Act II – playlet 07 – Kids

KIDS

I always help me mum. She gets funny some times, like she says it’s her turns and she can’t really do owt. So I help her.

It’s not really much really that I need to do. I take her pills from the chemists and make sure there’s a bit of milk in the fridge. Well there’s not much else In there usually. Except on Tuesdays but it’s mostly cans. So they don’t need to go in the fridge. I think. I’m never sure.

But I do help me mum. She can get bit you know. Well, angry like. I wish me nan were here now. But she’s gone. Oh no, not like that. No she’s gone back to Blackburn. I’m not really sure why. But I do recall some argument or other. I do miss me nan.

I think they complain when I don’t go to school but I do like helping me mum. Except for this morning.

You see I went out to Co-op this morning to get milk and cereal. It were all the money in the house and I were a bit hungry. Not much really but mum said it were okay.

Well I bought milk and Crunchy Nuts – not the Kellogg’s ones, the Co-op ones because they’re not so dear and I think they taste better.

I walked home as I always do. It were a bit rainy as it always is. Well it isn’t but you know what I mean. And when I got to our house I found I couldn’t get in. I didn’t have keys and the door was locked.

I knocked hard but no one came. I knocked again. I tried her on me mobile but she wasn’t picking up. It was very mysterious. Now the lock doesn’t always work on the back door so I went round the back but it wouldn’t open. I looked through the windows and saw me mum passed out.

It’s happened before but not with me locked out in the street. I’ll admit I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know about breaking down doors or breaking windows because our landlord had warned us about that. There’s been trouble in the area with things like that.

The neighbours on that side weren’t in and the neighbours on that side we never have anything to do with. Me mum says stay away but I think she buys things from them. Anyway I couldn’t hear their dog so I don’t think they were in. And then my battery ran out so I couldn’t call me nan and ask her what to do.

And I looked back in and she still wasn’t moving on the sofa. So I went out to street again and looked for anyone I might know. I thought I’d go back to Co-op, they might know and they’re really nice in there.

And oh dear, there was Mrs Coventry coming out of the store. She’s the deputy head. She’s quite nice I suppose. I didn’t want her to see me but she did and she came over and said, “What’re you doing? You should be in school.” And I said, “But it’s me mum, she’s not moving and I can’t get in.” And she said, “Oh, in that case I’ll see what I can do.” And she called the police. And I said me mum’s not happy when the police are around but Mrs Coventry said it was okay so I did feel better.

And then the police did come and they picked the lock. Really! They picked the locks. I didn’t know they were allowed to do that but Mrs Coventry said they were! In certain circumstances she said and this were it.

And then a big ambulance came and me mum went off with them. To the hospital. She’ll be okay they say and they phoned me nan. And I’ll get to see her later when she’s less poorly.

Mrs Coventry was talking to the police and I asked her, “Am I in trouble now?” And she gave a nice smile which she doesn’t normally give us and she said, “Of course not love, but you’ll come back with me to school.” And I said, “But I’ll get into trouble won’t I?” And she said, “no you won’t. I’ll tell them. Because school’s the safest place for you right now.”

I do miss me nan.

ENDS