Oh policy maker, hear my plea

Friday night, the skies showering the landscape, I put my son on the back of Zat bike and headed down to the community centre in Holborn. Parked it outside a shop called "Bike Fix". "This is where I bought my bike!" I said to my son.

Comfort in the familiar.

We were fourth in line and waited. My son had his Gargolyz book I gave him for his birthday. I'd forgotten my lighter and tried to ease my desperation for Nico Teen.

Finally, our turn.

"I need you to change a policy," was the first thing I said. "It might be too late to help me and my son but I need you to do this."

I told him about How's your brother, I told him the existing policy was so unfair.

He seemed like a kindly gentleman as he asked me about our situation and took down my details. I felt a rush of, a rush of, well relief I guess, when he said: "Kilburn? You can't live in Kilburn, you need to be near your son's school!"

"Oh you're the first person, the first, I haven't had to justify that to..." I could have cried, but yes, only relief washed over me.

He said he'd look into our points. I told him not to bother, others had, they were 'correct'. He said he'd look into them anyway.

I mentioned again the statutorily homeless policy, and he said something about that being 'legislation'. Mental note to pursue that sometime, somehow.

"I came about something else too. I sent a postcard to parliament in July. I need you to speak to Frank Dobson for me."

We chatted a while about that. "There are 56 million people in the country!" he said, to my asking that it's read out in the House of Commons. I was thinking: "So?" I was still surfing on my relief board.

"I will certainly mention it," he concluded and I saw a real glint in his eye. He could see how positive my little card was too!

I wanted to hug him when I left. I shook his hand instead. My son was starving so I took him to a local pizza place and we shared a ham one.

With only seats outside, the rain pattered as we sat under heaters, warm and oblivious to it.

I prayed to angels to keep us safe on the cycle back, so tired I was.

Hope paved our journey back.