Copyright 2011 Gareth Parker
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The Boy Who Had Nothing
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Chapter 1
It’s November 2011. It’s coming closer to that time of year where I have to put up with the other nine year old kids in my class bragging about what Santa might bring them. For me, things aren’t just given out like that. I don’t have the sweet luxuries in life like Xbox’s, PlayStations, big Plasma TVs and Sky+. In our house we have a fourteen-inch portable TV sat on the side with five channels, which does us fine in all honesty. We never seem to get bored.
I really don’t want to get out of bed today but I know I have to. I hate going to school at the best of times. I then hear the voice I had been waiting for, my mothers.
‘Toby, can you get up now please?’
‘I’m up,’ I shout back, slowly climbing from my warm single bed and tiptoeing across the carpet-less floor into the bathroom to take a whiz.
Once dressed and ready I walk down the stairs where I’m greeted by my mum.
‘You need to start getting a move on in the mornings please. You know I can’t chase you around.’ I step back, looking at her in her wheelchair. I feel sorry for her after all these years in that thing.
‘Yes mum, sorry.’ I turn and make my way into the kitchen to find my mum has made me breakfast; jam on toast. I have the same thing every morning. I’m sick of jam.
‘Mum, can we have something other than jam please?’ I shout to her.
‘Toby, you know I can’t afford those big expensive cereals. Do you know how much a pint of milk costs these days?’
‘No, how much?’
‘A lot I tell you. Now eat your breakfast. You’ll be late for school.’
I munch away at the single piece of toast. It’s no wonder I’m a skinny kid - smallest in my class to be exact. The kids in school take the mick out of me for it, and also for my scruffy hair, shabby clothes and shoes with sellotape round the right foot to keep the sole on.
I have to walk to school on my own in the winter, because my mum finds it hard when the weather is bad. It’s frosty outside. I have to make sure I’m wrapped up warm otherwise I will catch a chill, according to my mum. This just shows the others kids how poor we really are by wearing two jumpers, a scarf and my granddad’s old woolly hat with moth holes. However, I’d rather be warm even if it does mean the kids will laugh at me.
Today in school we’re asked to give a presentation on anything we want, I’ve decided to talk about my mum, which I’m really nervous about but think it will be interesting. There are about twenty kids in my class. I sit at the front because there’s less distraction here. The desks are old and wooden, covered in graffiti, stickers and all sorts. One of the problems sitting at the front is I can smell my teacher’s breath smells of coffee and stale tobacco; vile.
I’m first up to do the presentation. The whole class is staring at me. I feel small like a cat amongst the dogs. I can hear whispers and sniggers in the distance. My hands become sweaty. I look at everyone trying to come across confident and open my mouth,
‘Today I would like to talk about my mum,’ stuttering my words.
‘Mummy’s boy!’ someone shouts from the class. I ignore and continue.
‘My mum finds life difficult. She has to use a wheel chair to move around.’ Again I pause for a moment. I can still hear giggling in the background. I feel as though I want to run out of the classroom but something inside me pushes me to continue to get this out. Kids are cruel.
I have to do things for my mum to help her lead a normal life. Things aren’t easy at home but we are happy. My mum was involved in a horrible car crash twelve years ago which resulted in her losing both her legs from the knees down. I pray for my mum sometimes, pray that she could magically get better. My mum always says to me, losing her legs isn’t the important thing; it’s surviving the crash and living to tell the tale that’s important. My mum is a truly amazing person and we should all be happy with what we have and make the most of our lives.’
I did it! I got through it to the end. Feeling pleased with myself I slowly make my way back to my desk, and the class is silent. Then someone said something I’ll never forget.
‘Ha-ha! What a loser! I’d hate to be you.’ My head gets hot. I feel fire in my belly. How dare someone disrespect me and put down my life? I just opened my heart and gave the class a moving speech and that’s all they have to say. I manage to compose myself. I push the anger back down inside me. One day I will show them. I will show them I can be a somebody.
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Chapter 2
I wake up. It’s now December. I look out my bedroom window to see snow has fallen. The house feels cold and quiet. I have that nice Christmas feeling, that excitement wondering what I’ll get this year. I notice a few people in my street cleaning snow off their cars, struggling at it too. I suddenly have an idea. I jump out of bed, throw on as many jumpers as I can find, followed by my trousers and boots and run outside. I quickly start removing snow off the cars in the street, which is a lot harder than I first thought it would be. My fingers freeze, my ears burn from the cold but the fire in my stomach keeps me going to want to clear as many cars as I can.
As I make my way up the street a few of the car owners come out. One man spots me clearing the snow off a big 4x4.
‘Little one, can you come here please?’ I walk over. This man was big and tall, had a full beard and a big green coat on.
‘Did you clear the snow off this car?’ pointing at a big black car. I’m not sure what it was called.
‘Yes sir. Sorry I was trying to be helpful,’ I said, slightly nervous, not sure what he’s going to do next.
‘Hold out your hand little man.’ I reluctantly hold out my hand.
‘Here you go. Same time tomorrow?’ placing a pound in my hand.
‘Yes sir of course.’ I smile and run off back to the big 4x4.
Throughout the morning the same thing happened over and over. People were happily giving me money to clear the snow off their cars, which I really enjoyed doing. I hear my mum calling me in the background and decide that’s enough for today. I’d better get ready for school.
I run into the house past my mum before she could say a word to me and run up into my room. Under my bed I keep a small tin in which I store my bit of change and added the money I collected this morning to it. Feeling pleased with myself I quickly get dressed into my school uniform and run downstairs to meet my mum for some breakfast.
To my disappointment I have jam on toast again with a glass of milk to wash it down. My hands still feel frozen from the snow and slightly sore but I don’t care. Tomorrow morning I’ll wear gloves as well which will make the job a lot easier.
On my way to school I pass a shop filled with all sorts. Not having my mum with me because of the weather I sneak to take a look around. They have video games, big TVs, things I would only ever dream of having. I notice in the corner they have one set up to play with. I run over there. It’s the first time I’ve ever played on an Xbox. It’s great! I really wish I had one.
About thirty minutes later the shopkeeper approaches me.
‘Excuse me. This is not an arcade young man.’
‘Sorry, I was just looking.’ I quickly scarper out of the shop heading off to school. I was excited about playing the game. It really was the best thing.
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Chapter 3
Walking through the gloomy corridors in school is tough today. I keep hearing little remarks about my presentation and people laughing at me. I feel like an alien on the wrong planet, like I don’t belong here. My heart starts to beat fast, I run to the toilets as fast as I can. I run in there slipping on the floor, landing on my hand. The pain
is intense, like I’ve dipped it in boiling water. I scream out in pain, clenching my hand. I lay on the floor for a few minutes, praying for the pain to go, but it doesn’t. I slowly rise to my feet, crying my eyes out and make my way to the school nurse for some help.
Standing at the big white school infirmary door, I’m holding my sore hand tight and knock hard. I wait but there’s no answer. I knock hard again and eventually the nurse answers the door.
‘Miss I’ve hurt my hand.’ She takes one look at it.
‘Dear, you’re going to need to go to hospital. I think you may have broken it.’ I look down at it. My hand’s gone swollen and bruising is starting to show.
‘I’ll ring your mum to meet us there ok?’
‘Ok, miss sorry,’ still crying with my bottom lip quivering.
‘Don’t be silly. Come on lets go.’ We make our way out to the school mini bus where we are taken to the hospital. On the way the driver said he will collect my mum who couldn’t stop giving me attention in the bus which got annoying after a while.
The waiting room is packed. People coughing and spluttering. My mum sits next to me with her hand on my knee.
‘You feeling better dear?’ looking at me with sorrowful eyes.
‘A bit better thanks.’ I just want to sit there in silence and think, try to forget about the pain.
After a long, painful three-hour wait I finally get called in to see the doctor, who immediately takes me for an x-ray. The x-ray room is big and cold with all sorts of metal and machinery everywhere. It’s a scary place. The doctor with me walks me over to a big chair where what I assume is the x-ray machine. I feel like I’m in a space ship. I sit on the chair and place my hand on a table in front of me. It feels cold, and my hand is throbbing with pain.
‘Right brave man, sit still and don’t move ok? You’ll hear a buzzing sound and it’s nothing to worry about.’
‘Ok, thank you.’ He then walks behind a big screen and counts down.
‘Three, two, one.’ The machine clicks and buzzes. I’m waiting for it to hurt. I tense up waiting and waiting but feel nothing.
‘Right all done. Now come with me.’ Wow it didn’t hurt at all! I thought it would! He guides me back out to the waiting room where my mum is.
‘Was that ok dear?’ asking again if I’m ok.
‘Yes mum, it hurts still but I’m getting used to it.’
‘You’re brave aren’t you? I’m so proud of you.’
‘No not really.’ I sit back in the waiting chair thinking about the Xbox I was playing this morning, and it soon takes the pain away for a little bit.
About thirty minutes later the doctor returns asking mum and I to follow him into his office.
‘Ok little Toby, I’m afraid you have broken your hand. But no fear. It should be fixed in a week and you get to wear a funky coloured plaster cast.’ His voice and smile is very reassuring and to be honest I feel slightly excited about wearing a plaster cast. I’ve seen other kids in school with them and they look pretty cool.
A nurse then enters the room to start dressing my hand. I choose a bright blue cast and can’t wait to show it off to people. When the cast was being put on it felt warm and really soothing. The doctor gave my mum some pills to give me for the pain and we were off home. Thankfully the school minibus waited for us all this time along with the school nurse and dropped us home.
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Chapter 4
The next morning I wake up to see the street is full of snow. I have the rest of the week off school and can’t wait to get outside to start cleaning the snow off the cars again. I throw on my jumpers and gloves, putting a sock over my plastered hand and run outside to get to work.
It’s still snowing with the sun only starting to rise and it felt peaceful. The soft sound of the snowflakes dropping onto the ground was bliss. I begin my work, pulling the snow off as many cars as I can. I still feel the cold through the glove and sock on my hands but I don’t care. For some reason I really enjoy doing this. I think my neighbours do too because they come out to give me money for doing this for them. Before I know it I’ve managed to clear about fifteen cars. With my pockets bulging with change I retreat back to my house to warm up and take a break.
I walk into the house to be greeted by my mum who has made me a full English fry up.
‘Mum, thanks for this!’
‘You’re welcome dear! You deserve it after everything you’ve been through.’ I must have eaten the whole thing within five minutes.
‘Toby, I don’t want you out there every morning cleaning cars ok?’
‘But mum I enjoy it. Please mum, please.’
‘Why are you doing it?’
‘Because it helps the people who are going to work and I really enjoy it. Please mum.’
‘Look ok. Just promise me you’ll look after that hand of yours and you come back indoors as soon as you start getting cold ok?’
‘Yes mum, thank you.’
I leave the table and run up to my room to empty all the change from my pockets. The tin I originally had is now too small so start to put it into an old shoebox instead. I’m not too sure how much is in there but it’s certainly adding up. The question is what am I going to spend it on? I’ve never had any money of my own before and boy it feels good.
I continued to remove snow from the cars remaining but think these cars are here for the day, so may have been a waste of time. I decide because I’m off school I will take a trip down to my favourite shop – Game Planet – to play on a few video games. Hopefully this time round the shopkeeper will let me play for a little bit. I walk down there after letting my mum know where I’m going and walk into the shop.
‘Excuse me sir, how much is one of those?’ I ask the shopkeeper.
‘Depends. How many games would you want with it?’ I’m in dreamland now. How many games?!
‘I will probably have three games.’ I feel excited even though I won’t be buying one anytime soon.
‘About two hundred pounds.’ My jaw drops in disbelief. Two hundred pounds in my world is thousands. I feel slightly deflated after asking him how much it was.
‘Can I have a go on it please?’
‘Yes of course but don’t stay on it all day,’ in a direct tone.
‘Yes sir, thank you.’
Three hours later after playing the same shooting game, I decide I’d better get home before my mum worries about me. I feel disappointed to know I will probably never own an Xbox but it doesn’t stop me from dreaming about having one or even coming down to Game Planet once in a while to satisfy my cravings.
I get home to find my mum crying.
‘Mum what’s wrong?’
‘Nothing Toby, I’m just being silly.’
‘Tell me mum, why are you upset?’
‘Toby, do you think I’m a good mum?’ By this point she could barely get her words out.
‘Of course you are! We’re happy just you and me.’
‘I just wish I could do more for you dear, buy you nice things, and take you out places.’
‘Mum, I don’t need anything like that. I’m happy just the way I am. I appreciate life and one day I promise everything will be great.’
‘Toby, how did you become such a lovely person? Promise you’ll never change.’
‘I promise mum. Now come on, let’s go and do something together.’
‘Like what?’
‘How about I take you down the park and treat us to some chips?’
‘How? I don’t have any money dear.’
‘Mum, I have some change from clearing the snow off the cars. Come on lets go.’
I wheel her out of the house and up the road, singing Christmas songs. Feeding the birds our chips was really nice and makes you appreciate the simple things in life. I don’t need an Xbox or expensive toys and games; this feeling, out with my mum making her laugh, was much more satisfying.
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Chapter 5
It’s now four days before Christma
s and I've been extremely busy removing the snow off all the cars in my street. It’s even got to the point that the neighbours are dropping the money off in the evenings after they have finished work. Some tell me how much time it saved them in the mornings and how useful it was for them by me doing this. It gave me a lovely feeling of satisfaction. Putting myself out there for others. I know they paid me for it, but I started without expecting money and have turned out to be very fortunate indeed.
Being the 21st December I am officially off school so my mum is taking me out into town to do a spot of Christmas shopping. It’s a bit of a mission to get into town, especially with all the snow on the ground. Pushing my mum’s wheel chair was an absolute nightmare but I never made it known to her I was struggling because I didn’t want to make her feel bad or guilty.
We finally make it into the town centre; there were Christmas lights everywhere, music playing in the streets and a nice sweet smell of chestnuts roasting. We walked past one stand; there was an overwhelming whiff of chocolate so we both decided to indulge. Big crispy waffles covered in chocolate. It went down a treat, and we even had a second helping.
We make our way round all the shops looking at toys. I show my mum the Xbox that I want. I can see the look in her eyes wishing she could get it for me, but we both know that it can’t happen.
After about four hours of looking round all the shops, playing with toys, eating sweets and rubbish we were exhausted. Unfortunately on our way home we were approached by a group of kids from my class. We were about ten yards away from them when I heard the first words of abuse.
‘Loser.’ Then flies over a snow ball hitting me square in the face. I worry about my mum getting hit so I shield her with my body and took each snow ball as they came. Some didn’t hurt but the ones hitting my face stung.
I was scared but wanted to be brave for my mum and decided enough was enough. All the anger I pushed down after all this time was ready to explode and explode it did. I charge at all three of them as fast as I could, screaming out at the top of my lungs. As I approached the biggest kid, the ring leader, I turn my shoulder into his chest sending him flying onto the ground. I pick up a handful of snow shoving it straight into his face as hard as I can, making sure it hurts him.