by A. E. Murphy
My dad sits the other side, his head bowed from exhaustion and sorrow.
“She won’t move,” My dad says in response to my suggestion. “She’ll only get worse faster if she’s in a place that she doesn’t know.”
I know he’s right, but we can’t keep going through this. “Then we need to install a stair lift and make the house suitable.”
“Do you have ten grand?” My dad snaps, his troubled, bloodshot eyes on me.
“We’ll come up with something. We’ll have to.”
My dad’s shoulders slump and his head rests against my mother’s arm. “We’ll tackle one thing at a time. This is the second fall she’s had this month. Stair lift first. If we put our wage packets together, we’ll be able to have one installed.”
“I could get a loan.”
“No.” My dad lifts and shakes his head. “That should be our last resort. Right now it isn’t necessary. We’ll figure it out.”
I release mum’s hand and stand, eager to stretch my legs. “What about when it gets worse? What are we going to do then?”
“I’ll just have to leave work. I have a pension waiting for me. If I appeal and explain my circumstances…”
My mum groans in her slumber and rolls, wincing as she tries to move the leg that has been wrapped in bandages and placed on rolled up blankets to keep her elevated. My dad hits the button to call the nurse and, just like that, we both stop talking and instead sit in silence until the sun rises in the sky.
Eloise
“Mr Price?” I say softly as I walk into his classroom.
His head is on his arms and his eyes are closed. His face is towards me and the way his lips are scrunched and slightly parted is actually kind of adorable.
Maybe I should let him sleep.
Nah.
“Mr Price?” I make my way over to him, stopping when my thighs are against his desk. My finger hovers above his head for a moment before I make the final decision to tap his temple. I do it a little bit harder than I planned, but it doesn’t seem to stir him from his slumber. “Hello?”
I drop my bag on the floor, hoping the bang will wake him. It doesn’t, although he does let out an unattractive snort before burying his face directly into the circle of his arms.
I tug on a blond lock of hair at the base of his head, the sensitive hairs that sit along his neck. He only grunts and shrugs his shoulders.
“Does this mean I can go?” I reach for my bag again.
A vice like grip snags the sleeve of my jumper, causing me to jolt in shock and surprise. “I’m awake.” He says this without lifting his head from his other arm. “Sit.”
“Umm…”
The door opens without a knock and Miss Hart stops with her hand on the handle. Her eyes shoot between Mr Price and myself as he abruptly releases me and sits upright.
The way he suddenly moved just made this entire thing look extremely suspicious. I’m not sure what to do now. I’m certain that standing on the spot with wide eyes and twitching hands is really not helping this situation at all.
“Is there a problem, Eloise?” Miss Hart asks, still glancing between myself and Mr Price, who now looks casual, albeit tired.
“Umm… No, I’m supposed to be here to…”
“She’s here to help with the Halloween event.” Mr Price lies and I could kick him for this particular lie. I hate being volunteered for stuff I don’t want to do. “I fell asleep. She was waking me it seems.”
Miss Hart’s eyes remain suspicious but her tense body slowly relaxes. “Well, thank you for the help, Eloise. I heard that your dad might be sponsoring the event?”
“I haven’t spoken to him yet. He’s been working out of town the past few days.”
Miss Hart nods and moves further into the room. “Well, get back to us as soon as possible if you could.”
I nod my agreement, unsure of what to do or say.
“You can go, Eloise. I’ll give you a shout if we need anything.” Mr Price nods towards the door. I take that as my cue and don’t hesitate to make a run for it.
“Sleeping?” I hear Miss Hart say quietly as I pass. “Anything to do with why your dad isn’t present today?”
“Mum had an accident,” he mutters back, right before I close the door behind me.
It’s not until I’m half way to the common room that I realise I left my bag behind. I don’t bother going to get it though. I don’t want to walk back into that awkwardness again.
No thank you!
I really hope Mrs Price is okay. The thought of her being hurt makes me sad inside. She was always such a kind and caring person.
Isaac
“I’m sorry about your mum and I really hope she recovers soon, but… I’m not going to lie…” Katherine shifts on the spot as a frown turns her face. “What just happened? What did I just walk into?”
“Exactly what I said.” I respond quickly and clearly. “I’m not that kind of man, Miss Hart.”
“I didn’t say you were, but now you’re getting defensive I am starting to wonder…”
My hands clench into fists. “I’m just helping her out. She’s in a bad place right now.”
“Please, that girl doesn’t know what a bad place is.” She snorts and it’s definitely not attractive.
I sit tensely, my eagerness to defend the young girl stronger than I’d like to admit. “Why? Because her parents have money? She’s going through something right now and she needs support. Nobody else seems to care, so I’m trying my best to at least relate to her on some level… the best I can do at this point is help her with her school work and keep an eye on her.”
“There are a lot of students in this school that come from harsher backgrounds. Why her? Why not the others?”
My heart skips a beat and thrums with anger. “Are you suggesting I have a soft spot for this particular student? All of my other students are doing okay as far as I’ve noticed. Eloise not so much.”
“She seems fine in my lessons. What’s wrong with her?”
I shake my head, refusing to reveal a secret which isn’t mine to tell. “It’s probably nothing. She’s falling behind before we’ve even begun and, after her year last year, I guess I’m just worried.”
“And you’re sure she’s not just pretending to be stupid so that she gets more attention from you?” Katherine laughs coldly. “I don’t mean this in a suggestive way, but have you seen yourself? I’m sure she’s not the only one.”
“I’m not stupid and she isn’t like that. She’s got enough on her plate.” Why is this making me so angry?
“Like what?” She sits on the table opposite my desk, her arms folded against her chest. “I’m calling bullshit.”
“I’m not sure I like where this is going.”
Her own irritation falters and a false smile settles on her no longer pretty face. “I just don’t want her… putting you in a position where it might be hard to… resist.”
“I’m done with this conversation.”
“Look, I know Eloise. I’ve known her a long time. She’s a very, very attractive young lady. The boys used to buzz around her like flies to shit and she’d lap it up. She’d have a different guy on her arm every other week… I’m not saying she’s promiscuous, just that she enjoys the attention.”
That’s bollocks. “Are you sure we’re talking about the same Elle?”
“Elle?”
“Will you stop reading into this? I’m merely helping out a student, who happens to be a pretty young woman. Would we be having this conversation if she were male?”
Katherine flips her hair over her shoulder, looking entitled and smug all of a sudden. “I know women, Mr Price.” And I don’t? “And I have a bad feeling about this one…”
I stand, my frustration getting the better of me. “You don’t know her anymore. She’s clearly changed and trust me when I say she’s isolated herself. She isn’t trying to get my attention. The simple fact is, she doesn’t even want it, nor does she want anybody else�
��s attention.”
“If you say so…”
“I insist it. Maybe you should spend some time with her and see for yourself. There’s something going on and I think right now, more than ever, she needs help. It’d probably be better coming from another woman.”
“Your mother wasted an entire school year worrying about that girl and her friends as they partied and took more drugs than I’ve ever had the displeasure of hearing about. If she’s going down the same road, who cares?”
I shake my head with disgust. “We should care. You should care. Besides, she’s not doing that shit anymore. She has a job at Crystal’s café and works her arse off there. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. She’s also helping her dad with his rental scheme. She’s doing well in school. She’s just taking too much on, but refuses to quit.”
“You two are close it seems.”
“She hasn’t told me any of this; it’s just what I’ve picked up on over the past few weeks.”
Her face falls. “You really are taking an interest. I bet you can’t tell me any of this about the other students.”
She’s got me there. “She’s pregnant.” Fuck.
FUCK!
“W… what?”
“She’s pregnant. She doesn’t know I know. I overheard a conversation that I shouldn’t have heard. I’m pretty sure nobody knows.”
Katherine gapes in shock, clearly not expecting to hear that. “Holy crap.”
“Exactly. I’m just… I don’t know. I feel bad for her. I’m trying to help, but there’s not much I can do.”
“You should tell her parents!”
“I’m not going to and neither are you. This is for her to decide, not us. We have no right.”
Katherine growls in frustration, but doesn’t argue. “Who’s the father?”
I shrug. “I’m guessing it’s that new kid. I don’t know his name… Gaz or something.”
“Garrett? Yeah, those two do seem to have a close relationship. Do you think he knows?”
“I don’t know. He’s not in my class.”
Katherine’s demeanour oozes determination. “Well they’re both in mine. I’ll get to the bottom of it.”
“Don’t make it obvious.”
“Do I look stupid?”
I choose not to answer. Probably not the right choice of action. “You better not say anything.”
“I won’t! I know she’s over the age of consent, so it’s none of my business.”
Well, at least she understands to a certain level. “Good. So… you’ll keep an eye on her?”
“If she starts failing in my class or acting peculiar, I’ll give her the attention a teacher is required to give to a student and nothing more. You should do the same.”
Chapter Eleven
Eloise
“So, do you want the good news or the bad news?” I grin, almost bouncing on the spot from excitement.
“Bad news first,” Mr Price senior says and Mr Price Junior and Miss Hart both nod.
“My dad won’t sponsor the school, but Crystal will and I’ve been doing some planning of my own with a few of my friends. They’ve all agreed to help set up and clean up.” I hand Mr Price Senior the file in my hands. “I think more students will come if more teachers are involved, so I’ve put the three of you down under certain roles.”
“I’m pretty sure this is my event,” Miss Hart snaps as Mr Price Senior looks over my plans. He ignores her, as do I.
When Mr Price Senior sees his role, he laughs and nods. “I can do that.”
“What am I?” Mr Price Junior asks and snatches the list from his father’s hand. He frowns when he sees his own and lets out a deep sigh. “Jason? Seriously? Why can’t Simon be Jason?”
Miss Hart goes next. “No way, not a chance. Nope. No. It’s not happening.”
“Crystal wants to supervise the food sales. She’s good at recognising thieves when she sees them and Hayley has agreed to do the tickets on the door. She’s too chicken to actually partake in the events.”
“And you?”
I smile proudly. “I’m going to supervise and fill in for people when they need a break.”
“Can we get this done in three weeks? I’m not sure how much time I’ll have to spare, what with Mrs Price having a broken ankle.” My heart lurches when I see the sorrow in the older man’s eyes.
“It’s fine. I can handle it, if you’ll lend me some of your faculty and students.”
Mr Price Senior shrugs. “It seems like a great idea to me. Nothing exciting ever happens in this god forsaken town. What do you think, Isaac?”
Isaac… that’s his name? Wow… that really suits him.
Isaac, aka Mr Price Junior, looks at me blankly. “I don’t have a problem with it. I just worry that we can’t get it done.”
“We can definitely get it done,” I reassure them. “Definitely. My friends are all for scaring a bunch of lower years and their families. If we start decorating on the last day of school before we break up, then there’s no way we won’t be ready. All we ask is that people can get a hold of their own costumes, which the fancy dress store in town has said she’ll happily order in for us and give us discount, seeing as it’s for a good cause.” When they all consent I almost squeal. It’s been a long time since I felt this excited about anything. “You won’t regret it!”
I’m not sure how or when or even why I became leader of this project, but it’s actually starting to not feel like such a bad idea.
Isaac
I slam the phone down, even though it’s cordless and doesn’t require slamming down to hang up the call. “They’re coming out tomorrow to do the assessment, decide what she needs before applying for the installation. It all sounds like a fucking TV contract.”
“I can’t avoid it anymore,” My dad says, sounding defeated. My dad has always been a strong man, so seeing him so down and depressed has thrown me completely. If he can’t stay strong then how am I supposed to? “We need the help and with my pension under review…”
“I don’t like the thought of Mum having a nurse.” I state, looking around the empty living room. “She won’t like it either.”
“What else can we do?” I hear the anger in his tone and I know it’s not aimed at me, but at the situation. “Why her… why my wife? Why such a kind, caring, thoughtful woman?”
I don’t answer because I just don’t have an answer. “It’ll be okay; we’ll figure it out. At least we know we’ll be getting some kind of help.”
“Okay?” My dad yells and I shush him with a finger to my lips. His tone lowers to a hiss. “How the fuck will it ever be okay? There’s no cure for this! It will never get better.” He exits the room and I listen as his heavy footsteps ascend the stairs.
Maybe I said the wrong thing, but what the hell am I supposed to say in a situation like this?
He’s right. It’s never going to get easier and it’s never going to get any better. All we can do is make my mother comfortable and hope that she holds onto her mind for as long as possible.
I wake with a pain in my neck. The sound and scent of bacon sizzling under the grill travels through from the kitchen. I stretch my body and look around my parent’s living room. I must have fallen asleep on the couch.
“Morning, Son,” my dad says around a yawn as he places a plate and a glass of fresh orange on a tray. “I’m just going to take this up to your mother. Yours is cooking. I’m sure you can handle a grill. Bread’s in the oven.”
“Cool.” I move around him and make quick work of piling the bacon left for me onto the fresh bread, warm and toasted from the hot oven. After switching everything off, I spill a dash of ketchup into my sandwich and bite down with a groan. It doesn’t matter where you cook a bacon sandwich, it always tastes better at your parents’ house.
I hear my mum’s laughter through the ceiling and smile to myself. One day that laughter will stop and that thought breaks my heart.
Once I’m done with breakfast, I make a quick trip
to my house to change my clothes and have a shower. I’m back at my parent’s within the hour, ready for the social worker to come and assess the house. I daren’t leave my father alone with the poor person they send. He’s still in a strange sense of denial. I think having the equipment suited to my mum’s needs will put him on edge and make it all the more real for him.
I wish I knew why this was happening to us. It just seems so unfair. I wouldn’t wish this on anybody, but my mum just doesn’t deserve this.
Eloise
And the list is done! I don’t think I’ve ever felt so relieved. After three days of shopping, Crystal and I have finally gathered almost everything we need from the local stores and the school drama supplies.
The only things left to buy are the food and the costumes, but Miss Hart and Mr Diplock are handling that list closer to the time, along with Mr Price Junior.
I’m not sure how, but I managed to convince the majority of my class to help with the preparations and even though we don’t start for another week, we’ve decided to meet on Monday to plan the décor and rooms.
Hayley is dealing with the advertising. I won’t deny that the girl has a knack for posters and flyers, and she’s tenacious in delivering them. With the local newspaper and radio station on our side, I have a tremendous feeling that this Halloween event is going to be huge.
“Dinner’s here!” Mum shouts up the stairs.
We’re having Chinese takeout and I can’t deny that I am looking forward to it. Both of my parents are home, which means we’ll eat together and I’ll hopefully be able to talk to them about the event and my birthday.
I help Mum set the table as my dad grabs the cutlery and sauces. When we take our seats, I begin telling them about everything I’ve planned for Halloween. My dad smiles, clearly proud and happy at my enthusiasm. Mum listens intently, but doesn’t seem too impressed. I suppose she wants to get back to her phone, which keeps vibrating in the living room. I can hear it against the wooden table where it rests.