They did not speak again and a deadly silence filled the room. Mrs Lister was in an even worse mood than usual and made the attempt to try and bang everything within her grasp and every now and then she took sharp intakes of breath to attract attention to her. She looked out of the single pane windows and saw what seemed to her people with long, golden locks of strawberry blonde hair. She stood there for what seemed to her a lifetime just staring at all the people going past the house.
“Mum” said Jack quietly and apprehensively.
“What is it dear? Can’t you see I’m busy” She suddenly stepped out of her mesmerising trance and pretended to be busy making sandwiches.
“Erm, are you comin’ in the cab to pick Syl…”
“Before you ask, no, I’ve already said to Joanne that I’d go to her grandsons birthday party at two o’ clock and it is due to last for about three hours. I said that Peter can come, we’ve already got our presents”. Interrupted Mrs Lister.
“But Peter…”
“I know but he has been really excited about meeting the village children.” Said Mrs Lister still not looking into her sons’ eyes and pretending to butter bread.
Mrs Lister in fact had not organised anything with any of her friends and instead wanted not to go and pick the woman she despised. She had made up her mind just that second that at two o’clock she would take Peter to town and go and have a look at the book shop she knew Peter loved ever so much.
Jack decided not to argue with his mother but left the room feeling bitter and dejected. He dragged his feet back into the hallway and went into the living room. No one was in there. He put his head down and sat down on the sofa brightly decorated with bright pink and purple flowers. He stared at the Orange carpet and got taken into deep thought. “It shouldn’t have happened, it just shouldn’t, if I’d ‘ave put my foot down at the beginning then none of this would have ‘appened. I shouldn’t have let her go out to work, I should have listened to mum and kept a tight grip on her.” He thought. Mrs Lister entered the room and switched on the grey Toshiba television and started to watch her favourite game show, Blockbusters without saying a word to her son. He suddenly snapped out of thought and looked at the small gold clock and read its display. “Half-past-one”. He staggered up the stairs just like a drunk man coming home. He reached the landing and walked quickly in his room and lay on the bed. He fell asleep instantly.
It was two-forty five before he woke back up and after a long deep sleep he felt lethargic and weary. He looked across at the clock and realised the time. He suddenly seemed to have a burst of energy and quickly got changed into suitable clothing. He looked down on the road and saw the taxi waiting for him. He quickly put all the photos of him and Sylvia down so not to distress her in the slightest. He then rushed down stairs put on his work shoes, closed the door and locked it behind him. In a hurry he got in the taxi and instructed the driver to take him to the hospital.
“You were just in time you know, I was about to leave, after waiting for over half an hour.” Said the driver looking at Jack as if waiting for an apology of some sort. It didn’t come; Jack was not in the mood for chatting or talking. He just had one thing set on his mind, Sylvia. The driver turned back disgruntled and didn’t say a word to Jack until he got to the hospital.
“Do yer’ want me to wait while yer collect or not?”
“Wait, yes, wait..” replied Jack quickly. He was only half-listening to the driver and rapidly rushed inside the hospital. He had memorised the ward number from when he first came to see Sylvia and rushed straight to it walking extremely fast almost running.
“Hello, can I help you?” said the nurse who was now in the direct path of where Jack was walking so he had to stop suddenly.
“Yes I have come to collect Mrs Sylvia Lister please.” Replied Jack who was now completely calm but still excited and ready to see Sylvia.
“Okay, if you would just like to wait here then” the nurse replied and she walked off into the ward where Jack had first gone with his mother to see Sylvia after the devastating accident. He was on tenterhooks and stared at the door waiting in awe.
He was waiting only about one minute when Sylvia walked through the door looking depressed and down. She was wearing a bright red winter coat with a matching red beret to cover up the accident. Jack approached her and put his arms out for a hug only to find that Sylvia was not interested and carried on walking to get out of the hospital. Jack rushed with her and tried to talk to her but Sylvia carried on walking, ignoring Jack as if she didn’t know him. It was only when they got in the taxi when Sylvia spoke “Freeway Avenue please…” She said in a deep shameful voice. Jack hopped in beside her. He dare not look at her in case she took it offensively and instead decided to look out of the window at all the people they were passing on their way back home.
It seemed a long journey home and when they finally got there Jack paid the taxi driver the fare and got out. Sylvia followed but instead of advancing to the door like Jack she stood on the driveway while the taxi drove away quickly. Jack was just about to unlock the door and go in until he noticed Sylvia who was just standing there. He went up to her trying to comfort her, he put his arm around her and like a father would do to his daughter pushed her gently. Sylvia took off her coat and looked around at the house. She saw Peter’s toys all piled up in a corner; she saw up the stairs where the linen bin lay with a pile of dirty clothes piled up like a pyramid; she saw inside the kitchen where the floorboards showed and the carpet was in desperate need of repair; She saw the inside the living room where the brightly coloured sofa sat waiting to be sat on and she saw on the street where a driveway stood with no car for it to hold. She walked in the kitchen and sat down on the edge of her seat. She started at the floor ashamed to look up incase she saw her face.
That minute the phone rang Jack rushed to it and saw it as a chance to leave Sylvia to collect her thoughts and think about what she was going to do. “Hello, Oh no, oh we will be coming right away, yeah, we’ll be there in ten minutes, Bye” and Jack put the phone down slowly. He went into the kitchen. “Who was it?” whispered Sylvia.
Jack replied in a depressed sombre tone “Its mum, something’s happened to her.”
The End
