Untitled
3
Ben walked into the living room, first there was nothing. A normal day. He walked through the dining room and into the kitchen. Still nothing. The house was silent, almost deserted. Where was everyone? Shane shouldn’t be working at this time, besides he had the day off. Jenny could be shopping but where was Beth? He looked at the clock. 3pm. So maybe Shane was picking Beth up? He sighed and walked up the stairs heading to the bedroom to fetch a towel for his much needed shower. He reached the door to a sudden chill. Something wasn’t right, and this clarified that feeling in his gut. There was something behind this door he wasn’t ready to see.
He thrust the door open to the instant metallic smell. The curtains closed and light off, the room in darkness but he didn’t need to see to know. He heard a faint sobbing and flicked the switch.
The sheets were redded, the curtains ripped, the duvet creased and the pillows stained. He ran to Jenny laying broken on the bed. He sat next to her sliding off his jacket and wrapping it around her slit stomach. She coughed and rested her head on his lap. “Jenny, what happened?” He had to fight so hard to stop himself crying, who could have done this to her? Who would do this?
“Ric...” Ben shook her to stop her sleeping taking out his phone and calling for an ambulance asking her who and trying desperately to receive a clear answer from her the whole time, he had just said the address when he heard the answer clearly. He was nearly sick... “Richard.” He hung up the phone cold to the bone. To his daughter-in-law? But why?
He held her closely kissing her head and rocking her to keep her awake, it wasn’t working. She was slowly loosing conscious with every second wasted. He was losing hope for her as she closed her eyes once more. She opened them heavily, fighting to keep them open. She tried to kiss him but the effort was too much. “Ben...”
He looked at her now looking back. “Jenny?”
“I love you.” He watched her as she looked at a picture of herself and Derrick. He sighed and reached it before putting it in her arms. He knew what she wanted. She wanted to die with him, it had always been her dream, since she was a small girl. She had wanted to die with her husband, which by rights Derrick still was. She held the picture tightly as she moved closer to Ben taking in his warmth and breathing . She couldn’t hold on anymore. She felt him kiss her lips passionately biting her bottom lip forcing his tongue in her mouth. She kissed him back as she pulled away with the last of her energy she said. “I love you D...”
Ben watched as she fell limp. He kissed her lips and laid her back on the bed crying as he did.
He watched as they took her away, on that trolley, with that bag around her. It wasn’t fair. He had lost the woman he loved. Like he lost everyone he loved. He walked back into the living room sitting on the sofa his head in his hands crying. He cast a glance at the table seeing a note written on a sheet of paper, in a hand writing he much recognised.
‘Ben, Mom. Beth.
I’m sorry, I couldn’t stick around, Everything seems so over whelming.
Everything seems to be weighing up. Too much. I need to move on with
My life, Have a life. Me and my girl. Have a place of our own, I
Need to get away from this. I’m sorry. Mom, I’ll always love you.
Ben, do my job and look after them.
You’re better off without me anyway. You always were.
Shane.”
Ben through the letter over the room in anger. Shane had left them? For his own insecurities? They were better off without him? Well maybe he wouldn’t be thinking that when he had found out what happened to his mother, that she had been murdered. And all because he couldn’t be a man and stand his ground. To Ben it was now confirmed. He was more like his father than he thought. Derrick had never been man enough to stand his ground. And now that was paying off on Shane.
He hated them both.
He thrust the door open to the instant metallic smell. The curtains closed and light off, the room in darkness but he didn’t need to see to know. He heard a faint sobbing and flicked the switch.
The sheets were redded, the curtains ripped, the duvet creased and the pillows stained. He ran to Jenny laying broken on the bed. He sat next to her sliding off his jacket and wrapping it around her slit stomach. She coughed and rested her head on his lap. “Jenny, what happened?” He had to fight so hard to stop himself crying, who could have done this to her? Who would do this?
“Ric...” Ben shook her to stop her sleeping taking out his phone and calling for an ambulance asking her who and trying desperately to receive a clear answer from her the whole time, he had just said the address when he heard the answer clearly. He was nearly sick... “Richard.” He hung up the phone cold to the bone. To his daughter-in-law? But why?
He held her closely kissing her head and rocking her to keep her awake, it wasn’t working. She was slowly loosing conscious with every second wasted. He was losing hope for her as she closed her eyes once more. She opened them heavily, fighting to keep them open. She tried to kiss him but the effort was too much. “Ben...”
He looked at her now looking back. “Jenny?”
“I love you.” He watched her as she looked at a picture of herself and Derrick. He sighed and reached it before putting it in her arms. He knew what she wanted. She wanted to die with him, it had always been her dream, since she was a small girl. She had wanted to die with her husband, which by rights Derrick still was. She held the picture tightly as she moved closer to Ben taking in his warmth and breathing . She couldn’t hold on anymore. She felt him kiss her lips passionately biting her bottom lip forcing his tongue in her mouth. She kissed him back as she pulled away with the last of her energy she said. “I love you D...”
Ben watched as she fell limp. He kissed her lips and laid her back on the bed crying as he did.
He watched as they took her away, on that trolley, with that bag around her. It wasn’t fair. He had lost the woman he loved. Like he lost everyone he loved. He walked back into the living room sitting on the sofa his head in his hands crying. He cast a glance at the table seeing a note written on a sheet of paper, in a hand writing he much recognised.
‘Ben, Mom. Beth.
I’m sorry, I couldn’t stick around, Everything seems so over whelming.
Everything seems to be weighing up. Too much. I need to move on with
My life, Have a life. Me and my girl. Have a place of our own, I
Need to get away from this. I’m sorry. Mom, I’ll always love you.
Ben, do my job and look after them.
You’re better off without me anyway. You always were.
Shane.”
Ben through the letter over the room in anger. Shane had left them? For his own insecurities? They were better off without him? Well maybe he wouldn’t be thinking that when he had found out what happened to his mother, that she had been murdered. And all because he couldn’t be a man and stand his ground. To Ben it was now confirmed. He was more like his father than he thought. Derrick had never been man enough to stand his ground. And now that was paying off on Shane.
He hated them both.