Partying and Disaster.

It was cold outside, or was that just the mood he felt? He walked down the roads he had known so well. He didn’t recognise anything. It all seemed dark. No feeling. No love. He walked past Bens house and he saw the light on. He went up and knocked on the door. Ben answered.
‘Can I come in? Even if only for a coffee?’
Ben opened the door for him.
Usually Bens house felt warm this time though it felt strange. The mood was awkward. Derrick sat on the sofa. Ben had already disappeared into the kitchen to make a coffee. He came back and sat beside him. Derrick didn’t budge. Just held the coffee which Ben handed him. He looked at it didn’t even drink it.
‘Your over?’ Ben asked.
Derrick nodded and took a gulp of the coffee.
‘I cant even explain Ben. It all just happened to fast.’ He looked at Ben who looked back guiltily. ‘I don’t blame you Ben. I blame her. I couldn’t blame you. Your the best friend I have. Don’t ever forget that.’
Ben gulped and looked blankly at the floor.
‘You should blame me. Its my fault.’ Ben said quietly. ‘You can stay here if you want.’
Derrick looked at him. ‘Yeh. I think I might do that.’
Ben put his coffee on the table and went upstairs. He came back down with blankets. ‘My beds hard as rock. But you can have it if you want.’
Derrick shook his head and put the coffee down.
‘I’m cool with the couch dude.’ He took the blankets from in Bens hand and laid them on the sofa. He laid on top of them staring at the ceiling. Ben set off back up the stairs and into his bedroom closing the door behind him. He sat on his bed. He felt guilty. He had brought this upon his friend. How could he do that? What kind of friend was he? The one he didn’t want to be.
He had always wanted the best for them. He wanted Derrick and Jenny to be happy. But it looked as though he had just destroyed that. They had been happy. The world knew it.
He looked over at the phone which was on his desk. He walked over and picked it up. He called her. It was half past midnight. Would she still be awake? He thought so. She answered the phone.
‘Jenny. Its Ben.’
The phone was hung up as quickly as it was answered. She was pissed off with him. To be honest he couldn’t blame her. All he had done was mess her life up. He laid on his bed and stared at the door. He closed his eyes and fell asleep. In the morning he was the first up. He walked down to see Derrick still asleep on the sofa. He went into the kitchen and began to cook. He remembered when they had been camping. They were 16 then. But surely he still ate the same?
He put the bacon into the frying pan and heard it sizzle. He flicked the kettle on. He looked up at the clock. 9am. He wasn’t going to thank Ben for this. Not at this time anyway. But oh well. He tried didn’t he? What more could he do? He couldn’t please the world. That wasn’t what he was there for.
It seemed he was there to annoy the world. He made the coffee once the kettle had boiled and put the bacon onto a plate. He took it into the living room and put it on the coffee table infront of Derrick. It was at least ten minutes before Derrick even began to wake. He looked over at the plate of food and lost color. He didn’t want it. Wasn’t hungry.
He looked at the watch on his wrist and jumped up. He drank the coffee quickly and grabbed his coat. He asked Ben if he could leave his case there. Just till the afternoon. He raced out the door and up to his old house. He knocked on the door and waited. No one answered.
‘Jenny I know your in!’
The front door was opened and he was allowed in. She looked at him in disbelief.
‘Can I come in?’ he asked politely.
She didn’t budge. The answer was obvious he wasn’t welcome. He stepped back and looked up at Shanes window. The curtains were closed. That meant he was still up there. He knew it was unfair to shout. He wanted to. It was unfair to do this to the kid no matter what. She closed the door.
Derrick knocked on the door and then sat on the step. He waited there half an hour. He presumed she must have been ignoring him. After half an hour though the cops came. They pulled up at the side of the road and approached him. He stood up. She had called the police? For this?
He walked over to meet them. They cuffed him as soon as leaving the drive. He looked at the house to see Jenny in the window watching. They explained and then drove him home. Un cuffing him when he reached his mothers.
Why was Jenny doing this? What had he done that was so wrong? He couldn’t remember anything. He called Ben and asked him to bring his things around. That night he called Jenny. Discussed seeing Shane. They agreed he could see him at the weekends. He was fine with that. He rented a small house on the edge of town. It wasn’t what he was wanting but for now it would do.
On the Friday morning he got a phone call. He answered the phone to hear Jenny’s voice she asked him to pick Shane up from Kindergarten. He was fine with that.
He got there just on time. Pulling into the car park at 3pm. He strapped the talkative Shane into the back of the car. He climbed into the drivers seat.
‘You coming home tonight?’ Shane asked from the back of the car.
He would have given his life just to say yes. But he couldn’t. He knew he wasn’t.
‘No. Shane. Daddy’s not coming home tonight. But daddy’s taking you to work with him.’He pulled in at home and took Shane inside. It didn’t take long before Shane told him it all. Ben had moved in. He was taking Derricks’ place. He started to believe what Jenny had said more and more. Perhaps the kid was Bens.
How could he be though? They were in England at the time. Shane gloated about all the toys he was getting. It was filling him with hate. He wanted to hurt them so much. He couldn’t. For Shane. The whole thing was crippling him. To add to it all. He still had feelings for Jenny.
The morning after Shane went home when he was still in Kindergarten Derrick went round to see Jenny. She let him in but only to collect some more of his stuff.
‘What did I do wrong Jenny?’
She ignored him. He put his hands on her shoulder stopping her from moving.
‘Don’t ignore me what have I done wrong?’
He tightened his grip as she struggled to get away. Tears ran to her eyes as he tightened. She let out a whine then backed away.
‘That’s what you did. You reminded me of my father Derrick. You scared me. Hurt me. Why would you do that? I tried to explain it all to you. You didn’t listen. I never wanted it to be like this. Just go.’
He picked up his bags and turned around to leave. Why had he done that?
He walked off slowly heading back towards his house. He kicked the wall as he walked past. Why was he blaming himself. After all it was her who had her tongue down his vest friends throat. He went inside. He didn’t go to work that week.
He spent the week just waiting for Friday to come. When it came he went to pick Shane up. Jenny had already done it. When he went to see if he was there she answered the door. Seeing who it was she shut it again.
She wasn’t going to let him see Shane. Well. That was something he had to correct…Jenny waited outside the gates till 4pm. There was still no sign of Shane. She went in and spoke to the teacher. According to her he had been one of the first to leave. So where had he been?
She called Ben to see if he had picked Shane up on his way home from work. He hadn’t. She was hoping for the best. She called Derrick with no luck of reply. She was worried. Where could he be? Shane wasn’t the sort of child to run away. She panicked. Ben had moved back home by now.
She called round to see him. See if Shane had turned up whilst she was walking down there. He hadn’t. She didn’t know where Derrick lived. Though she thought she could try his parents. She walked up to his moms house and knocked on the door. His brother came to the door.
‘Matt. Your nephew. He’s gone missing. I was just wondering if you have seen him, or your brother. Else you could give me his address?’
Matt went inside and came back out with a piece of paper. He handed it to her. She read what was on it. She smiled.
This was her last hope. Surely Derrick picked him up. He didn’t answer the phone because he was driving, But he would be home by now. She walked up towards his house and saw the car parked in the drive. She walked up to the door and knocked.
A young woman came to the door. She was dressed in a fine silk dress. Jenny wanted to slap her. Her and Derrick were in fact still married. She knew all she wanted him for was his name. Its not like his family weren’t well known around here. She barged past the girl and into the sitting room. Derrick was sat there with his feet up on the table. She walked over and slapped him.
He looked at her confused. ‘What the..?’
‘First why when I come here was I greeted by a slut? Second. Where is our son?’
Derrick sat up and looked at her in disbelief.
‘Lemme get this straight, you have lost our son?’ he stood up. ‘The fact you have lost our three year old child makes the first question pretty much irrelevant don’t ya think? I mean… What the hell happened?
Jenny went pink.
‘He wasn’t there when I went to pick him up from school. I’ve tried every where.’
‘Oh and this is the last place you come? I cannot believe you.’
He got on his coat and headed over to the door. He opened It and guided her out.
He couldn’t believe it. She had kept Shane cause she was the mature one. Why? She had lost the child and didn’t know how. He ran down the steps and unlocked the car. After he and Jenny had got in and closed the doors he sped off as fast as he could driving round the town looking for anyone who could have taken him.
3 hours later there was nothing. Derrick called into the local police station before driving home. He offered to stay with Jenny. She declined.