She Decided to Speak Out: Lost Love or Passing Troubles?
Alice couldn’t bear it any longer. She just couldn’t understand why David had grown so coldhad he stopped loving her? That night, he came back home late yet again and went off to sleep on the living room sofa.
The next morning, during breakfast, Alice sat down across from him.
“David, can you tell me what’s going on?”
“What’s the matter now?”
He sipped his coffee, carefully avoiding her gaze.
“Ever since the twins were born, youve really changed.”
“I hadnt noticed.”
“David, weve been living alongside each other for two years now, haven’t you noticed?”
“Look, what do you want from me? The house is always a mess of toys, it smells like porridge, the kids are always screaming… Do you think anyone would want this?”
“David, but theyre your sons!”
He stood up suddenly and paced about the kitchen, nervously.
“Every normal wife just has one normal child who sits quietly in a corner and doesnt get in the way. You had to have twins! My mother warned meI didnt listen. Women like you simply breed!”
“Women like me? What does that mean, David?”
“Women without a purpose in life.”
“But you asked me to quit university. You wanted me to give everything to our family!”
Alice sat down. After a moment of silence, she added quietly,
“I think we should get a divorce.”
He considered, then answered,
“Fine by me. Just promise not to go after child support. Ill give you money myself.”
He turned on his heels and walked out of the kitchen. Alice wanted to burst into tears, but a commotion erupted from the boys roomthe twins were awake and calling for her attention.
A week later, she packed up their things, took the twins, and moved to a tiny flat in a council block she had inherited from her gran.
The neighbours were unfamiliar, so Alice decided to make introductions.
On one side lived a sullen but not old man; on the other, a lively sixty-year-old lady. First, Alice knocked on the mans door.
“Hello! Im your new neighbour, Alice. Ive bought a cakewould you like to pop in for some tea?”
She managed an anxious smile. The man took one look at her and muttered,
“Dont eat sweets,” and promptly shut the door in her face.
Alice shrugged and went next door to Mrs. Edith Goodmans place. The woman agreed to join her, but only so she could deliver a speech.
“You see, I like a good rest in the day, as I watch my soaps at night. I do hope your boys wont be noisy and spoil it. Just keep them from running up and down the hall, dont let them touch, dirty, or break anything!”
She went on and on. Alice couldnt help but think that her new life wouldnt be as sweet as she had hoped.
She managed to get the twins into the nursery, and got a job there herself as a teaching assistant. It was convenientshe worked till it was time to pick up Oliver and Jack. The pay wasnt much, but David had promised to help.
For the first three months, while the divorce went through, David did send money occasionally. But three months after it was all final, he stopped completely. Alice hadnt been able to pay her utility bills in two months.
Things with Mrs. Goodman were getting worse by the day. One evening, as Alice was feeding the twins in the kitchen, Mrs. Goodman swept in, clad in a satin dressing gown.
“My dear, I do trust youve sorted your financial predicament? Id hate to lose gas or electricity because of you.”
Alice sighed.
“Not yetIm going to see my ex tomorrow. I think hes forgotten about the children altogether.”
Mrs. Goodman scowled at the table.
“Youre still feeding them pasta… You know youre a terrible mother, dont you?”
“Im a good mother! And you might mind your own business, or youll get whats coming to you!”
With that, Mrs. Goodman started shrieking loud enough to make anyone cover their ears. At the noise, the man from the other side, George, emerged from his flat. When Mrs. Goodman had finally run out of breath from cursing Alice, her boys, and the world in general, George disappeared again. He returned after a minute, tossed a wad of notes onto the table in front of Mrs. Goodman, and said,
“Calm down. Heres your money for the bills.”
She muttered into silence. As soon as George went back to his flat, she hissed at Alice,
“Youll regret this!”
Alice ignored her. Later, she realised how wrong she had been to do so. The next day she visited David. He listened, then said,
“Im having a tough time right now. I cant give you anything.”
“This is just nonsense, David. I need to feed your children!”
“Then feed them. Im not stopping you.”
“Im going to apply for child support, if thats how you want it.”
“By all means. My official salarys so low youll get next to nothing. Dont bother me again.”
Alice went home and cried. A week till payday, barely a penny left. But there was another surprise holding for her that evening: the local police officer. Mrs. Goodman had reported her, claiming Alice had threatened her life and her children were neglected and hungry.
The policeman sat in her flat for an hour, asking questions, and finally announced,
“Ill have to inform social services.”
“Waitwhat for? Ive done nothing wrong.”
“Rules are rules, Im afraid. We have to follow up on any reports.”
That evening, Mrs. Goodman appeared again in her kitchen.
“So, my dear, if your children disturb me again during the day, Ill have to ring social services directly!”
“Youre being ridiculous! Theyre children! They cant just sit still all day!”
“If you fed them properly, theyd sleep, not run about!”
She swept out. The twins stared at their mother, frightened.
“Eat up, darlings,” Alice said gently, “Aunties just jokingshes really very nice.”
She turned to wipe a tear at the stove and didnt notice George slip into the kitchen, carrying a large carrier bag. He silently opened her fridge and began to unpack groceries.
“George, youve got the wrong fridge,” she called, embarrassed.
He didnt say a word. He filled the fridge and left quietly. Alice could only stare after him.
When pay day came, Alice knocked on his door. He opened immediately, as stern and silent as ever.
“George, I owe you for the food. Heres two hundred pounds, Ill give you more once you tell me how much it was.”
“Keep it. You owe me nothing.”
He shut the door on her again. Alice barely had time to turn back when Mrs. Goodmans screech rang from the kitchen. She rushed in: the boys were standing by the table, while Mrs. Goodman pointed at a puddle of tea.
“Vagrants! Little street urchins! What sort of men will they turn into?”
Alice sent the boys to their room, mopped up, and sat downher spirit nearly broken. The boys sat quietly on the bed. Alice joined them.
“Now then, why so glum? We just have to hang on a bit. Ill think of something, and then well move somewhere better.”
The twins hugged her tight from each side.
The next evening, when there was a knock at the door, Alice found two unfamiliar women, the local policeman, and another man waiting.
“Can I help you?”
One of the women stared at her, face stern.
“Alice Williams?”
“Yes.”
“Were from Social Services.”
“Social Services? Pardon me, why?”
“May we come in?”
They walked inside, checked the fridge, lifted a blanket on the bed.
“Pack up the children.”
“What? Are you mad? Ill never hand over my children!”
Jack and Oliver gripped her tightly and burst into tears. One of the women signalled to the officer, who stepped forward and started to pry the boys away from her.
“Mum! Mummy! Dont let them take us!”
Alice fought as hard as she could, but the other man twisted her arms behind her back.
“Mummy!”
Through her tears, she saw her boys kicking, screaming, terror in their eyes. She broke free, but the officer stood between them. He was already handing Jack to the women, and in a flash both were whisked away. The boys screamed so loudly it broke her heart. The officer held her still as the car finally drove off and the cries faded. At last, he let go and Alice collapsed to the floor. She lay there, shattered, for a long time.
When she stood at last, she caught sight of her grans old axe, forgotten in a corner. Alice picked it up, looked at it, and a cold, thin smile flickered on her lips. She left the flat and went straight to Mrs. Goodmans door.
She smashed the doorMrs. Goodman screamed and retreated under her bed, but suddenly someone grabbed Alice and wrenched the axe from her hand.
“You fool!” George shouted. “What are you doing? Wholl pay for this?”
Alice barely breathed.
“I dont care anymore nothing matters”
George dragged her to his flat, made her take a tablet. She swallowed it without resistance. She knew once he looked away shed make a run for the bridge. But before long, her head clouded, she couldnt keep her eyes open. George had given her a strong sedative. When she finally slept, George headed to Mrs. Goodmans. She sat cowering, clutching a bottle of valerian root.
“Are you happy now?”
“George II never thought it would go so far Shell pull herself together…”
“Pull herself together? Tomorrow I want every complaint youve made withdrawn. Pray you havent pushed that woman over the edgeif you have, Ill be coming for you.”
Mrs. Goodman nodded, trembling.
For a whole month, Alice gathered documentation, references, even did alcohol tests. She couldnt believe she was going through all thisshe almost gave up. But George, always stern, never left her alone and kept pushing her on. When there was finally a chance the boys might come back, Alice seemed to wake up from a fog.
“George its all down to you”
For the first time, he smiled, though sadly.
“I had children once myself but I couldn’t save them. Theyve been gone five years now. But for youIll help.”
The night before the final council meeting, Alice slept on Georges sofashe couldnt manage alone anymore. George was awake as well.
“George cant sleep? Tell me what happenedto your children.”
He was silent for ages, then finally began, his voice flat and distant.
“I had a family a wife and two lads. I took them for granted, thought everything was fine. After payday, Id go for drinks, come home and lose my temper. Then one day, they were goneoff to a cottage her parents left her. I waited, proud and sulking, but then I realised I couldnt live without them. I set off to make things right, but I was too late. When I got there, the cottage had burned downeveryone inside, lost to an electrical fault.”
He fell silent, then continued,
“I started drinking, getting into fights, hurt some peopledid three years for it. When I got out, I sold my flat to pay compensation, came back here. The factory took me back on.”
Alice got up and sat beside him, gently taking his hand. He sighed and pulled away.
“Get some sleep. You need to look your best at that council in the morning!”
“Mrs. Westbrook!”
“Yes, thats me.”
“Here are the documentsmake sure you live more carefully, so this doesnt happen again.”
Alice stared in disbelief as the council lady handed over the papersthen, unexpectedly, the woman smiled.
“What are you waiting for? Go and fetch your boys…”
Alices legs gave way. George steadied her as they waited in the hall.
“Mum! Mummy!”
Jack and Oliver squeezed her tight. All of them were cryingeven George had to turn away to wipe his eye.
“Right, thats enoughwere going home.”
Life, bit by bit, got back on track. Mrs. Goodman never left her room after that. With Georges help, Alice found a job at a local factory, which meant she no longer had to worry whether they’d have enough bread. There were no fortunes, but planning carefully, there was enough.
One thing still weighed on herGeorge grew even more withdrawn. One day, by chance, she knocked his coat off a hook and a phone fell out, its screen lighting up with her picture as the wallpaper. Alice smiled, picked up the phone, and went to his room. George was lying on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, tense as ever when he saw her. Alice sat down beside him.
“You know, George, Ive always been afraid to say the wrong thing. Theres so much I never told the people I cared about. Some are gone, some never needed those words. The worst part is regretting all you never said”
“What are you on about?”
“Well, if you cant, maybe Ill try. Im scared youll laugh at mebut Ill try anyway. George marry me, will you?”
He stared at her forever. Then he took her face in his hands and said,
“Im not one for fancy speeches. But just knowIll do anything for you and the boys.”
