Amy should have been thrilled with the beautiful necklace, but she wasn’t. It was obviously expensive and over the top considering he wasn’t even her dad. But it was more than that; it was a symbol of what she had had to do to earn it.
*
November 1999
Later that night Amy heard the familiar sound of Cliff creeping inside her bedroom. She had expected it. The way he had looked at her and the fuss over the necklace told her what he had in mind. She mentally prepared herself for what was about to take place, familiar by now with the scenario.
Cliff would jump in bed beside her, hugging her from behind. Then his hands would roam up and down her body while he panted, and she felt his breath on the back of her neck. Then he would want to lie with her for a few minutes before finally leaving her alone.
As he nestled behind her, she found herself willing the time to pass until she could be alone once more and seek comfort by snuggling up with her trusty old teddy bear, Barney. But tonight, he wanted to talk as well.
‘Did you like your present, Amy?’ he whispered while his hands travelled along her body.
‘Mmm,’ she muttered, noncommittally.
‘I bet your friends were jealous, weren’t they? I bet they’d like a necklace like that. Nice girls, aren’t they? Good-looking. But not as pretty as you. I’ve told you, you’re special, Amy.’
He seemed to wait for her to respond but when she didn’t answer he said, ‘That’s why I’ve got you something really special for your birthday.’ He chuckled then added. ‘I bet you thought the necklace was your special present, didn’t you? But it wasn’t. I’ve got something else lined up for you. You’re getting a big girl now and I think it’s time.’
Before Amy could even begin to imagine what he was talking about, he had rolled her over, clamped his hand over her mouth and was lying flat out on top of her with the weight of his body pinning her to the bed. Then he used his free hand to wrench up her nightshirt and prise her legs apart before forcing himself on her.
‘You’re a good girl,’ he said as he entered her.
Amy felt a sharp pain shoot through her insides, and she screeched. But her screams were stifled by the weight of his hand gripping tightly across her mouth. Heedless of her pain or distress he carried on until he had climaxed, and then he got up off the bed.
‘Happy birthday, Amy,’ he said as he turned and walked out of her bedroom.
36
October 2015
Crystal breezed into her Altrincham store with an air of confidence wearing the smart clothing that had now become standard for her, together with her perfect hair and makeup. It was a Saturday and she was in search of her store manager, Deanna, while also trying to catch a glimpse of Candice.
Candice had been working at the store on Saturdays for a couple of weeks now and Crystal was eager for a progress report on her daughter. She spoke to Deanna regularly in relation to business and mentioned Candice in passing but they hadn’t gone into detail. Deanna’s usual comment was to confirm that Candice was doing well but Crystal wanted to hear more.
She was at the back of the store when she spotted Deanna.
‘Hi, how are things?’ asked Crystal.
‘Fine.’
‘Where’s Candice?’
‘On her break.’ Deanna smiled. ‘Don’t worry, she isn’t skiving.’
Crystal laughed. ‘Fancy a coffee and a catch-up?’
‘Yeah, sure,’ said Deanna who asked one of the junior staff to bring some drinks through to her office.
They sat down in Deanna’s office and made small talk while they waited for their coffees. Then, once the junior assistant had brought their drinks through, Crystal asked Deanna for an update regarding the store. She was pleased with the feedback. Profits were up on last month and the latest member of staff they had recruited was shaping up well.
‘Talking of staff,’ said Crystal, finally reaching one of the main topics she was here to discuss. ‘How’s Candice getting along?’
‘Wonderful,’ said Deanna. ‘Sorry I haven’t been able to tell you too much on the phone. It’s because I’m usually in the shop where the other staff can overhear but you’ve got no worries with her, Crystal. She’s so hard-working, she loves the job and she’s even a wiz at maths. I’ve had her in the office counting the takings. She’s definitely cut out for a career in fashion.’ Then she laughed. ‘I’d better watch my job, I think.’
Crystal returned her laughter. ‘Brilliant,’ she said. ‘That’s great to hear.’
It was good to know that Candice was capable in the world of work as well as being intelligent, and Crystal felt confident that one day her daughter would go far.
*
October 2015
It was the morning after her night with Kev and Amber was feeling happy. She’d had a lovely meal with him and a great night at the cocktail bar. Then they’d gone back to his and Kev had joined her for a drink before they’d gone to bed. As far as Amber was concerned, he was pretty good in the sack too and easy on the eye.
It felt good to be with a man who was protective. Amber realised that prior to last night Kev hadn’t been protecting her so much, just taking the money and leaving her to cope alone on the beat. Cora’s death and her own loneliness had left her feeling vulnerable but now things would be different.
She was going to be his girl; he’d said as much last night. Just thinking about that made her feel safer especially when she thought about how he’d dealt with the men at the bar who were making a nuisance of themselves.
She hadn’t gone back to Kev’s because she was drunk; she’d done it because she’d weighed up her options. In this game you did what you had
