ALL BAD?

ALL BAD?

Margaret stood as the rage burned through her veins.  She could feel the tension.  Her blood boiling with anger bursting to spill out.  “WHY ARE YOU HERE?” she shouted to Mel.  “To get what’s mine”  Mel shamelessly declared.

“What do you want me to do?” Mel shouted.  “I want you to crawl back into the gutter where you belong” Margaret snapped.  “If I could turn back the clock I would.” Mel said.  “That day was the worst day of my life.  When my son jumped off that bridge.”  Margaret said as the tears started to stream down her face.   “What else could I do Margaret?.  If I did not start making money we would have lost our home.”  Mel declared.  “Well you made sure he lost all his self-respect”

“James isn’t warm in his grave and here you are holding your head up high without a care in the world.”   If only Mel thought.  “I only did what was needed for the family.  I tolerated the problem as long as I could”  Mel said as she tried to contain the blood boiling in her veins.  “You were where always out on the street “working” as you called it”  Margaret spat.  Mel could feel the rage as it bubbled inside her.  “I’ll tell you something” she replied.  “Go on then” Margaret butted in.  “Your son could do no wrong to you could he?”  Mel shouted.  “Only were picking a good wife was concerned.”  Margaret spat.  “I tell you something if it was not for your son’s gambling then I would have not had to turn to prostitution in the first place.”  Margaret sunk to the floor.  “I tried to stop him.”  Margaret sobbed.  “He could not help himself” Mel said her voice softening.  “You seen him in the bookies and in the arcades.  I can understand you wanting to protect his memory.” said Mel.  “His memory is all I have.”  says Margaret.  “I wish I had done more.”  Margaret says.  “What more could you have done?  He would not help himself.  You still have me and Jamey.  I want him to have his dad’s family in his life as much as possible.”  Margaret could see in her head life without them and knew listening to Mel was the best option.

“I had never planned any of this but I was scared.  I heard he had went and borrowed from the loan shark the head hunter and I needed the money fast because that placed all of us you included in danger.”  Mel explained.  “That would have explained the phone call I overheard the day before James died.  He was on the phone telling someone to leave him alone but hung up the second I walked in said it was a sales call.”   Margaret said.

There is a knock at the door. “I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE” yells the voice on the other side.  “Who is it?”  Mel shouted.  “It’s Harry”.  Harry the loan shark her mind jolted.  “I have Jamey.  Can I come in?”  How did he know where they to find Jamey? She thought.  Mel opened the door and let in Harry and Jamey she could feel her heart pound at the thought of what might be next.  “Good player your son on my lad’s team.  I’ll be straight to the point.  Have you checked your bank statement recently?” Harry asks Margaret.  “No why?” Margret replied.  He gets a debit card out of his pocket.  “I found this in my office.”   “How would it get there? Did you steal this?” Margaret asks with dazedness in her voice.  “No” said Harry.  “Let me see my bank statement.”  Margaret gets it out of her drawer.  “That was not me.” Margaret gasps.  “It’s the day before James died.  “That must have been the money he paid me.” Harry explained.  “I want to give it back because I can’t take it off an old lady.” Harry says.

ONE MONTH LATER

“All packed?” Margaret asks.  “Yeah off to a new home and a new job.  Remember to come and visit and bring Sally too.”  Mel orders jokingly.  “I can’t believe I let you talk me into getting a dog” says Margaret.  “Jamey time to go.” Mel shouts.  “Bye gran” he shouts waving.  “You’re not getting away without giving me a kiss and a hug young man” Margaret tells him and they kiss and hug. “Bye” Margaret shouts and Mel and Jamey get in the car and drive away.

THE END