INNOCENCE

Dirt

"You're lying", was my answer to the numerous accusations made against my friend at the police station. They asked me why I spent time with Shabir, I told them he is my friend, we played football every day at 4:00 pm. They said he was a bad man. "I don't buy it one bit", I replied. As it is I've seen these cops, most of em' are like thugs themselves, parking their vehicle hidden to scam of the drivers who'd break a signal or two, taking hush money and then think they're better than Shabir. He had my back when everyone else was against me, it's about trust and loyalty, I thought to myself while they kept dishing dirt on my friend.


This all began two months ago. I live in a residential colony which shares one large field for recreational activities for everyone in the area, an alternate for the ground was located 4 miles away. So after school everyday at 4:00 pm I would go to the local field with my football and practice juggling the ball for as long as I could. The field was dominated by two brothers, who went by the name of Jacob & Matthew. They terrorized the field and I had become a usual target for them. Jacob the older of the two had a bike. Every time he saw me on the field he would ride real fast towards me, then skid his bike horizontally using inertia to fling the loose dirt on the ground over me. Then there was a new kid on the block..


Shabir wasn't welcomed well by the people. Maybe they didn't approve of his style or of his unorthodox dressing sense and the black line he drew under his eyes. Although we got along well being football fans, plus he also scared of Jacob and Matthew. I learnt a lot from him in our talks after we went to the shop to have a cold lemon-soda. He told me he'd been to a lot of places and everyone saw him strange, I asked him why, he said his parents told him that they think we're dangerous and that he shouldn't do anything to upset anyone around.

My dad who was always travelling out because of his job was back home due to some 'National Security' issues. I'd hear him say sometimes that the 90's are a testing time and we need to be sensible. I knew it was related about some people talking bad about Shabir and his family.

It was this morning that Shabir was picked up by the cops. They told me lies about him and tryed to convince me to agree with em'. All I know is, Shabir is one of the best forwards ever and I ain't listening to made up stories and lose a teammate that easy. They say he's with the bad people who have been blasting the city all over. Although I found it a bit strange that when they took him out of the cell and I ran towards him and told him about the stories they spread about him he ignored me. Maybe he wasn't in the mood.