AN: This is the first time I've tried writing anything so bear with me and
any comments/help would be appreciated.
Prologue
"Hey, Mama," I said softly reaching out to take hold of her hand which lay on her lap.
Her dull eyes gazed at me through a waterfall of lank, greasy hair. Absently I reached out my other hand to push the curtain of hair from her face.
"It's Christmas today. We brought you a present," I said gesturing to the luridly wrapped gift lying on the table next to her.
She glanced absently towards it, her eyes still blank.
"We're all here," I continued, "The others are over there. Joy's excited, but she misses you. Rach is looking forward to talking to you, She just had something published in the school paper. Anthony and Darren are waiting outside, Ant's still working at the supermarket and Darren's just started working in a nightclub, isn't that exciting? They're both doing well at university. Neil's.well Neil's doing really well, he just finished his first term as a teacher and me, I'm." I trailed off. I didn't know how I was, and besides her eyes were still registering a blank.
My mother leaned forward in her seat. "Is Paul here?" she asked.
"Mama," I said, "We don't know anyone called Paul."
She leaned back into her seat, disappointment written all over her face. "Who are you?" she asked me.
I could feel the tears starting to prick at my eyes and didn't know how to respond. I felt a strong hand take hold of my shoulder and turned to gaze into my eldest brother's eyes.
"Lets go," he said, his voice so full of compassion for me it made my checked tears begin to fall. Neil knew that the visits hit me the hardest out of all of us as I was the one who was closest to our mother before she became ill.
Wiping the tears from my eyes and gathering my coat, I stood up and leaned over to kiss the poor confused woman opposite me.
"Goodbye, Mama," I whispered to her as she flinched away from my lips. Neil helped me pull my coat on and threw an arm around my shoulders. He didn't speak to Mama, he never did, but as he steered me away from her to go and collect the others he glanced over his shoulder and gazed at her sadly.
Scooping Joy, our youngest sister, who was only 7, up into his spare arm, we walked out of the room. Outside the door my twin sister Rachael was waiting with our other brothers Anthony and Darren.
They looked at the three of us walking linked together and didn't need to ask how it had gone, or if they were required to go in. We had gone through this too many times over the past four years; we knew how to read the subtleties.
With Neil and myself leading, and Joy still in his arms, the others silently followed us as we walked out, the Kenny children united as always, leaving St. Marys Mental Hospital, and our mother, behind.
Prologue
"Hey, Mama," I said softly reaching out to take hold of her hand which lay on her lap.
Her dull eyes gazed at me through a waterfall of lank, greasy hair. Absently I reached out my other hand to push the curtain of hair from her face.
"It's Christmas today. We brought you a present," I said gesturing to the luridly wrapped gift lying on the table next to her.
She glanced absently towards it, her eyes still blank.
"We're all here," I continued, "The others are over there. Joy's excited, but she misses you. Rach is looking forward to talking to you, She just had something published in the school paper. Anthony and Darren are waiting outside, Ant's still working at the supermarket and Darren's just started working in a nightclub, isn't that exciting? They're both doing well at university. Neil's.well Neil's doing really well, he just finished his first term as a teacher and me, I'm." I trailed off. I didn't know how I was, and besides her eyes were still registering a blank.
My mother leaned forward in her seat. "Is Paul here?" she asked.
"Mama," I said, "We don't know anyone called Paul."
She leaned back into her seat, disappointment written all over her face. "Who are you?" she asked me.
I could feel the tears starting to prick at my eyes and didn't know how to respond. I felt a strong hand take hold of my shoulder and turned to gaze into my eldest brother's eyes.
"Lets go," he said, his voice so full of compassion for me it made my checked tears begin to fall. Neil knew that the visits hit me the hardest out of all of us as I was the one who was closest to our mother before she became ill.
Wiping the tears from my eyes and gathering my coat, I stood up and leaned over to kiss the poor confused woman opposite me.
"Goodbye, Mama," I whispered to her as she flinched away from my lips. Neil helped me pull my coat on and threw an arm around my shoulders. He didn't speak to Mama, he never did, but as he steered me away from her to go and collect the others he glanced over his shoulder and gazed at her sadly.
Scooping Joy, our youngest sister, who was only 7, up into his spare arm, we walked out of the room. Outside the door my twin sister Rachael was waiting with our other brothers Anthony and Darren.
They looked at the three of us walking linked together and didn't need to ask how it had gone, or if they were required to go in. We had gone through this too many times over the past four years; we knew how to read the subtleties.
With Neil and myself leading, and Joy still in his arms, the others silently followed us as we walked out, the Kenny children united as always, leaving St. Marys Mental Hospital, and our mother, behind.