Dada 140

Shabela turned and gazed at me. There were tears in his eyes. He really did care about me even if we had met just the once. His lips trembled as he looked as if to say, well I gave it a try my friend, I’ve done my best and if it hasn’t helped much I’m truly sorry. I didn’t say anything or make any movement but apart from Mo, I wanted to step down and kiss him in front of all the court. The judge repeated his order to stand down and Shabela returned to his place among the crowd like an actor going to sit amongst the audience in a cinema. He was only half fixed upon himself, the witness box, the dock or the bench where the judges always sat. During the rest of the hearing he remained there, leaning forward, eyes turned down, elbows on knees and his cap twisted in his hands across his huge girth. Hardly anyone seemed to listen to Rana, the next witness, he stated that I was reasonable and younger than him and even when we were together on a night out I was responsible and a good man to have together with you. Then even less to old Srino who said I’d always looked after him at the fish dock and had been very good to him at the house about his missing bird and the time when he was sick. When he told them about my kindness, or when in answer to a question about me and Dada, he said that I was Dada’s real son and that he treated me like one and that his own daughter and son in law were the real criminals and punished him for what he was, by never going to see him. ‘You’ve got to understand’ he said. ‘You’ve got to understand.’ He repeated himself again. What is the crime before the crime ?.’ The prosecutor nodded as if he was thinking about his dinner or something else that was demanding his attention. They told Srino to stand down. Iskra was the next witness. He gave me a little wave of his hand and led off by saying I was completely innocent .The judge rebuked him ‘You are here to give evidence, not your views on the case.’ ‘You must confine yourself to answering questions to those put to you,’ the judge said.