by Ben Spavins
route home. He could still hear the sirens but hadn’t seen the police car. He pulled up to his house, revving the engine as he pulled onto the driveway, he didn’t bother to turn off the engine, he flung the door open, making the metal of the hinge flex. He ran up to the front door, and pressed the bell, and hit the door hard with his knuckles, he wanted Denise to know he meant business.
He saw a shadow move behind the door, he could hear himself breathing, the anger faded, the desperation creeping in, ‘Denise, I know you’re in there, Babe, whatever it is, we can work through it, I’ll work less, I’ll do whatever you want’, in the distance he could hear the sirens getting closer.
She opened the door, instead of the tears Marvin was expecting, she was dry eyed and her eyes were wild, full of anger, she pushed him hard in the chest, forcing him to take a step back. ‘No, enough is enough, I’ve done enough for you, I don’t see you, when I do, you just spend time with the kids, what about me Marvin? I've got needs' She pushed him in the chest again, forcing him down from the porch onto the drive.
He held his hands out, ‘what’s wrong with that? I love you and the kids, I need to spend time with them, everything I do, I do it for you and them, you know that. **** it, I’ll quit, whatever you want’, Marvin replied, his voice shaky.
‘Nuh uh, it’s too late for that, get off my property Marvin’, Denise replied, before turning around and heading towards the front door.
Marvin was dumbfounded, he didn’t know what to say, he racked his brain for something to say, heartbroken, he sunk to his knees, arm’s still out, ‘What, anything, I’ll do anything you want, please Denise, I thought we were tight?’
Denise turned around, about to open her mouth, when suddenly a police car pulled onto the driveway, the front bumper scraping the drive, it pulled right up behind Marvin’s Mercedes. Marvin turned around as two officers stepped out of the police car, ‘is this your vehicle sir’? One of the officers asked.
Marvin nodded, still confused by what Denise had said. ‘Was that you driving down the main road back there?’
Marvin nodded, not thinking straight, ‘I’m trying to save my life here’.
‘Not our problem’ the officer said as he walked up behind Marvin, reaching for his handcuffs, ‘please lie on the ground sir, I’m arresting you for dangerous driving’ the officer said.
Marvin lay down, struggling to hold the tears back, he didn’t care about being arrested, he’d be fined but money no longer mattered, nothing did. He looked up, Denise was just standing there, watching.
The officer, having cuffed him, pulled him upright, he was turned around to see the other office going through the car, ‘officer, make sure you check the boot’ Denise called from somewhere behind him. Marvin watched as the officer opened the boot of the Mercedes and leant inside, a moment later he emerged with a black satchel, he laid it on the floor and undid the zip, reached in and pulled something wrapped in a plastic bag. Marvin stared at the bag, he’d never seen it in his life. The officer carefully undid the bag, and pulled out a block of brown powder, ‘heroin’ he said as he looked up and stared at Marvin. Marvin shook his head as he was lead to the car, he was placed in the back of the police car and was driven away from his home, his family, his life.
A Few Months Later
‘Having reviewed the evidence and listened to all parties, and taking into account all the circumstances of the case, I feel I have no choice but to award full custody of both Taya and Reece King to Denise Sanders. I will also be recommending a generous separation package for Ms Sanders. I’m very sorry Mr King, we’ve not had a single negative witness testimony about you, however, considering your criminal Activities, I simply cannot award you with any right whatsoever to access either of your children for the foreseeable future’.
Two Weeks Later
‘Marvin King, you have been found guilty by a jury of your peers of possession of drugs with intent to supply, giving your position in the legal system, I feel I have no option but to make an example of you, I hereby sentence you to five years imprisonment’. Marvin shook his head as a tear began to trickle down his cheek, his world was gone, he’d worked so hard to escape the route of so many from his estate, now here he was, on his way to prison.
Two Years Later
Marvin was playing a game of Poker with Otis, his cell-mate when he heard the familiar sound of the door being unlocked, he and Otis turned around to see who was interrupting their game of cards. The door swung open and in walked the prison Governor, and the Chaplain, both nodded at Marvin, ‘Otis, would you mind coming with me for a moment’? The Governor asked.
Otis eyed the Governor suspiciously for a moment then looked at the Chaplain who nodded. Otis put his cards down, stood up and followed the Governor out of the cell who closed the door after them. The chaplain walked over to where Otis had been sitting sitting and sat down, sighing for a moment. He looked up at Marvin and held his gaze for a moment, ‘Marvin, I’ve got some bad news I’m afraid’, the Chaplain sighed again, ‘there’s never an easy way to say this, so I’m just going to say it, your daughter passed away earlier today, as well as your ex-partner, I’m so very very sorry’.
Marvin closed his eyes, his heart, already feeling so much hurt, felt like it juddered to a halt as his brain processed the information, he leaned down towards his knees and held his head in his hands, feeling nauseous.
‘How’? Marvin asked.
‘There was a boating accident whilst they were on holiday, some sort of collision with another boat, Taya was killed instantly, she didn’t feel any pain’, the chaplain replied.
‘And Denise, did she suffer?’
‘We’re told she didn’t, she drowned after suffering head injuries’.
‘And what about Reece, was he hurt? Who’s going to look after him now’?
‘Reece was fine, he was on the boat too, but escaped with cuts and bruises. As you know, you have no access rights to Reece, however we have been told his step-Father is looking into official adoption, until then Reece will stay with his step-Father’.
‘Who’s this step-Father?’
‘I don’t know Marvin, the court order prevents me from telling you anything, I’m sorry.’ The chaplain paused for a moment, ‘I’ll give you a moment before we let Otis in, I’m truly sorry for your loss, if you need anything, the chaplaincy will be right here for you’ the Chaplain said as he closed the cell door. Marvin couldn’t believe it, his beautiful little girl gone, his beautiful girlfriend, gone, drowned, and now his son, the son he was so proud of, now a stranger, on his own in the world.
Apart from this mystery step-father no-one seemed to know anything about.
Marvin shook his head as he looked around the cell, the same white-walled cell, his home for the last two years, pictures of his family on the wall beside his bed. The 175 unopened letters on the table he’d sent to Denise, all returned, unopened. He sighed, how he wished he could have said one last goodbye, one final kiss for each of his girls. He walked over to his bed, lied down, faced the wall, and cried, Otis choosing not to disturb him when he came in.
One Week After
He was hurting, his beautiful Taya dead, Reece, all alone with a stranger, and poor Denise, she’d broken his heart but he’d always love her. He was standing outside his cell looking down at the floors below, a kitkat wrapper was resting on the bars on the netting between floors. Motionless, its freedom annoyed Marvin. Floating above everyone else who walked underneath, he was almost jealous of it.
His fixation on it was suddenly broke as he felt an elbow in the base of his spine, he stood up straight trying to arch his back away from the protruding elbow. Turning to see who it belonged too, who was causing the discomfort, it was another inmate known as ‘O’, he’d been part of a gang of rapist’s who’d attacked several women. A lot of other inmates would have happily killed him for his part in the attacks, unfortunately most of the gang were in the same prison, all watching each other’s backs, making them feel near enough un
touchable.
‘What the ****!’ Marvin shouted at O.
O smiled, ‘my apologies, I heard you lost your ex partner, I hope the bitch suffered as she drowned’ he said, smirking.
Marvin stared at him, his eyes burning with rage, he charged at O, his hands outstretched reaching for O’s neck. O raised his hands in self defence, they were too slow as Marvin’s hands gripped his neck, tightening his grip as he pushed O into his cell. He pushed him to the far wall, and slammed O’s head into the far wall. ‘Now you say that again you ******’.
O choked, trying to raise his breath, he spluttered and after a moment he gave up and just smiled. Marvin slammed his head into the wall again, still holding his neck, he tightened his grip even more as O clawed at his face, trying to stop Marvin’s clamp on his neck, ‘say it!’
Suddenly O’s eyes focused on something behind Marvin, he turned to look at who was behind him, expecting to see O’s gang. Instead it was Jacobs, one of the prison guards who wrapped his baton around Marvin’s neck and pulled him back, swinging Marvin onto the floor in swift motion. Marvin raised an elbow expecting to be hit again only to hear the sound of the baton hitting soft flesh. He lowered his arm to see Jacob’s ramming the end of the baton into O’s stomach causing O to crumple to the floor. ‘Listen to me you