Chapter 5
Later that night when I'd put the kids to bed I went downstairs to see if anyone was around! I didn't feel like being on my own even though the lack of sleep the previous night was catching up to me & I was starting to feel like the walking dead!! I found Sarah in the kitchen making herself a coffee.
"Oh...hey! the wanderer returns huh?!"
"Yeah! You'd think I'd been missing for weeks the way she carries on sometimes!" She rolled her eyes, "You want one?" she said, gesturing to her cup.
"Yeah thanks! I think I'll have it strong & black please! So, where is Mary tonight then?"
"Oh she's gone into town with her old croney friends playin' Bingo or some stupid shit like that!"
"Ah right...." I paused, not sure whether I should interfer or not, but in the end I couldn't help myself! ''Um she was really worried about you today y'know?"
Sarah put my coffee on the table infront of me & took a seat opposite. "Yeah I know I should have called but....well too much to drink I suppose! Honestly though she does go overboard! I mean I'm 22 years old for Gods sake! If she had her way she'd still be holding my hand to cross the street!"
"Has it always been like this between you two?" I sipped my coffee & suddenly felt so much older than the girl sitting opposite me, although I was only 23!
"No..." she sighed, "It's gotten worse since dad died two years ago! Since then....well it's like she doesn't want me to have a life or something!" she said bitterly.
"Well maybe it's because you're the only family she's got now? She will be overprotective of you..I guess....I dunno! It's not my place to say...I'll shut up!"
Sarah smiled, "It's ok really! It makes a change talking to someone my own age around here! I feel like if I'm not talking to kids I'm talking to geriatrics!"
"Ha! I know that feeling! Well Steve can't be far off our age is he?"
"Yeah but Steve's an asshole!" She laughed!
I chuckled, but I suddenly realised I'd not done an awful lot since I came to America, hell the only place I'd seen was Cameron! Maybe I should accept Steve's offer...I'm sure Mick wouldn't mind, it was only a movie!! I was dwelling on this when Sarah spoke again.
"Maybe you should come out with me sometime? Y'know....let your hair down & get wasted!!"
"Maybe you're a mind reader!" I laughed! "Yeah sometime I will do that, thanks!"
"No problem!" she smiled.
"You goiong out tonight?"
"Hell no! Didn't you hear the fucking sermon I got from Mom today?" she laughed.
"Well I was upstairs, but she wasn't exactly whispering, I did hear bits of it!"
"Mom & Whisper are 2 words I never use in the same sentance!" We both laughed.
"Oh I just thought maybe you'd be going out with Matt...or something?" Why was I so curious all of a sudden? Why did I give a damn? I didn't know why but I knew I felt a pang of jealousy!! Probably because she had a life & I didn't! I quickly pushed it to the back of my mind!
"Matt? Naaah not tonight! We only see each other once in a while.......nothing serious! He's ok.....but I couldn't go crazy over him!!" I couldn't believe she was saying this! Poor Matt!! "Have you met his brother by any chance?"
"Mmm yeah, I met him a couple of times, why?"
"So, what do you think?"
"About what?"
"Deerrr...about Jeff!?!?" she laughed.
"Not much really!"
"NOT MUCH!!!! GIRL ARE YOU BLIND!!!? That guy is HOT DAMN!!!"
"Well.....maybe, but he's not really my type!"
"Oh that's a pitty!" she smirked.
"Not from where I'm sitting!" I was starting to get a little aggitated with her! I didn't want to talk about Jeff...I just wanted to forget the whole day ever happened!
"I was hoping we'd go on a double date!!"
"Who?"
"Me & Matt, you and Jeff........perfect!" She was beaming from ear to ear & I just wanted to slap her face!!
"No...no I already told you, he's not my type!"
"That's a shame, cause you're exactly his type!!"
A shiver ran down my spine although I felt like I was burning up inside! "What do you mean?!?" I snapped.
"Well....tallish, dark hair, pretty face.....all his girlfriends look a bit like you!!"
"I think I'll go to bed!" I stood up & took my coffee with me! "Goodnight!"
"Um....OK...goodnight then!" she said, looking confused. As I shut the door behind me I heard her mutter, "Jeez what are you......gay!?!" and she chuckled to herself. I wanted to clash open the kitchen door & lay her out!! It was the first time I'd talked to her at any length & man was she ever stupid!!? I went quickly up to my room & lay on the bed, fuming! When I'd calmed down I realised....she wasn't stupid at all, she was just acting her age - something I'd forgotten how to do lately! And yeah Jeff was good looking, and besides that, she didn't know what I thought about him! I hadn't told a soul!
The last time I looked at the clock it was 9:30pm. "Girl, you sure know how to live it up!" I said to myself as I fell asleep!
*******
I suddenly sat bolt upright in my bed, disorientated! Something had woken me up I was sure, but as I sat & listened carefully the house was silent. When I looked at my watch it was 1am. I swung my legs over the side of the bed & decided I'd go & check on Daniel, just incase. I was stopped midway through a yawn when something cracked off my window & I jumped!
"Matt!" I sighed, "Get the right room would ya!!" I smiled & stood up to go to the window when there was a loud smash & a rock landed on the floor at my feet. Shards of glass littered the carpet all around me as I stared in disbelief at the gaping hole in the window!
"FUCK!" I shouted, then I screamed as another rock made the hole twice as big & hit me on the shin!
Mary came running into my room. "Bec! What's going.......JESUS would ya look at that!!?" She said in a high pitched voice. She went towards the window.
"No Mary don't!" I shouted as I clutched my throbbing leg.
"It's ok! Whoever did this will be long gone by now! These cowards don't usually stick around!!" She opened the window & more glass fell to the ground below. "You won't get away with this you sorry sack of shit!" she shouted into the night!
"Holy shit! What happened in here!?" Sarah said as she came into the room.
"Sarah, call 911 now!" Mary ordered. ".....And mind your mouth girl!! Are you ok sweetheart?"
"I....I'm fine!" I said & promptly burst into tears!
"Mooooooommmmy!!"
"Oh God now they've gone & woken the baby the pieces of shit!" Mary mumbled. It would have been funny to see her like this, hair net, slippers & swearing like a trooper! Only I was scared! Infact I'd never felt this scared in my whole life!
"I'll go & see to Daniel!" Sarah said & went off to calm him down.
"Right, you come downstairs with me while I fix us a cup of tea & phone the police! Gaddamn little shit stains aren't gonna get away with this you mark my words!" She put her arm around my shoulders & we crunched over the broken glas & went downstairs.
As I sat in the kitchen tears streamed down my face & I shook from head to toe! All that kept going through my mind was Jeff's boots! By the time Mary put my cup of tea infront of me I'd already made up my mind that it was him, no doubt about it! Although why he'd be doing this to me I had no idea!
"The police are on their way sweetheart!" she smiled & rubbed my arm. "It'll be ok now!"
"Will it?" I said through my tears, "Will it really Mary!? I don't think so, do you? Maybe Je....maybe whoever is doing this to me is the same person who followed me down by the river!! Maybe this person has only just begun!!"
"Do you have any clue as to who it might be darling?" She looked at me suspiciously & I prayed she hadn't noticed that I'd almost said his name out loud!
I shook my head. "I don't know Mary, but I'm scared! what am I going to do?!" She held me while I cried until the police arrived.
Later that night when I'd put the kids to bed I went downstairs to see if anyone was around! I didn't feel like being on my own even though the lack of sleep the previous night was catching up to me & I was starting to feel like the walking dead!! I found Sarah in the kitchen making herself a coffee.
"Oh...hey! the wanderer returns huh?!"
"Yeah! You'd think I'd been missing for weeks the way she carries on sometimes!" She rolled her eyes, "You want one?" she said, gesturing to her cup.
"Yeah thanks! I think I'll have it strong & black please! So, where is Mary tonight then?"
"Oh she's gone into town with her old croney friends playin' Bingo or some stupid shit like that!"
"Ah right...." I paused, not sure whether I should interfer or not, but in the end I couldn't help myself! ''Um she was really worried about you today y'know?"
Sarah put my coffee on the table infront of me & took a seat opposite. "Yeah I know I should have called but....well too much to drink I suppose! Honestly though she does go overboard! I mean I'm 22 years old for Gods sake! If she had her way she'd still be holding my hand to cross the street!"
"Has it always been like this between you two?" I sipped my coffee & suddenly felt so much older than the girl sitting opposite me, although I was only 23!
"No..." she sighed, "It's gotten worse since dad died two years ago! Since then....well it's like she doesn't want me to have a life or something!" she said bitterly.
"Well maybe it's because you're the only family she's got now? She will be overprotective of you..I guess....I dunno! It's not my place to say...I'll shut up!"
Sarah smiled, "It's ok really! It makes a change talking to someone my own age around here! I feel like if I'm not talking to kids I'm talking to geriatrics!"
"Ha! I know that feeling! Well Steve can't be far off our age is he?"
"Yeah but Steve's an asshole!" She laughed!
I chuckled, but I suddenly realised I'd not done an awful lot since I came to America, hell the only place I'd seen was Cameron! Maybe I should accept Steve's offer...I'm sure Mick wouldn't mind, it was only a movie!! I was dwelling on this when Sarah spoke again.
"Maybe you should come out with me sometime? Y'know....let your hair down & get wasted!!"
"Maybe you're a mind reader!" I laughed! "Yeah sometime I will do that, thanks!"
"No problem!" she smiled.
"You goiong out tonight?"
"Hell no! Didn't you hear the fucking sermon I got from Mom today?" she laughed.
"Well I was upstairs, but she wasn't exactly whispering, I did hear bits of it!"
"Mom & Whisper are 2 words I never use in the same sentance!" We both laughed.
"Oh I just thought maybe you'd be going out with Matt...or something?" Why was I so curious all of a sudden? Why did I give a damn? I didn't know why but I knew I felt a pang of jealousy!! Probably because she had a life & I didn't! I quickly pushed it to the back of my mind!
"Matt? Naaah not tonight! We only see each other once in a while.......nothing serious! He's ok.....but I couldn't go crazy over him!!" I couldn't believe she was saying this! Poor Matt!! "Have you met his brother by any chance?"
"Mmm yeah, I met him a couple of times, why?"
"So, what do you think?"
"About what?"
"Deerrr...about Jeff!?!?" she laughed.
"Not much really!"
"NOT MUCH!!!! GIRL ARE YOU BLIND!!!? That guy is HOT DAMN!!!"
"Well.....maybe, but he's not really my type!"
"Oh that's a pitty!" she smirked.
"Not from where I'm sitting!" I was starting to get a little aggitated with her! I didn't want to talk about Jeff...I just wanted to forget the whole day ever happened!
"I was hoping we'd go on a double date!!"
"Who?"
"Me & Matt, you and Jeff........perfect!" She was beaming from ear to ear & I just wanted to slap her face!!
"No...no I already told you, he's not my type!"
"That's a shame, cause you're exactly his type!!"
A shiver ran down my spine although I felt like I was burning up inside! "What do you mean?!?" I snapped.
"Well....tallish, dark hair, pretty face.....all his girlfriends look a bit like you!!"
"I think I'll go to bed!" I stood up & took my coffee with me! "Goodnight!"
"Um....OK...goodnight then!" she said, looking confused. As I shut the door behind me I heard her mutter, "Jeez what are you......gay!?!" and she chuckled to herself. I wanted to clash open the kitchen door & lay her out!! It was the first time I'd talked to her at any length & man was she ever stupid!!? I went quickly up to my room & lay on the bed, fuming! When I'd calmed down I realised....she wasn't stupid at all, she was just acting her age - something I'd forgotten how to do lately! And yeah Jeff was good looking, and besides that, she didn't know what I thought about him! I hadn't told a soul!
The last time I looked at the clock it was 9:30pm. "Girl, you sure know how to live it up!" I said to myself as I fell asleep!
*******
I suddenly sat bolt upright in my bed, disorientated! Something had woken me up I was sure, but as I sat & listened carefully the house was silent. When I looked at my watch it was 1am. I swung my legs over the side of the bed & decided I'd go & check on Daniel, just incase. I was stopped midway through a yawn when something cracked off my window & I jumped!
"Matt!" I sighed, "Get the right room would ya!!" I smiled & stood up to go to the window when there was a loud smash & a rock landed on the floor at my feet. Shards of glass littered the carpet all around me as I stared in disbelief at the gaping hole in the window!
"FUCK!" I shouted, then I screamed as another rock made the hole twice as big & hit me on the shin!
Mary came running into my room. "Bec! What's going.......JESUS would ya look at that!!?" She said in a high pitched voice. She went towards the window.
"No Mary don't!" I shouted as I clutched my throbbing leg.
"It's ok! Whoever did this will be long gone by now! These cowards don't usually stick around!!" She opened the window & more glass fell to the ground below. "You won't get away with this you sorry sack of shit!" she shouted into the night!
"Holy shit! What happened in here!?" Sarah said as she came into the room.
"Sarah, call 911 now!" Mary ordered. ".....And mind your mouth girl!! Are you ok sweetheart?"
"I....I'm fine!" I said & promptly burst into tears!
"Mooooooommmmy!!"
"Oh God now they've gone & woken the baby the pieces of shit!" Mary mumbled. It would have been funny to see her like this, hair net, slippers & swearing like a trooper! Only I was scared! Infact I'd never felt this scared in my whole life!
"I'll go & see to Daniel!" Sarah said & went off to calm him down.
"Right, you come downstairs with me while I fix us a cup of tea & phone the police! Gaddamn little shit stains aren't gonna get away with this you mark my words!" She put her arm around my shoulders & we crunched over the broken glas & went downstairs.
As I sat in the kitchen tears streamed down my face & I shook from head to toe! All that kept going through my mind was Jeff's boots! By the time Mary put my cup of tea infront of me I'd already made up my mind that it was him, no doubt about it! Although why he'd be doing this to me I had no idea!
"The police are on their way sweetheart!" she smiled & rubbed my arm. "It'll be ok now!"
"Will it?" I said through my tears, "Will it really Mary!? I don't think so, do you? Maybe Je....maybe whoever is doing this to me is the same person who followed me down by the river!! Maybe this person has only just begun!!"
"Do you have any clue as to who it might be darling?" She looked at me suspiciously & I prayed she hadn't noticed that I'd almost said his name out loud!
I shook my head. "I don't know Mary, but I'm scared! what am I going to do?!" She held me while I cried until the police arrived.