Southall Story - Eid Scream

Coming home from the station last night, Eid. I was by Sira cash and carry. In the day time fruit and vegetables pour out of the front of the shop onto the pavement and into the slip road which is separated from South Road by a thin strip of tarmac with bollards and a bustop. I think the slip road is called Hamilton Road. I saw two women in their early twenties, each dressed in an identical and beautiful Salwar and Kameeeze of turquoise with much embroidery and many sequins and beads catching the light. One of the women had her two hands clasped over her mouth, her thick hair hid her face and I could sense she was about to scream, though I didn’t know whether it was with laughter or fear or what. I followed her gaze to a battered little car in which sat two Asian men. The windows were all closed except for the triangular back window which consisted of cardboard and sellotape. The other woman stood back several metres away. I looked at the men but couldn’t discern their expressions, perhaps they were smiling slightly. The woman took a step backwards, with her hands still to her mouth, and then another step. Then a deep earthy scream rose from her, her hair blew in the wind, she stepped back again and howled again. She kept stepping back, all the time staring in to the car, and then turned, the disturbing howls all the while emitting from deep inside her. She took flight up the other side of South Road, now and then turning to look back at the car and scream and sob, her vivid Kameeze flapping and everyone on the street standing and staring after her. By this time I was half way up South Road, but she had overtaken me and my eyes followed, concerned. I wanted to know what was wrong. I wanted to help. But I was cold and I wanted to get home. She stopped momentarily and leant against a wall, then picked herself up and flung herself further down the pavement. I looked at all the people watching her, noticed they were nearly all men, in dark colours. Lots of Moslems of different cultures celebrating Eid, a few women, it was late. When I looked for the woman again she was gone, and although I searched up and down the street with my eyes I couldn’t see her. I was just reaching the top when I noticed the other woman running up the street, pausing outside the cinema and then going inside.