21 June 2012
"Come on lazy bones get up or you'll be late for school". Karen said to her daughter Carly who was seven years old and still tucked up in bed with her teddy 'Sampson'. "Mum I think I've got tummy ache, I don't feel very well" she said with a badly acted croaky voice. Karen was used to these ghost illnesses, every other morning there would be some feigned illness to get a day off school. Sometimes Karen would go along with it and let her have the odd day off. "She deserves some happiness" she would say to herself on those rare occasions.
Karen was a single mother living in a pokey one bedroom flat in Hackney forced to survive off benefits after her drug user boyfriend had done a Lord Lucan and vanished off the face of the earth after she uttered those fateful words "I'm pregnant". Life had always been a struggle for Karen ever since her dad had died when she was not much older than Carly was now. Karen who's mum had died in childbirth was brought up by her dad, until he was killed in a tragic car accident involving a drunk uninsured driver who had just been released from prison on day release. Karen with no other relatives had been sent packing straight into care where she had a miserable childhood moving from foster home to foster home, until when she reached 18 they gave her the pokey flat that she now calls home.
Karen had nothing but fond memories of her dad. Despite losing his wife in labour he had took to fatherhood like a duck to water, Karen can't remember him ever losing his temper, even when she used the wallpaper as a drawing board and scribbled felt tip pen everywhere he had simply said "Nice one 'little sunshine' now I've got a work of art on the wall" and just laughed it off, he rarely called her by her real name, it was always 'little sunshine'.
Karen had a million things to do today and was already running late. She had been feeling extra stressed out lately, money was extremely tight and she was struggling to stay afloat. There was always some bill that needed paying or final demand coming through the post. Karen had a huge credit card bill that just kept on getting bigger and bigger as Carly got older. Part of the reason for this was that she didn't want Carly to have a miserable childhood like she had, so she had gotten into debt buying her the toys and clothes that she was denied when she was growing up.
After what seemed like more of an effort than usual she had managed to wake Carly from her slumber and dressed and fed her and packed her off to school with a kiss goodbye and a wave from the school gates. It made her sad knowing that this was as good as it was going to get for them, she couldn't even dream of winning the lottery because she simply couldn't afford to even buy a ticket.
Karen would normally walk into town to save money but the black clouds were looking heavy with rain so she took the bus the four stops into town to cash her benefit check at the post office. She would often daydream about things "What would mum have been like, how would dad look now" and " "Would they be proud of me and Carly". It often brought a tear to her eyes when she did this and then she would snap out of it "Stop being silly" she would say to herself on these occasions but she always carried a picture of her late dad in her bag and would often find herself looking at his cheeky smile whist he was holding a tiny Karen in his arms. "So unfair"
At the post office counter Karen had forgotten her identification she needed to cash her cheque. "I come here every week" she pleaded "you know me, I've got a bank card here check the name, it's me". The jobs-worth clerk behind the counter was not having any of this and seemed to enjoy telling Karen "Sorry love rules are rules I can only accept a driving license or passport ID, you'll have to come back". Karen could feel the anger building in her "I can't just go home I spent my money getting the bus here, I need that money for shopping please can't you make an acception just this once?." The clerk just shook his head "Sorry love no can do and there are people waiting". Karen turned round and saw a few disgruntled faces in the queue annoyed at her for taking so long. All apart from one man.
He was not in the queue, he was looking at the magazines but looked up as Karen turned round and smiled at her. It was a smile she recognized from somewhere but couldn't place. The man was in his fifties or sixties with short white hair and a dark suit with a purple and black striped tie that looked like a stick of rock. Karen felt funny when she looked in his eyes, a strange feeling come over her, like pins and needles throughout her whole body tingling. She was quickly snapped out of it by the clerk "Come on love people are waiting here". Karen feeling annoyed and a little upset walked towards the exit just as someone was coming in and walked into the open door dropping her purse and spilling loose change in every direction all over the floor. Now she was feeling embarrassed as well as upset, on her hands and knees picking up loose change with no offer of help from anyone only looks of disapproval etched on there faces.
A hand rested on her shoulder as she was picking up a coin that froze her to the spot. It was not an unpleasant sensation at all, it seemed to send a shiver up her spine. "You missed this one" the man with the familiar smile said and handed her a pound coin. Karen seemed lost for words as she took the pound from the stranger. "Th th thank you" she stuttered. The man just smiled and walked out the door turning round as he left "Don't mention it" he said with a smile "My little sunshine". Karen was rooted to the spot for about ten seconds in shock when she eventually got to her senses and ran out the post office the sun had come out from behind the clouds dazzling her eyes, the man was no where to be seen. A smile crept across her face and she looked to the sky "Thanks dad" she said.
This is 'based' on a true story told to me by @ckahn.
My Little Sunshine • Opuss № I