Breaking Britain (Completed)

Chapter 34

34
Saturday 5th January 2030
22:05

            Samantha had finally got Tillia to settle, she tiptoed out of her bedroom, thinking she would probably sleep on the couch, to avoid awakening her again.

            She stepped across the hallway, into the kitchen, closing the door behind her.   She put on the kettle and added a tea bag to a cup she picked off the draining board. She opened her fridge, saw there was no milk and for a fleeting moment considered taking some milk from one of the bottles Lucy had provided for her daughter.

           The kettle started to boil and she became wary of the noise it was making and hastily turned it off at the socket. Instead she retrieved a one litre bottle of cola from the fridge, poured some into a glass and exited the kitchen into the lounge. She sat on the sofa, it was the only place to sit. When her mum had offered her the old family suite, she had been forced to reject the two single seats that it came with, due the restrictions on space in her flat.

            She kicked off her shoes and wiggled her toes on the carpet. She sat there running through the events of the night and plucking up the courage needed to contact her friends families.

             The first one she rang was Gulab's family. She wasn't as close to Gulab, as she was to the others, although she couldn't figure out why. At that moment she chastised herself for even thinking about that, when Gulab was still one of her best friends, that could possibly be dead. The word "dead" revolved around her mind like a bullet ricocheting violently.

                She pulled out her mobile, paging through the numbers she had. She found Gulab's home number under "Kaul Family", she hit the dial button and waited. The phone kept ringing, after a couple of minutes she hung up. Gulab still lived with her parents, one brother had married and moved out, but the other brother still lived at home intermittently, when not at Wolverhampton University. There were also two younger sisters. It was a big family for anyone, since the government implemented the loss of Child tax credit for any family having more than two children.

              Samantha figured she'd ring later. She checked for the Floyd family, it was under Alison Floyd. Alison was Saburi's adoptive mum, whom Samantha got on really well with. Samantha had been forced to have a good relationship with her, having brought Saburi home drunk too many times to remember.

             The number dialed and was picked up before Samantha heard it ring.

             'Hello', came the urgent voice of William, Saburi's adoptive father.

             'Hello, Mr Floyd?'

             'Yes. Who is this?'

             Before Samantha could answer, she heard Alison in the background.

             'It's Samantha. Give me the phone', there was a muffled silence, which Samantha envisaged a exchange in hands, of the phone. 'Hi Samantha. It's good to hear from you, we've been trying to get hold of Saburi for a while now. Can I please speak to her'.

              Samantha was stunned into silence. She didn't know what to say. A tear trickled out of her right eye and ran down her cheek, it was the first of many.

              'Samantha, you still there?'

              'Yes. Miss Alison'

              'What is it?', Alison asked tentatively, after hearing the despair in Samantha's voice.

              'The police haven't rung you?'

              'No dear. What about?....is it Saburi....please tell me it's not Saburi......Samantha?'