Teabags & Tears

by Woods, Karen

  Tina read the text message and immediately phoned Maxine. She was a wreck and was shaking from head to toe. Maxine had told her to come round to her house and as soon as she ended the phone call with her she ran all the way there. Maxine was stood at her front door with a can of Stella in her hand. This was the norm for her and she didn’t hide the can from anyone. Maxine was still dressed in her pyjamas. Her black Ugg boots covered her feet as she stood waiting for Tina with a serious look across her face.

  “Fucking hell Maxine, the shit’s hit the fan. What the fuck are we gonna do?”

  Maxine grabbed her by the arm and pulled her inside the house. “Keep ya mouth shut eh, telling the world and his wife our fucking business. You know what these nosey twats are like round here.” Tina was pulling at her hair and pacing the front room, she looked flustered.

  “Oh Maxine what the fuck are we gonna do. I can’t do jail. Sandra said the police had fuck all on us. What’s changed?” Maxine was now smiling and looked at her with a smirk across her face.

  “A bit of lettuce licking never did anyone any harm love. The women will love you in jail.”

  Tina scowled. “Will you fuck off. I’m being serious. I’m not a lesbian and even if I went to jail I wouldn’t munch no woman’s rug.”

  Maxine opened another can after she’d swilled the remains of the first one. “Right we don’t even know what the script is yet do we? Show me the message she sent you.” Tina’s hand could be seen shaking as she searched for the message. Once she’d found it she passed it to Maxine. “She might be fucking about with us. You know what Sandra’s like.”

  Tina shook her head. “No she wouldn’t do that. She’s not the kind to have us on about something like this.” She grabbed her phone back from Maxine. “I tried phoning her straight back but the phone went to voice mail.” Maxine parked her arse on the sofa. Sucking on her lip she looked in deep thought. Tina was up at the window peeping through the net curtains for any sign of the police.

  Sandra sat in the cold cell at Grey Mare Lane police station. She’d been there on a few occasions to bail John out in the past but never as an inmate. As the door closed behind her she made her way to the small wooden platform at the back of the room. A small window gave off very little light and she could see the steel bars behind it. Sitting on the thin mattress her eyes started to read the bits of graffiti that previous occupants had written. One read “I’m fucking innocent.” Sandra moved nearer to read the next one. As her eyes cast upon it she could just about make out the words. “I love you always Mandy loves Peter.” Blowing her breath through her lips she sat with her back against the cold wall. The noise from outside kept her amused. You could hear people who were also locked up shouting their heads off.

  One man must have been next door to her because she could hear him coughing and farting singing an old Collyhurst song. She remembered the song and smiled as she recalled her dad singing it years before when he was drunk.

  When I was young and lazy, as lazy as can be.

  I said fuck off to the mother in law and off I went to sea.

  Sandra drew her legs up to her chest and waited for the singer to belt out the chorus. She joined in as he sang louder.

  Collyhurst Road, I am forsaken,

  and it’s not that my poor heart is aching,

  it’s the whisky and the rum that I’ve been takin.

  For that charming little girl down Collyhurst Road.

  The sound of the police officer banging on his door could be heard. The man next door was shouting abuse at whoever was at his door and it didn’t deter him from finishing the song. Hours passed and Sandra was bored. She picked at her nails. Pulled a string of cotton from her sleeve and was ready to start banging on her own door too. Suddenly the door opened and a female officer told her to follow her whilst she took her finger prints and photograph.

  “Are you having a laugh.” Sandra joked. “I’ve put super glue on my fella’s nob not robbed the Bank of England”

  The woman turned and smiled. “It’s procedure. Everyone who gets arrested has to go through this.”

  Sandra huffed. “Well if you ask me it’s a waste of fucking time. Come on,” she said sarcastically dragging at her clothing, “do I look like an arm robber or summat?” The woman led her into a small room and started to fill out some paperwork. Sandra scanned the area and felt a bit scared. The officer now placed a white piece of paper under her fingers and started to roll the end of her fingers into an ink pad. Once this was completed she rolled each finger onto the piece of paper. All that was left now was to have her picture taken. Sandra started to straighten her hair as she stood in front of the white background. The photo was taken.

  Sandra was led back to her cell. When she asked the officer what was happening next, they told her they were waiting for the duty solicitor to attend so they could go through the interview. “Interview?” Sandra repeated, “Interview for what? I’ve said I’ve done it so what else do you need me to do? Give me the charge sheet and I’ll attend court.”

  The police woman looked at her in disbelief. She felt sorry for her. “It’s not as easy as all that love, you can’t just go without us interviewing you. Your husband is in a bad way. You could have killed him.”

  Sandra raised her eyes to the ceiling. “Could have? What! Don’t tell me he’s not fucking dead?” The door locked behind her and she was sat back in the small room. Her eyes felt tired as she lay flat on the stinking foam mattress.

  Maxine and Tina were both arrested later that day for everything they’d done to Tracy. They denied any knowledge of the attack and both protested their innocence. The police had taken all the tattoo equipment from Tina’s house and her case wasn’t looking good. They were also taken to Grey Mare Lane police station. As Maxine was led to her cell she was shouting at the top of her voice as they pushed her inside. “Sandra if you can hear me, we’re innocent. Tell them fuck all. Don’t say a word until your brief gets here!” Sandra sat in her cell and she could hear her friend’s voice.

  “Maxine, is Tina with you?” she shouted. Her ear was placed against the thick steel door now and she couldn’t hear any reply. Darkness soon fell and Sandra pulled the crusty thin blanket over her body. It stank of cheesy feet.

  Just as Sandra had nodded off a hand was shaking her body. As her eyes struggled to open she remembered where she was. She could now see a man stood in front of her. As she scraped at her eyes she saw it was a police officer. “Come on Sandra your solicitor is here. We can start the interview now.” Sandra silently rose and followed him.

  As she walked into the room she could see a small fat man wearing glasses at a table with two chairs on either side of it. Placed on the dark wooden table was a tape recorder. All the walls had black panels on them and as Sandra felt one, the solicitor told her it was to help keep any noise out. The man now introduced himself as Daniel.

  Daniel looked about forty-five, his receding hairline made his face look round and fat. The white shirt he wore looked too small for him and the buttons dragging across at each side of it, told you it didn’t fit well. Clearing his throat he pulled a writing pad from his briefcase. As the two of them sat at the table Sandra started to tell him what had happened. His face looked horrified. Grabbing a drink of water from his paper cup you could see he was disturbed by it all. As he touched his own manhood she told him about shoving Super-glue down her husband’s penis. Sandra didn’t care anymore and she told him everything about him shagging her sister and getting her pregnant. Her eyes looked menacing as she cracked her knuckles as she spoke.

  “At the end of the day,” she said scratching her head, “sorry what’s your name again?”

  “Daniel” he replied as he rolled his silver Parker pen around in his fingers.

  “Yeah Daniel. At the end of the day he’s treated me like shit for years physically and mentally.” She now rolled her sleeves up and started to point bruises out on her arms. “Look I’m covered in signs of abuse but does anyone give a
fuck about me? No. I have to just put a smile on my face and pretend everything is fine. Well I can tell you it’s not. Why do you think I have done that to him?” Daniel kept his eyes on the paper as he carried on writing. This woman made him feel uneasy and he kept looking at the door checking he could get out if she attacked him. Sandra was livid.

  Daniel read the evidence from the police. Looking up at her he spoke. “The diary they have found suggests that you have been doing lots of other things to him too.” His eyes were burning into her as he waited for a reply.

  “For fucks sake Daniel,” Sandra chuckled. Her hands were waving about in front of her. “Don’t you think they are taking this too far?” Daniel looked shocked as she continued. “I mean I’ve pissed in his mouthwash a few times and made him put a bit of weight on. Come on that’s not a hanging offence is it? And he’s not dead.”

  Daniel stared at her. He tapped his thumbnail on his front teeth. He didn’t know if she was serious. Surely she must have understood why she was under arrest. He sighed and placed his paperwork down on the table. His face was serious. “Sandra you need to listen carefully. There are some serious allegations against you and if they are proved you will be looking at a lot of time in jail.” Her eyes scanned his face. Swinging back on her chair she looked at the door to make sure no one was listening. She’d watched lots of crime programmes on TV in the past and knew they would have to prove beyond reasonable doubt she was guilty. Daniel continued. “You have written in your diary that your two friends attacked your sister. They also drugged her, tattooed her face and dumped her at your parent’s house. If you don’t understand how serious this is you’re in for a big shock.” Sandra wiggled about in her seat. She really didn’t understand that she could go to jail for a long time. There was complete silence in the room as she pondered her thoughts.

  *

  Kevin lay in the hospital bed as he held his penis in his hands. It looked sore and the medical team were doing their best to take away his pain. Lots of doctors and nurses kept coming in to look at him and you could see the disbelief in their faces as they saw the damage his wife had caused.

  Two nurses were stood outside the door of Kevin’s room and you could hear them whispering as they giggled outside. “Fucking hell he must have deserved it” said one.

  “I know, what a great idea, if my fella is unfaithful to me he’s getting the same treatment. I’m gonna stock up on super-glue,” replied her friend. The laughter from outside the room could be heard now and you could see an older middle aged nurse holding her belly as she exploded with laughter.

  The press had got wind of the story and lots of journalists were eager to see the man who’d been attacked. The police were guarding Kevin and making sure the media didn’t get to him whilst he was still getting treatment. The doctor injected his penis with some pain relief. As the needle pierced his skin he howled like a wounded animal. Everybody in the room cringed and the men in the room sympathised with his pain. Kevin was ranting at the top of his voice. “Doctor, am I going to be okay? You’re not going to cut my nob off are you?” The medical staff explained to him that the glue had burnt the inside of his manhood and hopefully with some extensive treatment he should make a full recovery.

  Kevin started to relax as the pain relief kicked in. He now spoke to the nurse at the side of him. “She’s a fucking crank you know, I mean who would do something like this, sick she is. Fucking sick in the bastard head. I hope she rots in jail. The fucking slag.” The nurse tried to make him relax as the police officer now came into the room. Kevin sat himself up from the bed and sat with a cocky face as he opened his legs. “I hope she’s not getting bail?”

  The policeman now sat down at the side of him as the medical team left the room. Once he knew they were alone he told Kevin about the press outside waiting to talk to him. Kevin’s eyes lit up and his face had a cunning smile. “Yep let em in. I’ll tell the world what Sandra has done. Ay I might make a few quid as well might I?” The male officer kept his eyes in the note paper in front of him. You could tell he wasn’t a fan of Kevin’s and just got the information from him that he required. Once he’d finished he didn’t hang around to chat. The man was acting like a complete arsehole and he couldn’t wait to get out of his company.

  “Right Kevin, I’ve got all I need for now. If I need anything else I will be in touch.” The officer now left as Kevin sat up on the bed. Pulling the cotton sheet from his parted legs he glanced at his throbbing member. His face screwed up and he yelled as his hand stroked the shaft of it. Mumbling under his breath he cursed Sandra.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Maxine and Tina were interviewed. The case was not looking good against Tina. The police had been to her house and retrieved all the tattooing equipment. She was fucked. Tina sat in the interview room and sobbed. She didn’t admit anything and was advised by her solicitor to go “no comment” all the way through her interview.

  Maxine sat in another interview room just down the corridor and she seemed much calmer. She’d been through this process so many times in the past and it was like water off a duck’s back to be sat in some police station. They had fuck all on Maxine. She had an alibi and was confident she’d get bail. She knew the entry in the diary was the only evidence they had. Her face looked weather-beaten as she sat in the room waiting for her interview to begin. Maxine still had her pyjamas on and she’d tucked the bottoms into her Ugg boots so they wouldn’t trail on the floor. The female solicitor smiled at Maxine. She’d met her lots of times in the past and defended at her at court a few times.

  Tina was questioned by two male officers. Chewing on her fingernails she struggled to talk. Even telling the police her name made her throat close up. She looked as if she was suffocating and her red face suggested she wasn’t feeling too well. Questions were being fired at her like bullets from a gun. Grabbing and pulling at her hair she looked distressed. The police officer told her they had evidence that she was the one who’d tattooed Tracy. Her fingerprints were all over it. They’d even traced the ink back from the tattoo gun to Tina’s house. Fidgeting she looked at her solicitor. He nodded to remind her of her answer.

  “No comment” she replied.

  The interview went on for over an hour. Each question they fired at her resulted in a “No comment.” The interview ended. Once the police left, Tina and her solicitor were alone she pulled at his arm. “Am I going home or what?”

  He sighed and shook his head slightly. Pulling at his grey suit he removed her hand from his. “Tina I don’t think you’ll get bail. The evidence against you at the moment doesn’t look good.”

  “What do you fucking mean?” she screamed “That I’m staying here?”

  He nodded slowly as he watched her fall to her knees. Her head was touching the grey cord carpet and her hands squeezed at her hair. Reaching down to console her he patted her back. “Just try and be calm. We’ll know what the bigger picture is when everyone has been interviewed. You’re co-accused might say something that helps us.” Dragging her body up from the floor she collapsed onto her chair.

  “I can’t be locked up. I’ll go crazy. You need to get your arse out there and tell them I’m innocent.” Her solicitor now gathered all his belongings together. As he slid the paperwork inside the black briefcase he shook his head at her because he knew there wasn’t a cat in hell’s chance she would be getting bail.

  Maxine stood at the charge desk in front of the custody officer. His eyes cast over her as he read out the allegations. Smirking she waited anxiously to see if she was getting bail. As he read the allegations out aloud she could tell by his tone of voice that she was going home. Kicking at the floor she was starting to get bored. Passing her a pink bail sheet she folded it quickly and shoved it in her pocket. She had to attend the police station in a few weeks to see if they were charging her with any offences. As she gathered her belongings she could see Tina walking down the corridor with a police woman at the side of her. She didn’t look good. Maxine was
quickly hurried out of the station to her freedom and before she went she shouted to Tina. “Keep your chin up love. You’ll be home soon.” The officer now urged her to leave, pulling at her arm.

  Both Sandra and Tina were charged. There was to be no bail for either of them. Once Tina learnt she was being held in custody she broke down and sobbed out loud. “I’m fucking innocent. Get my solicitor back here!” Her screams could be heard throughout the police station and she wasn’t taking the news well at all.

  Sandra sat in her cell. Blowing hard she shook her head. She’d tried consoling Tina through the cell walls but her sobbing could still be heard. They were going to court the following morning and they were told it was more than likely they would be moved to a prison after that. Sandra had heard about prison life in the past. A few of the girls from the estate had spent many a month in there for different charges. She looked frightened.

  Kevin sat with the press. He played the victim well and kept showing signs of pain in his face as the questions were asked. The flashing of cameras in his face made him squint. His story was going to be big and he’d already signed an exclusive deal with a big name paper. A few of the female reporters were sat with him in the room. You could tell by their faces they wanted him to open up more as they didn’t believe for one minute a woman would do something like this without being provoked.

  A blonde journalist now stood up and got his attention. “Kevin, have you ever hit your wife in the past?”

  He looked embarrassed. He knew what he’d done in the past but lied. “I have never raised a hand to Sandra. I’ve treated her like a princess since we’ve been together. She has mental health problems. I’ve tried to help her all I can, but this is how she repays me.” His face now showed pain and he soothed his crotch again as he continued. “Sandra has always been jealous of me. She hates it if I even talk to a woman. I’ve threatened to leave her loads of times because of it but she always said she would get help and change.” The reporter looked at him with disbelief. She knew there wasn’t any smoke without fire and left the room in search of the truth. Kevin was going to be on the news and feature in most newspapers. The story was massive and he was set to earn a right few bob.