“Correct, Thomas, you won’t know anythingabout this. Why? Because the note is addressed to Mr and Mrs Taylor.” Oh God,this could only be from the school! What has she done?! She told me shewouldn’t say anything to my parents for now! He carries on, “Well, don’t youwant to know what it says?” With that he slams the note at my chest, winding meand knocking me backwards, my arms flailing. I hear mother gasp inwardly. “Readit then, stupid.”
My throat is dry, and it takes me a fewseconds to gather myself before I can feasibly formulate the words. “Dear Mrand Mrs Taylor, I just wanted to notify you that I’ve had a chat with Thomastoday. I told him that I wouldn’t be involving you at this stage but after due considerationI feel that it’s only fair that you’re kept involved so we’re all aware of thesituation. With your co-operation and input, hopefully things can improve.Thomas has always been a capable student but over these past few months hisgrades have been slipping and it’s giving us cause for concern. Also, he hasbecome very withdrawn, choosing to spend more and more time by himself. I hopethe chat I had with him helped and perhaps you could possibly provide someinput? I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Miss Davies.”
“Well then, what have you got to say foryourself? Speak up boy!”
I don’t know what to say, I don’t want toaggravate the situation any further, so I simply say, “Sorry Sir.”
“‘Sorry Sir; sorry Sir’,” he mimics.“Well, it’s too bloody late for sorry. That meddling teacher of yours is pokingher nose in where it’s not wanted and either one of you or both of you needpunished for it. I mean, on the face of it, it would make sense that you,Thomas, should receive the punishment because after all it involves you. But,if we stop and think about it, Mary, you’re the useless bitch who gave birth tothis pathetic excuse for a human being and you raised him, so hmmm … thisreally is tricky! What am I to do? Let me think.”
A loaded silence fills the room and everypart of me wants to turn and flee but another part tells me it’ll be far worseif I don’t surrender to his mercy, so my feet stand firm. “Ah ha, I have it,”he says. “Mary, have you prepared dinner yet?”
A little voice pipes up, “Yes.”
“Wonderful,” he says. “In that case,follow me, you two.” We shuffle behind him, both too terrified to even attempteye contact with one another. He leads us to the kitchen then has mother platehis food up. “First things first,” he says, “you two sit down; arms around thebacks of the chairs.” We oblige, fearful of what is coming next. “Why the longfaces?” he says, clearly delighting in seeing our suffering. “Let me just getsomething. He is back in a flourish with four lengths of rope. He proceeds tobind each of us to our chairs by our hands at the back and around our ankles.The rope is so tight it is chaffing at my ankles and wrists and it feels asthough the blood supply is being cut off.
“There we go, you’re all strapped innicely the pair of you and here you shall remain until tomorrow morning. If youmess yourselves, you needn’t think I’m coming to clean the stinking mess up!You can sit in your own piss and shit for all I care!” With that he sat down tohis dinner and set about wolfing it down. The noises emanating from him whilsthe ate were truly abhorrent. When he’d finished it, he flung his plate in thegeneral direction of the sink, let out a very loud belch, and then he was offout the door, leaving mother and I strapped to our chairs, two lost souls.
We sat like that for Lord only knows howlong, lost in our own thoughts, trying to comprehend the grim situation we nowfound ourselves in. Perhaps it was a combination of shock and fear, but we wererendered mute for quite some time. Eventually I gathered myself and askedmother if she was OK. “Yes, love, don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. Itcould’ve been worse.” I find myself nodding in agreement with her but that’sreally to quell her unease. ‘It could’ve been worse’ is not exactly mysentiments right now sat here bound to a stiff chair for an indiscriminateperiod of time with (as father kindly informed us) no toilet breaks. Clearly nofood or drink to be had either but, even though I’m starving, it’s probably nota bad thing in the light of the toilet situation.
I realise my senses are heightened withnothing to do other than listen out for noises or take in objects around theroom. I can hear the chatter of my siblings from the adjacent room, and it isgetting louder and more animated. Then the noise shifts in direction and growsin volume as they make their way towards the kitchen, obviously looking forfood.
Leading the pack is James and he is hisusual exuberant self. He fails to hide the look of shock when he sees us and shouts,“Mum; Thomas; no, what has he done?!” I shake my head violently and tell him tohush quickly. In a quieter voice he carries on, “No I can release you both.Come on you two, help me!” I stop him in his tracks.
“No James,
