Chapter 1
The woman stood in front of the prison. The prison was a big, dirty building in the biggest town of a hot country. The woman was very hot, and she did not like the noise from all the cars in the road. She was an Englishwoman and she did not like hot countries or a lot of noise. She was tall, about fifty years old, with blue eyes and a long face. Her face was red, and she looked tired and angry.
She knocked at the door of the prison. For a long time nothing happend. Then a little window opened in the door, and a man looked out at her.
'Yes? What do you want?'
'I want to see my daughter. It's very important.'
'Name?'
'Anna Harland.'
'Is that your name or your daughter's name?'
'It's my name. My daughter's name is Sarah Harland.'
'You can't visit her today. Come back on Wednesday.'
'No! I came from England to see her today. It's very important. She's going to court tomorrow. Please take me to her-now!'
'Wait a minute.'
The little window closed, but the door did not open. The woman waited in front of the door for a long time. A lot of people in the road looked at her. One or two young men laughed, but she did not move. She stood there in the hot road in front of the prison door, and waited.
After twenty minutes, the door opened. 'Come with me,' the man said. The woman went in with him. It was dark in the prison, and at first she could not see very well. She walked for a long time, past hundreds of doors. Then the man opened one of them.
'In here,' he said. 'You can have ten minutes.'
Anna Harland walked into the room and the man went in after her. He closed the door behind him. There was a table in the room, and two chairs. On one of the chairs sat her daughter, Sarah. She was a tall girl, about nineteen years old, with big blue eyes.
'Mother!' she said. 'I'm very happy to see you.' And she got up and began to run across the room to her mother.
'Sarah!' Anna said, and put out her arms. But the man moved quickly and stood between them.
'No,' he said to Anna. 'I'm sorry. I know you're her mother. You can talk, but that's all. Please sit down at the table. I am here to watch you.'
The mother and daughter sat down at the table. Anna's hands were near Sarah's on the table. She looked carefully at her daughter. Sarah's dress and face were dirty. 'She's tired, and unhappy,' Anna thought.
'Sarah, what happened?' she said. 'We have ten minutes to talk. No more. Tell me, please, quickly. I want to help you.'
Sarah looked at her mother. 'Oh, mother, I'm happy you're here. I wanted you to come. Mother, I ... I didn't do it. It isn't true. Please believe me.'
'Of course I believe you, Sarah. But tell me about it. What happened? Quickly. Begin at the beginning.'
'Yes, but ... I don't know ... When did it begin? I don't know ... I don't understand it.'
'Why did the police arrest you? When did they bring you to this prison?'
'Last week, I think. Yes, last week. At the airport, when we arrived ... The police stopped us, and looked in our bags. Then ...'
Sarah looked down at the table. 'She's crying,' Anna thought. 'She's very unhappy.'
'What happened then, Sarah?' her mother asked.
'They ... they said there were drugs in my bag. Then they took me into a room and told me to take my dress off. They looked for more drugs, but they found nothing. Then ... then they brought me here.'
'I see. Where were the drugs, then? Where did they find them?'
'Oh. They didn't tell you?' Sarah stopped crying. She looked up, and there was a smile on her face. But it was not a happy smile. 'The drugs were in a tube of toothpaste. A toothpaste tube with drugs in it ... heroin ... not toothpaste.'
'And you didn't know about it?'
'No, mother, of course not. Do you think I clean my teeth with heroin?'
Anna Harland smiled. It was difficult to smile, because she was afraid. But she smiled because she wanted to help her daughter.
'I know you don't clean your teeth with heroin. You have very good teeth, Sarah. But ... what about Stephen? Did he know about the heroin? Did he put it in the toothpaste tube?'
'Stephen? No ... why do you ask about Stephen, mother?'
'Well, is he in prison too? You said "us" and "our bags". Did the police arrest him too?'
'Oh ... no,' Sarah's face was unhappy. 'No. I wasn't with Stephen, mother. You see, Stephen and I ... well, we aren't friends now. I left him about two months ago ... and then I met Hassan.'
'Hassan?'
'Yes. I was with Hassan at the airport. Stephen was on the plane too-I don't know why-but he wasn't with me. It's Hassan-he was with me. Hassan's important to me now, not Stephen.'
Anna looked at her daughter. 'I see. And did the police arrest this Hassan too? Is he in prison?'
'Yes, he is. They arrested him but I can't see him. I asked them. I wanted to see him. But they said "no". Mother, I'm sure Hassan didn't know about the heroin. He's a good man ... he didn't know, I'm sure.'
'Then why was the heroin in your bag, Sarah?'
'I don't know, mother ... I don't know.'
The man looked at the clock in the room. 'I'm sorry, Mrs Harland,' he said. 'But that's ten minutes. It's time to go.'
Anna Harland stood up slowly. 'All right,' she said. 'But don't be afraid, Sarah. I'm coming to the court tomorrow.'
'Yes, mother,' Sarah said. 'Thank you. The police are bringing Hassan to court tomorrow too, I think. You can see him there. He's a good man, mother, and ... I'm sure he didn't know about the drugs.'
'Perhaps,' Anna said. She walked slowly to the door, and then stood by the door and looked at her daughter again. 'Sarah ... you are telling me the truth, aren't you?'
Sarah began to cry again. 'Yes, mother, of course I am. I always tell you the truth, you know that.'
Anna smiled. 'Yes, Sarah,' she said quietly. 'Yes, I believe you.' She went through the door and the man went out after her.
Sarah sat quietly at the table in the room, and looked at her hands. 'Yes,' she thought. 'I told you the truth, mother. I always tell you the truth. But I didn't tell you everything ...' She put her head in her hands.
第一章
監(jiān)獄前面站著一個(gè)女人。這個(gè)監(jiān)獄是個(gè)又大又破的建筑物,坐落在一個(gè)氣候炎熱的國家最大的城鎮(zhèn)里。女人感到很熱,她還很討厭路上飛馳而過的汽車的噪音。她是個(gè)英國人,既不喜歡氣候炎熱的國家,也不喜歡嘈雜。她高高的個(gè)子,大約有50歲,藍(lán)眼睛,長(zhǎng)臉。她的臉紅紅的,看起來很疲憊,而且滿面怒色。
她敲打著監(jiān)獄的門。很長(zhǎng)一段時(shí)間過去了,但一點(diǎn)動(dòng)靜也沒有。接著,門上開了一扇小窗,一個(gè)男人向外看著她。
"嗨,你有什么事兒?jiǎn)?"
"我要見我女兒,這很重要。"
"叫什么名字?"
"安娜·哈蘭。"
"這是你的名字,還是你女兒的名字?"
"我的名字。我女兒的名字叫薩拉·哈蘭。"
"今天你不能見她,星期三再來吧。"
"不!我從英格蘭趕來,就是要在今天見她。這很重要。她明天就上法庭了。請(qǐng)您帶我去見她吧--就現(xiàn)在!"
"請(qǐng)稍候。"
那扇小窗關(guān)上了,門卻沒有開。女人又在門前等了很長(zhǎng)時(shí)間。路上的很多人都在看她。有一兩個(gè)年輕人還沖著她笑,但是她沒有離開。她站在監(jiān)獄門前熱得發(fā)燙的路上,等著。
20分鐘后,門開了。"跟我來,"那人說。女人就跟著他進(jìn)去了。監(jiān)獄里很暗,開始時(shí),她看不大清楚。她走了很長(zhǎng)時(shí)間,經(jīng)過了成百上千扇門。然后,那人打開了其中的一扇門。
"在里面,"他說,"你有10分鐘的時(shí)間。"
安娜·哈蘭走進(jìn)了那個(gè)房間,那人也跟著她進(jìn)來了。他隨手關(guān)上了門。房間里有一張桌子和兩把椅子。其中一把椅子上坐著她的女兒,薩拉。她是一個(gè)高個(gè)子女孩,大約19歲,藍(lán)色的眼睛大大的。
"媽媽!"她喊道,"能見到你我太高興了!"她站起來,要穿過房間,奔向她的媽媽。
"薩拉!"安娜說著,伸出了雙臂。但是那人很快沖了過來,站在她們的中間。
"不行,"他對(duì)安娜說,"很抱歉,我知道你是她的母親。你們可以交談,但僅此而已。請(qǐng)坐在桌子旁邊。我在這兒看著你們。"
母女在桌前相視而坐。安娜的手放在桌子上,離薩拉的手很近。她仔細(xì)地打量著女兒。薩拉的衣服和臉都很臟。"她很累,而且不開心。"安娜想。
"薩拉,出了什么事?"她問,"我們可以談10分鐘,只有10分鐘。來,快點(diǎn)告訴我。我想幫助你。"
薩拉看著她的母親。"噢,媽媽,我很高興你能來這兒。我一直盼著你來。媽媽,我......我沒有那樣做。那不是真的。請(qǐng)你相信我。"
"我當(dāng)然相信你,薩拉。但是告訴我是怎么回事兒,到底發(fā)生了什么?快點(diǎn),從頭開始講。"
"好吧,但是......我不知道......這是什么時(shí)候開始的呢?我不知道......我也不明白。"
"警察為什么要逮捕你?他們是什么時(shí)候把你帶到這個(gè)監(jiān)獄來的?"
"我想是上個(gè)星期。是的,是上個(gè)星期。在機(jī)場(chǎng),我們剛到的時(shí)候......警察攔住了我們,檢查我們的包。然后......"
薩拉低頭看著桌子。"她在哭,"安娜想,"她很傷心。"
"后來呢,薩拉?"她媽媽問道。
"他們......他們說我的包里有毒品。他們把我?guī)У揭粋€(gè)房間里,讓我脫下衣服。他們想找到更多的毒品,卻什么也沒發(fā)現(xiàn)。然后......然后他們就把我?guī)У竭@兒來了。"
"我知道了。那么,毒品在哪兒呢?他們?cè)谀膬喊l(fā)現(xiàn)的?"
"喔,他們沒告訴你?"薩拉不再哭了。她抬起頭,臉上還帶著微笑,但那不是開心的笑,"毒品在牙膏管里。牙膏管里面裝的是毒品......海洛因......而不是牙膏。"
"那你以前不知道這些嗎?"
"當(dāng)然不知道啦,媽媽。你以為我會(huì)用海洛因刷牙嗎?"
安娜·哈蘭笑了。笑得很艱難,因?yàn)樗芎ε隆5€是笑了,因?yàn)樗霂椭约旱呐畠骸?br />
"我知道你不會(huì)用海洛因刷牙。你的牙齒很好,薩拉。但是......斯蒂芬呢?他知道海洛因的事嗎?是他把海洛因裝到牙膏管里的嗎?"
"斯蒂芬?不......你為什么要問起斯蒂芬,媽媽?"
"喔,他也在監(jiān)獄里嗎?你剛才說'我們'還有'我們的包'。警察也把他抓起來了嗎?"
"噢......不是的,"薩拉看起來不太高興,"不,我沒有和斯蒂芬在一起,媽媽。你知道,我和斯蒂芬......是這樣的,我們現(xiàn)在不是朋友了。大約兩個(gè)月前,我和他分手了......然后我遇到了哈桑。"
"哈桑?"
"是的。在機(jī)場(chǎng)的時(shí)候,我和哈桑在一起。斯蒂芬也在飛機(jī)上--我不知道為什么--但是他沒和我在一起。是哈桑--他和我在一起。現(xiàn)在哈桑對(duì)我很重要,而不是斯蒂芬。"
安娜看著自己的女兒。"我明白了。警察也逮捕這個(gè)哈桑了嗎?他在監(jiān)獄里嗎?"
"是的,他也在監(jiān)獄里。他們也逮捕了他,但是我不能見他。我問過他們。我想見他,但是他們不準(zhǔn)。媽媽,我敢保證哈桑不知道包里有海洛因。他是個(gè)好人......他不知道,我保證。"
"那海洛因怎么會(huì)在你的包里,薩拉?"
"我不知道,媽媽......我不知道。"
那人看了看房間里的時(shí)鐘。"對(duì)不起,哈蘭太太,"他說,"已經(jīng)10分鐘了。您得出去了。"
安娜·哈蘭慢慢地站了起來。"好吧,"她說,"但是,別害怕,薩拉。我明天會(huì)去法庭旁聽的。"
"好的,媽媽,"薩拉說,"謝謝你。我想,明天警察也會(huì)把哈桑帶上法庭的。在那兒,你就能看到他了。他人不錯(cuò),媽媽,并且......我保證他不知道毒品的事。"
"也許吧,"安娜說。她慢慢地向門口走去,然后站在門邊,回頭看著她的女兒,"薩拉,你跟我說的都是實(shí)話......是嗎?"
薩拉又開始哭了。"是的,媽媽。我告訴你的當(dāng)然是實(shí)話。你知道的,我從不撒謊。"
安娜笑了。"是的,薩拉,"她平靜地說,"我相信你。"她穿過門走了出去,那個(gè)男人也跟在她后面出去了。
在房間里,薩拉靜靜地坐在桌前,看著自己的手。"是的,"她想,"我說的是實(shí)話,媽媽。我從不對(duì)你撒謊。但是我并沒有把所有的都告訴你......"她把頭埋在手里。