Jack's home

1 As usual, nosy Mrs Roberts popped her head around her door
2 as he put his key in the lock. She had an uncanny knack of hearing
3 him coming - how did she do that when she was supposed to be as
4 deaf as a lump of wood?
5 "Everything all right?" she cackled, displaying a set of stumpy,
6 greying teeth.
7 "Fine, thank you, Mrs Roberts," he shouted, making sure he
8 kept his distance from her smelly mouth. "I'm going to get something
9 to eat!"
10 "Sore feet?" She glanced down at her pink fluffy slippers. "Yes,
11 they are a little painful."
12 "No, not sore feet," shouted Jack. "Something to eat!"
13 "Oh, right." She looked confused for a second. "But I've had
14 my supper already. Well, perhaps I could do with some crackers
15 and cheese. Night, Night."
16 She shuffled backwards and disappeared inside her flat. Jack
17 sighed and opened his door.
18 "Mum?" Silence. He'd forgotten she'd still be at work. He
19 heated up a huge panful of baked beans, toasted two slices of
20 bread and wolfed them down standing by the sink. Sauce dribbled
21 down his chin and plopped into the washing-up bowl. Jack could
22 almost hear Mum tutting with annoyance as he stood there, but at
23 least it saved on the washing-up.
24 He glanced at the clock: past ten already. There was no point
25 waiting up for Mum, she could be ages. He showered to wash the
26 grease off his skin and hair and collapsed on the bed. His body was
27 weary but his mind restless. His stuffy bedroom didn't help. he
28 tossed back his duvet, knelt on the bed and yanked up the blind.
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29 Then he opened the window as far as it would go. He flopped onto
30 his back, and watched the strange, elongated shadows created by
31 light from the street dancing on his ceiling.
32 He must have dozed off because he came to a while later with
33 the sound of Mum clattering about in the kitchen which was next to
34 his room. He slipped out of bed.
35 She was sitting at the table, with a cup of tea.
36 "Fancy one?" She gestured at the kettle. A wispy plume of
37 steam still hovered in the air above it.
38 He shook his head and sank into the chair opposite.
39 "What's the matter with your hand?"
40 He gulped and whipped it under the kitchen table. If she
41 realised his skin was getting worse she'd ban him from going outside
42 altogether. "I scratched myself. It's nothing."
43 He glanced at her face, wondering if she'd quiz him about it.
44 Dark circles surrounded each eye; they'd been there since she and
45 Dad split up four months ago.
46 "There's antiseptic in the bathroom cabinet." She heaved herself
47 up, rinsed her mug under the tap and placed it on the draining
48 board, pushing a floppy strand of brown hair from her brow as she
49 did so.
50 "Dad hasn't called then?" he said, crushing his sore hand
51 between his knees to stop the unbearable itch.
52 "Sorry, love, no."
53 "Typical," he grunted.
54 Mum shot him a disapproving look but she didn't disagree.
55 Instead she mumbled something that sounded like "Too busy
56 thinking about himself." Then in a louder voice she said, "Your dad
57 finds it easy to forget what really matters. But it's not been that long
58 since we heard from him."

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