A littel piece of fiction for you all. Sorry if it doesnt go type up well in here. Having probs gettin hold of MS Word

 

Spared

“I hope you're going to sort that sister of mine out while we're on holiday. You know John doesn't stand up to her like he should. It might be his villa and he is the major bread winner but Dot doesn't half run rings round him. We cant lend any more money to Michael by the way, let me get my diary out and see just how much he's had off us this month. Put the kettle on Dad.” She said to her husband as she reached for her diary which was in the bag she kept by her couch. Her couch, in prime position of the TV. Gary sighed and made sluggishly for the kitchen. He dreamed of riding a Harley Davidson while The Byrds played sixties rock in the background. “Yes love.” Is all he could say.

“Fifty-six pounds, that's how much he's had off us this month. We can't afford it no more Dad. That should be going towards our holiday.”

Gary smiled forlornly as he thought of his son. Knowing that he was struggling with disability, finding it hard to make ends meet he could forgive the only luxury he had, a luxury they were indirectly funding, that of hand rolling tobacco. Besides, he himself smoked too. He placed the kettle in its mount and sat at the kitchen table and reached for his packet of cigarettes; Royals.

“When are the cable men coming to sort out your computer?” He asked as he drew heavily from his cigarette. He was a process worker at one of the local factories. In his fifties, he wondered why he had worked all his life, and still remained on the council estate that he so longed to flee. Still, six more years of work and he would retire, so he thought, while worries of an extended working life plagued him. It wasn't just that the retirement age may be extended to seventy for men, it was the patio, the wooden floors, the leather suite, the fitted kitchen and plush bathroom set. All of it, still to be paid for, on top of a mortgage for a property that was fast losing its worth. Worth what, he mumbled to himself, thinking of the broken glass on the road outside the house that may cause his tyres to pop. He hadn't slept much that night, his only night off, due to the noise from the regular weekend party at number 34, next door but one. He rubbed his eyes and glanced through the kitchen door at his wife now sat tallying up the various totals, looking over her glasses. He repeated the question. “When are they due?”

“They should be here any minute now.” She replied while tucking away her diary in the bag and checking her mobile for texts.

“I just have to nip out and get some petrol.” He said sadly.

“I'll have that brew first if you don't mind.” She said authoritavely.

“It's coming dear.” After the task of tea and hermesetas was done, he took the cup into the living room, and passed it to his wife. While slipping on his jacket he looked at his wife and asked;

“Is there anything you want while I'm gone?”

“No thank-you”, is all she replied while looking at the phone.

Gary paused for some time, looking at her. He smiled, said he loved her, and made for the front door. She did not reply. As he got to the front door, there was a knock. He opened expectantly and said to the young woman now stood before him, “NTL?”

The woman nodded and said hello. “She's in there.” He replied and walked up the path towards the gate. The woman entered the house and shut the door behind her. Gary opened the boot of his car, and looked excitedly at the holdall placed within. It was the only thing in the boot. The only thing he wanted right now. He closed the boot, smiled, got into his car, and drove away.

Inside the house, Maria got up from the sofa, grabbed her two walking canes and walked slowly and with effort, towards the woman now stood watching her. The woman looked alarmed. “It's okay Mrs Anderson no need to get up, just let me know what the problem is and I'll have a look.” Maria was already making mental notes that it was so good to see a young woman in the IT Profession. She smiled affectionately at the woman. “Come in, don't just stand there, I will put the kettle on. It's my arthritis, I'm okay during the summer but it's still a little chilly in the air.”

“Oh it's okay.” The woman said, “I will be peeing all morning if I have any more tea. Just let me know what the problem is and I will have a look?” The woman said as she sat on the adjacent sofa to Maria.

Maria began. “Well as you know, I have just come over to you people, only, since I have come over to you I cannot access my old emails from my previous internet provider. I have had nothing but trouble with them. If my son was here he would be able to sort it out, but he cannot get here from Moston at the moment so I have had to call you.”

“Oh, does your son work with computers?” The woman asked inquisitively.

“No he doesn't at the moment, but he teaches himself and he is currently doing an internet course in computing. He knows a fair bit about them. That's him there.” She looked over to a photograph placed on top of the TV. A picture of a young man in military uniform smiled back. Maria smiled at the photograph before looking at the woman for approval.

The woman looked at the photograph for some time before giving the accepted reply. “He's a handsome fellow. I take it he's in the Army.”

Maria breathed in deeply and expanded her chest. “He used to be in communications, that was taken while he was in Iraq. He has suffered some since then but he is quite an intelligent person really. You wouldn't have thought so if you knew him as a boy. He could have been an officer if he wanted but he said he wanted to be with the lads. When he joined up, they gave him a top score in his tests, and said he could have any job he wanted. He could have been an intelligence officer if he wished. But he wanted to be with the lads, he has the killer instinct you see.” Her eyes glazed over.

The woman stifled a smile. “How old is he if you don't mind me asking?”

Maria continued, “Well that was taken some time ago during the first Gulf War so he is older now. Although you wouldn't think it by the way he marches up these hills. The Army made a man of him, he came out very mature. He did a lot of travel and even worked for the United Nations. The other soldiers used to look up to him and he always looked after them. He always had an old head on him ever since he was young. He is the eldest of five. I have five children, he's forty-two now and still single.”

“If I wasn't married myself I would ask you for his number,” she lied while exhibiting a smile.

“Oh he's very choosy about his women. They have a lot to live up to.” She begged.

“Okay, alright what is the problem with your computer again.”

“As I said I can't access my emails. The thing is, I need it for work. I'm a town councillor and I'm expecting some important information about a young child I have to go and see. He's been taken into care and I am due to travel to Oxford to check on his progress. I'm also on the over-viewing scrutiny panel and hold the portfolio for leisure in this area so I do use the computer quite a bit. All my work is on there and I do most of my documents by email. I'm due to see a young boy in the week and I need the access before then.”

“Well lets take a look shall we. Where is your computer?”

“It's in my office, upstairs. I will show you.” She got up from the sofa laboriously and grabbed her canes. The woman got up and waited patiently for Maria to pass her and negotiate the stairs. After what seemed like forever, they arrived at the spare bedroom that was the office of Councillor Maria Anderson. She took a seat, and placed her canes by the side of the desk where her computer sat. The young IT Professional sat down in a chair beside her. After the computer had booted up, and the password entered, they accessed the internet, where Maria established that she could not gain access to her email. “See what I mean, I cannot access the mail and it has been like this for some time. I bet my emails will be full now. God knows how I'm going to work through them all in time for this meeting in Oxford.”

The young woman knew immediately what the problem was. “It's okay I know what the problem is, can I just take over a minute. It's your server details. I just have to alter them is that okay?”

“Yes of course, go ahead.” Maria said relieved.

The young woman altered the POP 3 server details, changed several parameters and said to Maria; “it should be okay now if you want to log on to your account.”

Just then there was a loud bang on the door. Maria looked a little angry then smiled. “It's okay it's just the kids next door. They play football in the street and sometimes the ball comes into the garden. I just let them get it and leave them to it. I shall try and get my emails now.”

She entered her login details and was surprised to see that there was only one email in the inbox. She looked at the woman, “Oh, it seems I'm not going to be that busy after all. It's from my son. The one we were talking about. I'll open it to make sure it's working.” She opened the email:

To

Mands@VM.com

From:

mjcool@tb.co.uk

Dear Mummy,

Please can I have 20p for jelly tots and swizzels and some liquorice

lots of lovely hugs and kisses

michael.

The young woman looked at Maria with some concern before enquiring, “is this the son that was in the first Gulf war?”

Maria sat silently staring at the screen. Her anger rising. The sound of another loud bang adding to

her dark thoughts. “The fucking little bastards.” She shouted. And without looking at the young woman beside her, leapt from the chair and ran as fast as the wind itself, down the stairs to the front door where shouting and swearing erupted. The young IT professional, sat there, puzzled, glanced at the sticks that were left propped against the desk where she was now sat, and cringed! She got up from her seat, looked out of the window and saw Maria, running down the street, a dark face on hunched shoulders, chasing furiously, several young children. The football, wobbling in the breeze, smiled serenely from the garden.