Page 31 of A Life Imagined
“Phone trouble,” he offered feebly.It wasn’t a complete lie.He’d had to pick up a new one and transfer his number.
“Right.”Asmarina looked at Rayan as if waiting for him to say more.It wasn’t uncommon in their line of work for people to disappear when the weight of the job got too much.
“I just needed a few days,” he admitted.
She nodded and gave him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.“Well, we missed you.”
Rayan smiled.“What do you have for me?”
“Some good news for one,” Asmarina said, her eyes brightening.“We got confirmation of the funding from Groupe d’action.”
“That was quick.”
“Karl did say the meeting was more a formality.They were keen to get involved from the get-go.”
“That is good news.”
“And Laurent managed to pin down a meeting with the mayor for next week.”
“Next week?”Rayan marveled.Contact with the mayor’s office was usually painful and protracted.Maybe Durand had finally realized that ignoring the problem wouldn’t help anyone.
“You’ll come, of course.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Just so I’m not the only foreigner in the room,” she teased.
Rayan laughed.
“I’m sure you’ve heard…” Asmarina lowered her voice, and the smile slipped from her face.“About the latest drownings.”
Rayan could still recall the sting of seawater as it burned his throat.The panic as wave after wave broke over his head.He thought of the mother of the children on the beach—how frightened she must have been as the water filled her lungs.
He nodded wordlessly.
“There were several families hoping to reach relatives in Britain.But after the failed crossing, most of them ended up here at the camp.We’ve been trying to help them work through the process of applying for refugee status in France.”
Rayan had assisted others with similar attempts, and he was well-versed in the requirements the French immigration system imposed on those applying for asylum.He would gather the information for the bid and then submit it with the assistance of an old school friend of Laurent’s—a local lawyer who volunteered his services for a few hours each week.As cumbersome as the process was, it held more chance of success than setting out across the channel in search of better opportunities in the UK.
Asmarina led him out of the cabin and into the Jungle.They followed the dirt road that crossed through the middle of the camp toward a section of tents on the north side.“There’s a family that needs some extra help with their application on account of their… situation.”She paused by a blue canvas tent.“They’re the family of one of the women who drowned.”
Rayan knew, before she lifted the entrance flap, who he would find inside.Sitting on a frayed mat on the tent floor was the man from the beach, his younger daughter on his lap while the older one hung back.
“This is Farhan Taleb and his daughters, Amina and Zahra.”Asmarina gave Farhan a warm smile and gestured toward Rayan.“Farhan, this is Rayan Ayari.He’s here to help you and your family make a bid for asylum.”
Farhan got to his feet with a look of shock, and the young girl slipped from his lap and hid behind the leg of his pants.He stepped forward to offer his hand, and Rayan shook it numbly.
Asmarina passed Rayan the folder with paperwork.“I’ll leave you to it.”She patted him on the back and stepped out of the tent.
“It was you, wasn’t it?”Farhan moved to grip Rayan’s shoulder.“On the beach.I didn’t get a chance to thank you.”
Rayan nodded and gently extracted himself.He didn’t deserve the man’s thanks.They stood in silence before Farhan indicated for Rayan to join them on the mat.Rayan sat down across from Farhan and his daughters, the folder deadweight in his hand.
“Your wife…” Rayan managed finally.
Farhan shook his head solemnly.
“I’m sorry.”
