The Look of Love Read Online Free PDF

hadn’t,” she said.
    Louise didn’t
realise exactly what she meant until they got to Victoria’s flat.
By then she was full of foreboding. Victoria was in, because they
could hear her moaning, but she wouldn’t, or couldn’t open the
door. Chrissy had to get a warden to bring a key. When they finally
got inside, Louise was deeply shocked at what she saw.
    Victoria was
lying on the floor in some sort of drug, or alcohol induced stupor.
She was hardly conscious, and she was dirty and smelly. At some
point she had urinated on herself, and she was covered in dried
vomit. The whole room stank, and there were empty half bottles of
vodka littered all around.
    The warden
wanted to get a doctor. “No, it’s alright,” Chrissy told him.
“We’ll clean her and the room up. I’ve done this before. She’ll be
fine, don’t worry.” As he beat a hasty retreat, Chrissy started to
pick Victoria up and drag her towards the bathroom. “Angie, open
all the windows. Louise, stop standing about gawping and help me
get her into the shower.”
    The three of
them held Victoria under the cold running water, clothes and all.
As Victoria slowly began to revive, Angela said sarcastically to
Louise, “Aren’t you glad you came?”
    Louise could
only smile weakly as she held on to Victoria’s arm and squinted in
the cold spray. She was glad she came. But she was also very
sad. “What’s the matter with her?” she asked.
    “Too much
booze,” Chrissy replied. “She does this all the time. It’s a real
pain in the arse. Let’s get these clothes off her.”
    By now,
Victoria was almost fully awake. She began coughing and spitting,
and when Chrissy pulled her jeans down started to resist. She
struggled harder as Chrissy began to pull her sweat-shirt over her
head. As her struggles persisted, Chrissy began to slap her.
    “Pack it in you
daft cow!” she said in a harsh voice. “Or we’ll drop you in the
bath and let you drown! I’m sick of having to clean you up all the
time! Jo didn’t even want to come!”
    “Alright!
Alright!” Victoria managed to reply, fending off Chrissy’s blows.
“I’m cold!”
    Chrissy
relented. “Turn the hot water on, Louise. Angie, get some
towels.”
    Louise turned
the hot water on, mesmerised by the sight of Victoria’s naked body
in the shower, her clothes and underwear down by her feet.
    When Angela
returned with some towels, Chrissy gave one to Louise. Victoria
reached out for one, but Chrissy slapped her again, thrust a bottle
of shower-gel into her hand and said, “You don’t come out of there
until we can’t smell you coming!” Then Chrissy swept the shower
curtain closed. “Come on, you two. We’ve got a room to clean
up.”
    By the time
Victoria emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a bathrobe, they were
finished. They were all three sat on her chairs exhausted. They had
cleaned practically everything in the room. And now they stared at
her expectantly. Victoria looked very sheepish as she sat down on
the side of her bed. Her feet were bare, and she said, “The
carpet’s damp.”
    Angela said,
“Be thankful it’s only water.”
    Chrissy was
angry. “Is that all the thanks we get?” she shouted at Victoria.
“Louise here hardly knows you, and she’s been cleaning your shit up
from off the floor! And that’s all you can say? ‘The carpet’s
wet’?”
    Victoria put
her hands over her ears. “Don’t shout! I’ve got a headache!”
    “You are a
bloody headache!”
    “Alright! I’m
sorry!” Victoria’s face suddenly screwed up and she began to cry.
“I don’t know why I do it!” she wailed. “I can’t help it! Don’t
shout at me, Chrissy! You always shout at me!”
    Louise couldn’t
resist. She went to her side and put her arm around her, and
Victoria immediately rested her head on Louise’s shoulder. “It’s
alright,” Louise said comfortingly. “Don’t cry.” She began to
stroke Victoria’s damp hair.
    Chrissy shook
her head in dismay. “Oh, no you