Ruby

by Heather Burnside

  40

  August 1998

  Trina had disliked the man straightaway. He had a superior air about him and, although he wasn’t abusive as such, he talked down to her as though she was scum. He told her that he wanted full sex then, as soon as he’d parked the car in a secluded area, he got on with it in a cold, matter of fact way. That didn’t bother Trina so much; she knew the drill by now and didn’t expect clients to behave lovingly towards her. With clients like this one she detached herself emotionally and hoped for it to be over with as soon as possible.

  But this client was a problem. To start with he had difficulty getting an erection. Trina offered to give him his money back and leave it at that but the client was emphatic that they should keep trying. Eventually he managed to perform, but it wasn’t for long.

  ‘I think we’d best call it a day,’ said Trina.

  ‘Oh no we won’t! I haven’t come here for nothing,’ he said. ‘You’ll just have to help me out more.’

  ‘That’ll cost more then.’

  He tutted. ‘Just do it!’

  But no matter how much Trina tried, it wasn’t happening. She was relieved when the man zipped up his trousers and started the car engine, even though he scowled at her as though it was her fault. Trina was also perturbed at the way the man locked all the car doors before they set off.

  They returned to Trina’s usual spot and the man took out his wallet and flung two notes at her. She looked at the money. ‘There’s only fifteen pounds here. It’s twenty-five for full sex,’ she said.

  ‘But it wasn’t full sex, was it?’ he snapped. ‘And as you failed to satisfy me, I think I’ve been more than generous.’

  Trina realised that the man was trying to shift the blame for his own inadequacy. His haughty tone annoyed her and she was tempted to retaliate. But then she remembered that he’d locked the car doors. The crafty bastard!

  ‘Give it here then,’ she said, holding out her hand.

  Once the man had paid her, he unlocked the car doors and she jumped out onto the pavement. ‘Bastard!’ she shouted as he drove away. ‘It’s not my fault you can’t fuckin’ get it up.’

  She continued hurling abuse at the man until his car disappeared into the distance. Even when she’d stopped shouting, she was still angry. The stuck-up bastard! It was bad enough that he hadn’t paid her the full amount, but then to have the cheek to blame it on her was just too much.

  Trina stood at her usual spot for a few minutes more, but the night was drawing on and, if she was honest with herself, she’d had enough. That last encounter had left her full of bitterness about men like him who thought they could treat her in whatever way they liked. And the lack of punters at this time only made her feel more deflated so she decided to call it a night.

  As Trina headed angrily for home, she consoled herself by thinking about how she would put tonight’s earnings in the hiding place where she had kept her money and other valuables for the last two weeks. Although that had put a stop to Shelley’s stealing, she still hadn’t paid back the money she owed her.

  Then Trina remembered something. The necklace. She had been admiring it before she came out to work but she couldn’t remember putting it back in her hiding place. She rushed home, desperately hoping it would still be there when she returned.

  *

  Back at the flat, Trina dashed into her bedroom and searched her dressing table for the ruby necklace, but there was no sign of it. She tried not to get too worked up. Perhaps she had put it away after all. But a search of her hiding place confirmed that the necklace had disappeared. She checked the rest of the room to be sure but couldn’t find it anywhere. Oh no! Her lovely ruby necklace was gone.

  Trina’s anger of earlier resurfaced but she was also upset. That necklace had been special to her. How could Shelley just take it? Her upset was as much about Shelley’s betrayal as it was about the necklace. Shelley had known how much the necklace meant to Trina and yet she had still stolen it.

  Trina stomped through to Shelley’s room determined to find out what had happened to her precious necklace. In a rage she began searching the room, dragging clothing from wardrobes then turning out drawers and tipping the contents untidily over the bed and floor. On top of Shelley’s chest of drawers she found a box full of trinkets and she tipped that out but there was no sign of the ruby necklace. She was just about to search under the bed when she heard Shelley entering the bedroom.

  ‘What the hell do you think you’re playing at?’ shouted Shelley.

  This time Trina was too fired up to exercise restraint, unlike their previous confrontation. ‘I’m looking for my fuckin’ necklace, that’s what I’m doing!’

  Ignoring Shelley’s angry protestations she continued to scour the room, withdrawing a plastic storage box from underneath the bed and slamming it on top of the mattress amongst the clothing and other items. As she removed the lid of the box, Shelley flew across the room and grabbed her arms, trying to stop her. Trina threw her off and riffled through the box while Shelley shouted and cursed.

  Trina dragged out several empty containers and slung them across the room. Then she came across a cardboard gift box, the type that housed fancy toiletries, and she shook it. She could hear the sound of something inside and she pulled off the lid. And there, nestled in the decorative tissue paper at the bottom of the box, was Trina’s ruby necklace.

  ‘You fuckin’ thieving bitch!’ she yelled, launching herself at Shelley.

  Livid by now, Trina punched and scratched at Shelley while Shelley tried vainly to defend herself.

  ‘Get your fuckin’ hands off me!’ cried Shelley. ‘Or you’ll be looking for somewhere else to live.’

  Her distraught words brought Trina to her senses and, noticing Shelley’s tear-stained face, she stopped hitting her and stepped back. But she was still irate. ‘Don’t worry. I don’t want to stay with a thieving piece of shit like you any longer! As soon as I find somewhere else to live, I’m out of here.’

  She glared angrily at Shelley then picked up her necklace and marched from the room. Once she had calmed down a bit, Trina sat on the bed in her own room and thought about the situation she found herself in. Perhaps she had been hasty in telling Shelley she would leave. After all, she had no idea where she would go. But it was done now and she’d have to face the consequences. Besides, she thought, surely it couldn’t be as bad as sharing a flat with a thieving junkie.

  41

  August 1998

  For the next few days the atmosphere between the two girls deteriorated. Where Shelley had once been Trina’s object of desire, now she could barely stand to look at her. They only spoke to each other when absolutely necessary and Shelley would often scowl until a stern look from Trina sent her scurrying away, afraid of repercussions.

  Trina knew she couldn’t carry on like this; she had to get out. So for the last few days she’d spent all her free time in search of somewhere to live. But it wasn’t proving easy: the flats were too expensive and taking up a room in a shared house would be awkward, given the hours she kept.

  At last she found a flat worth visiting. It wasn’t too far away, situated above a shop in Old Trafford, and the rent was affordable so she made an appointment to view it. As she put down the phone to the estate agent, Shelley spoke to her.

  ‘You got a viewing?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes, tomorrow afternoon,’ Trina replied, surprised at Shelley’s apparent interest.

  ‘Will you still be going to work?’

  ‘Yes, I’ll go straight from the viewing.’

  ‘OK. Let me know how you go on, won’t you?’

  Again Trina was surprised. Perhaps Shelley was regretting what she had done and didn’t want her to leave after all. But it was too late. Trina knew she couldn’t stay somewhere where none of her stuff was safe. And if Shelley’s drug addiction was so bad that she was stealing from friends then there was no telling what else she might do to feed her habit. She needed to get out as soon as possible.<
br />
  *

  The following day Trina got up earlier than usual, eager to visit the flat before going off to work. As soon as she was ready, she jumped in a taxi and gave the driver the address. Although it was only five minutes away, Trina wasn’t familiar with the area.

  When she arrived, she got out of the cab and looked at the row of shops where the flat was situated. There was a bookmaker, off-license, hairdressers, two fast food outlets, and a newsagent on the corner. Although it wasn’t yet evening, a small group of youngsters were already gathered outside the newsagents and they eyed her suspiciously as she looked up and down the row for the door number that was written on the small piece of paper she clutched.

  Trina was relieved to find the number on a door next to the hairdressers. Before knocking, she looked up at the building. It was constructed from red brick and looked old, with a dormer window on the roof above each shop. The window frame above the hairdressers was painted white and she could see even from here that the paint was cracked and peeling. There was also a green patch of mould running from the gutter down to the sign above the hairdresser’s shop, which spelt out ‘Kuts Above’ in large, faded red lettering.

  Trina knocked on the door and was greeted by an estate agent. He was a young man with an effortless charm and an ingratiating smile, and Trina felt that his pleasant demeanour was perhaps overcompensating for something. She nodded politely and managed a faint smile but once inside the flat Trina understood what that something was.

  The state of the exterior had acted as a precursor to the interior, which didn’t get any better. Straightaway Trina noticed a musty smell as she followed the estate agent into the property, and it was far worse than the slightly musty odour she had detected the first time she visited Shelley’s flat. She looked down the hallway, noticing that it was painted an insipid shade of pale blue with an old carpet that was bunched in parts and frayed in others.

  In the living room somebody had made an attempt at brightness through the flowery curtains and papered walls. Unfortunately, that had been some time ago. The curtains were mustard coloured with sage-green leaves on the flowers and the paper wasn’t just peeling; it actually had a hole which ran through to the plaster. On the floor beneath the hole Trina could see a tiny pile where the plaster had dropped onto the bare floorboards.

  The state of the kitchen was just as Trina had anticipated; cupboards hanging at different levels with a hinge missing from one of them. In one corner was a stainless-steel sink unit, which was tarnished, and stained with what looked like paint. Trina couldn’t think why as the flat didn’t look as if it had been painted for decades. And the floor was covered in dusty, faded lino.

  While he led her around the drab flat, the estate agent chatted away about its potential, and its proximity to bus routes and shopping facilities. Trina zoned out; her interest was already waning. Then he mentioned the bills, which were to be paid in addition to the rent. In her naivety Trina hadn’t realised that the bills would have to be charged separately and with this revelation she quickly made up her mind.

  ‘I don’t want it,’ she said abruptly.

  ‘But you haven’t seen the bedroom and bathroom yet,’ said the estate agent. ‘The bedroom’s a good size.’

  ‘I’ve seen enough, thanks, and I don’t want it.’

  The estate agent looked put-out, his smile now replaced with a grimace. ‘Fair enough but I think you’re making a huge mistake. You don’t see many rental properties coming on the market at this price and it does have a lot of potential. You just need to see beyond the outdated décor.’

  Trina was becoming irritated by the man’s persistence. ‘I said I don’t want it. It needs too much work.’

  She turned away from him and made her way along the hall and down the stairs, leaving the estate agent babbling away about the flat’s supposed merits. Trina was disappointed and she couldn’t wait to get away from the place. She had got her hopes up, anticipating that the flat would provide an escape from the tense situation with Shelley. But, unfortunately, it wasn’t to be and Trina went to work that evening worried about her future living arrangements.

  *

  It was in the early hours of the morning when Trina returned home from work. As soon as she walked inside the flat, she knew something wasn’t right. It was eerily quiet and the living room door had been left ajar as well as some of the other doors. But instead of hearing sound coming from the rooms, there was nothing. Perhaps Shelley was already in bed, she thought, but as she walked into the hall her footsteps seemed to echo.

  Trina pushed open the living room door and was shocked at what she saw. Her breath caught in her throat and she instinctively covered her mouth with her hand. The room was practically bare. All the high-end furniture and electrical equipment had gone, including the TV. The only furniture that remained was the two battered old armchairs. Even the new cushions and television stand Trina had bought were missing.

  Around the room were scattered letters with empty envelopes lying close by. It looked as if someone had been pulling them out of the envelopes then discarding any that didn’t seem important. A bunch of newspapers and magazines, previously stacked at the side of the TV, were also scattered all over the floor.

  Trina stepped further inside, taking in the state of the place. It felt hollow, the sound of her movements reverberating off the walls. But the heating was still on and the warmth felt at odds with the starkness of the room.

  She dashed through the flat calling Shelley’s name, but it was soon apparent that Shelley was no longer there. The kitchen was also half empty, most of the cupboard doors left open, although some basic pots and pans were still there and a few tins of food. Shelley had even had the cheek to leave a sink full of dirty pots!

  Inside Shelley’s bedroom it was the same story; anything of value was gone and the remaining items were discarded on the floor. Then a thought hit Trina with startling clarity. What about her own room? What if Shelley had found her hiding place? She rushed through the flat and over to the chest of drawers where she had hidden her valuables on the floor beneath the bottom drawer. But she was disturbed to find that all the drawers had been wrenched out and slung on the bed.

  She raced over to the empty chest and looked inside, but there was nothing there. Everything was gone. Her jewellery. Her money. And the ruby necklace she loved so much. ‘Fuck you, Shelley!’ she howled as she tried to come to terms with what her one-time friend had done to her.

  Then Trina collapsed onto the bed and sobbed as she hammered her fists into the mattress in frustration. ‘Just wait till I get my fuckin’ hands on that thieving little bitch!’ she yelled, knowing that she would rather be pummelling Shelley’s face than the mattress.

  Shelley had evidently been planning this for some time, deliberately waiting till she knew Trina was going to be out for a while. Then she’d rushed through the flat grabbing anything of value and leaving anything that didn’t matter to her.

  No wonder she was so interested in Trina’s viewing. It wasn’t because she didn’t want her to leave: it was because she knew Trina would be out of the flat for longer than usual, giving her time to empty the place of all the valuables. Trina continued sobbing for some time as this realisation hit her. She felt betrayed, and by someone who she’d once thought so much of.

  Once she was over the initial shock Trina thought about the wider implications. How the hell was she going to keep this place going on her own as well as keeping herself fed and clothed? And what if Shelley still owed rent? How was she going to pay that back?

  She thought briefly about returning home but knew it wasn’t what she wanted. Then she thought ironically about one of her mother’s favourite phrases, Be careful what you wish for, child. Well, she’d certainly wished to have her own place. But not like this. Shelley had hurt her deeply and Trina knew she was unlikely to ever see her again. Neither would she recoup the money Shelley had taken or her precious ruby necklace.

  42

 
; October 1998

  Trina was exhausted when she got up at midday. It was some weeks after Shelley’s disappearance and was the fifth night in a row that she’d worked. Although she hadn’t got to sleep till the early hours, Trina wanted to do a bit of cleaning before she went to work and then grab some shopping.

  Ideally she would have liked to have taken the night off but it wasn’t possible. Ever since Shelley had left, Trina had been putting in extra hours to ensure she earnt enough to live on.

  Shelley’s absence had been a revelation. When the landlord came to collect the rent, Trina discovered that not only had Shelley not paid the arrears but she’d also racked up a further month’s rent. It meant there was a thousand pounds owing altogether. At first the landlord was hostile towards Trina, but when she’d explained the situation with Shelley and offered to pay extra each month towards the arrears, he had mellowed. Trina thought it was perhaps because she had paid something towards the arrears previously and he recognised her willingness to sort things out.

  As if the rent arrears weren’t bad enough, Trina also found out that most of the other bills on the flat were behind too. So, not only did she have to pay all the bills and her own living costs but she also had to catch up with the debts Shelley had left and replace a lot of the furniture and other items Shelley had taken.

  Having all of these problems made her realise how difficult it must have been for her mother to run a home and provide for four children. And she was beginning to realise just how much she missed her mother and brothers. The few chores she’d had to do when she had been at home seemed nothing in comparison to having to run her own place and meet all the bills. But she couldn’t go back home now; her pride wouldn’t let her admit that she’d been foolish to leave.

  Because of all the financial demands Trina was working extra hours, and she was finding it difficult. There wasn’t as much custom in early evening or towards the end of the night so she had to find new places in which to solicit.