Forever Days
Emlyn Hall
William
“Mum, George has thrown up! Its gross and it looks like blood with carrot lumps in it. Oh my god it stinks!” Said Williams little sister Sarah. “I think I’m going to be…” Sure enough, Sarah was sick.
William Smith was sat on the back seat of his fathers beaten up ford popular plus on his way to University. Just 2 months prior to his journey in the sick filled car, William was sitting in his last Physics exam thinking of elaborate ways to kill himself with the overly sharp pencil on his desk. Fortunately, William opted against suicide via nasal inserted brain trauma, scored a set of fabulous exam results and was now travelling to his first choice of Exeter University to study Astrophysics, albeit covered in a little bit of red sick and feeling more than a little bit nauseous himself.
William was always a bit of a worrier when it came to exams. He always worked incredibly hard and as a result never really had much in the way of a social life. In school he always found himself orbiting around other very studious types, he never really went out, other than to the library and consequently had never had a girlfriend. Not even a girl who was a friend for that matter. Despite working so hard at his schoolwork, William was never very confident of his academic ability and always feared that he had failed every test he ever sat.
William was the eldest of 3 children and the only truly planned offspring of his parents, Brian and Patricia Smith. Now 18 years old, William was a meticulously planned and prepared for baby, whereas his little brother George, 4 and little but loud sister Sarah, 6 were a product of Brian and Patricia’s rekindled love of sex and far too much red wine in their early 40’s.
“Oh, for the love of Christ that stinks!” Shouted Williams dad swerving the slightly over responsive car.
“Can’t we take you 2 evil little pests anywhere without a commotion!” Blasted Williams mother. “We have only been driving for 5 minutes, you could have said something if you were feeling sick George!”
Home for the Smith family was Clapham in South London. Williams’ dad was a plumber, he had his own business that didn’t do particularly well, in most part due to his fathers foul temper. Williams mother worked part time as a receptionist at the local doctor’s surgery. She had always wanted to be a doctor when she was a child, but a lack of motivation and any real academic talent soon put an end to that. Patricia Smith spent her days sneering in jealousy at the infinitely more successful and younger doctors in the surgery and making patents life’s a misery. Some within the practice, but mainly over the phone. She was the gatekeeper to the doctors, that meant power. Some people should never be allowed to have power.
“Dad can we stop the car? I think I’m going to be sick too. It’s everywhere and really turning my stomach.” Said William with his clamped to his mouth.
“Bloody hell, we have been on the road for literally pissing seconds and we have a bloody 4 hour drive if we are bloody lucky ahead of us. Why couldn’t you pick a bloody university in London like a normal bloody kid.” Ranted Williams father.
“Well I’m sorry its all my fault that the back of your bloody car is covered in semi digested hula hoops and bloody carrots, but that’s not my fault! Neither is it that the best bloody astrophysics department happens to be in bloody Exeter! If you don’t want to drive me to the bloody place, then pull over and I will bloody well w…” Williams rant was cut short by the violent stream of vomit which flowed out of his moth and nose.
“Right, that’s it! Everybody get out of the bloody car!” shouted Williams father.
Williams father pulled the car over, reached across to the glove box to retrieve a pile of tissues he kept there then clambered onto the back seat and set to work soaking up the lake of sick.
“Will, what is oomiversity?” Asked George with vomit still dribbling slowly from his chin.
William smiled and pulled a packet of tissues from his pocket and started to clean his little brothers face.
“It’s a bit like a school Georgey.” Said William.
“Yeah a school for bloody layabouts and scroungers!” shouted his father from the back seat.
The smith family were back in the car and back on the road again after 10 minutes of scraping up chunks and mopping up the foul smelling red liquid, which seemed to have gotten everywhere. The journey to Exeter took a little longer than the 4-hour drive that Williams father had expected. He had not factored in the Chelsea home football game or the rather ‘inconsiderate people’ involved in what looked like quite a horrific accident on the A4 out of London. Neither did he take into account that the weather in Britain in September is always dreadful.
For William, the journey was quite productive. He managed to finally complete the Rubik’s Cube his aunt Maggie gave him for his recent birthday and he even managed to write 3 poems. One about a field, one about a rain cloud and, a third about lumpy red vomit.
For his first year at university, William had decided that he would stay in one of the halls of residence. He decided to do this for 4 main reasons:
1.He figured that it was about time he made an attempt to be social. William never went out, never went to parties, or pubs or clubs.
2.It was on the university campus, so it meant less hassle getting to early morning lectures. William valued his sleep, almost as much as he valued his collection of Isaac Asimov novels.
3.It was very cheap. Williams’ family did not have a lot of money. He had a student grant, sure, but once that was gone, he would have nothing and he really didn’t fancy getting a job while he was at college.
4.There may be girls there. Despite never having had a girlfriend, William was very keen on members of the opposite sex. His mother would testify to this, as she had to wash his bed sheets, which by the end of a typical week interestingly resembled his recently completed Rubik’s Cube in terms of texture.
Williams’ hall of residence was situated just behind the main university campus and was a leisurely 5 minute walk away.
“Which one is it? It better not be on the bloody top floor, or you can bloody well lug this bloody stuff up there yourself.” Said Williams’ father in his usual jolly way.
“Its room 2 on the ground floor.” Replied William.
“William.” Began his mother dabbing a tissue to her tongue and wiping the corner of Williams’ mouth. “You will promise to be careful wont you. We really worry about you being so far away from home you know. I want you to call me every Wednesday and Sunday evening at 8:00pm. Without fail please William, you know how much I worry.”
“Yes mum, of course.” Said William squirming to prevent his mother from cleaning his face with her spit covered tissue.
“I want you to take this too.” She continued.
William looked down to see what his mother was handing him.
“A rape alarm?” Said William with a glazed look of confusion painted across his face.
“Yes William, a rape alarm. You know how much I worry.” Said his mother.
“But… it’s a rape alarm. I really don’t think that…”
Williams’ protests were cut short as his mother thrust a finger onto his lips to silence him.
“Just keep it with you, that’s all I ask. You never know, and it is better to be safe than sorry.” She said.
An empty beer can flew out of a window on the first floor of the hall of residence making both William and his mother jump out of there skin.
“Oi, Mummy’s boy!!” Came a loud shout from a hidden figure the other side of the drawn curtains. “You had better keep that alarm handy
! We are all gonna take turns raping that tight little arse otherwise!” The hidden group of students behind the curtains erupted in laughter.
A bright red William nervously popped the alarm in his pocket and without making eye contact with his mother retrieved a box from the car and followed his father inside.
Williams room was very basic and in desperate need of a lick of paint and some new furniture. He set aside his box and sat on the dirty looking blue mattress to test it out. A few gentle bounces and William rocketed off and leapt across the room and straight into his father who was busy dusting down the rickety looking desk.
“What the bloody hell are you doing!?” Shouted his father angrily.
“Sorry dad, a spring broke and went right up my arse.” Said William furiously rubbing his backside. “I think it’s bleeding.”
“I’m not bloody surprised, this place is a bloody disgrace. It’s filthy and there is damp everywhere. This building needs condemning and it’s my bloody taxes that pay for the bloody thing. That bloody Thatcher has got a lot to bloody answer for.” Said his father.
William flipped the mattress over, which didn’t look any better at all. Someone had clearly spilt a large, strong cup of coffee all over it and had neglected to clean it. At least, William hoped it was coffee. Whatever it was, William felt it was preferable to sleep on the brown stain rather than with a metal spike in his spine.
William and his father spent half an hour cleaning the room from top to bottom, making the bed, carefully arranging books and putting up posters on the peeling walls.
“Right son.” Williams father said at last, “We are just about done here. You cant really polish a turd, but we have a had a pretty good go.”
“Thanks for helping dad, are you guys going to take off then?” Asked Will.
“Can’t wait to get rid of us eh?” Replied his father with a smile. “This is a big step for you sunshine, exciting times eh?” William nodded nervously.
“I remember when I left home.” His father continued, “Obviously it wasn’t to bloody university, I never did have brains, bugger knows where you grew those from. I moved into a flat in tooting that my uncle owned with my girlfriend at that time. I remember being really excited and really nervous at the same time. Needn’t have worried though, the relationship only lasted 2 weeks, the bloody chick was as frigid as an 80-year-old nun. Not like your mu...” William quickly cut him off before he could complete a sentence that would in all likeliness scare his dreams until the day he died.
“Dad, I’m going to go downstairs and say goodbye to mum and the nippers.” Said William.
“Alright son, I’ll be down in a moment, gonna try and pinch one off before we get back on that bloody road.”
William and his mother hugged at the car for what William felt was a lifetime. When he finally managed to break free his mothers mascara had run so much that she was starting to resemble a member of the living dead.
“Every Wednesday and Sunday please William, you know how much I worry.”
“I know, I know. Don’t worry, I will.”
George was fast asleep on the back seat, so William leant in and gave him a kiss on the head.
“I’m gonna really miss you Will Wills.” Said Sarah with tears welling up in her eyes. “You wont forget about us will you, we will see you again wont we?” She sobbed.
William scooped her up in his arms and gave her a big squeeze. “Of course you will see me again you silly girl, I will be back at Christmas and will speak to you every few days. How could I ever forget about you lot?”
“Oh, ok then. Bye Will.” Sarah said abruptly, sliding out of Williams’ arms and clambering into the car.
“At least the bloody toilets flush ok!” Said his father walking out of the halls of residence while doing up his flies. “You take care of yourself sunshine and make sure you have a bit of fun too. Here’s a few quid to get a bit of shopping and some beers in. Make sure you call, you know what your bloody mums like. Good luck son.” The 2 embraced and William fought back the impending urge to cry.
William waved goodbye until the red Ford disappeared out of view. He dropped his hand to his side, let out a long sigh and walked back to his room feeling like the loneliest person on the planet.
William spent the rest of his evening sticking Polaroid’s of his family around his desk and reading the third book in Asimov’s Galactic Empire series, ‘pebble in the sky’.
As he settled into his rather noisy and uncomfortable bed a door burst open somewhere down the corridor from his room, music and light flooded out and crept under the thin gap under his door. A cacophony of voices rang out, some laughing, some shouting. William pulled the sheets up tight, he felt scared and alone. Footsteps drummed along the wooden corridor and stopped outside his room, Williams’ heart was in his mouth. ‘What the hell do they want? Why wont they just leave me alone?’ He thought to himself in a panic.
“Mummy’s boy, mummy’s boy.” Came a hushed voice from outside his door, together with stifled sniggers. “Its time mummy’s boy. But don’t worry, we have plenty of Vaseline!” With that the came the sound of something metal being scraped on the inside of the doorframe. The door popped open and light and laughter raced in,
William pressed the rape alarm.