A Little Known Family

A short story about a little known family. Please note that this story is not for the faint-hearted. I have made this story to highlight the fact we need to do something about this issue that affects everyone.

If you are offended in any way, I aplologise as it was not intended to offend you.

Need Help? In Australia call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Help Line on 1800 55 1800. Emergencies: 000

Other countries please call your relevent crisis line or emergency service

This story is fiction and any resemblance to any person dead or alive, events or places is purely coincidental.

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James was 16 years old and unlike many people he never had the best. He was lucky just to have money of his own, which wasn’t that much. His family battled every single day just to have enough money to pay the bills and put food on the table. It was now only James and his mother left. His father took his own life back when James was two year old, due to severe depression. There were days where all they had to eat was one packet of two-minute noodles. James never really had a place where he could call home. They were constantly moving from one crisis centre to another. The conditions at the temporary housing weren’t really good either; they weren’t even good enough for a dog.

James was never up with the trends, you only had to look at him to know that. He only owned two pairs of shirts, three pairs of socks, four pairs of underwear, two pairs of jeans and one jumper. Just about all his clothes were ripped, patched, dirty and two or more sizes too big for him. But you couldn’t blame his mother. His mum did the best she could for him, some nights she would cry herself to sleep because she felt ashamed that she couldn’t provide for James any better than what she could.

His mum worked as a checkout chick at the local supermarket, she would work long shifts which meant she wasn’t able to see James until 8pm every night. She would have to start at 7am every morning and work all day, with many days without a break at all. She was determined to earn as much as she could, because she knew the more she worked, the less likely she and James wouldn’t be able to pay the bills for that day. She did however receive a little bit of help from the government and also from charity, but it didn’t go very far. Yet she never complained about it, as she knew there were people out in the world less fortunate then her.

 Due to his mum constantly working James had to make his own way to school. James went to Benura State High. It wasn’t a very good school with many of the classrooms smelled like rotten cheese and the windows and doors always had a habit of coming off their hinges. As James walked out of the house that morning he, like always picked up his Thomas and Friends backpack which was obviously way too old for a 16 year old boy. Inside the bag he had one blunt grey led pencil, a small wooden ruler, an eraser, a couple blunt coloured pencils and a small 75 page exercise book. As he approached the school gates that morning he knew today he would be laughed at. He always got laughed at. He looked up at the clock as he walked into the classroom, he was five minutes late. He always was five minutes late. 

“What is the excuse this time?”  His teacher, Mr Rambert asked. 

“I’m sorry sir but I…”

“James pissed his bed! James pissed his bed!” yelled a group of classmates.

“Shut Up and let him speak!”

“Well……I….”

“Hurry up! We don’t have all day!”

“I live…too far away….and I can’t afford a….bus fare”

The whole class just laughed, they always laughed. 

“Loser! Loser!” The class shouted

Yet again like all the other mornings Mr Rambert would have to tell the class to shut up and then James would have to come and sit near Mr Rambert as a punishment for being late.  Every day James always said the truth about why he was late, yet no-one ever believed him.

Throughout the day, in all his classes he was, like always constantly taunted on the way he looked, the way he acted or on something he did. The teachers didn’t seem to care. The only break he had was at recess and lunchtime where he would sit in the toilet cubical, eat his lunch if he had it and cry. Afterwards for fun James like to fantasise a world where everyone accepted him and where he and his mum would never have to worry about simple things like money.

But on that day, unlike any other day and for the first time in his life James didn’t go to class after the lunch bell went. It may not seem a big thing for some people, but it was for James. Instead James ran outside the toilet block, jumped over the school gate and decided to go for a walk. He didn’t know where he would go, he didn’t care. After a while walking around, he found himself at his local park. He stopped, looked towards the playground where he saw a bunch of little children happily running around with no care in the world. He, after much thought then walked up to the nearby ice cream van and with his small amount of money, bought an ice cream. He wandered around the park licking his ice cream and imaging what it would be like to be them right now. Many hours passed and it soon became dark. James looked up at the clock nearby; his mother would have arrived home and be worried by now. Just as he thought about his mum, all the little children and their families decided to jump in the car and go home. James felt something that he had never felt before. For the first time in his life he felt trouble-free. He knew it was finally time to do something he always wanted to do. He walked out onto the busy road for the last time in his life.

His mother eventually found out a couple hours later and broke down in tears, except there was no-one to comfort her besides the ambulance officers that attended the scene. The next day she quit he job at the local supermarket and went to the bank and withdrew all her life savings and used all of it towards James’s funeral. Sadly she was the only person who went to James’s funeral. She cried and cried. She was the only person besides the funeral directors to watch James’s coffin being laid to rest. Afterwards morning tea was served, but as you can guess there was more than enough food left over. She took all the remaining food home and ate it. Her pride and joy was no longer there with her. She no longer had a reason to get up in the morning.

Sadly a few days after, she too took her own life. This time however there was no funeral for her, as no-one cared enough to give her one. She did however was lucky enough to be buried next to her son and her husband. As you now read this I am happy to announce that, she is now again happily reunited with James and her husband up in Heaven. They have been happy ever since.

THE  END.

Authors note: 

Even though this story is 100% fiction, suicide is not. I urge you all to look out for each other. If you or someone you know are suicidal please seek help immediately. If you ever see someone alone or sad go and make conversation with them. You might save someone’s life. 

Need Help? In Australia call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Help Line on 1800 55 1800. Emergencies: 000

Other countries please call your relevent crisis line or emergency service