The Letter Read Online Free PDF Page A

mother.
    *
    Richard Craig was a war baby, the only son of George and Molly Craig. Whilst his father was away fighting for his country, his mother took him to live in the countryside with her sister where he would be safe. Little Ricky was adored by his mother and childless aunt and had an idyllic childhood. Every whim was catered for by the two women, so it was a shock to him one day when the three-year old Ricky was refused a wooden train he had seen in a shop window.
    ‘It’s a lot of money, darling,’ reasoned Molly Craig.
    ‘I want it,’ demanded little Ricky.
    ‘Maybe you could have it for your birthday.’
    ‘Want it now.’ Ricky folded his arms across his chest and frowned.
    His aunt interjected. ‘Your birthday is only a few months away, it’s not that long to wait.’
    Ricky didn’t reply but glared at the two helpless women. Then he took a deep breath and held it.
    ‘What are you doing?’ demanded his mother.
    Ricky ignored her and closed his eyes. As the two women watched in horror, Ricky turned a bright scarlet and then slowly his mouth turned blue. And then he passed out.
    ‘Do something!’ his mother screamed.
    His aunt picked up the wooden train and brandished it towards the startled shop assistant.
    ‘We’ll take it.’
    When Ricky came round in his bed that afternoon, the first thing his eyes focussed on was the little wooden train standing on his dresser. He smiled to himself. He knew from now on his mother and aunt would be putty in his hands.
    When he was five years old, the war ended and his father returned home. Rick started school and predictably did not enjoy it one bit. He had a problem with all the discipline and was expelled from several establishments. When he finally left for good at the age of fifteen, he trained as a bus conductor before eventually qualifying as a driver. His dark, swarthy good looks meant he was never short of female attention and he had a friendly rapport with all his passengers, especially the women. His only other interests were the horses and the dogs. He accompanied his father to the bookmaker’s every Saturday morning, followed by a couple of pints in the pub. Thursday nights were always spent at the Belle Vue dog track. This treadmill existence ended the day a young girl boarded his bus. His eyes met hers and they held each other’s gaze for a second longer than was necessary. Rick had told Tina many times that from that moment on he knew he was going to have her and never let her go.
    *
    Tina felt marginally better after her soak in the bath. The day had drained her physically and emotionally. Her eyelids were heavy with exhaustion and her limbs felt like lead. She could hear the chip pan in the kitchen bubbling away furiously as Rick tipped in a pile of chips. Not quite a gourmet meal, but at least he was trying. As she entered the kitchen, he was frying a couple of eggs.
    ‘Sit down, Tina,’ he said pulling out a kitchen chair. ‘It won’t be long. I’ve opened a tin of peaches for afters. We can have them with some Carnation milk.’
    ‘Lovely, thanks.’
    ‘How was your day in the shop? Did you manage to watch the race?’
    ‘Err, I caught a bit of it, yes.’
    ‘Bloody brilliant, it was. I thought he was beaten but he came through right at the end. I bet Graham was miffed, wasn’t he? I love it when the bookie gets stiffed.’
    ‘Well he’s had plenty of your money over the years.’
    ‘Tina, don’t start…’
    ‘I wasn’t.’
    ‘Look, we’ve hit the jackpot today. Four hundred and fifty quid. I was only earning three grand a year on the buses. You know, we should celebrate. You put the egg and chips out and I’ll nip to Manny’s for a bottle of champagne.’
    ‘Champagne? Where do you think you are, Rick? I doubt Manny even stocks it. Not much call for it round here.’
    Rick bounced on the balls of his feet and ran his fingers through his hair. ‘Well, that other stuff then, Pomagne or Babycham or whatever they call