Betrayal of Ones Own Children
Lucy once again gazed fondly at her brother and sister, captivated by their good looks. They were tall, dark-haired, and blue-eyed, and they were being given prizes again. Winners yet again at another competition. Lucy stood up to get ahead of everyone. She limped slightly on her right leg, heading forward. She had knitted two little bunnies for her brother and sister, one in a skirt and the other in checked trousers. She wanted to give them as gifts. Awkward and noticeably plump, her thin hair pinned up, a simple smile lingered on her round face. Sophie and William pretended not to notice their sister. Still, Lucy did her best to push through the crowd.
“Excuse me, please. Thats my brother and my sister! Please let me pass!” Lucy called with bright cheer.
“Soph, theres some fat girl shouting shes your sister. Seriously, is she?” Sophies blonde friend, Lily, turned to her.
Sophie half-turned and caught a glimpse of Lucy. “Fat idiot! Just had to turn up. Mum probably made her. Utter disgrace,” Sophie thought.
Out loud, she said, “Of course not. Ive only got one brother, William.”
“Figured as much. Trying to hang onto your glory, that one. How patheticturns up with some toys to hand you,” Lily laughed.
“Probably our local mega-fan. Take her toys, Lil. Then catch upwere off for the prize,” Sophie blew a kiss, took Williams hand, and began weaving out through the crowd.
Lily took the bunnies from Lucy, promising to pass them on.
“Brilliant! Ill wait for you at home. Ill bake some Chelsea buns!” Lucy said, her limp almost bouncing as she walked away.
“Here, gave you these. She said shed be waiting for you at home, baking Chelsea buns. Looks more like a Chelsea bun herself. Soph, youre sure shes not related? Why does she keep bothering you two?” whispered Lily.
“No! I dont know who she is! Honestly, I reckon shes just the type who wants to be near the famous crowd. Lets go,” Sophie tossed the bunnies into a nearby bin before heading off with her friend and William for the award ceremony.
She lied to her friend. Lucy really was her sister. Well, half-sister. Sophie and Williams mum, Annabelle, had taken Lucy in when a distant relative passed away. They were all coming back from holiday when the accident happened Only Lucy surviveda small girl, injured.
The truth was, Annabelle was only a distant relationbarely connected at all, and they even had different surnames. Even closer relatives had refused to take Lucy in. Annabelle had weathered a storm from her family before bringing Lucy home. When Sophie and William first learned theyd have a new sister, they threw a fit. Their parents had never denied them anything; Sophie and William were spoilt from the start.
“Mum, dont bring her here! Shes fat, limps, and shes stupid. Shes embarrassing to walk with!”
“Darling, shes just a little girl. People take in stray dogs and cats, so why not a child? Our house is big enoughshe wont get in the way,” Annabelle tried to persuade them.
Eventually, begrudgingly, they agreed. Annabelle was the manager of a local department storethe familys main earner. Their father, Richard, was her deputy, coasting through life and flirting on the side. If Annabelle knew, she kept quiether Richard was a handsome man, just as her children were.
Lucy grew up, small and sweet, with wispy blonde hair. Her eyes, just like her siblings, were a pale transparent blue.
“Her eyes are like watered down milk. Shes a fat little thing!” Sophie would laugh.
Lucy was plump and sweet-faced, with dimples and a kind heart. But she always played alone. Her brother and sister never included her. In fact, everything bad landed at Lucys feet. William broke a precious vase; Sophie said Lucy did it. Sophie tore a hole in her mothers favourite jumper; again, Lucy was blamed.
Lucy never denied it. Shed just nod her head and apologise. She knew the truth, but she didnt want her beautiful siblings to get in trouble.
Their foster mum, Annabelle, wouldnt scold Lucy. But their dad would lose his temper.
“Why did you bring that freak into our house? She embarrasses us in front of everyone! Cant even walk straight, weighs a tonne. Our children are the picture of perfectiondid you take her in for contrast? No one else would have been so stupid. Wholl ever want her when shes grown up? That ugly thing?” Richard would shout.
Lucy would listen, hidden behind a closed door, then sit in front of the mirror. She didnt like her own reflection, wishing more than anything she could be as beautiful as William and Sophie. But
They sent her to a different school. The twins insisted, telling their mother theyd skip classes and stop getting good grades if Lucy was at their school. Annabelle caved, seeing the fragile bridge shed tried to build between her biological children and Lucy had almost collapsed. There was nothing she could do.
Time passed. William and Sophie went off to university. Lucy asked her mother if she could stay.
“What do you mean, love? You could go anywhere you wishId pay for any course you want! Do you want to be a designer, a translator, anything, Lucy?” Annabelle hugged her daughter.
Lucy, like a kitten, nuzzled into her mothers cheek and hugged her back. Annabelle instantly felt at peace. Her own children barely kissed her, always so aloof. With Lucy, somehow, there was real warmth.
Lucy always met her mum from work. Even on chilly nights, shed wait in the garden for Annabelles return. Sometimes shed be waiting in the hallway. The others, husband and children, were always too busyor simply couldnt be bothered to say “hello”. When Annabelle once asked why they couldnt be a bit welcoming, Sophie snapped:
“Mum, were busy! That idiot waits like a dog because shes got nothing else to do. She hasnt got a dream in her head.”
Lucy looked up at her mum with her transparent eyes and whispered, “Mum, can I be an animal doctor? I want to work with dogs and cats, hamsters and piglets. I want to be a vet. And I can train here in our town.”
It all made sense. Lucy was always rescuing strays, kittens, puppiesbringing them back and finding them new homes. One big shaggy mongrel, Barney, stayed with them for good. Sophie protested; shed wanted a pedigree dog, but Annabelle sided with Lucy.
So, life carried on. Annabelles health began to fail, and she had to stop working. Richard, worried the money was drying up, quickly swapped homes for his wifes friend Patricia, who owned the local hair salon.
When Sophie and William visited, all they really wanted was money. Thankfully, there were some savings. Only Lucy stayed close, shuffling around the kitchen and preparing tasty meals for her mother every day, massaging her tired legs, brewing herbal teas. Theyd sit under the apple tree sipping teathose were Lucys happiest moments.
Sophie and William started their own families. Their mother helped them both buy flats. But trouble came soon after. William showed up at 4 am, nearly in tears, telling his mother he was drowning in debt. He needed a large amount of money immediately.
“What am I supposed to do about that? I havent enough. Have you asked your father? Of course not, what could he possibly have stashed away? Even if I gave you everything, it wouldnt cover a tenth of it. What are we going to do?” Annabelle cried, clutching her chest.
“Well then, Mum, thats itjust consider me gone,” William sneered.
“What are you saying, son? Dont talk like that,” his mother clung to him.
William explained the only way out was to sell the house. Altogether, that would clear the debt.
“But, son what about me? And Lucy? Where will we live?” his mother was stunned.
“Where that fat idiot goes is none of my business. Shes an adult; she can earn her own living. Shes been nothing but a drain her entire life. You can live with me and Laura! Laura will be happy!” grinned William.
Laura, his wife, wasnt likely to be happy, Annabelle thought, but she didnt argue. She had to save her son, but on the condition Lucy came too. William was forced to agree. Lucy later came to her mother;
“Mum, you go alone. I Ive met someone. Hes been asking me to move in with him for ages. Dont worry, Ill be fine!”
“But who is he? We should meet him, Lucy! Why didnt you say anything before, love?” Annabelle smiled.
“Youll meet him soon enough, Mum. Dont you worry!” Lucy hugged her.
Even William was relievedhe wouldnt have to rope in Sophie to think up a way to get rid of Lucy. He definitely didnt want her in his house.
But Lucy lied. She had no one. She could sense, with her gentle nature, she wasnt wanted. She didnt want to trouble her mother; her health was poor enough. Lucy rented a room in a house, an ad shed seen. An elderly widower, Mr. Arthur, lived there and couldnt manage alone. There were chickens in the garden, goats, and even a piglet. Lucy and Mr. Arthur were a perfect match. When he found out she was a vet, he was so pleased he even refused to take rent, though Lucy always insisted, and hed sneak the money back into her bag later.
Life became good. Lucy had a home, a job, respect in the village. Animals adored hernone struggled or shied away. She had a kind word for every creature and would always treat them to something special, spending her own wages on little treats.
“Good boy, Sparky, here you are, darling! Dont be scared, sweetheart. Theres some medicine for you, and if you ever need anything, ring me any time!” Lucy would say to her visitors.
“Bless you, love. Theyre kinder to my Billy here with you than I get treated myself at the GPs! Youre an angel,” said Mrs. Thompson, owner of a very posh Persian cat.
Lucy blossomed. But her heart ached for her mother. She phoned often but recently, Annabelle seemed unwilling to talk. Soon, only William would pick up, brusquely telling Lucy her mother was resting.
“I miss her so much. Half a year and I havent seen her,” Lucy sighed one night over tea with Mr. Arthur.
“So go and visit her, why not? Ill come with you in my old Fiesta. It might be falling apart, but so am I! Still goes, though, and Ive got a driving licence,” said Mr. Arthur.
Lucy was delighted. She had Williams address, and off they went. They knocked for ages. Eventually, the door flew open. Lauraa tall, blonde woman in a dressing gown, yawningstood on the threshold.
“Who are you? Selling something? We dont need anything!” she tried to slam the door shut.
“You must be Laura, Williams wife?” Lucy asked.
“Yeah” she replied slowly, “And you are?”
“Im Lucy! His sister!” Lucy tried to step inside, but Laura blocked her.
“Hmm, right. So what are you doing here? Im about to go to the beauty salon, got no time for this,” Laura arched an eyebrow.
“I wont be long. This is Mr. Arthur. Hes come with me. Wheres Mum? I just want to see her quickly. I promise I wont be any trouble,” Lucy pleaded.
“Shes not here. William took her away. Where? Some care home. She was useless by the end. Who was going to look after her? Not meIve my own things going on. Where is it? Dunno, never even been. Ill call William. Hey, Will? That Lucys here. With some old man. They want the address. Right. OK. Ill write it down. And dont come here again,” she said, clouded in the scent of expensive perfume.
Lucy didnt listen, just grabbed the scrap of paper and hurried with Mr. Arthur to the car.
“How could they? Why didnt they tell me? Id have managed something. Id have taken her inI know Ive nowhere proper, but” Lucy whispered.
“Why didnt they tell you? She could have come to us! My house is bigplenty of room for her! They should have said. Outrageous behaviour!” Mr. Arthur fumed.
They arrived. That small, frail woman with hollow eyeswas this really Lucys mother? Annabelle had always been tall, cheerful, bustling about, sorting problems and helping everyone. Now, she lay helpless, staring at the ceiling.
“Mum, its me, Lucy! Mum, Im so sorry I didnt come sooner. I thought Oh Mum, I have no excuse! But Ive come to take you home! Mr. Arthur has chickensfresh eggs, and Ill look after you, make you tea, and youll get well soon, youll see! Dont be silent, please. I love you, Mum! Well go home together,” Lucy wept, holding Annabelles light hand.
They managed to bring her homeLucy was, after all, her daughter on paper. Mr. Arthur pitched in, declaring he was a war veteran and that, should there be any trouble, hed ring an old friend at the Ministry of Defence. William had arranged for his mother to stay at the home for good, but
Annabelle stood up on the tenth day. She walked to the window. In the garden, Petunia the pig was waddling by, the rooster crowed, the air was thick with the smell of grass and milk and Lucys baking. Lucy hobbled into the room with fresh Chelsea buns and found her mother at the window, tears on her cheeks. Awkwardly, Lucy wrapped her arms around her, apologising for not coming sooner, for them now having to live together, not with Sophie and William.
Annabelle held her close, not uttering a word, as though she were seeing again that funny little girlnot hers by blood, but kind-hearted and caringthe only one who had stood by her at the end, when she was no longer wanted by her beautiful, successful children.
“Dont worry, Lucy. Everything will be alright now. It really will, my darling,” whispered Annabelle.
“Right, girls! How about some tea, then?” called Mr. Arthur as he came into the room.
And bursting into laughter, the three of them joined hands and headed off to begin their new life together.
