Anita and Me: Chapter 11 Summary & Analysis

Meena explains that her childhood started to end during her tenth summer, like the fortune teller had predicted. The summer initially begins joyfully, as Meena’s father is awarded a promotion. Meena then realizes that she does not know exactly what her father’s work consists of.

Meena remembers going to her father’s work party as a child, where her father had talked with a man with a strong Midlands accent named Bill. Bill’s daughter looked at Meena for a long time and then extended a finger to touch her cheek. The second time, Meena bit her finger, which caused her father to yell at her. After sitting on Santa Claus’s lap and receiving fake nails as a present, which did not match Meena’s skin color, Meena was disappointed by the party, which her father seemed to understand, and never went to another one again.

When Meena asks her father what a promotion consists of, mama explains that it means more money and a bigger office. Meena concludes that all she wants with this extra money is to go to India. Papa then decides that they will go to India for Christmas and bring Nanima “home” in person. Although Meena is happy about this, she wonders if her father considers their life in England temporary—not quite “home.”

A few days later, the family sees Sunil in the yard, looking at a spider. He begins to mutter words, pronouncing the names of his family members among words in Punjabi. Mama is impressed that her son can speak before reaching one year old, and Meena regrets not growing up bilingual herself.

In the meantime, during the summer, everyone seems to be enjoying a carefree life. Meena goes to Sherrie’s farm almost every day, where she spends time with Anita. However, although Meena learns to take care of the horse, she does not want to ride it because of her traumatic memory from the last time. She enjoys watches Anita ride but notices that if Anita is growing louder and more boisterous, Tracey is turning into an increasingly shy, scared person. Instead of taking part in the girls’ activities, Tracey prefers to stay on her own with a resentful look on her face.

Trouble begins when mama discovers that her diamond necklace is missing and Meena, who does not like remembering that she lost it, says that she knows nothing about it. Mama begins to wonder if Anita might have taken it, but concludes that she is perhaps being unfair and simply accepts that the necklace is lost. However, Nanima hears about this, she looks at Meena suspiciously, convincing Meena that her grandmother, to whom she attributes supernatural powers, knows what happened.

At that very moment, they hear rumbling and realize that motorway diggers have arrived in Tollington to destroy the school. The villagers step outside their houses, including Sam Lowbridge and his gang, who begin to insult the diggers and drive around them with their mopeds. After joining Meena, Anita wants to go see what is happening. The two of them run closer to the action, where they see television cameras led by a famous local reporter. Meena is also surprised to notice an Indian man who looks like a bank manager. When he looks up and sees her, they share a brief moment of recognition.

Meena is furious to see Anita walking toward Sam, but Anita does not seem to care. However, Sam notices Meena and calls out to her with a smile, but Meena walks away. She then sees the Indian bank manager walk away and feels disturbed by the idea that he is on foot and will probably have to take a bus instead of driving his own car. When the machines begin to roar, destroying a wing of the school building in an instant, Sam’s moped gang encircles everyone and Sam drives straight for the reporter, saying: “If You Want A Nigger For A Neighbor, Vote Labor!” before heading off.

Meena loses sight of Anita and walks home, feeling saddened and degraded by Sam’s words. Back in her room, Meena wants to talk to someone about her feelings, but she knows that Anita, whom she considers her best friend, would never understand her. Meena then prays for the first time in years, asking God to forgive her for accusing Pinky and Baby of stealing Mr. Ormerod’s money. She wishes the two girls were there, because she knows that they would understand her feelings about Sam.

The next morning, papa reads a report in the newspaper about an Indian man robbed and violently attacked in Tollington, to the point of suffering from head injuries and broken ribs. Although papa tells Nanima that nothing has happened, Meena and her parents avoid eye contact. Unlike Nanima, they know that this is an earth-shattering moment, capable of destroying Tollington as their home.

One day at Sherrie’s farm, Anita and Sherrie begin sharing information about their respective bras. Meena does not want to be dragged into the conversation and stays away. However, when Sherrie touches Anita’s bra to evaluate its material, Tracey suddenly appears, slapping Sherrie’s hand away and yelling that she should not touch her sister. Both Anita and Sherrie then turn against Tracey, who begins to say that she has seen her sister let someone touch her. Anita quickly places her hand on her sister’s mouth to keep her from speaking and pushes her away. Although Meena fears a fight, Tracey suddenly begins to cry and runs away.

Sherrie then asks Anita if she is seeing someone, but Anita refuses to say anything, although she smiles knowingly. At that moment, Meena realizes that her best friend has not told her about her boyfriend, and that she has made personal sacrifices for a friendship that is not reciprocal. Meena feels used, as though Anita were merely spending time with her while waiting for “the real thing” to arrive. Confused, she stands up and leaves, saying she is going to check on Tracey.

After leaving, Meena still hears the two girls talking. Anita excitedly relates taking part in a “Paki bashing,” watching as the boys attacked a “Paki” waiting at a bus stop, who did not even try to defend himself. Then, Anita explains, Sam Lowbridge and she kissed for a long time.

After this, Meena does not remember things clearly. She throws up by the shed and suddenly decides to walk toward Trixie. After she mounts the horse, she gives her very little guidance, which soon leads it into a gallop. When the horse jumps over a bar, Meena feels herself detaching from the horse. She recalls the girls’ comments about the fact that her leg is pointing the wrong way, the smell of her own pee, and hearing her parents’ scared voices, before closing her eyes.