Pen Beneath The Bush

Don't Blame The Child (The Letter VN)

Midday in Luke Wright's cosy cottage. Becca was teaching and Kylie was at school, he had the whole house to himself. The perfect time to have a drink. His fingers crawled over his second fridge, browsing through all the bottles he had. "What to have...what to have?" He pulled the tequila out and pondered. "Sorry Tequila, I'm not feeling you today." He placed the tequila back in the fridge. All his bottles in the fridge were lined up perfectly, and he'd be cross if anyone tried to ruin his so-called closet of perfection. If there was nothing he fancied in the fridge, he could always go to his underground wine cellar. His legs ached from ice-skating with Kylie and Becca last night. "I can't be bothered to walk today. He bent down and picked up the bottle of absinthe. By sheer coincidence, he looked over at the corner and noticed that a bottle of whisky was missing. "I don't mind you if you take my whisky, Becca, my little daisy, but at least ask me first. Or maybe I drunk it last night." He shook his head. "Nah, I remember I putting the bottle in last night, I can't have drunk it already."

He took a glass from the dishwasher and paraded towards his laptop. "How many times do I tell you, Becca, these glasses are antiques." He poured a generous serving in his glass. "They shouldn't be dragged in the dishwasher. They need to be delicately washed by hand." He was expecting a delivery either today or tomorrow so that he would pass it on for a profit. It was the perfect business model as long as Becca and Kylie don't see what's in it. He considered keeping a batch to make his own brand of Canna Vine. After the shipment had gone through, Luke was considering an early retirement. He wasn't even in his forties, but he was rich enough to cater for at least three generations. He wanted to do things for himself. It would be his last business deal.

Luke discovered that the prime minister and several higher-ups in the government also dabbled in drugs and crime. They wrote a letter to him, saying that he owed five million pounds in tax. He rang them back, calling them cock-sucking-cunts, and that he would leak their dirty habits to the press. In exchange for Luke's silence on the matter, they wiped off the tax bill.

Luke did his best to keep out of trouble, but it was easier said than done. His divorce from Hannah opened his eyes to the errors of his ways, but old habits died hard. He still thought about Hannah and wondered how she was getting on with both the kids and with Marianne. He hoped that she was happy. Happier with Marianne then she could ever be with him. Seven years they had been married, nearly coming up to eight. He could have been the perfect father to their twins, but as downed his drink, he shook off the regrets.

He closed down all the tabs on his laptop and stared at his screen with a smile on his face. A rare smile, that he rarely shows to anyone or at anything. The screensaver was mainly greens from the park, but all the colours were in the middle. Kylie, Becca and Luke were on the bench. They were all laughing, but Luke couldn't remember why. All that mattered was that they were happy. Becca's friend Zachery from Luxury Living took the picture. Gazing at the picture reminded him that he had something wonderful with Becca and Kylie, they had become their own little family.

He poured another drink. This time, the glass was full. He raised it towards his laptop. "Here's to my gorgeous family: Becca and Kylie." Just as he took the last drop, Becca and Kylie walked through the door. Luke slammed the glass on the table and jolted out of his seat. "Wow! You're both early!"

Becca pouted with her hands on her hips, giving out a sigh. "Booze for lunch again, Luke?"

"Oh it was only a little drop," Luke lied.

Becca's eyes were fixated at the half-empty bottle on the table. "Must have been a very big drop."

"A little bit of what you fancy never hurts anyone," Luke became hysteric and tumbled back onto the chair. "So why are you early?"

"Kylie's been sent home from school early," Becca explained. "She's been suspended for the rest of the week."

"Why?"

"She's been suspended for one day because of her foul language, and the other three days she's been suspended for this." Becca presented Luke with an empty bottle of whisky, the one that was missing from his fridge.

"Well," Luke slurred. "That's not good at all." He looked at Kylie, who had her eyes on the floor, cowering her head in shame. "You go to your room, and I'll think of how to punish you."

"I'm sorry," Kylie sobbed, running upstairs.

Luke swayed back in his chair and took another drink. "Well, a bit harsh isn't it. Sending her home for swearing. It's only the first time she's done something bad like that. I mean kids her age mess about all the time. When I fancy a drive around town, I see no end of them smoking and drinking. She's just trying to be cool."

"Kylie was giving whiskey to everyone to help with their colds," Becca explained. "She had a few too many too, and started swearing at the principle."

"Oh well," Luke said. "It happens. I don't know where she gets it from. I'll have to think of some way to punish her. I know, she can go to bed without any supper."

Becca appeared even more cross. "You have to right to punish her. Don't you think she's already been punished enough as it is?"

"I'm in charge of the house, I'm her father."

Becca folded her arms. "You're the one that introduced her to this kind of behaviour."

"Am I?" Luke asked. "Don't be daft."

"You've filled the whole kitchen with alcohol. She has easy access to it. And don't get me started about the appalling way you spoke to the Prime Minister the other day."

"Relax, my love," Luke requested. "It's getting far too noisy for my liking. Why don't you get yourself a drink?"

"I can't," Becca hissed. "I have to be back at school. Plus, I'm driving."

"Well, at least give old Lukey a kiss." Luke puckered up his lips and leaned towards Becca. Becca bounced back, and he tippled out the chair and banged his knees on the floor. "Ouch!" He cowered in a ball, then crawled back onto his chair with his hands in the air. "It's okay! I'm not drunk! I'm fine."

Becca sat next to Luke and rested her palm against his forehead. Then pecked his cheek. "Yes, you're fine... you'll be even better when you sober up."

Luke nodded.

"I have to go. I'll see you when I finish work."

"Righto! When you come back, how about we all go out and watch a movie tonight."

"Sure," Becca said, smiling.