by Ben Spavins
MARVIN
RISE TO FALL
BEN SPAVINS
Copyright 2013 by Ben Spavins
Marvin
Rise To Fall
Present Day
Marvin watched as the blue BMW M Series pulled up alongside the Silver Transit van he’d been watching for the last fifteen minutes. He peered through his binoculars to see if it was HIM in the passenger seat, the tinted windows of the BMW blocking any sight of the occupants. He watched as the two cabin doors to the Transit Van opened and out stepped two men, one man remaining in the cabin in case things went south, something Marvin assured himself would happen.
He looked down at the items he’d bought to shake things up, a black balaclava, £3.99 from an auction site, black leather gloves, £25 from a department store, binoculars, £35 from the internet, a small black pistol, £300 from an ‘associate’ he met in prison. Reduced from the usual £2000 as it had been used previously and a Stanley knife, used from the same auction for £2.98 delivered, for slashing the tyres to prevent anyone following him.
Marvin watched as another man stepped out from the driver’s side of the BMW and walked towards the rear of the open Transit, he talked to the two men before leaning in and peering inside the rear of the van. He waited as three of the men talked and shook hands before the man from the BMW returned to the car and spoke to someone in the passenger seat. Marvin deciding now was his time to move.
From his position crouched in the long grass of the arboretum where the meet was taking place. Marvin carefully and slowly put the binoculars’ in the pack on his back and pulled the balaclava over his head, pulled the gloves on as he stood up. He began to walk towards the two vehicles as the boot of the BMW was opened and a black holdall was pulled out.
He continued walking towards the gravel of the car park, the late dusk evening shadowing him from sight. Marvin continued forward so he could see all three men and the passenger of the BMW, he paused and took aim at the rear tyre of the BMW, his hand surprisingly steady, he closed his left eye and pulled the trigger, the shot echoing around the arboretum.
The three men spun round as the bullet pinged off the alloy of the BMW, ‘Don’t move’ Marvin shouted, training his gun on them, the black leather of his glove firmly holding the butt of the gun. ‘You, out’ Marvin ordered as he moved his gun towards the passenger door of the BMW, he wanted it to be HIM so much, those gold teeth, paid for by his wife’s blood. Marvin could feel his heart race as the door opened, his finger hovering over the trigger, itching to pull it. The door slowly opened, Marvin blinking in the dusk as it enveloped the shadow moving from the car, Marvin edging closer to see if it was HIM. The figure stood up straight, no gold teeth, it wasn’t him, ****.
The man raised his hands, trembling, ‘don’t shoot’ he squeaked as Marvin began to panic, the past years he’d dreamt of this moment and it wasn’t him, ****!
Four Years Previous
‘C’mon kid’s, wait with your Mum over there by the seats’ Marvin said to Reece and Taya as they ran off towards their Mum at the airport. Reece, thirteen, and Taya, nine, were Marvin’s world, them and their Mum Denise, they were all that mattered to him. He and Denise had been childhood sweethearts on and off since they were 14 until Denise had become pregnant with Reece at 16, since then he’d not looked back, they’d struggled when Reece was first born, Marvin had to give up his dreams of qualifying as a lawyer and leaving the rough council estate he’d grown up on.
Instead he’d got a job at the local Supermarket, stacking shelves, his friends took the piss out of him for it, but he was determined not to end up like so many from his estate. He’d stacked the shelves for a year before being promoted to the team leader role, working hard to make sure the managers noticed him, it wasn’t long before he was moved up to a supervisor position, the extra money allowing him to go to a local College, completing evening classes in English and Law, giving him the chance to go to university.
Just after he'd been awarded a place at a local university, Denise had told him she was pregnant again, this time with Taya. Marvin had been torn, he desperately wanted to better himself and the life of his family, but couldn’t juggle work, a university course with a toddler and a pregnant girlfriend, something had to give and Marvin knew it had to be the course, so he chose to defer for a year. As enrolment time came round again, he and Denise had had a huge fight, he’d been tempted to leave but Taya was so beautiful lying in her cot, he couldn’t. Instead he vowed to Denise he’d be able to do it, she’d said he’d last three months, he had been determined to prove her wrong, and he had. Completing the course, getting a 1:1 whilst still working at supermarket and raising Reece and Taya, it had been so hard for him, but he knew it would be worth it in the end, and it was.
He’d taken a job in a Solicitors firm, passing his exams and becoming a fully fledged Solicitor, he’d soon earned a good reputation in financial law and was soon earning enough to buy a new car and a nice house in a better part of town. Reece and Taya were in a good school and Denise was happy. He was happy. Denise had regular holidays, new clothes, no need to shoplift any more, what more could she ask for, she was the envy of her friends from the estate.
He looked over at the three of them as he was waiting for the luggage and smiled, he couldn’t believe his luck sometimes. He’d collected two bits of luggage and was just waiting for Taya’s Disney case when Reece walked over and pointed towards a shining new gun-metal grey Mercedes SL. Marvin looked over and read the sign ‘This COULD be YOURS, only £99 a ticket’.
‘Why don’t you buy a ticket Dad, that’d be sick if you took me to school in that’ Reece said.
Marvin winced, he’d never won anything in his life, but he thought as he was happy, why not? He collected the bag and walked over to the stand with Reece.
Two Weeks Later
‘Hello is that Marvin King’? The female voice said at the end of the telephone line.
‘Hi, yes who’s this?’ Marvin replied.
‘My name’s Anna, I’m from Airspace Promotions and am just ringing you to tell you, you are the winner of our new Mercedes SL, Congratulations Sir’.
‘What? Really, that’s excellent’, Marvin said, grinning ear to ear, life really could not get any better at the moment.
1 Week Later
There was a knock on the door on Marvin’s office at Grayson and Bray, the firm who’d taken him in on from university, he couldn’t believe it at the time, now he was one of their top solicitors. ‘Come in’ Marvin called.
He looked up and was greeted by a man in a DHL shirt, who was holding an A4 envelope, he handed Marvin the envelope and a clipboard, asking him to sign. Marvin signed and handed the clipboard back, wishing the DHL man a good day.
He picked up the package, giving the outside a quick examination, it was marked by one of Grayson and Bray’s rivals, another large firm who tended to specialise in divorce but also dealt with financial law.
He pulled his letter opener from his desk and slipped it under the lip of the envelope, and carefully pulled the knife along, splitting the glue holding the envelope together. He reached inside and pulled out the contents, as he turned the stapled paper the correct way, he choked, he couldn’t believe what he was reading, they were custody papers.
There must be some mistake thought Marvin, he went through the papers, it said Denise had filed for them, along with demands for child support, it named both Reece and Taya, there must be some mistake, there had to be.
He pulled out his new Iphone 5, and scrolled down for Denise’s number, it rang and rang, no answer. He re-dialled, again and again, no response. He text her,
‘Denise Babe, please answer the phone, I’ve got custody paper’s here, what’s going on? X’
He kept scanning the papers for any hint of what he’d done or why Denise had filed for them, he’d hardly seen Denise since they’d returned from holiday but Denise knew that would be the case, she’d been fine this morning, kissing him before he left. It wasn’t long before she replied,
‘I’m leaving you Marvin, I’m fed up of being 2nd to that job, don’t come home tonight, I’ve had the locks changed and will ring the police if you turn up, you’ll be hearing more from my solicitor.’
What the hell! Thought Marvin as he picked up the keys to his newly won Mercedes, asked the secretary to take his calls and left the building, he marched towards the Mercedes, got in and sped away, heading straight for home. His home, the home he’d worked so hard for, his kid’s home, his beautiful wife’s home, she couldn’t be doing this, why would she? Why?
He sped home, determined to confront Denise, the woman he loved was breaking his heart in two, how could she, he’d worked so hard for her. He ran through red lights, overtaking cars into oncoming traffic, the anger building inside him, the desperation biting at his heart, he had to do something, but what could he do? He’d given her everything. He heard a siren, he didn’t care if it was for him, he had to see her, he pulled off the main road and sped up a side street, taking another