Brother or Victim

Chapter 3

Benedick placed the phone back on the receiver behind the desk. He swallowed and strode over to Frieda who had changed into some jeans and a pale pink shirt.

“Who was that?” she asked.

The caller’s threat echoed in his mind. “Oh, just….someone.”

She was watching him carefully before shrugging her shoulders and dropping the matter.

“Shall we go?” He gestured towards the entrance with his head.

“Let’s go.” She agreed.

Benedick feared what waited for them on the streets. He kept close to Frieda as they left the safety of the hospital lobby, determined to let no harm come to her.

They quickly made their way down the main street. Benedick’s eyes kept darting to each shadow that they passed and every car that past them.

A few minutes later they turned left down Robinson road and kept walking until they approached a house with a green door.

“My house is just here.” Frieda said, making Benedick jump.

He nodded and walked her up to the front door.

Frieda took out her keys and unlocked the door. “Thanks for walking me home. Would you like to come in?” she offered.

Feeling nervous again, he shook his head. “Erm…I’d better get going.” He took a small step away from her.

“Oh…ok. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow Benedick.” She said.

“Oh, call me Ben.” He smiled.

She returned a more confident smile. “Sure thing, Ben.”

They stood there awkwardly until a voice from inside the house startled them both. “Frieda? Is that you?”

Frieda rolled her eyes at Benedick. “Yes, mum.” She called back. She gave Benedick an apologetic look. “I gotta go.”

He waved to her and started to walk out of the front garden. Shoving his hands into his pockets, his thoughts remained focused on Frieda. His feelings were still mixed about her. He liked her as a friend, nothing more.

Eventually he arrived home. As he took his keys from his pocket, he heard shouting coming from inside and something smashing. He jammed his keys into the door and turned them. He pulled them out of the door and as he ran down the main hall, he chucked them onto the stairs. He pushed the kitchen door open to see his dad standing over his mum.

His dad had a knife in his hand. They both turned as he entered the room. Benedick pointed at him.

“Put that down.” He said clearly.

His dad continued to stare at him.

“Now you bastard!” He shouted.

His dad threw the knife into the wooden floor. It vibrated as it struck the ground. Benedick retrieved the knife from the floor and washed it in the sink. He then dried it off and slipped it back into the draw with the other knives. He turned to face his parents.

His dad was now sitting at the kitchen table. His mum had picked herself off the floor and came to Benedick’s side of the room.

Jennifer Holton looked almost exactly how Benedick thought Alison would look in the future. Their hair was roughly the same length and their eyes were almost the same colour. Even their personalities were similar.

Ian Holton was quite different. His short dark hair and menacing dark eyes had always intimidated Benedick and Alison when they were children. Alison used to think that he had special powers as when she could always feel his eyes on her, even when she was at school or at a friend’s house.

Benedick was taller than his mum and he was almost the same height as his dad. Alison didn’t seem to grow very tall.

Now, as he looked at his parents, he felt like they were his children and he had to stop their squabbling.

“You have to stop this.” Benedick said as he looked from one to the other.

Neither of them replied.

“If you hate each other so much, just get a bloody divorce.” He blurted out.

It was about time that someone told them. His mother sat down at the table. “We’ve been thinking about that, but we don’t know what would happen to you and Alison.”

His dad nodded.

“So, we’ve decided to get a divorce.”

Benedick was slightly shocked by this. They were actually going to get divorced.

“And we’re going to split you two apart.”

His head shot up. “What?!” he snapped.

His mother reached out to him. “It would be for the best. Alison will live with me and you will live with your father.” Benedick looked from one to another. “Or it could be the other way round?” his mother offered.

“You can’t be serious.” He said.

They exchanged a look.

“Course we’re bloody serious.” His dad said.

Benedick shook his head. “No. I refuse to be separated from Alison.”

His mother shook her head at him. “Don’t be silly Ben. You’ll be able to see each other once a week. Try and see it from our point of view.”

Benedick slammed his hands on the table. “Once a bloody week? Never! I would rather be dead.” He shook his head in disgust and backed a pace or two away from the table.  “At the moment, your daughter has cancer and she’s in hospital and all you two can think about is separating her from me and getting a bloody divorce. I’m the only support that she has. Couldn’t any of this wait until after she has recovered? Or do neither of you care if she makes it through the treatment. ”

His dad stood up, knocking his chair to the floor. “The decision has been made. We will get a divorce and you will live with me and Alison will live with your mother.”

Benedick felt his anger build up inside him. “No! That isn’t fair! You can’t force me to live with you! And you can’t separate me from Alison!” He stormed out of the room before his anger got the better of him. He ran up the stairs, collecting his house keys on the way. He ran into his room and slammed the door shut. Locking the door from the inside, he threw himself on his bed and closed his eyes. They were watering ever so slightly but he wiped them dry on his pillow. No one could separate him from Alison.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. What now, he thought to himself. His dad was probably trying to call him or something, attempting to give him another bloody lecture. He was surprised to find that he had received a text from and unknown number, but he recognised it. He opened the text.

Hey Ben, it’s Frieda Just checking that I got the right number.

Frieda. Her text seemed to lighten his spirit. He texted back.

Hiya Frieda. Yeah this is my number. How about I collect you from your house tomorrow and walk you to the hospital?

He tucked the phone back in his pocket. Was this the beginning of a new friendship? It might be. The thought of them going further than a basic friendship didn’t occur to Benedick.

Then his mind flickered back to Alison. She must be feeling so scared. If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself.

Frieda had replied and they set a time to meet the next morning. He changed into some PJ bottoms and a t-shirt, turned the lights off and climbed into bed. A thought suddenly occurred to him. Was he being watched now? He sat up right and glanced at the window. The curtains were closed, luckily. He had to tell someone though. He couldn’t keep it a secret. That was the problem in the murder films, no one ever went to the police. Well he could, but just how far would this man go? He could blackmail him.

It was all too much to take in. He closed his eyes. He pleaded with sleep to take him into its wonderful world. Flushing all the events of the day out of his mind, he drifted into a gentle slumber.