Chipping In

Ruby gripped her bag firmly under her elbow and jumped.

It was ridiculous.  The height of the train above the platform made her feel like she was on an assault course or something.  Making the jump in her work shoes didn’t help.  The five minute walk to Dad’s seemed like a marathon now.

She sighed to herself.  Why couldn’t she just go home, relax and have a natter with her sister?  Couldn’t Frances just cook the dinner so they could watch tv or a dvd?  No.  Rows about money and boyfriends (or boyfriend) were as regular as breathing and taking a shower.

Ow!  Her ankle buckled on the rough cobblestones.  Bloody hell! Must have been a bloody stupid man who invented those bloody stupid things!

7pm.  She was starving.  Maybe Dad had something to eat.  He didn’t mind his daughters dropping in unannounced.  He was secretly glad they still wanted his company.

As she turned the corner into the sprawling estate Ruby started to wish she’d brought her MP3 player.  Anywhere she walked, she loved to have a little bounce in her step as she dance-walked to her favourite tunes.  A smile played on Ruby’s lips as a song entered her head.  A group of people were gathered in front of her Dad’s block.

“That looks like that girl from work” Ruby thought as she hummed a tune.  She could see Dad’s flat now, on the fourth of 18 floors.  The kitchen light was always on. 

As Ruby got closer she could make out the young blonde woman in the middle of the group of three other women, one man and a boy of about 10.  It was that girl from work.  Poppy or Pippa or something.  They didn’t work in the same team, but Ruby had noticed her because she was new.  She wasn’t that friendly either.

Poppy/Pippa’s head was sort of slumped forward and her shoulders heaved.  Both women either side of her appeared to be trying to soothe her.  Ruby wondered what was wrong.  Did Poppy/Pippa live on the estate?  Had she been burgled or attacked or something?  Should Ruby try to help?  She hardly knew the girl.

That didn’t matter did it?  What if I go over there and she blanks me? Ruby thought.  Then so be it came the answer.  You’ll have done as much as you can to try and help.  If you walk away you’ll have done nothing.

OK.  Ruby changed direction and walked slowly toward the little group.  I’ll just ask, they’ll say no thank you, and I’ll be on my way. 

A man ran past her and got to the group first.  Between deep breaths he said: “We’ve checked Bolver House, Faraday House and all over there.  He’s not there“.  Poppy/Pippa stopped crying, folded her arms and stared at the sky.

A police car approached the group from their opposite side and slowed to a stop.  One male and one female police officer got out.

“Poppy Hastings?”

“Yes that’s me.  I’m his mother” Poppy said in a surprisingly calm voice.  The other surprise was the incongruence of Poppy’s Wedgewood and Waterford accent on the grey and brown estate.

“Can I ask you when you last saw your son Miss Hastings?” asked the female officer.

“It was about six o’clock. Or just after”.

Ruby listened in shock as Poppy described the moments before her son disappeared.
Nathaniel James Hastings.  Likes to be called Nat.  Five years and seven months old.  Blonde hair, brown eyes.  Wearing a white school polo shirt and navy blue shorts.  Some freckles but no other distinguishing marks.  Of normal intelligence for his age.  Reasonably confident, but fully aware of “stranger danger”.

Just after six, Poppy had been chatting to a friend by the side of their block and Nat came over and said something about going to play with his friend Alfie.  Poppy had assumed they’d be playing somewhere nearby or that they’d go up to Alfie’s flat across the road.  At about 6.30 Poppy had wandered about looking for Nat and when she couldn’t find him or Alfie she went up to Alfie’s flat on the eleventh floor of Liverson House.

“Nat’s not ‘ere.  I haven’t seen him Pop, love” said Mel, Alfie’s mum.

“But Nat said he was going to play with Alfie.  He’s not downstairs”  Poppy replied.

“Alfie came up about twenty minutes ago.  He was on his own.  Alfie!”

Alfie’s smiling dark brown face popped out of the living room door.

“Come here Alf.  Have you seen Nat?  Poppy doesn’t know where he is”.

“I saw him downstairs before.  Then I went upstairs” Alfie said fidgetting.

“Stand still” said Mel.  “Where did Nat go?  It’s important Alfie, try to remember”.

“I don’t know” said the little boy, raising his palms.

“Are you sure Alfie darling?” Poppy crouched and focussed on Alfie’s face, trying to control the darkness beginning to snake through her body.  “Did Nat go home or go to someone else’s flat?”

“I don’t know” Alfie repeated, adding a shoulder shrug.

“He’s probably sitting outside your door” said Mel, her eyebrows raised in hope.  “Go back across now and see if he’s there.  Ring me”.

“Alright, I will”.

____________________________________________________________________

Nat wasn’t sitting outside his own front door.  Nor any of the other 107 doors in the block.  The same block that Ruby and Frances’ Dad lived in.  He wasn’t in Blover House, Faraday, Liverson, Gibbs or Matcheson.  He wasn’t hiding or sleeping in any of the bushes or in the playground either.  The man who had run past Ruby, Alfie’s Dad George, thought of looking in the bins.  The bins were about five feet high, so Nat couldn’t have got in there himself, but you know… there were people out there that would do that sort of thing.

Best leave that to the police, George thought a minute later.
_______________________________________________________________________

“Y’alright sweetness?”

“I’m ok Dad”

“What’s the matter?”

Ruby filled her Dad in on the crisis going on downstairs.  “We’re getting into groups to search all the other blocks.  Ummmmm… more hands light work…?”

“Hold on, I’m coming”.

“Oh Dad?  Could you  se if I’ve got any flip flops or anything under the stairs, please?  My shoes are killing me.”

Much as she was concerned about Nat, Ruby was glad her Dad was coming down to walk with her.  The evening was dry and not too cold.  Maybe Dad had some new ideas about Frances.

Ruby couldn’t help the stupid grin that burst onto her face when she saw her Dad.  They saw each other about once a week or ten days, but she always felt she had so much to tell him; Frances, her job, church, her friends, what she’d been watching on telly, what she’d not been eating…

Ruby always went to see her Dad alone.  Sometimes Uncle Bernie or one of Dad’s friends were there visiting, but she didn’t mind.  Just as long as Frances wasn’t there to create more drama. 

“Alright, darlin’” said Ruby’s Dad, returning the grin.  “Where shall we start?”

“They asked us to go over towards the library, as far as the main road”.

“He’s probably not gone far.  Someone’ll find him soon”.

“I hope so.  Did you have a good day?” Ruby shoved her work shoes into her bag, although they didn’t quite fit.  She walked arm in arm with her Dad although the task at hand meant that they weren’t strolling.  George and one of the other women Ruby had seen earlier were up ahead.

“Frances found anything yet?”.

“No.  She just gets on my nerves.”

“Try and be patient with her Rubes, she’s done a lot for you.  She’s not lazy, she’s trying.”

Ruby paused and scratched at the base of her afro bun before replying.  “She’s irresponsible.  People think I’m the oldest”.

“I know, I know baby, just give her a little more time.  She’s missed out, she’s just trying to catch up”.

“I can’t take her much longer”.

“It won’t be long”.

Ruby wanted to say a lot more, but now wasn’t the time.  She forced her thoughts back to the search.  They’d reached the library, but it was closed in the evening.  George and The Woman had gone all the way round it and seen nothing.  There were two more smaller blocks of flats which were the last buildings on the estate.  Ruby and her Dad went around the library again, just in case anything had been missed, then they turned right towards the main road.  George and The Woman turned left towards the flats. 

A green Volvo shrieked to a halt behind them.  A man in a jogging suit jumped out, left his door open, ran to the main door of the library and fumbled with a set of keys.  He finally got the door open and stabbed his finger at the burglar alarm keypad. 

“D’you think he’s in there?” The Woman called after the police officers trotting after the man.

“That’s what we’re here to find out madam” came the reply.

“Do you want us to help?”

“It’d be more helpful if you concentrated on the grounds” said the officer as he disappeared into the library.

The growing group stood and watched as the small windows at the top of the library walls glowed yellow with artificial light.

They waited.

“Shall we carry on looking?” Ruby asked her Dad.

“Let’s hold on” said Ransford.

Ruby gave her Dad a hug, momentarily grateful for her own safety.  When she opened her eyes she could see the police car she’d seen earlier draw up to the side of the road.  Poppy was in the back seat.  The officer got out and opened the rear door.  Poppy got out and ran into the library, closely followed by Mel and Alfie.  From the look on her face Ruby couldn’t tell if it was good or bad news.  She turned back to the police officer for information.

“They found him.  He’s alright.  Hungry but alright”.

“How’d he get all the way over here?” asked George.

“I don’t know.  And I can only guess that he was hiding when they closed up the library”.

“At least he’s alright” said The Woman “that’s the main thing.  Thank God”.

Indeed,  thought Ruby.

________________________________________________________________________

“No sorry, that’s not in the figures for last month, and the totals automatically roll over so I don’t think we’d have had that info in April either … alright, could you pop that into an email for me please, and I’ll see what I can do … thanks awfully.  Thank you.  Goodbye”.

Poppy cradled her receiver and wondered how boring boredom could get.  She tried going over the conversation to cheer herself up.

“Je n’ai pas ces infos monsieur.  J’essayerai de vous aider”.

Although she was pleased with her French conjugation, Poppy wondered how long it would be before she lost her skill altogether.  It had been over five years after all.  Instead she had to worry about pay and benefits for some tedious minor government agency.  And worry about her son.  All she wanted to do was stay at home, race cars and drink Capri Sun with Nat all day.  Unfortunately none of the codes she had for staff absences covered recovery from your child’s absent minded wanderings which led him to fall asleep under a computer table and you to the brink of insanity.  Poppy couldn’t be bothered to think about the negligent librarian who had failed to complete his final check of the building because of a rush to get home to watch football.

Poppy could have tried compassionate leave but what was the point?  Because his mum was there when he wandered off and there when he woke up, Nat didn’t really grasp that he’d done anything wrong.  He was as eager to go to school as he usually was and would only get upset if she tried to keep him at home.

One thing was definite.  Poppy didn’t want any more kids.  She didn’t care if Nat was or became spoilt.  The pregnancy was bad enough, and she was ashamed to admit she’d booked and cancelled two abortions.  But… for twenty years before she’d had Nat Poppy had never been responsible for anyone or anything.  She’d never even had a pet.  It had bugged her when she was out with her friends and they’d gone off and left her with their handbags.  She’d do almost anything to go back to that sort of responsibility now.  With Nat of course.  Oh, what was the bloody point?  Poppy glanced at the clock in the bottom right hand corner of the computer screen.  She’d been daydreaming for eight minutes. 

She decided to go an discuss some overtime claims with the head of finance, two floors up.  She ran up the stairs and soon regretted it because her manager, once removed, was not there.

Should have telephoned first she thought.  The canteen was just around the corner and Poppy was sure she could hear the KitKats and the coffee machine calling her name.  It was still only ten past four.  She wouldn’t eat for at least another two hours.

As she wavered between the normal KitKats and the KitKat Chunkys, Poppy noticed a tall thin black woman in a suit similar to one she’d seen her grandmother wearing back in the late 1980s.  As she contemplated whether the young woman were ultra trendy or just in need of the fashion police,  Poppy realised that she looked familiar.  She was sure she’d met the woman recently but couldn’t place her in any of the meetings she’d been to in the last week or at the after school club.  Did she live on the estate?

“Hi Poppy”.

“Hi”.  Poppy couldn’t help but stare as she wracked her brain.  The woman seemed to be waiting for her to say something.  “How are you?” she managed.

“I’m ok thanks.  How are you more to the point?  Is Nat ok?”

“Yes everything’s fine now.  Thanks … er, I’m sorry, do you live near me?”

“No!” Ruby laughed “My Dad does, I think you live in the same block.  I was visiting him last night when we heard Nat was missing, so we got involved in the search”.

“Oh! Thank you!  Oh, I feel like hugging you!  Thank you so much.  He’s got no idea what I went through last night.  I’ve hardly had any sleep I should be drinking expressos!  Thank you for taking the time to help”.

“Anytime, I ‘m glad they found him so quickly.  Er… do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Go ahead”.

“Well do you have anyone to help you with Nat? It just seems incredibly irresponsible to let him go out by himself like that”.

HOW BLOODY DARE YOU!

“I didn’t let him, I thought he was with Alfie” came Poppy’s tightly controlled reply.

“But where’s his Dad?”

“I don’t want to talk about his Dad.”

“But a woman can’t teach a boy how to be a man.  Who helps you?”

“No I can’t teach him that.  My grandmother helps me when she can, but she lives in Pulford”.  Poppy instantly regretted giving this self righteous bean-sprout further ammunition.

“Pulford?  That’s miles away.  You’re really on your own aren’t you?  What are you going to do if he runs away again?”

“He didn’t run away, he just didn’t realise how far he’d gone.  Look I need to get back to my desk.  I’ve got loads to do before five”.

“Alright.  Well it’s good to know your son’s ok despite everything”.

“Thank you.”

________________________________________________________________________

Poppy fell into her desk chair and was glad her two teammates had gone out for a smoke.

…incredibly irresponsible…

…can’t teach a boy how to be a man…

…why did he run away..?

She wiped away her tears with the back of her wrist and wheeled herself up to the computer screen.  She attacked her emails and was out of the door at 16.59.  Poppy had to get to her son before anything else happened to him.