ENGLISH ASSESSMENT FINALE - Rania Shehryar Year 10

BLOOD IN THE WATER

4 Years Later…
The apartment was still and cold, the blinds closed as Mary Maloney tenderly gazed at her 4-
year-old daughter, Allison Maloney. Looping the yarn amid her fingers, Mary Maloney couldn’t
help but feel as if she crumbled her gorgeous daughters’ childhood with her own hands, and well,
a leg of lamb. As tears began to well up in her eyes and cloud her vision, the doorbell rang. Mary
Maloney tugged herself to the door, almost limply. As the door opened, she saw someone she
assumed was long gone. Mary Maloney profusely gaped at the familiar foreigner as he observed
her with so much love.

“Hullo, Darling...’’ he spoke.

Mary Maloney stared at him in uncertainty as she felt her limbs go disoriented. Everything
around them disappeared, it was just her and him.

‘He’s still alive?’ she thought to herself.

Mary Maloney’s fingers twitched, longing for his embrace, wanting to voice how much she missed
him, nevertheless, the single sound coming from her was pure and sheer silence. He altered his
gaze from her to inside the house when he overheard a baby’s whine.

“Is that our baby?’’ The man inquired with a wide grin that soon faded when he saw Mary
Maloney’s emotionless eyes penetrating through his soul.

“No, that baby is not ours, its mine, just mine’’ Mary Maloney scoffed back at the man.

‘Why did you leave me Patrick? Why didn’t you just stay with me? Why did all of this have to
happen? Mary Maloney said to herself.

As more complications kept muddling her head. The man was desperately beaming in awe at the
gorgeous female in front of him that he had lost because of his foolishness. He studied every
feature of her appearance, he observed her blonde curls, that weren’t as long and healthy as they
used to be, her eyes didn’t have the same glisten they had 4 years ago, her smile looked as if it
hadn’t been worn in ages, and that’s when he had finally realised that he was wasting his time,
when it was always her, he was chasing the high, but it was always her.

“I should’ve never let you go’’ He whispered while peering his stare at the ground.

Mary Maloney’s heart plunged, and eyes softened as she witnessed the scene in front of her. The
man whom she treasured, who cheated on her, whom she intended to kill was now on his knees,
pleading for her forgiveness.
Instinctively, right as Mary Maloney was about to give in, she reminisced the words of her
mother.

‘Once a cheater, always a cheater’. She sighed as her mother’s words reverberated in her head
repeatedly.

The well-known quote isn’t wrong, but that wouldn’t stop Mary Maloney from finding every
excuse to let him into her life again.

‘But what if he changed? Everyone’s different right? Just one more chance?’ Mary Maloney
questioned herself as she glanced up at the patient man leaning against the door frame.

“I have missed you so much, darling… and I know you have too.’’ Patrick voices

It doesn’t take Mary long to lose all her dignity and cling onto the man and let all her leaking
tears out. The man didn’t hesitate for one second and held her close to his firm chest. The man’s
cologne stung her nose and trapped her in a deep realm of nostalgia.

2 Hours Later…

“She’s so adorable.’’ Patrick murmured as he tenderly witnessed the gorgeous little 4-year-old girl
in front of him.

Mary Maloney had brought him inside as she didn’t have the heart to tell him to leave. Mary
Maloney stood in the kitchen alone, holding a glass of water in her quivering fingers as she
glowered at the leg of lamb that she was planning to cook tonight for Herself, Allison and Charles.
Charles, the man that gave her his hand when she had nothing left. Somehow, she feels as if she
deceived Charles and took advantage of his trust. Mary’s thoughts get disturbed as she hears keys
tolling and the front door opening, revealing an exhausted Charles.

“Patrick…?’’

Charles gawked at the man sitting on their living room carpet playing with his daughter, Charles
starts to doubt his eyes as the visions from that one night, 4 years ago, start retelling in his head.
Charles mouth drapes open as he focuses on Patrick in absolute terror and disbelief. The
bewilderment on Charles face was awfully evident to Patrick.

“Mary! Mary! I don’t think I’m feeling good.’’ Charles deafeningly shouted out for Mary with a
hint of distress in his voice.

“Charles! It’s ok sweetheart, you’re fine.’’ Mary caresses him on the back as she worriedly looks
into his eyes, reassuring him that he isn’t hallucinating.
Mary glances at Patrick, whose opaque orbs are penetrating her soul. The ambiance of the room
lightens as Allison whines to Charles.

“Dada~’’

Patrick’s hands formed into fist as he powerlessly strained to retain his raging fury and jealousy
inside of him.

Charles slightly gazed up at Mary with worried eyes

“What’s he doing here?’’ he whispers, only audible to her ears.

“He didn’t die Charles. He came back.’’

Mary scanned the room for Patrick, but he was nowhere to be seen.

“Mary, when are you serving dinner?!’’ Mary flinches as Patrick hollers from the kitchen.

“Coming darl- I mean Patrick.’’ Mary hurriedly paced into the corridor leading to the kitchen in
embarrassment.

She stops in her tracks when she sees Patrick coming out with a glass of vaguely murky water.

“I’ll give this to Charles. He looks like he needs it.’’ Patrick smiles.

She returns the smile and walks past him not thinking too much of the situation. Mary Maloney
shivers as she stares at the leg of lamb in front of her.

“Charles, are you sure you want to have Lamb for dinner?’’ She calls out to Charles, feeling
unsure of herself.
But there was no response.
“Charles?’’ she questioned a second time.
No response.

Mary Maloney hastily walks to the living area where the two men were situated. Mary Maloney’s
breath hitches and hand covers her mouth as she stares at Charles lying on the couch, pale and
dead, with only an empty glass hanging from his lap. Mary Maloney’s brain stutters for a moment
as every part of her goes on pause as her thoughts try to catch up, she falls on her knees and
shows absolutely no sign of emotion, she just sits there, numb and dazed. And in the other room,
Patrick Maloney began to laugh.