by Carl Andrew
“Oh my god, is he alive? Where is he now?”
“He’s in hospital. The doctor said that mum found him just in time. He’s just starting to talk again, very slowly and in short bursts. They don’t think he’s going to be able to walk. He’s lost all feeling in his legs.”
On hearing this, Leon started to cry. He may have had his differences with his dad but he was still his dad. Nothing could remove that bond.
He couldn’t shake memories of them playing together from his mind. It only served to make the feelings more painful and fuelled his tears.
After a few moments, he managed to get a grip enough to be able to speak.
“I’m coming. Tell him I’m coming.”
“Let me know what time and I’ll pick you up. Oh and Leon, I think you should bring Abby with you. You’ll welcome the support,” Ally said.
“Of course, I’ll call you.”
When he put the phone down he turned to go to the bedroom and pack. Abby, upon hearing one side of the conversation, walked after him.
She saw the tears still apparent on Leon’s face. She approached him, took his hand and kissed his tears. She held him and that allowed him to cry. She held him until his tears were no more.
That afternoon, they went to Bolton to be with his family, so Leon could be with his dad.
Chapter 24:
Clapham, South London
The relationship with David was still strained and Vanessa was desperate to find a release.
Earlier that day she had contacted a friend of hers who agreed, even though it was a Wednesday, to go out for some drinks that evening.
Vanessa went to her wardrobe and pulled out a few items from the section she liked to describe as slutty.
She was determined, whatever happened that evening, she would not be going home alone.
She laid the offending items on her bed and picked out a figure hugging short and low cut strappy black dress. She had bought it a while ago but had never braved the elements to wear it outside.
It was her new ‘man killer’ dress. She put it on and reviewed herself in the full length mirror.
She wore her hair down and her make-up was used for maximum effect.
The dress complimented her look. It didn’t flatter to deceive at all; it followed the contours of her perfectly formed body and left little but the essentials to the imagination.
Perfect, she thought to herself before grabbing her bag and leaving the apartment to get into a taxi.
Pulling up to the venue, she felt the cold initially as she exited the car. It only lasted a brief moment, however, as she was in the bar in an instant and spotted her friend Jenny at a table in the corner of the room.
“There are currently five couples having an argument about the validity of their relationship and at least 15 guys are now suffering from severe neck ache after you walked in,” Jenny said as Vanessa greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.
“What are you up to Nessy and whose heart are you planning to break this evening?”
“Just out to have a good time Jen. Work is a bit challenging at the moment and I needed to let my hair down,” Vanessa responded.
“Right,” Jenny replied with a little more than a hint of sarcasm.
They spent the night drinking way too much and gossiping about everything from celebrities to sexual conquests. It was a typical evening out for Vanessa and Jenny heralding back to their university days.
Numerous men built up the courage to come over to the table and try their luck and all went back with a wounded pride and an air of embarrassment about them. These two were taking no prisoners.
A little while later, Mr Confident came over and announced to Vanessa: “I don’t want to talk, I just want to dance,” before holding out his hand and grabbing hers.
For some reason, this one felt right and Vanessa reciprocated.
They went to the dance floor and performed for the watching audience. They were nothing short of combustible as they discovered each other’s bodies and competed to play the lead role.
A few dances in, Mr Confident leant in to Vanessa’s ear and said: “I’m not after anything serious, just some fun. Does that work for you?”
“I thought you said you didn’t want to talk,” Vanessa responded before kissing him on the lips.
“As long as you’re ok with this not being anything long term,” Mr Confident continued, keen to lay down the ground rules of their engagement, taking charge.
Vanessa, as authoritative as ever, looked him up and down and said: “You’ll last as long as I want you to last but I don’t think you’ll be able to keep up for more than a week, so don’t worry, I’m not planning wedding bells and christenings.”
Taken aback, Mr Confident was both nervous and excited. Vanessa had won the battle to lead and he didn’t complain in the slightest.
Jenny took this as her cue to leave and left Vanessa and her beau to explore the rest of the evening and into the next morning together.
The next day at work, Vanessa was content but pretty useless. She had achieved her goal.
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Late October - Staines, Surrey
The Staines branch of the Salvation Army shop was ten minutes away from being open for business.
Joan had been a volunteer for almost 20 years and was entrusted with opening up on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
She felt lucky to be able to work there. Most people thought that the Salvation Army were lucky to have her but the feeling of contentment and happiness she got from helping made her feel quite selfish.
She had parked at the back of the building as per usual and let herself in though the back door. She turned the lights on and also the radio.
She liked to have a little company in the morning, particularly with daylight first glimpsed much later now that autumn was well into its stride.
She popped into the small staff kitchen and put the kettle on. Along with dark mornings there was also frost and cold winds to deal with. It was an unfair combination as far as she felt.
It was almost like teamwork, one just made the other much harsher than it needed to be. It was similar to when the wind and rain combined to make using an umbrella essential but largely useless.
She placed her coat, gloves, scarf and hat on the coat stand and enjoyed the first sip of her milky tea with one sugar.
As she made her way into the main shop, she heard a number of voices outside.
Walking closer to the window, she saw half a dozen people standing outside.
Wow, people are eager to buy second hand books and old CDs today, she thought to herself.
It was still five to the hour but she couldn’t leave them out in the cold so she went to the door and opened up.
“I’ve still got to set a few things up but you’re welcome to come in and browse. I’ll only be five minutes,” she said to them.
There were two teenagers, a man about forty years’ old with his wife of the same age as well as two pensioners.
“No we’re here to help today,” the forty year old man said.
“Help, really. You’re… you’re all volunteers?” Joan asked looking around at each of the group as she spoke.
“Yeah, absolutely,” said the more enthusiastic of the teenagers.
“Well, I say,” Joan exclaimed in a way reminiscent to jolly pensioners in TV sitcoms from the 1980s. “That is awfully good of you.”
She could have been a caricature.
“So, what can we help with?” asked one of the pensioners.
Joan stopped and thought for a minute.
“Well, first of all please call me Joan. I’m sure I’ll get to know your names throughout the day.”
“It would be marvellous if you could unload the boxes over by the back of the room there. It should be pretty clear where the items need to go.”
“We’ll need to price them up mind, but if you take a look at similar items and use those as a g
uide, you won’t go far wrong,” she continued.
“Any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Oh and help yourself to tea in the back there. We have a small kitchen but I may need to pop out for some more milk.”
The volunteers got on with their duties and Joan’s life was made easier for a day.
Just after lunch, she went over to the forty year old man to satisfy a curiosity that had been bugging her all day.
He was busy tidying up the clothing area and stopped as he noticed her come over.
“Is there something else I can help with Joan,” he said, eager to please.
“No, it’s ok. I just…” she paused searching for the right words. “I just want to ask why?”
“Why?” echoed the man.
“I mean why are you volunteering today? Why are all of these people volunteering today? We’re lucky to get six volunteers in a month but I’m astonished we’d get that number in a day,” Joan said with more clarity of thought.
“So, is there a reason you’re all here today?” She asked again.
“Well, my wife and I have always had an urge to volunteer to help a charitable organisation. I guess we’ve never found the time,” the man replied.
“And what changed?” Joan countered.
“The Government announcement,” he said, expecting Joan to know about it.
“I mean, we’ve both been chipped and, well, basically we’re buying a new table and chair set this afternoon so wanted to try and get the 5% discount,” the man answered with more detail.
Joan was astonished.
“Is everyone else here today because they want a discount?” she continued questioning the man.
“I believe so,” he responded.
Across the country, long standing volunteers like Joan found themselves having a bafflingly easy day as hordes of people offered their time for free.
Pretty much all of them were intending to purchase something relatively expensive that same day.
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Bolton, Lancashire
Leon and Abby had been in Bolton for almost two weeks. In that time, Abby took over the running of the blog.
Leon’s focus was on his dad. He was at the hospital by his side almost from the first moment they arrived and continued to be so.
Abby was trying to support her boyfriend while keeping their normal lives going as best as she could.
The recovery was slow and painful for the family to watch.
The older Mr Bryant was still unable to walk and had very little feeling in his legs.
His speech was slow and jittery. He complained of flashes and patches in his vision. The left side of his body was slower to recover than the right.
There was no certainty if any of this was going to be corrected. The doctor referred to this period after a stroke as ‘a journey to an unknown destination’.
It was too difficult to tell what sort of recovery would take place and how long it would take.
Some patients see miraculous change from one day to the next. Others progress very slowly and some never recover.
The main advice the doctor gave was to try and stay positive. The positive energy could only help.
He mentioned to Leon that he had noticed a significant improvement as soon as he and Abby had arrived at the hospital.
That had sealed Leon’s stay at the hospital. He saw it as his duty and although he hadn’t shared what the doctor had told him, he kept it in his mind.
Try as he might, he couldn’t shake thoughts of life without his dad. He thought about what would happen to his mum.
How would she cope?
A week later, the doctor allowed his dad to leave hospital, albeit in a wheelchair.
His speech had improved but his movement was still a struggle.
Later that night, Leon found the two of them alone in the lounge.
“Leon, I need you to do something for me,” his dad said.
“Anything dad, you know that. What is it? Do you need some water?” Leon responded.
“No, nothing like that, I need you to make me proud,” his dad said, in a manner that was distinctly matter of fact.
Leon was taken aback by his comment. He wasn’t expecting anything like this at all.
It was odd to hear. Children are often told by their parents that they make them proud. Leon had been told that as recently as the last time he visited.
Confused and slightly disappointed, he said:
“I thought I was making you proud dad. I don’t understand.”
“You are, in everything you do. But you’ve been sitting around watching me for the last three weeks. I want you to live your life. That would make me proud,” his dad said in response.
“What do you mean? I am living my life,” Leon said.
“No, you’re not. You’re living my life, up here at the hospital talking with doctors about medication, exercises and recovery. Your life is in London with Abby.”
“Leon, you make me proud every day that I know you are pursuing your dream. Your dream is not in Bolton. I want you to go home. I’ll be fine. You’ve done more than enough for me by being here,” his speech was still patchy but Leon could hear the precision as he spoke.
“I heard the doctor. I heard when he told you the change he saw in me when you arrived.”
“You heard that?” Leon asked, staggered.
“I heard that and he was right. I felt you arrive. I can’t explain it but I knew you were there.”
“The best thing you can do for me now is to live your life. Will you do that for me son?” He asked.
Leon felt tears in his eyes. This was the most personal moment they had shared in many years.
“Dad, I’d do anything for you. You know that,” as he finished his sentence his sob had graduated into crying.
At that moment, Abby came into the room and went straight to Leon. She took him in her arms and said:
“What’s wrong? What’s happened?”
“Nothing’s wrong Abby luv. I’ve asked Leon to take you both back home and back to work.”
“I can’t thank you enough for how much you’ve both helped me by being here but I need you to get on with your lives. If anything changes here, the family will be in touch. But I’m doing ok now.”
“Leon, is that what you’d like to do?” Abby asked turning to him as she spoke and staring straight into his eyes.
A part of Leon was scared; scared he may not see his dad again. The other part knew this was what his dad wanted him to do. And it felt right.
“Yes, we’ll leave tomorrow,” he turned to his dad. “I love you dad.”
“I know you do son. I love you too. Go make me proud.”
The next morning, Leon and Abby went back to the stresses and strains of life back in London, back with the blog.
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A month later - Dundee, Scotland
Autumn was on its way and the leaves were turning the burnt orange and rich browns synonymous with this time of year. The sun was still shining but the mornings provided a greeting tinged with a bite of coolness.
It had only been a few weeks since the liquid chips were available in Dundee. Getting chipped was now all the rage and it had taken on an almost cult like status that made it cool to do.
This was partly driven by the 18 to 30 year olds who couldn’t afford not to be chipped but couldn’t bear doing something that wasn’t deemed as fashionable, so they invented a trend.
The city boasted one of the highest chipped population rates in the UK at 97% and had been used by the politicians as a shining example of a responsible place.
The centre of the city had also benefited from the new policy and solution to anti-social behaviour. Evenings and weekends were busy with people going out for dinner, meeting friends at a pub or generally just milling around.
Shops opened later to capitalise on the excellent conditions for trade.
Everything, it seemed, was thriving.
In one of the suburbs, a man was preparing to go out for the evening. He left his house wearing his best clothes and nervously made his way into town via the local bus.
He was nervous because tonight was the night of the big date. He’d wanted to ask the girl out for a few weeks now but never had the courage.
Finally, egged on by his friends, he found the courage to approach her and request her presence for dinner.
She said yes, much to his amazement and that of his friends.
That was a couple of days ago and since then, he had found it difficult not to skip along the road or sing aloud to his favourite songs. His happiness was etched across his face and present in all of his actions.
As the bus made its way into the city, he couldn’t believe how quickly the last few days had passed.
He soon found himself away from the sanctuary of his bus seat and wandering freely around the city. For the first time, he truly understood why they were referred to as butterflies.
He went to the cash machine to get enough money out to pay for drinks and the dinner. He wanted to do the right thing.
His mum had always brought him up to respect people and to be a gentleman. Tonight he wanted to be the very epitome of chivalrous.
Pressing on the buttons he selected the amount he wanted and declined a receipt. He didn’t want to waste paper.
This was the first time he had ever used a cash machine in the city centre. Prior to this he had only ever used the machines near his house and only during daytime.
Until recently, cash machine robberies were prevalent in Dundee, so much so that the vendors only used to fill the machines in the city up with cash once a month because they rarely got used.
After retrieving his bank card, the notes presented themselves for attention. He gave a cursory glance either side of him, still uncertain about some aspects of life in the city, and then grabbed the money.
He opened his wallet and placed the notes inside, neatly into the inner pouch. As he was closing his wallet a balloon burst on one of the outside tables of the restaurant next to the bank.
