The Release, by Eric Miyeni

The Release, by Eric Miyeni. Random House Struik Umuzi. Cape Town, South Africa 2012. ISBN 9781415201770 / ISBN 978-1-4152-0177-0

Eric Miyeni's novel "The Release" is a reminder that the legacy of the past runs deeper than the bling-blinded present would have us believe.

Eric Miyeni  

Black life

[...] He showers. Once dressed, he gets in his car and drives to Melville as is his custom on Sundays. Maybe he should never have kept that picture. Maybe he should never have looked at it on this day. But he has. Everything he does today will be coloured by this single act. He should have thrown the gun away, or handed it to the police. He knows this, but he hasn't. Jeremy's smile grows into a grin. He feels an inexplicable sense of freedom as he enters Jozi Fish & Chips, the corner café diagonally opposite Mirrors, the Melville coffee shop whose regulars he has long and desperately wanted to turn into his friends. Until today, that is. A white trio that spans three generations owns and runs Jozi Fish & Chips and knows Jeremy well enough. Even likes him somewhat. Though awkward, he's always friendly. Maybe that's why he's awkward, they figure, because he's always, but always, friendly. He's friendly, but not in a hi-what's-up-what-do-you-make-of-the-weather-hah-hah-hah-that-was-a-great-rugby-game kind of way, but friendly enough. His friendliness, says the oldest member of the trio, seems to elicit sympathy even though he drives an expensive car and dresses well. Fle's friendly like a puppy dog in danger, the old man says of him, like he's begging you to spare his life. It's kind of cute. No matter what their disposition, the old man loves puppy dogs. The middle-aged member of the trio does not like Jeremy's friendliness at all. For him, it's a taxing sort of friendliness, an ungenerous friendliness, a taking kind of friendliness. He finds Jeremy irritating. The youngest of the three, though, agrees with lus grandfather. He thinks Jeremy is forever courteous and always seems to have a hint of a smile on his face, even though that smile isn't touching his eyes today. He likes the fact that he never quibbles about price or complains like most of those "stuck-up" new blacks who hang out across the road at Mirrors. The three men come up with theories about their customers to help pass the time on slow days, but would be the first to admit that they don't know who Jeremy or any of their customers really are. It's just a game they play. They've seen Jeremy enough to appreciate his regular contribution to their business. He is no trouble and never leaves Melville without buying something from Jozi Fish & Chips. To build a business, the oldest of the three always says to the other two, you look after your regular spenders. But Jeremy's eyes are cold and black as a deep, quiet lake at night: when he enters Jozi Fish &. Chips this Sunday midday. The trio notices this and stiffen, disturbed by this random, unprovoked bout of hostility from an unexpected source. They do their best to remain friendly. "Thank you, my friend," says the old man as he hands Jeremy his change. He smiles broadly, opening his mouth as though the smile might burst into good-humoured laughter. Jeremy spits straight into the old man's open mouth. "I'm not your friend, asshole." He sees the horror twist the old man's eyes as he drools all over the counter trying to get rid of the taste. [...]

This is an excerpt from the novel: The Release, by Eric Miyeni.

Title: The Release
Author: Eric Miyeni
Genre: Novel
Publisher: Random House Struik
Imprint: Umuzi
Cape Town, South Africa 2012
ISBN 9781415201770 / ISBN 978-1-4152-0177-0
Softcover, 15 x 22 cm, 176 pages