Caged Nightingale

3 years later-Atif

Saara is coming down the stairs when I turn to give Ameer the warning look. He knows not to say anything, otherwise he'll be spending the evening with his mother and the tv -not me.
"We're just heading out' I say and then lean in to kiss her cheek.
Ramzan, looks away out of respect and stands as if to go outside. Ameer may be getting big at 6ft but he's got nothing on Ramzan, who runs the gym and boxing club for me. The man is a literal beast. He's built like one too. The man is a tank, which goes with the territory I suppose when you are into body building. I've seen him consume half a dozen raw eggs before he then gets started on his breakfasts.
I've decided to let Ameer's work with him. It's all fair and well playing sports at collage, but he needs to grow a pair. And the boys he's hanging out with are - well boys. I'm not so sure I like the whole lads messing around thing. It feels dangerously like privilege and that's not necessarily where I want him. I want him to know the value of our empire- one day he may need to help me. I see the way people are starting to look at him with his clean hair cut and varsity jacket. Like he's not one of us. It grates and you can tell some of the lads find it jarring. We need to tarnish that squeaky clean look with a bit of rough. No one's gonna respect him if he looks like he just stepped out of a Ralph Lauren shoot. He's starting to get arrogant too, better sort that out before it gets out of hand. It's ok to be arrogant if you're the shit, but if you're not then it's just lame. Ameer might be a god in the school halls. But that's all it is - school. He won a couple of fights, he got lucky. If he'd been in a real fight, some who was born and raised on the streets ... they would cut through him like butter, well he would've gone home in a body bag. When I was his age, you learned how to fight dirty, it was survival. The law of the urban jungle. Toughest survive. There was nothing more dangerous. I have the scars to prove it.
He reminds me of a cub gearing himself up but not realising he's in the ring with a wolf. It wasnt so bad when he was a child but now he's growing up and no one is going to respect let alone trust a boy like him.  He's too good, too smart, too clean.
The gym is a good way to get started. A bit of discipline and some maturity will do him good. Mix with a different sort of crowd. There won't be any larking around in there, he won't get a single smile. They're men forged from steel- with personalities to match. Not exactly the underworld but just the fringes of it. Then he can at least chose- what he wants to do.
We climb into Ramzan's 4x4 and he pulls away. Both Zain and Mohsin are with the girls. So it frees us up to go the clubs and set up. Zain is supposed to drive Ameer wherever he wants to go, but now he just wants to go on his own. The cheeky brat is pushing everyone's button- including his mothers- to be independent. He doesn't knows what that really means. Well he's about find out.... The split lip on his face makes him look young and stupid. It's time to kill the boy and make the man.
——————-
It's the smell of blood, sweat and the sewer that hits you as you descend the narrow steps under the gym. "No not you!" I say to Amer as he begins to follow. "You stay up here."
"Shanawaz! Get him warmed up and put some gloves on him. Get him ready to spar.' I say ignoring the frown on Ameer's face. Little fucker is sulking. "You haven't earned the right to come down with me yet." I say firmly then turning away. Here I'm the boss, not his dad. He starts taking off his jacket and holds his hands out.
Shahnawaz just looks at him like he's confused.
"You gotta get warmed up first." He says and walks away. Ameer just steels his shoulders and follows. He loses the frown in a flash. Good. I bet he's just glad he's here.

"Is this a tourist visit then?" Ramzan had asked earlier over the phone.
'No. He's here to stay!" I said

Ramzan turns to me now and nods
"Baptism of fire it is!" He says and we make our way down.