Trouble

A short story about a boy'so day told from different perspectives

Trouble

The Mum

I had just finished cooking breakfast when he came down at about 10:30. still putting his t-shirt on. “Would you like something to eat Joe?” I ask
“I’ll just have some toast,” he replies “I’m running late and I’ve got things to do.”
“I hope you’re going to go and look for a job today, I hear that they’re hiring at the post office.”
“I will mum,” he says, “I’ve got to go and meet Sam first though we’re meant to be going for lunch so I’ll go job hunting after that.”
“Sure you will,” I say “that’s what you said yesterday and the day before that, but you really do need to get a job, and stop spending all your time with Richard. That boy is just trouble you know, and Samantha won’t stay with you if all you do is laze around with your friends. You need to get a job, get your own money and eventually your own place.”
“Yea mum, I know.” He replies rolling his eyes. He’d just finished his toast so gets up and places his plate in the sink where am washing up and gives me a kiss on the cheek, and says, “I’ve got to go mum, but I will try and get some work don’t worry.”
“Alright,” I say, “Tell Samantha I said hello”.
I watch him as he leaves, thinking to myself ‘I wonder what excuse he will have for not looking for a job today.’

I leave for work myself not long after he goes and I don’t get back until about 5. It’s about time I normally start cooking dinner so I call Joe to see if he is going to be back for dinner, but his phone is off so I call Samantha to see if she is with him.
“Hi, Sue,” She answers her phone, “are you alright?”
“I’m good thank you,” I say, “Are you by any chance with Joe?”
“No, I met up with him during my lunch break at about half 12, but I haven’t spoke to him since then. I think he might have gone to meet up with Richard.”
“Yea, I thought he would, he was supposed to be looking for jobs today, oh well, if you speak to him tell to call me please”.
“I will do”
“Thank you,” I say, “how are you anyway?”
“Am alright,” she replied, “Just had a long day at work, am just on my way to get the bus now - in fact I think I can see Joe now at the corner, HEY JOE,” She shouted… BANG! JOE! JOE!!!!”
“What? What’s happened” I ask frantically. She doesn’t answer I hear her breath frantically as she is clearly running.
“No no come on be alright,” I hear her say, though she clearly isn’t speaking to me, “ don’t die on me.”
“Die! What do you mean die? Is that Joe? Sam! Sam! SAMANTHA!!!” I cry through the phone, but no reply comes back.
“Rich” I hear her say
“Richard, what about Richard?” She is mumbling, speaking, but not to me, and I have no idea what she is saying through her sobs. I am frantic with worry by this point, I keep shouting down the phone but she is clearly preoccupied. After a few minutes I hear her say “hello” down the phone. “What’s going on?” I quickly asked, “Is it Joe? What Happened?”
“He, He’s been shot…… He’s dead”
“No! No! he can’t be. Not my Joe.” I sob as my knees begin to go weak and I slide to floor with my back against the kitchen cupboard, I stay on the phone sobbing for who knows how long murmuring unintelligible words, I don’t even know when Samantha hung up, at that point I just felt like my world had ended.

I had been sat on my kitchen floor for a couple of hours when a knock at the door pulls me out of my daze. I don’t really want to speak to anyone right now so I just ignore it, but the person knocks again, and again. So I go to see who it is. I open the door and lo and behold its Richard. I remember Samantha saying his name down the phone and at that my sorrow is replaced with anger.
“Hi Sue…” he begins but I cut him off straightaway
“You, you, how dare you come to my house after all this. This is all your fault, dragging Joe into your little schemes, trying to make yourself look cool, make a little bit of money. All you ever do is cause trouble, and now because of you my son is dead, DEAD. It should have been you that got shot. Get out of my face you little wretch!” Without waiting for him to reply I slam the door shut. While am saying this I am seething with anger, but as soon as I can no longer see his face, the anger dissipates and all that is left is sorrow and emptiness.

Samantha

I was sat in the outside section of the cafe during my lunch break waiting for Joe, it was just a few minutes after 12:30, but that was to be expected, he was always a bit late. I saw him slowly strolling up, with a smirk on his face, looking like time didn’t matter. His easy-going attitude annoyed me yet captivated me at the same time. He came up to me and gave me a quick kiss and told me “sorry am late” in a way that I knew he really wasn’t, that just made me smile even more.
“How is your day going?” he asked me
“It’s fine,” I replied, “The same as usual anyway, customers complaining that our prices are too high, while trying to squeeze into clothes that clearly don’t fit. What about your day?”
“Not done much, my mum was nagging me to get a job as usual.” he said, as the waiter brought us our food.
“She’s right you know, you’ve can’t just keep lazing around all the time.”
He leaned back on his chair with a big grin plastered on his face and said, “Why do you think am just lazing around, I’ll have you know that I went into the post office to check out their jobs on the way here, but it’s all online so will do it later, and that’s why I was late.”
“Oh, so you actually have a reason for once.” I replied light-heartedly, he just smiled and ate his food.
“We, should go out this weekend” he said as he finished his food.
“Oh, and how do you plan to pay for that?” I asked curiously
“I’ve got a bit of work lined up so I should have a bit of cash.”
“Not some shady job with Richard I hope.” I said disapprovingly
“Why must it be shady” he replied
“Come on, everything he does is shady, he’s going to get you in trouble. I heard he got picked up by the police the other day. What is the job anyway?” I asked
“I don’t actually know yet am going to go meet him in a bit, to find out.”
“Well if it’s anything risky don’t do it. Anyway, my break is almost over so I have to get back to work. I’ll call you later. I got up and went back to work and the day continued as normal.

It’s just after 5 when I leave work. I’m walking towards my bus stop when I get the call from Sue. As am telling her about my day at work I see Joe standing at the street corner and call out to him, he turns to me, and smiles and raises his hand arm to wave at me, then he suddenly turns back. I see a look of horror on his face, and then all of a sudden his body twists from side to side as it looks like he is repeatedly hit and then he simply collapses. I scream in terror, and run to his side. When I reach him he looks lifeless, I frantically check for a pulse, but can’t find anything. I hold him begging him not to die. look up to shout for somebody for help, when I see Rich walking out of sight. Then I hear sirens, somebody has already called for help.
An ambulance pulls up, and a couple of people rush over to where we are, they take Joe off me and lay him down, and examine him. They take off his jacket and there is a bulletproof vest underneath it. I’m too worried to even be surprised by this. They move his body into an ambulance and come and speak to me saying, “We are not exactly sure what has happened yet, the Kevlar seems to have stopped the bullets quite effectively and none have them have gone through. We cannot be 100% sure until we take his body to be properly checked out, but most likely what has happened is that the impact of the bullets have broken his rib and caused it to pierce his heart. I’m sorry for your loss maam.”
“Where are you taking him?” I ask
“Well we will take his body for processing so we can find out exactly what happened, it shouldn’t take too long, after that the family will be contacted, and told where they can come and see him.”
I just stood and watched as they got into the ambulance and drove off. It was then I remembered Joe’s mum, I looked at my phone and saw she was still on the line so I did my best to tell her what had happened without breaking down. I managed to tell her, and then I heard her cry hysterically down the phone. The combination of actually vocalising what had happened, and hearing Sue break down had a chain reaction on me. When the police came to speak to me, to ask me what I had seen and take my statement, I could barely get any words out in-between my sobs. In the end they said that they would take it the next day, and one of them offered me a ride home, which I accepted.

It had been a few hours since the police dropped me to my flat, I hadn’t done anything since I arrived just sat on my couch, zoned out in a state of shock. A knock on the door brought me from my spaced out state and I wearily went over and opened it and saw Rich.
“Rich, what, what are you doing here?” I asked
“Am looking for Joe.” he replied “Have you seen him?”
A few moments went by while I comprehended what he had just asked, and then my pale cheeks flushed with colour as I felt myself being overcome with a rush of anger.
“Is that meant to be some sick kind of joke. I saw you walking away from him, I know you have something to with him being shot. I always told him that you would get him into trouble but this… this” I felt the sudden rush begin to debate and again just be replaced with emptiness and loss. I didn’t have the energy to continue my rampage so I just stop.
“Goodbye Rich” I say, closing the door.
“Wait, wait” he says, but I ignore him and begin walking back to my room. I hear him shouting “What did you say to the police?” through the door but I feel no need to reply to him. After a few minutes I hear him walk off and I am again left in silence, on my own.

Joe

I wake up with a sudden influx of breath. My head is spinning and my vision is blurry. I’m lying on an operating table in a white room, arrayed with various tools. I try to get my head together and recollect how I ended up here. I think what happened, the day started like pretty much any other day. I woke up as the smell bacon wafted up to my bedroom. Seeing the time on the clock I realized that I really needed to get up since I actually had plans today. I got up and got ready and grabbed some toast on my way out, while my mum gave me my daily lecture on finding a job, suggesting I go and apply to the post office.
I leave the house and on my way to the bus stop I call Rich.
‘Hey Rich,’ I say as he answers his phone, ‘are you ready yet?’
‘Ready? No not quite.” he replies yawning, making it evident that he had only just woken up. I'm running a little behind time but it’s no problem. I still have a few things to care off though so I will have to meet up with you a little later.’
‘OK, thats fine’ I say, although really am annoyed that for once am the one that has to wait around for someone. ‘I’m going to meet Sam for lunch anyway so I’ll come to yours after that.’
‘Alright mate, but can you do me a favour I’ve had a package dropped off at the post office, can you pick it up and bring it when you come.’
‘Yea, sure why not’ I reply ‘I’ll see you in a bit.’ I say and then hang up
By this time the bus has arrived, so I jump on and head towards the post office.
I get to the post office and pick up Rich’s package from his P.O. box, I wonder what’s in it since he only uses the box when he has something a bit dodgy delivered.
Anyway I still have some time to kill before I have to meet Samantha so I inquire about the jobs they have available, expecting a quick bit of information, but the post office was quite empty so the assistant felt like she had nothing better to do than tell me about all the jobs going into great detail about each role and then describing the online application process. She droned on and on and by the time she was finished I realized I was running late to meet Sam. So I hurriedly left and went to go meet her though after a few minutes my hurried walk had turned into a chilled stroll.

Eventually I got to the cafe that I was meeting her at. I wasn’t late enough for it to matter but she still commented on it as usual. We talked and ate for a bit, I told her I had some work today with Rich and she made sure I knew she disapproved claiming that he was shady. Everybody seemed to have it out for Rich, I kind of understood since he was always getting himself into trouble, but he and I had been friends for years, and the way I see it he’s just getting by the best way he can... At least that what I tell myself but Richard’s plans and ideas were becoming more and more foolhardy and dangerous. Lunch was over almost as soon as it began and Sam had to get back to work. I gave her a kiss goodbye and told her that I’d call her later, and then went to go and meet Rich.

I got to Richard’s at about half one. I knocked and he let me in. His flat was dark, the curtain’s still closed not letting in much light, the rooms had a permanent musty smell as though smoke had been trapped in the furniture. I went and sat down on the sofa while Rich went round his house getting some stuff together.
‘So Rich’, I say ‘don’t you think it’s about time that you tell me what this job is’
‘Oh, yea it’s nothing big,’ he replied, ‘just a simple delivery job.’
‘If it’s just a simple delivery job, why are we getting paid so much? And why are we doing it, can’t they just do it themselves?’
He comes at sits in the chair opposite me and says, ‘Well they’re paying us so much because the delivery is important, and they’re not doing it themselves because they may be being watched and them being in the same location with the merchandise and the client wouldn’t be a good idea. The reason we are doing it is because they wanted someone low key who isn’t new to this kind of thing so they called me, but as you know I was in trouble with the police last week, so they may still be keeping an eye on me, so that’s why you’re going to the drop off.’
‘Sounds like more than a simple delivery to me’ I say looking him in the eye. ‘Who is it we’re doing this job for?”
‘Some olders from Peckham.’ he said nonchalantly
‘Peckham! It’s far too risky to get involved with those guys they’re dangerous.’
Rich waved me off as he lit a cigarette, “Don’t worry about it, it will be fine.” he said ‘ we’ll meet you in town somewhere public which is good for both of us, then we’ll give you the package and then tell you where to take it, and then we’ll get payed.”
I was still not convinced. Rich got up and hurried to his room before I could say anything else on the matter. A minute later he came out and threw me a bulletproof jacket.
‘What happened to this being a simple delivery job?’ I said
‘It’s just a precaution’ Rich replied, ‘they don’t know you and so they won’t trust you, if they feel compromised then…. Well it shouldn’t come to that anyway. Did you get that package from the post office?’
I hand him the package and he opens it and takes a pill out and hands it to me.
‘What’s this?’ I ask
‘Another precaution,’ he replies, ‘put it in the back of your mouth and If anything goes wrong and you do get shot, bite it and swallow. It will knock you out and make you look dead, which should make them leave you alone.’
‘Seriously,’ I say, ‘this is crazy Rich you really have gone too far this time. What’s even in this stuff?’ I ask though really am already jamming it at the side of my mouth.
‘A few things but mainly tetrodotoxin, you will be out cold once you take it. Don’t worry everything will be fine just don’t make any stupid movements if they think your wired or contacting someone then we will be in trouble. Anyway I better go meet up with these guys. We should meet you in town around, don’t be late he says, as he walks out the door.

It’s 5:00 am waiting on the street corner in town where they said we would meet. I have the bulletproof on and the pill at the back of my mind, am praying in my mind that nothing goes wrong, and I just make some quick easy money. I see Rich with three other guys approaching me, and Rich points me out. I’m standing waiting for them to come when all of a sudden I hear my name being shouted. I turn and see Samantha walking towards me, and my heart starts beating rapidly. I stick my hand out to indicate to her to stop, but she just thinks I’m waving, I look back and it’s then that I realise my mistake, they think I’ve signalled someone. The guys appear to be trying to reach for their weapons, but Rich is already on it, he lets loose 3 rounds out of his silenced pistol, all hitting me square on the chest. I bite down on the pill, and then … I wake up here.
Having recollected what happened I get up though painfully, all my muscles ache, and my chest has massive bruises from where the bullets hit. I spot my jacket on the side, put it on and walk out, nobody seems to pay me any attention as I leave.

I go to Samantha’s flat. As I walk the corridor to her flat I bump into Rich on his way out.
‘I’ve been looking for you everywhere.’ he said, ‘I almost started thinking things had gone really wrong.’
‘I’m alright,’ I reply ‘just a bit sore, but I can’t say that I’ll ever be doing that again.’
Rich let out a nervous chuckle, Fair enough, look sorry I got you into this.’
‘Don’t worry about it’ I say waving him off. ‘What are you going to do now?’ I ask
Well it’s gotten a bit hot around here for me at the moment, so i’m going out down for a while, keep my head down you know.’
‘OK, Rich, good luck with that, keep out of trouble.”
‘Will do,’ he replied while pulling me into a man hug, ‘I’ll see you around.’ he said and then left.

I continued to Samantha’s flat and knocked on her door three times before she answered. When she finally did she just stared at me as though in a state of shock. I could see she had been crying, and could tell she was about to start back. So I took her into the living room and sat down and held her until she calmed down.
‘I thought you were dead.’ she eventually said.
‘Yea, for a moment so did I.’ I replied
‘What happened?’ She asked
‘Well,’ I replied, ‘Rich got me into a bit of trouble.