November 2012
Amy cuddled Muzzie, the knitted cat, snuggled under the duvet and covered her ears; downstairs they were arguing again. They never used to fight. Lately they waited until she was in bed and then the shouting started. Sometimes she crept out on the landing and tried to listen but she could only hear a few unconnected words. Things were getting strange; sometimes she saw mummy crying and once she saw her pouring wine from a nearly full bottle down the sink. Wine, that was another thing, she kept finding bottles of wine in strange places: the bottom of the linen bin, the cupboard under the stairs which was full of junk. One morning after a huge row mummy had a big bruise on her face, she said she had opened the fridge door and it had hit her. One day she returned home from school to find daddy sitting at the kitchen table, he looked sad, he had lost his job; that started a huge row.
'How are we going to manage now?'
'Will you ever be able to find another job?'
'We'll have to tighten our belts, if you didn't keep pouring money down the loo we'd be alright.'
Strange, Amy thought. She'd never seen any money in the loo.
Then one night after a huge row she heard the front door slam. She ran to the window in time to see daddy getting into the car. Had he left them? Jenny at school said her dad had left; she saw him once a month. Amy wondered why daddy had gone, why did they fight, was it her fault? At the Parents' Evening Mrs Frost had said her work was getting behind, she seemed to lack concentration. Is that why they were arguing, was it all because of her? Then she decided. She would go away, maybe go to stay with Grandma. Grandma would be pleased to see her. She had some money in her Gruffalo box. Instead of going to school she would get the bus into town and then the train to Clacton where Grandma lived. Still clutching Muzzie she drifted off to sleep. Next morning she stuffed Muzzie, a packet of biscuits and a bottle of juice into her school bag, and set off for school as usual but instead of going to school she waited at the bus stop.
She waited for ages until the bus came; she knew where to get off, the stop was opposite the station. She bought a ticket to Clacton and waited on the platform. Just as the train pulled in daddy was standing there beside her. Amy clung to her father and wept. They went home, ate toast and marmite and she told him why she was leaving home. Daddy explained that grown-ups often quarrelled and that it was sometimes because they drank too much; they couldn't help it, it was like an illness, but it could be cured. Somewhere called Alcoholics Anonymous could help and this evening Mummy would be going there.