The day was 12 May 2003, it was 8am in the morning, and I started work at 10am. It was a scorching morning; the sun was shining through the light puffy clouds. Everything was going good for me but then these stormy jet-black clouds started streaming from the west taking the sun with it. However, my morning was not spoilt.
As I was walking down my high street with my two fists clinging to my umbrella extremely tight because of the winds blustering on the umbrella. The weather was getting worse and worse by the minute. As I was at least 20 yards from the bus station, the bus I had been wanting to go on rammed through a giant water puddle splashing all the water on my trousers and my brand new shoes I had brought for the job. By now I was feeling that my day couldn’t get worse, but unfortunately it did because when I got on the bus I had left my wallet at home and it was getting closer to 10 and I would be late on my first day. So I ran home forgetting how cold and wet it is to get my wallet. When I was at the bus station for the second time, I thought that the train might be quicker so I got on it without thinking about anything else. All I hear while I’m in the train carriage is that because of the bad weather all trains would come to a halt unless the weather clears up soon. By now I’m thinking that this wasn’t my day and time was clicking. I had to wait thirty minutes for the trains to restart again and we were on our way. When I got off the jubilee line, I had to go on the Metropolitan line to go to Harrow which mad it even worse because I had to walk past people and all you could heard was the water splashing about in my shoes. I was soaked and I smelt of rubbish.
I finally got to my work place and all I see are people staring at me and all I did was run up the escalators and go to the canteen upstairs as soon as possible because I was late enough. When I went in there you could a nasty stench coming from me and I asked someone where the men’s was and they showed me. When I saw myself in the mirror I finally noticed why people were staring at, I had a big wet patch on my trousers which looked like I wet my myself.
Though I was only worried about the way I looked because I knew that I couldn’t go out on the shop floor looking like that. So, thankfully they gave me some clothes from the shop floor to wear while my other clothes were getting washed and dried at the laundrette.
I was waiting for lunch so badly because I had not had any breakfast and also the whole morning all I was doing was putting out stock. I met up with some schoolmates who were also working in the same area as myself. I felt a bit better and the weather was clearing up gradually.
When I came back from lunch I was feeling much better and even though it was my first day at work it was my assistant manager’s last before he moved to Birmingham.
Therefore, the workforce had decided to have a party on the first floor and my mate and I was invited. Half way through the party one of the workforce turned on the television to hear the local news and the headline was. ‘Serial Killer on the loose in Harrow shopping centre’ and as soon as they heard they told everyone else and we all panicked. We all phoned our family members to make sure that we were all right. Everyone moved to the canteen to watch the news and we heard that the killer is in St Anns Shopping Centre and we all had the feeling that he’s getting nearer to us.
All of a sudden we hear a knock on the door once and no one goes to answer because everyone is terrified and suddenly the lights go off. A couple of seconds they come back on and we all see this tall man smothered in blood holding a gun to our heads. The only thing he said to us was that no one of were going away live if the government didn’t give him the money he wanted. He kept asking us questions like what are you lot doing here in the middle of the night. The only thing we could do was wait and see what happens or unless one of us takes the gun of him.
He told us to sit on the floor and he was standing right on top of me and his gun was in his left hand which was a couple of inches away. I wanted to flick it from his hands but I was wondering that what happens if he knows what im trying to do and shoots me or scares me with the gun. However, all of a sudden I didn’t know what I was doing and I went for it. I hit the gun out of his hands and it was spinning on the clean shiny floor it landed right near my manager’s legs and he grabbed it with both with both hands and was pointing it to the killer.
There was a moment of silence then out of nowhere the trigger of the gun is pulled and the killer is lying there with blood streaming from his arm. Then Tony dropped the gun and started shaking, we all gave him a hand whilst one of us called the police and told them what happened. Everyone had thanked me for hitting the gun to Tony but I would have done what any other person would do in my situation. Nevertheless, I wasn’t happy about it because what I was wondering that if the guy moved one second earlier then I would be in trouble.
Tony let me have the next day off and for a treat he would take me out for lunch.
By Mohamoud Mereh
