A quick note on the language. I'm English, this story is set in England and my word processor is set to English(UK). As such my spelling is more O.E.D. and less Noah Webster. In particular, in English English the diminutive version of 'mother' is 'mum', not 'mom'. OK?
Even before I got home from college I knew that something was wrong. Ever since dad had left mum and I had always been close. When I went away to college I used to make a point of having a good long natter on the phone at least once a week and, even though she put a good face on things, her worry came across loud and clear. And when I did get home it was even more obvious. She'd lost weight and kept biting her bottom lip.
After a couple of days I couldn't take it any more and I was determined to get to the bottom of things. I waited until after our evening meal when we went into the lounge to watch the television.
"What's up, mum? I know something's wrong. Why don't you tell me all about it?"
"Nothing! Nothing's wrong."
Please, mum, tell me. Maybe I can help."
"Oh, Simon, you're a good lad, the best son a mother could wish for, but...."
"But what?"
"You can't help with this one, really you can't."
She started crying so I scooted closer and put my arm around her shoulders.
"You could at least tell me what it is. After all, a trouble shared is a trouble halved and all that."
"I'm deep in debt and I don't know what to do," she sniffed through the tears. Ten grand, ten bloody grand. How the fuck am I going to find that sort of money?"
I was shocked to the core. Mum never swore. And what was this about ten grand?
"Please, mum, tell me."
"I owe... do you know who Andy Grantham is?"
"Yeah, I've heard of him." Hell, everyone on the estate had heard of Andy Grantham, the meanest, toughest loan shark in the business. "Are you trying to tell me that you owe Andy Grantham ten grand."
"Yes, and I have to pay him back by Thursday. I've already sold all my jewellery. I've nothing left. What am I going to do?"
"How on earth did you get yourself into this mess? Why, mum, why?"
"To pay your college fees. I was desperate and, once he's got his hooks in you...."
I sighed deeply. She wasn't the first and I'm sure she won't be the last. And, as mum said, once Andy Grantham has his hooks in you, he won't let go. Mum was in deep trouble and all over my college fees. I felt like I'd been the cause of it all.
"We'll sort something out, mum," I said as I gave her another hug. "Something will come up."
But we both knew I was lying. Nothing would come up. There was no way out of this one.
Thursday arrived all too soon and it was mid morning when there was an almighty crash from the front door and two thugs burst in, one holding a baseball bat. They grabbed mum, bundled her into the front room and all but threw her onto the sofa. I was in the kitchen but, when I came to see what was up, I too was grabbed and pushed, none to gently, onto the sofa next to her.
And then the third thug entered, but this one was immaculately dressed and, unless you saw the steel in his eyes, looked more like a successful business man than a gangster. It was Andy Grantham, come to collect what he was owed.
"Good morning, Maureen. I seem to have missed you down at the office this morning. Ten grand on the table by nine thirty, that was the arrangement, wasn't it?"
"I'm sorry, Mr Grantham I..."
"Oh, dear. Sorry is all very well but it's ten grand you own me, not sorries. What are we going to do?"
"If I could have just a little longer...."
"Ah, there's a bit of a problem with that. I'm a business man, plain and simple, and my business works because everyone knows the golden rule; pay your debts in full and on time or bad things happen. No exceptions. Do you see the fix I'm in? If word got out that I'd been easy on you then where would I be? People would start to think that I'd had gone soft and all sorts of things would go wrong. If I let one person off the hook I have to let everyone off the hook and I can't afford for that to happen."
"But I haven't got the money...."
"Oh dear, that's a shame...," Andy Grantham turned to the tough who was holding the baseball bat and nodded. The tough barely moved but one backhand swipe of the bat along the mantlepiece sent the ornaments flying. Andy Grantham bent down and picked up the remains of a carriage clock, turning it over and over in his hands.
"Oops! Gazza can be so clumsy! Everywhere he goes he seems to break things. What's more, if you haven't got the money then it won't just be your precious little ornaments that get broken. It's going to be a real shame to mess up that pretty little face of yours but the message has to get out there; everyone has to know, every one has to see what happens to little slags who default on Andy Grantham. Nothing personal but business is business. OK, Chas."
The other thug, the one without the bat, reached down and grabbed mum's wrist pulling her off the sofa. A quick rip at her housedress and the cheap material gave way leaving it gaping open. Mum screamed so he span her around and held her against him, clamping his hand across her mouth. His other hand reached down, into her panties and his grip on her groin was strong enough to all but lift her off her feet. She tried struggling but Chas' grip was firm and, try as she might, she was going nowhere. The other thug ripped the last shreds of mum's housedress aside and used his bat to her in the stomach. The threat could not have been more real.
"Shut it slag!" Chas snarled.
"She's not a slag! Leave her alone, take your hands off her." I shouted out before I could stop myself. I got half way up from the sofa before a firm hand shoved me back.