sis."
"They tried to warn me that it wouldn't be easy."
"And it wasn't, was it?"
"No. It wasn't. I don't regret it though. Gabe's away a lot of the time, it's true. But they've found him a permanent post in the London office, starting next year. And Barry's a wonderful kid. Not a kid any more - got engaged to Rafa last night. They plan to marry next year. It's a shame her parents are so set against it. I guess they'll just have to learn that you can't live your children's lives for them."
The telephone beside Rachel rang. She snatched the receiver to her ear. "Hello."
Her face brightened. "Oh Barry! Thank God! Are you okay?"
Her face darkened as she listened to his reply, eyes filling with tears, tears brimming over.
"Come home baby, please. Don't...."
"No, please don't.... Barry?"
It took some minutes for Anna to get her sister to respond to her questions, but eventually she composed herself.
"It was him. It was Barry. He killed that man. And he's not coming home."
"No. I don't believe it! What happened? Tell me."
"The text message was from Rafa. She said her parents were kidnapping her. They said they were taking her to Pakistan to marry a man she'd never met. That's why he rushed off. He rang her from his car and when he got through to her, she was terrified. She'd been beaten and they'd bundled her into the boot of the car. Barry got to the house just as they were leaving. He blocked the road with his car, then dragged her father out of his driving seat. Her brothers tried to stop him but he fought them off, jumped into their car and made his escape with Rafa still in the boot."
"My God! Are they alright?"
"No. They're not. He stopped as soon as he'd put some distance between them and went to release Rafa. She wasn't conscious. She was bound and gagged and her phone was smashed. They must have heard her talking to Barry, given her another thrashing, then tied her up. He tried to revive her. Took her to A&E. They pronounced her dead."
"No!"
"Yes. And he believes they meant to do it too. She'd talked about it before. It's what she was afraid of - what they call an 'honour killing'. They used the story of a trip to Pakistan to lure her away, but she suspected the worst."
"Her own family? It's unbelievable!"
"Anna, I'm frightened for Barry. I'm afraid of what he might do. They were so in love. He might...."
"What Rache? You think he might kill himself?"
Rachel nodded.
"Call the police. They'll find him. Did he leave the hospital?"
"The police are going to arrest him."
"That doesn't matter. It sounds as though his future in-laws gave the police a very misleading impression of what happened. He may have accidentally caused that old ogre to have a heart attack, but he's not a murderer. Ring them!"
Rachel found the telephone number the police officers had given her and made the call.
Then they waited.
When the news came, it was the worst.
