Page 52 of The New Girl

‘Oh my God!’ Ruby squealed.

Mary raised her hand. ‘Unfortunately, he is in hospital. He has been very ill and can’t be moved just yet.’

Ruby’s head was spinning. They’d found him? They’d found Safa’s dad! ‘Are you sure it’s him, like, absolutely certain?’ she asked.

‘Yes.’ Mary smiled. ‘A few months ago, Mr Karim was attacked, robbed of his money and all his identity documents. He was left with severe concussion.’

‘Oh my goodness, is he going to be all right?’ Annabelle asked.

Please don’t let him die, not now. Not after they’d finally found him.Ruby held her breath.

Mary nodded. ‘Thankfully, things are looking much better now. Whoever attacked him stole his identity papers and his mobile phone. He has been in hospital since then, mostly unconscious. Safa and her mother haven’t been able to contact him or find him, because no one knew who he was, and he was unconscious for a long time. But two weeks ago, he regained consciousness and began to remember things. He has improved a lot in the last two weeks and the doctors are very happy with his progress. So, unless there is a setback, we are hoping he will be able to travel soon. So, it is good news.’

Clara burst into tears. Ruby had never seen her cry. Clara turned to Annabelle and buried her face in her mother’s shoulder. Annabelle hugged her tight. ‘It’s OK, love, you found him. You crazy kids found Safa’s dad.’

Denise bounced up and down, punching the air. ‘We did it, we did it!’

Ruby stood with her mouth open, trying really hard to take it in. They had found Safa’s dad and he wasn’t dead. He was alive and sick but getting better and he’d be in Ireland before Christmas. Ruby knew Safa didn’t believe in Christmas, but still, it was the best Christmas present ever.

Denise threw her arms around Ruby, and Clara came over to join them. They hugged each other tight. ‘We did it!’ they shouted.

‘All right, that’s enough of that. I think you have some thank-yous to do,’ Annabelle gently reminded them.

The girls shook hands with Kevin and Mary. ‘Thank you so much. You have no idea how happy Safa’s going to be. This is the best news ever,’ Ruby said.

Mary had tears in her eyes. ‘I’m glad we could help. Reuniting families is a very important part of our job.’

‘Yes, well done, girls. Now, we’ve been in touch with Mrs Karim to explain all of this and for now, Mrs Karim has asked that you do not say anything to Safa. She wants to wait until her husband is safely in Ireland before getting Safa’s hopes up,’ Kevin added.

The girls nodded. How could they keep this information to themselves?! It was going to be so hard, but oh-so worth it.

Annabelle walked Kevin and Mary out to the reception and waved goodbye. When she came back in she glared at the girls with her arms crossed and her eyebrows all high in her forehead. ‘You are in big trouble. You cannot use my company notepaper to send letters to government ministers pretending you work here.’

‘Sorry,’ they all said.

‘But you are also absolutely wonderful, and I am so proud of you.’ She threw her arms around the girls and hugged them. ‘You should all consider becoming lawyers. I think you’d make very good ones. Now, I am taking the rest of the day off to take you out for pizza and ice-cream.’

Clara stared at her mother. ‘What? Are you serious?’

Annabelle put her hands on Clara’s cheeks. ‘Yes, love, I am. This has made me realise that I need to spend more time with my incredible daughter and her friends. I’m too wrapped up in work; I want to know what’s going on in your life. You’ll be eighteen in seven years and gone off to college. I want to be there for you more.’

Clara put her arms around her mother and squeezed her tight.

Ruby felt all warm inside. She wanted to run home and hug her own mum. She wondered if she’d be proud of her when she found out. She hoped so.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Safa

Safa woke up in the middle of the night, for once, not from a nightmare. She woke up and made a decision. She was going to help Ruby and her family. She was not going to let them break.

Later that day, Safa found herself standing outside a big, heavy wooden door. She took a deep breath and pushed it open. She walked into the reception area. There was a woman working on a computer behind a desk.

‘Hello,’ Safa said in her most polite voice. ‘I’d like to speak to Mrs Peabody, please.’

The lady behind the desk asked her if she had an appointment.

‘No, I don’t.’

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