The Men's Camp

Chapter 28 Maria - Work

After the conversation with Mike, Maria tried to get back into her normal life. She did the school drop offs, cleaned her house and cooked delicious meals. Rissy was cold towards her for a while but eventually the memory of Sue faded, and the mother's coffee mornings continued.

It was almost a year later when Maria got a phone call from Mike.

Sue had died from a drug overdose. She had never got her life back together and she had not seen Ollie again in all that time. Mike had the last of her possessions in holding at the station and he was hoping that Maria would come and go through them to update the file.

Maria reluctantly agreed before she hung up the phone and cried. The tears fell for a long time. She had never expected that Sue would die.

Sue's death was like a huge crack in her perfect life. The invitations and attempts to set Sue up with someone now seemed so stupid and pathetic. Maria had never really helped Sue. She had pretended not to judge her, but in reality, she had spent her time trying to make Sue's life better and trying to fix her. All her actions had been judgemental. All her actions had been about her own vanity and to make herself feel like she was doing something useful.

Maria was also angry at herself because she had been living in a fantasy world of her own creation. It was time to stop being naïve and it was time to get back to work.

After a few days of grief, Maria went into the station and started to sort through Sue's meagre possessions. Everything had been thrown into three moving boxes and no one wanted to deal with any of it.

Mike asked Maria to go through the items, take photos and log them in a catalogue. Anything of value would be sent to Ollie. Anything related to drugs would be used as evidence against her dealer. The other items would be logged and stored or destroyed.

Maria started on the first box. She found a lot of old clothes and shoes. A few stuffed toys which had probably belonged to Ollie. Maria took some photos of them individually to send through to his father and ask if they would be wanted.

In the second box were papers and old books. Maria photographed each receipt in case it was related to a crime. She found one of her old invitations to a BBQ and she cried for a while.

The last box had makeup, photos and a jewellery box. Maria looked through the photos. Sue with Ollie. Sue with Dean. Sue with Bella.

Each photo was happy and sunny. The perfect family and mother Maria thought. Little did Sue know the heartache that would come.

Inside the jewellery box were cheap earrings and rings. Maria took photos of each item as she removed it. As she took out the last pieces, the bottom of the box moved, and she realised it came out. Underneath the wooden base Maria found some papers. They were childish attempts at writing and Maria realised they were from Bella.

I love you mummy was written with backwards letters and scrawled, spidery script.

Maria opened other similar notes and took photos. The last one was a photo with writing on the back. Maria read the childish script.

Mum,

I am ok. The lady from social services has taken me to a new home so you don't have to worry about me.

I went on an airplane and I cried for you.

The new family is kind. I go to school and eat nice food. They say that you can forget about me because I will be fine. They let me write a last letter to you to say goodbye.

I love you.

Bella

Maria stared at the note in her hand. She turned over the photo and stared in surprise at a picture of Bella aged around eleven years old.