80. A continuing journey

Waiting for the Tangara to glide into the platform, Kenny read the poster pinned to the wall. ‘Do not leave belongings unprotected’. ‘Report any suspicious parcels left alone.’ He moved slowly down the platform, catching the averting eye of a grey-haired gentleman reading the morning paper. ‘Another boat-load of illegal refugees batter our northern shores’ screamed from below the masthead of the Telegraph.

Kenny Nguyen felt unease stiffen his shoulder blades. He stared at his shuffling shoes. He was born in this country, yet he looked foreign. If he could but speak those around him could hear he was true blue, hear he was as broad as they. Each day, as he travelled out to Kensington, he gained a greater appreciation of the courage of his grandfather, Son Trung, negotiating the South China Seas in that leaky craft in the spring of ’76. Kenny needed courage from a different drum.