The Medium by David Hatton

Author:David Hatton [Hatton, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-06-01T04:00:00+00:00

Their lives were facing as much turbulence as a Shakespearean play; the irony was not lost on the couple who lived just yards away from where they were written. Ted returned to his thatched cottage. In one hand he carried a small carrier with his belongings, returned to him following his release. He stood outside and looked up towards the room where his dear daughters had once slept.

Thinking back to the last encounter with his little Pammy, he shook his head. He’d been so hard on her. Mental health was all well established for these millennials, but to him? He hadn’t been brought up in a politically correct or necessarily empathetic world. He struggled to understand that Pamela couldn’t simply wash her hair and stick on a smile as they had guests. He managed it and he’d lost his first-born and his grandson. Now as he considered losing a third particle in his forever decreasing world, he wondered how much longer he could wear the thespian mask which he’d sported for so long.

They thought it had started when Suzanne moved out. Pammy’s rock had gone, she’d lost her nerve. But looking back, he realized they should have spotted it much sooner. They’d ignored the teachers, blamed them if anything. How egotistical of him to consider that anyone else’s teachings would be subpar. How shallow of him, after years of parents criticizing him when he tried to raise sensitive subjects with his students, that he would turn round and do the same for his own children.

She’d lashed out, plenty of times. She’d been through a lot though. They’d had to move around with their jobs. It’s hard on a kid to up and move schools. Leave their home, their friends. And then the lying. Oh, the lying. It began with a small fib here and there about if she’d eaten the last muffin or seen Suzanne’s missing toy. It was all fairly tame until she caused a panic on the school grounds when she claimed there was a fire, which no one else had seen.

And then Jason died and Suzanne disappeared. She submerged herself into her room. Only reappearing for drink and little food. The times they’d had to hide the scissors to prevent her from doing more harm. The months she spent mute. A therapist did all they could but little more could be done. They accepted her for what she was.

Until that last night when he finally lost his nerve with her. Told her how unreasonable she’d been. He hadn’t tried and tested that method; the tough love. It was always so petty and ‘lenient’ before but he thought he’d try something different. He only had to raise his voice once for her to turn on the waterworks and his heart melted once again.

He’d give her a project to do. Jane’s birthday was coming up. He wanted to do something nice but he was an old-fashioned bloke and he didn’t really know what women wanted. He gave her a hundred quid and asked her to go out to town the next morning.

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