Old Folks

This story is based on a religious family and affairs a young girl becoming pregnant and how it effects the family.

I was sat at the table with Mother. The mince melted into my mouth as I took a spoonful of the freshly baked cottage pie.  Mother had gone to the effort of making some homemade chips with gravy. She put some more chips on my plate, as I ate them quicker than normal.

‘You’re growing fast my dear.’ Mother ruffled my hair and patted me on the shoulder.

I smiled at her and continued eating.

‘Your father should be home shortly,’ Mother said as she looked at the clock and sighed.

‘Is there enough pie?’

‘Yes darling, don’t you worry. Just eat however much you want.’ Mother sat back at the table and began eating her dinner.

I watched as she sat at the table with me. I stared closely at her pale skin, counting about ten new wrinkles on her face. She smiled at me again whilst chewing her food. Her eyes had drooped since last week and her lips now seemed thinner than I could remember. As she stabbed the fork into her chips, I could still remember her hands, soft and fragile touching me as she would sing me to sleep when I was a baby. Her head seemed bold but yet the white gigantic curls covered most of it.

 I took of my school blazer and placed it on the back of my chair. Mother didn’t take her eyes of me. The silence aggravated me, Mother hardly talked a lot. I guess getting old was tiring work.

‘So dear, how was school today?’ Mother asked me whilst glancing at the clock.

I shrugged my shoulders and carried on eating my food. Mother looked back at me and just simply smiled again. Her hands shook as she moved the hotpot of pie from the table and placed it in the microwave. Her skirts were getting longer. A few years ago, she would have worn a mini skirt, but now they were below her knees. The designs were still floral but not as bright.

‘Dear, can you set the timer for me? Sorry I must go and get my eyes tested.’

I jumped off my chair and clicked the microwave on. The sound irritated me as I tried to figure how I would break the news to this old woman? My heart began to pound as I looked at the cross the hung beside the clock. God would understand. The thoughts played games in my head. My hands clammed from nerves. I had to tell my parents somehow, but how?

            The kitchen was neatly tidied the breakfast bar had every single cereal in chronological order. Despite eating a bigger portion than usual I craved for some Wheetabix. My mouth watered as I craved them more and more. I could feel my head beginning to spin, I walked back to the table and sat on the chair, with my knees curled up to my chin.

‘Tough day? I remember doing my GCSE’s, was the hardest time, I had no social life. Mind you we called them O’Levels. Funny how times change?’

I smiled at my mother, her innocent voice made me want hibernate forever. She was a mother from the 50’s. Never did I have to do housework or anything, as long as I worked hard at school and attended church.

‘Your fathers late today? Oh... I do hope the traffic isn’t too bad,’ she looked at the clock again, before opening the microwave door.

‘Mother.’

‘Yes Emily.’

I could see the confusion on her face, as she waited the keys to be turned into the front door. My father would always come in and give her kiss on the cheek before seeing to me.

‘Nothing,’ I sighed.

‘Where is he?’

‘Would you like me to try his mobile?’

‘Oh no dear, not while he’s driving, I’ll leave the pie in the microwave.’ 

Mother started to clear the table, and each time she took a dish from the table to the sink. My heart shrunk into a hole. I could feel the paste increasing as each beat thud louder, my chest tightened and breathing became a challenge. I glared outside the kitchen window, past the glass I could see the trees peacefully resting while the leaves swished from side to side. On the fence sat two magpie’s eating the food Mother had placed in the yard.

‘Go and get changed dear, but you must come and greet your father when he arrives.’

The dizziness returned as I carried myself up the stairs. It felt like a mountain, I didn’t want to climb. My school bag weighed me down as my back now began to ache. I had forgotten my blazer downstairs but I wasn’t about to turn around again.

My bedroom door was closed. I knew Mother had been in to tidy my room and make my bed. She had left the lamp on. I’m sure it was intentional but it highly aggravated me. Anger boiled, as my blood began to pump faster around my body. I slammed the door and collapsed on to my bed.

Outside, it was beginning to get dark. The stars began to twinkle as the sun waved goodbye for the day. I pulled myself and drew the curtains just before turning on my laptop. The wardrobe in my room looked different. The decoration of the wood seemed beautiful; the door handles sparkled with shine. I knew all my clothes had been ironed and put away in colour order.

I knelt down on my knees, grabbing the cross from under my pillow.

‘Please God, the almighty, forgive me.’ Tears hit the carpet as I pleaded more and more.

 

‘What have you been doing?’ It was my Mother’s voice, this time firm, and the softness had vanished.

Mother threw the blazer onto my bed and flung three twenty pound notes in my face.

‘I never expected this from you.’

She nodded her head, looking at me in disgrace. Mother burst into tears and covered her old face with the shrivelled hands.

‘My own daughter! How could you?’ Mother shouted.

‘I didn’t steal, I promise.’

‘Don’t you lie to me, I just heard you asking for forgiveness.’

I tried to put my arms around her shoulder, but she shrugged them away. I took off my tie and left the bedroom.

            As I made my way down the stairs, my head spun faster and I had to sit to grasp my breath. I paused half way staring into the nothingness. I could still hear Mother crying, I wrapped my fingers around the cross and begged for mercy.

            The key turned into the front door and before I could blink twice my father entered. He winked at me as he made his way to the kitchen, leaving his briefcase in the hallway.

‘Honey, sorry I’m late, the meeting went on longer than expected.’ He searched for my mother in the kitchen. I made my way back up the stairs and Mother still sat in my room crying.

‘Father’s home,’ I gulped to myself.

‘Go down, I’m coming, and not a word.’ Mother wiped her tears away and reunited in the kitchen.

I sat on the same chair as earlier, hurdled into a ball.

‘What’s wrong with your face sugarplum?’ Father asked.

I shrugged my shoulders and tears poured down her face. Father walked away from Mother and cuddled me holding me tight in his arms. I closed my eyes, and the images of the day made me vomit. I rushed to the sink and threw up all of Mother’s cottage pie.

‘She’ll be okay, probably just eaten too much of my pie.’ Mother laughs while putting the dinner back on to the table.

I look at Mother, but she turns away and kisses father on the cheek instead.

‘Any better?’ Father asked.

‘Not really, can I be excused.’

‘No you can’t you must tell your father about your day.’ Mother demands.

I sat back at the table, with my arms around my stomach waiting for the feeling to disappear.

My father began eating the cottage pie, I watched him eat and talk to Mother at the same time. The conversation made no sense to me; all I could think of was what I had done.

‘So how was your day sugar plum?’

‘Fine.’ I played with my toes.

My father smiled at me contently and carried on his conversation with M      other. My mind drifted to when Father would take me to the park every day after work.  He would tell me I’m his princess and have Mother put me in my best frock and tights. My red shoes twinkled as I walked holding Fathers finger when buying ice cream from the parked van. We would invent secret gardens and build fake houses in the sand. He would talk of the war and how he was lucky to be home with his princess.

            I blinked a few times before looking at Father again. Mother was sitting at the table now reading a newspaper, occasionally looking at me and frowning. Her anger frightened me, but I had to tell them the truth.

‘Emily you’re awfully quite today? How was your mock exam?’ Father asked.

His kind voice made me want to disappear. I had never hurt my parents before, so this time it was going tare them apart. I was conceived through IVF. By the time Father and Mother settled and married after their hectic careers. It was too late for Mother to get pregnant.

‘Father, I need to sleep. May I go to my room?’  

‘Emily has something she has to tell you.’ Mother interfered.

‘No, I don’t,’ I grunted.

Father got up from his chair and walked over to my side of the table and placed his hands on my shoulder.

‘You know you can tell us anything.’ He tightened his hands around me.

‘She has stolen some money and I don’t know where from.’ Mother burst into tears.

‘What is this true?’

‘No I didn’t steal it, Tony gave it to me.’

‘Who the hell is Tony?’ Father removed his hands from my shoulder and went and stood by the sink with his back towards me.

‘He’s my friend.’ My lips began to tremble.

‘So you didn’t steal?’

‘No Mother I didn’t.’ I could feel my palms beginning to sweat and I was clinging on to the chair hoping it would swallow me.

‘A boy! But you go to all girls’ school.’ This time father screamed at me. 

 I looked at my parents; I could feel my body spasm with nerve. My head began to spin again my legs dragged me out of the kitchen into my bedroom. I locked my door and stood watching my tears fall as my reflection frowned at me in the mirror. Around me my bedroom seemed to have grown smaller and the walls tightened squashing me between them. I placed my hand on my stomach and keeled over screaming with shame.

            My mobile phone rang, I jumped.

‘Are you okay?’

Tony’s voice made me sick, but I had to see him.

I grabbed the phone tighter and started crying once more.

‘They know about you.’

‘What!?’

‘Mother sort of guessed!’

I could hear footsteps  in the hallway and my Father screaming for me to come out my room.

‘Tony come and take me.’

‘What I can’t I’m working!’ he exclaimed back at me.

‘Father will home school me. You have to come!’

I dropped my phone and collapsed onto the floor. I could feel the door handle turning and Father still screaming.

            I gathered my stuff shoved everything into my backpack. It didn’t close the zip but I didn’t care. I opened the bedroom window and started to climb down the drain pipe. Each time I looked down, a sickness over took me. The view of the garden being so far down made my stomach twist and turn. I tried to plan a jump, but I would land on the tarmac and the not the grass. My hands began to judder as my heart beat thundered in my chest.   I had to pass the kitchen window before I made it safely to the ground. My father was now standing above my window passing me his hand, but I refused his offer and continued downwards. My backpack fell and hit the ground, as I let to go to rescue my bag. I swung of the drainpipe and fell through the air.

            I felt the softness of the grass; the moon was glaring at me as I opened my eyes. The condensation of the grass tickled me slightly. My arm was beneath my back, as I tried to move nothing but a scream resumed from my mouth.            

‘Someone call an ambulance quick.’ Father’s voice echoed into my ears.

‘Are you okay honey? Are you in pain?’

I stopped screaming, acknowledging my Mother standing beside me. I blinked a few times as I couldn’t believe that by her stood Tony. My mouth sealed in the moment; I closed my eyes as I felt his touch. I could still feel his fingers running down my body as he kissed me, whilst locking away all my fears and just him holding me tight in my arms.

‘Keep with us, don’t close your eyes,’ Tony said.

He was now kneeling beside me and holding the hand that wasn’t trapped behind my back. Father was on the other side of me, kissing me on my forehead as tears fell from his eyes.  Silent minutes passed before the ambulance arrived.  Father and Mother assisted me in the Ambulance, as the paramedics kept pumping me with different medication. The needle in my hand began to itch and the bandage around my other arm felt heavy and numb.

‘So that’s Tony. I guess he seems caring.’ Father just smiled as I closed my eyes.

            The paramedic put something through my needle for the last time before taking me to A&E. The room was full of people all different sizes, I had never seen such variety, some of them were enormous and others just like me.

‘They will look after you well.’ The paramedic winked at me as he left me on the ward. Mother fluffed my pillow before I lay my head down. A nurse popped her head around and told us the doctor won’t be too long. Father and Mother both sat on the end of my bed holding hands. Mother was still in tears, Father frowned at me.

‘You should get some rest.’ Both Father and Mother moved away from my bed and sat on the chairs in the cubicle.

Before I could reply a tall man with a purple tie and white shirt appeared from behind the curtain.

‘Mr. And Mrs Brown, I’m Doctor Chadwick, I will be running some tests on Emily, we think she may have more than a broken arm.’

I could see Mother grab Fathers hand as she wiped her tears away.

‘Is it bad news?’ Father questioned.

‘Not exactly just need to run a blood test. I would like to speak to Emily in private please,’ he said as he winked at me.

Mother and Father both kissed me on my forehead before they left me alone with a doctor. A nurse also entered as soon as they left. She drew the curtains making sure they were gone off the ward. I looked at Mother’s face when she left. I wanted to tell her then and there, but I couldn’t.

‘Emily do you know, you’re pregnant?’ the doctor said.

‘Yes, I do.’ I started crying. The nurse comforted me.

‘We need to do an ultra sound to make sure the baby is okay, and check how far gone you are.’

‘Please don’t tell my parent.’ I begged the doctor.

‘Can you call anyone?’ the nurse questioned me.

‘I want Tony.’

‘Do you have his number? I could call him for you,’ the nurse replied.

‘Right, someone will be here shortly to do the scan, would you like me to call your parents back in?’ the doctor questioned as he withdrew the curtains from my bed.

I started to stare at the ceiling and hoped that Mother and Father would not return. Before I had a chance to gather my thoughts, both of them were sitting on the end of my bed again.

‘Everything okay?’ Mother questioned.

I couldn’t open my mouth to reply, so I just nodded with a fake smile. Inside my soul was searching for a way to escape.

‘Do you have Tony’s number on you?’ Father asked.

Startled by his voice I jumped up, and struggled to reply.

 ‘So do you have his number?’

My lips began to tremble as I tried to answer, ‘erm, my phone was in backpack.’

‘I think the nurse has it,’ Mother said.

‘Mother I love you,’

Mother didn’t respond and just watched Father leave the bed.

The silent annoyed me, my arm felt heavy again and this time was different.

‘They said it could be broken,’ Mother finally said looking at me.

Father wasn’t gone to long and before he returned Mother had got up from my bed and now was stood beside me, with one hand on the cross which she carried in her bag, and the other hand on my head.

‘Get off me!’

‘Don’t speak to your Mother like that!’ Father shouted.

Before Father had a chance to shout at me again, I saw Tony from the distance and started waving with just one hand.

‘I’m here, I’m here, cubical eight,’ I called a few times before I had his attention.

‘He got here pretty fast,’ Father commented as he walked towards Tony.

Mother left my side and made her way off the ward. From one corner of my eye I could see the sorrow on Mothers face as she left. From the corner of my eye I could see the glare and brightness on Tony’s face as he walked towards me.

‘Have you told them yet?’ Tony quickly gasped whilst holding the hand that was free.

‘No,’ Father interrupted.

‘I think you should sweetie.’ Tony looked into my eyes as if he was angry at me too.

‘No need to tell us, I and your Mother already know, we over heard the other Doctor.’

My face dropped in shame and horror overtook all my feelings. Tony was still holding my hand squeezing it tighter as if he reassuring me of his presence.

‘I promise, I’ll provide for her and the baby.’ Tony’s voice just melted in my heart.