"Collaboration" Background Summary
Inspired by a Portuguese initiative featuring 45 authors and numerous editors
(https://escapegoat.world/ ) Slough Libraries & Culture have formed a group of Slough writers to create a collaborative novel that explores the very pertinent themes of oppression, prejudice, kinship and love similarly addressed in Noughts and Crosses (one of the BBC’s ‘Novels that shaped our world’). Writers and editors aged 18 and over of all levels of experience are welcome to get involved, for further details email Volunteer & Development Officer Joseph Sammon at joseph.sammon@slough.gov.uk
Each chapter will be written by a different writer and edited by members of the group and will be released on Tuesdays and Fridays each week on this website. Chapters will be accompanied by a short biography on each writer.
"Collaboration"
Chapter Six
The Operation
By Philip Kavvadias
“He’s coming back,” said Keisha, pacing her dining room. “He wants to tell me something.”
Jade sat comfortably, one arm resting on the back of her chair, the other swirling a glass of wine. “Do you think he’ll…” she began.
“Yes,” interrupted Keisha. She pulled the curtain back a little and peered out the window. “It’s confession time.”
Jade took a sip. “Mm,” she said. “Côtes du Rhône?”
Keisha turned to look at her. “Fleurie.”
Jade nodded. “Anyway, maybe it’s time to recruit him.”
“Too early,” said Keisha. “He won’t.”
“Look.” Jade put the glass on the table and leant back. “Plan A is dead. We might as well admit it. We’ve tried the protests. There simply aren’t any good candidates. Most of them just want to fight. You know, knife a couple of Nazis, stone the police, that kind of stuff. This is a delicate operation.”
Keisha folded her arms and stared at the ceiling for the moment. Then she sighed. “You’re right. It’s time. Come on.”
Jade stood up and walked to Keisha. Then they both knelt onto the floor and placed their thumbs on a floorboard, one on each end. A red light moved underneath the thumbs, like a scanner. There was a pneumatic sound and the floorboard popped up. Underneath, was a steel narrow door, like a safe door, with two keyholes. The two women took out two keys, placed them on the keyholes and turned, simultaneously. The door opened. Keisha put her hand in the slim opening and retrieved a laptop.
Brandon walked into the dining room, slightly flustered. Keisha noticed that when he saw she had company, he stopped in his tracks. He hadn’t met Jade. Of course, he hadn’t. As far as anyone was concerned, the two women didn’t know each other. They weren’t friends on social media, they didn’t have each other’s phone numbers, there was no record of them ever having any sort of communication. Tonight, Jade had come through the garden door.
Keisha also noticed that Brandon was curious about the laptop. He hadn’t seen it before and, naturally, it caught his eye, wrapped up as it was in its Kevlar shell.
“Hello, darling,” said Keisha, smiling. “Have a seat. Glass of wine?”
He walked slowly to a chair. Keisha knew he’d realised there was something going on, but couldn’t understand what. Keisha could feel his discomfort.
“This is Jade,” she said. “She is my partner.”
Brandon sat upright, palms on his knees. “Partner?” He looked from one woman to the other. He hadn’t even taken off his coat.
“There’s something I need to tell you, darling,” said Keisha. “I haven’t been totally honest with you.” Brandon shifted in his seat. “But I needed to trust you first. This is a… risky operation.”
Brandon blinked. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m sorry, Brandon,” said Keisha. “There’s a lot to explain but I’ll do it as fast as I can. Please take off your coat.”
“Wine?” asked Jade.
Brandon declined.
Keisha stood up. “Where do I begin?” she wondered. She paced up and down the room again. “Right. Slavery is one of the biggest crimes in the history of mankind. I think we’ll agree to that.”
Brandon nodded.
“Let’s get something out of the way, straight away,” continued Keisha. “Your family have been slave traders…”
Brandon’s eyes opened wide and he inhaled. Keisha could see he had prepared a speech, but she raised a finger.
“It’s not your fault,” she said. “You had nothing to do with it. It’s not your sin. But you can help us fix it.”
He exhaled. “Fix it?”
“Yes. Reveal the full extent of it.”
She paused for a moment.
“Slavery continues,” she continued. “It never stopped, actually. Never stopped, do you realise? Abolition was, basically, a lie. Slavery just moved elsewhere. And there are more slaves today than there were in the plantations. A thousand times more. In ten times worse conditions. And everyone, everyone is involved. Everyone gets their cut to allow this to carry on. The government and the opposition. And the press. And most of the charities. Everyone.”
Again, there was a pause, a chance for it to sink in. Brandon pondered on her little speech. His reply was crucial.
“It wouldn’t surprise me.” He broke the silence. “I mean, a pack of cashew nuts is one pound.”
“Exactly!” said Keisha, beaming at him. “Exactly!”
“But I still don’t understand.”
“Well… we will expose all the filth we can expose.”
“Wait.” Brandon raised his hand. “We? You and…”
“Jade,” said Jade.
“I’m sorry,” said Brandon, “I’m…”
“I know. You’re not good with names,” said Keisha.
“So…” began Brandon.
“Yes,” interrupted Keisha. “I, Jade and you.”
Again, a long silence. There was still a flicker of doubt in his eyes. As if this was a joke and Keisha and Jade would burst into laughter any moment. But they didn’t. They waited.
“Okay,” he said finally, “I mean, I don’t disagree in principle. Yes, I mean, there is still slavery, still suffering, but… how?”
The two women looked at each other and exhaled in relief.
“First of all,” said Keisha, “your family is a benefactor of the National Archives. In theory, you have full access there.”
“I suppose so,” said Brandon.
Keisha smiled. “Even the top-secret vault.”
Writers Biography: Philip KavvadiasYou will usually find me behind a book or my laptop. I read history, spy novels and comedy, and I write children's books, verses and adult short stories. I live in Windsor with my wife and two kids