Mothers Love

A Mothers Love

Jack moved as near to the two-bar electric heater as he could before
his mother noticed and yelled at him to "mind out." There was no
central heating in the house and his little hands were red raw,
chaffed. His nose streamed green mucus all year round, his top lip was
cracked and bled occasionally, mixing with the snot and congealing to
form a painful crust. Most days the only thing he noticed was the cold.
He held his hands out to the warmth, the grubby sleeves of his jumper
riding up to his elbows.

"How many times have I told you, you little sod" his mother had come
into the room before he had heard her and caught him too close to the
fire. She smacked him on the back of his head, "It's dangerous. Get
away from it."

"Is it nearly lunch time?" he asked hopefully, inching away from the
warmth of the heater on his bottom and rubbing his head.

"You hungry again?" She sounded exasperated, "You're always hungry, you
are. You eat me out of house and home. I cant bloody afford you, that's
the trouble." She lit a cigarette and inhaled it, tilting her head back
and half closing her eyes with enjoyment.

"Can I have a drag, mum" Jack asked cheekily, covering his head with
his hands as she walked by, just in case she decided to clobber him one
again.

She switched the telly on for him.

"Ooh goody, Rugruts,"

She brought him in some biscuits and together they cuddled on the sofa.
He felt the warmth of her as he nibbled slowly on a digestive trying to
make it last as long as possible.

"I love you mum" he said, smiling up at her with a dirty face and
shining eyes.

"I love you too, you daft sod" she said, reaching for her
cigarettes.