The Girl in the Rug

by K Leitch

  The flat was silent apart from Andy’s sobs and Kathy’s groans…Lucy had gone forever in a flash, one minute she’d been there and then she’d gone. How was he ever going to live now…it was just him and Mum. Mum who was groaning and moaning on the floor, her back to him…who had thrown off his tentatively offered hand of comfort, and had stared at him with hatred in her eyes…that was all that he had left.

  Andy curled up into a ball on the floor his little body heaving with sobs…he stayed like that for a long time.

  CHAPTER 8 - MAGGIE

  Maggie sat at the huge table in her kitchen and stared out through the enormous French windows that overlooked the garden.

  The Indian summer of a few weeks ago had given way to winter with a vengeance, and this morning the whole garden was glistening with frosty tendrils. Maggie though, was oblivious to the beauty of the morning, lost in her own thoughts as she sipped her morning coffee.

  It had been over a week now since Duncan and Martha had moved back into the pub. They had been living with her since the fire in July that had almost killed Martha, but all the repair work had now been done and Maggie had a sinking feeling that Duncan, for one, was glad to be back in his own home.

  Maggie loved Duncan with an intensity that she had never felt before; he was the perfect man…her perfect partner. They hadn’t taken to each other at all when they had first met, and it had been a big risk for Maggie going into business with a virtual stranger, but soon mutual respect had turned into genuine friendship. Soon their friendship had grown into something special, and she had never felt so easy and relaxed with anyone. But it wasn’t until she thought she was going to lose him forever that Maggie realised that she was actually in love with him and that she couldn’t live without him. She was sure that Duncan felt the same, sometimes she caught him looking at her and there was a hunger in his eyes that took her breath away, but since his brush with death earlier in the year he had distanced himself from Maggie, which was incredibly painful and hard for her to bear. Duncan had suffered terribly at the hands of Kerry Webb, a deranged psychopath who had tortured and killed several men both here and in the US, before setting her sights on Duncan. Luckily he had been rescued before she could kill him, but the torture she had inflicted on him would scar him for life, not just physically but mentally. He was still undergoing painful skin graft operations to try and mend his face which had been ripped open…it was these scars that made him turn his face away when ever Maggie looked at him…as if he couldn’t bear for her to see his disfigurement. Shame and insecurity, these were the demons that were trying to take her man from her, and Maggie was determined that they were not going to succeed.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by Berta, her Hungarian cleaner, who bustled into the kitchen carrying mops and a bundle of bedding for the washing machine.

  ‘Is ok I go now Mrs Wendover?’ she asked as she went through to the utility room and loaded up the washer. ‘I have doctors…remember I tell you on Monday?’

  ‘Oh yes…yes of course Berta,’ said Maggie, ‘it’s about time you got that bloody toe looked at, I’m sure it’s just an in growing toenail…the doctor will sort it out in a trice.’ Berta had been limping for a couple of weeks but had fiercely resisted all Maggie’s attempts to get her to the doctors, obviously it had got too painful to ignore any longer.

  Berta gave her a worried look, ‘I tell them he is only looking…if he tries to cut I will go away…I tell them that.’ She finished wagging her finger at Maggie.

  ‘Stop worrying Berta,’ said Maggie soothingly, ‘no one is going to hurt you…they will make it better that’s all.’

  ‘Humph,’ said Berta unconvinced, ‘I do all rooms except Dom’s,’ she carried on, ‘I try to go in but he has that girl in there…so I leave it,’ she said making a face. Berta didn’t approve of Dom having his latest girlfriend staying over, although Maggie couldn’t help remembering she had had no such problem when Jools, Jed’s girlfriend, had stayed the night…but then Jools was a little treasure whereas this girl…Maggie sighed.

  ‘Oh well don’t worry Berta, he can clean his own room this week can’t he,’ she said. ‘I didn’t hear them come home…must have been a late one, I didn’t go to bed till well after midnight…’

  Berta smirked, ‘Maybe even she clean it for him…pah! I don’t think so, not that one…might break a finger nail,’ she finished with a laugh at her own joke. She limped off to get her coat and several scarves which she wrapped round her shoulders and her head, doubling her already rotund figure, and then with a wave she was off.

  Maggie grimaced to herself; damn, she was no keener than Berta to have Dom’s latest in the house. The girl was a bloody nightmare, leaving her stuff all over the place and ordering Dom around like he was her own personal skivvy. She seemed to take even greater pleasure in doing that when Maggie was around, it was almost as if she wanted to let her see the control she had over him…like, look at me, look what I can make your son do…look how much he loves me…at least that’s what it felt like to Maggie.

  Maggie didn’t know what it was about the girl that rubbed her up the wrong way so much, and she had tried she really had. It was obvious from the start that Dom was completely besotted with the girl. He had talked about her constantly when he had returned from Majorca and Maggie had been really pleased that he had finally found someone. Dom had always been really shy with girls and had only had a few brief relationships, so for him to have met someone that he thought was really special was fab.

  Maylee certainly wasn’t the usual sort of girl that Dom had been attracted too in the past, she was rather exotic looking, with long almost black hair and a very overly made up face, she was also much older than Dom’s other girlfriends, almost four years older than Dom in fact and already a mother to a three year old son, Juke.

  Always ready to give anyone the benefit of the doubt though, Maggie made her feel welcome and part of the family. Unfortunately it hadn’t taken long for Maylee’s true character to start to show itself. Despite being able to talk for hours about her problems or bitching about someone that was upsetting her at the time, she seemed to have absolutely no interest in anything to do with anyone else. Lighting up a cigarette and turning her head away until you had finished speaking, then immediately getting back to the important subject of whatever SHE was talking about. The girl was completely self-obsessed, and appeared to have no empathy for anybody else’s problems. Mix that with an unhealthy portion of paranoia and an even bigger portion of bitchiness and that was Maylee.

  She had immediately taken a dislike to Jools, which was now causing problems between Jed and Dom, and that was unheard of. It was taking all Maggie patience and self control not to say anything, but she knew that if she did she would alienate Dom, and that she couldn’t do.

  She heard movement from upstairs and braced herself for the woman herself.

  Maylee sauntered into the kitchen, as always no matter what the time, her hair was coiffed, her makeup was immaculate, if rather heavily applied, and her nails polished and claw like. She walked straight past Maggie and opened up one of the French doors before placing a long cigarette between scarlet lips, it wasn’t until she had taken her first lungful that she turned and spoke.

  ‘Hi Hun,’ she said as if she had only just seen Maggie sitting in her own kitchen, ‘Oh my god it is bloody freezing…DOM...DOM! Get my blue cardi from the bedroom can you…DOM! Bloody lazy git, I swear he’s ignoring me.’

  Dom came into the kitchen carrying a green cardigan which he handed to Maylee.

  ‘NOT THAT ONE YOU TWAT!’ Maylee shouted at him, looking over at Maggie and raising her eyebrows in exasperation, ‘I said the blue one didn’t I Maggie?’

  Maggie gritted her teeth, ‘Do you know what Maylee I wasn’t listening,’ she said pleasantly, ‘that looks nice and warm though, morning Dom love…do you want coffee?’

  ‘Ha ha Maggie you are so funny,’ laughed Maylee, ‘as if I can wear green with this top…go and ge
t the blue one Dom will you…it’s on the chair I think.’ She took a last long puff, threw her cigarette butt into the garden and came back into the room.

  ‘I’ll have a coffee if there’s one going,’ she said sitting down next to Maggie.

  ‘Of course, help yourself,’ said Maggie, ‘there’s plenty in the pot, I expect Dom will want one when he get down as well.’

  Maylee didn’t move, just sat examining her nails until Dom came back carrying the blue cardigan which he proceeded to put round her shoulders, bending down to kiss her neck as he did so.

  ‘Dom, a little space please!’ exclaimed Maylee shrugging him off. She took the cardigan off her shoulders and put it onto the seat next to her Maggie noticed.

  Dom went over to the coffee machine and poured a cup for Maylee and one for himself.

  ‘Do you want another Mum?’ he asked with a smile, Maggie smiled back and nodded.

  ‘So what are you two up to today?’ she asked a moment later.

  ‘Oh well Maylee wants to go shopping so I said I would take her down to Brighton, have a look round the lanes you know…’ said Dom breaking off at Maylee’s hard stare.

  ‘Dommmiiee!’ she gasped indignantly. ‘It was your idea to go shopping, what will Maggie think of me…wanting to go shopping all the time. Actually Maggie it’s just that I need to get some stuff for Jukie…um you know clothes and stuff and there’s this designer outlet down there. Bloody good stuff, all designer…because my Jukie is really fussy about what he wears…I know, I know he’s only three, but he must have my fashion sense because unless it’s got a label he won’t wear it. Oh my god I got these jeans right, from Tescos, only a fiver in the sale, dead cute they were and I thought, he’s not going to know…I mean they looked like Ralph Lauren, you know same style and stuff, but would my baby wear them…oh my god Maggie he had a fit, it’s like he could tell they were cheap rubbish…he could tell they weren’t designer. But then he’s like me in that respect I don’t wear anything but designer me, I mean why pay for crap…you know what I mean Maggs.’

  Maggie determinedly didn’t look in Dom’s direction as she said, ‘Oh I know…nightmare.’

  Maggie turned to Dom, ‘Please tell me you have got some ideas of what we can do for Jed’s birthday next week…I have wracked my brains. Jools is taking him away the following weekend, some lovely hotel in the country somewhere I think, and I was thinking about having a big family meal, you know just dad…’

  ‘Oh Jools must be loaded I suppose,’ interrupted Maylee with a sour look on her face. ‘Those country hotels don’t come cheap let me tell you, I went to one last year…or was it the year before…anyway I didn’t think much of it actually…I mean when you think how much they cost…’

  ‘Well as to that I think Jools has been saving for months, she told me about it ages ago so…’ began Maggie.

  ‘Well I’d recommend her not to waste her money…’ carried on Maylee ignoring Maggie, ‘a nice watch, a designer jumper, at least Jed would get some wear out of that…no I think a country hotel is a stupid idea, I wouldn’t bother with that for my Domie I can tell you.’

  ‘Well that’s what she’s planned anyway,’ Maggie went on firmly, ‘but I need some ideas for what I can do. As I was saying I think a family meal might be just the thing…’

  ‘Oh you are so right Maggie,’ Maylee said enthusiastically, ‘you could book a lovely restaurant somewhere…you know somewhere classy so we can all get dressed up. I’ve got the perfect dress to wear actually, it’s a DKNY I got it when I went to New York with my last but one boyfriend…it’s red and really sexy.’ She turned to Dom and whispered in a sultry voice loud enough for Maggie to hear, ‘You are going to love it baby.’ Dom gave her a cuddle but Maylee’s eyes were on Maggie over his shoulder as if watching her reaction.

  ‘Well I hope you’ve got something a bit simpler Maylee,’ Maggie said, ‘because I was thinking more like a take away curry in the kitchen…Jed’s favourite.

  Maylee looked very unimpressed, but she shrugged and said, ‘Hey whatever…I suppose that’s what Jed’s used to…I can’t see Jools as a domestic goddess,’ she finished with a bitchy little laugh.

  The couple left soon after on their quest for all things designer for little Jukie, Maggie had yet to meet Maylee’s son, maybe she was a different person when her child was around. Maggie made up her mind to invite Juke to Dom’s birthday dinner…you never know maybe this was all just nerves on Maylee’s part, the more she got to know and trust Maggie and her family perhaps she would learn to relax and enjoy their company…after all they were a great family…the best…surely Maylee would see that stop trying to cause problems between them.

  CHAPTER 9 - 1985

  Franklin woke in a sweat, he couldn’t remember his nightmare but he still felt really scared, he lay in the dark…still and silent…hardly daring to breathe. The house was really quiet at this time of night, apart from all the strange unexplained creaks and groans. Mum said they were nothing to worry about, all old houses made those sorts of noises at night…something to do with the house getting colder, or something like that.

  He lay for a while trying to get back to sleep, until he began to realise that he was going to have to go and have a pee. He didn’t want to leave the safety of his bed, but if he didn’t go soon he was going to wet the bed and that was not an option. The bathroom was only at the end of the hall, if he ran it would only take a minute…he quickly slid out of bed and sped down the landing into the bathroom, emptied his bladder and turned to run back to bed.

  It was then that he noticed Mum’s bedroom door was open. Mum never left her door open at night…maybe she couldn’t sleep either, maybe she‘d got up to get a drink. Franklin quietly walked into his mother’s room. The bed was empty; in fact it didn’t look like Mum had been in her bed at all. There were clothes strewn all over the floor though and a couple of drawers left open. Franklin decided that he’d better go downstairs and see if Mum was alright…maybe she was crying down there, she cried a lot lately…maybe that was it.

  He crept down the stairs wincing with every creak that they made. Downstairs was in darkness, the TV was switched off and the kitchen light was out…Franklin began to panic, where was Mum?

  He started searching every room switching lights on as he went…Mum was gone…he was alone.

  Maybe she had had to go out…that was it, something had happened and she had had to go out, she wouldn’t have woken him would she, he had school in the morning. That had to be it, she had gone out for some reason and she would be back really soon, he just had to be a good boy until she came back. He decided to make himself a drink to help him get back to sleep…he’d seen Mum do it loads of times so he knew he could do it.

  He pulled a chair over and climbed up to the kettle, it was already half full so he flicked the switch and reached up into the cupboard above to get the hot chocolate mix that he knew Mum kept up there. He found a cup in the sink and a teaspoon and very carefully began to spoon the powder into the cup, he wasn’t quite sure how many spoonfuls to put in, he counted out four, then took the cup back over to where the kettle had boiled and carefully climbed up again.

  The kettle was heavier that he had thought so he had to use two hands to carefully pour the boiling water into the cup…

  ‘WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING FRANKLIN!’ shouted his mother from the kitchen doorway, startling Franklin so much that he dropped the kettle. Boiling water splashed down the front of his pyjamas scorching his skin, he let out a scream of agony, it hurt so much.

  Mum was still shouting furiously; her panic making her more and more angry. Franklin was picked up none too gently by big rough arms and plonked into a sink of cold water. The pain was immediately soothed slightly and Franklin looked up at the man that was holding him in the water. He was very big with not much hair and a very round face; he was talking angrily at Mum.

  ‘What do you mean you thought he’d be alright…he’s a little kid Debbie…you
don’t leave little kids on their own…what sort of a mother are you for god’s sake?’

  Mum was shouting back at him, saying he knew nothing about it, how she’d done it loads of times and no one had ever been the wiser…if he’d just bloody stayed in bed like he was supposed to everything would have been ok.

  ‘That’s not the point you stupid cow,’ said the man. ‘You’re his mum…you’re meant to keep him safe.’

  He turned back to Franklin, ‘Feeling better now are you lad,’ he said quite gently, Franklin just nodded, so the man wrapped him in a towel and carefully took his pyjamas off, angry red patches covered part of his chest and one of his hands.

  ‘You need to take him to A&E,’ the man said to Mum, ‘it doesn’t look too bad, but he may need to be checked over.’

  ‘Yeh whatever,’ said Mum sulkily, ‘look you can go now…thanks for your help and all that but I can take care of my own kid.’

  ‘Oh…ok then I’ll go…you will take him to the hospital though won’t you?’ he said as Mum walked him out.

  ‘Of course I fucking will, what do you take me for Reg,’ Mum shouted angrily as she slammed the front door behind him.

  She came back into the kitchen tears streaming down her face and sat at the kitchen table.

  ‘I just can’t get a fucking break can I…’ she cried, ‘why do these things always happen to me…first decent man I meet in ages and you have to fuck it up for me…oh stop looking at me like that and go back to bed…you should have stayed in bed then none of this would have happened…GET TO BED I SAID!’

  Franklin turned and ran back up stairs; he tried to get comfortable on the bed but his chest and hand were hurting him so much, his teeth started chattering as his little body started shaking in a reaction to the scalding. He stayed as still as he could for the rest of the night, he must have drifted off at some point because the next thing he knew Mum was waking him up.