It's Only Temporary (20 page)

As we talked it became evident that she had invested a lot of herself into the centre.

‘You should be proud of what you have achieved,’ I told her.

‘I just wish I could do more, the centre is such a great resource but the money is so tight I can’t use it to its full potential, I have already had one offer for it from a bookmaker. Can you believe it, just what this area needs, do away with a community centre and create yet another bookie!’  She was getting animated now, waving her arms about. ‘I mean there is little enough for kids like Kurt and Jade to do anyway, so we give them the option of becoming gamblers? It just seems ……..wrong somehow.’

Yes it did, I told myself that none of this mattered to me now as I was free and clear to get on with my life. This had always only ever been a temporary situation, so why did the prospect of the centre closing bother me so much?

‘I am sure that with the new course things will be fine,’ I said.

‘I hope so, although even then it could be tight. Without it we are sunk.’

For the first time the enormity of the situation hit me, Stacy had put her heart, her soul and her finances into the centre and it was in a perilous situation. A situation I had blundered into the middle of and was now simply walking away from. No matter how much I told myself it was not my problem I still could not shake of the feeling that I was being selfish.

Stacy ordered me a taxi as she had to stay with Max and I was in no position to argue when she insisted she pay for it, I mulled over the situation in my head as I rode home only ending up feeling frustrated.

The following day I made my way to see Jon, ‘Morning Marc, you’ve been busy then?’

For some reason I just felt tried and jaded, the tone my response reflected that, ‘I guess so.’

‘So,’ he carried on seemingly as enthused as ever. ‘You are half way through your placement and have settled in to your new home. How are you finding things?’

‘Tiring.’

He was obviously expecting more as said, ‘Ok, errm, what do you plan to do when your placement is over?’

‘I’m going to America.’

He sat up at this, ‘Really? How come?’

‘A job interview.’ I was aware I sounded very resigned saying this, what on earth was going on? I should have been extremely pleased to be able to pass on my good news; I just did not feel it though.

‘Wow! Doing what?’

I explained the situation to Jon and that once I had secured my position I would email him in order for my benefits to be stopped, I also advised him that I would inform Sharon in housing but he insisted that he would do this himself. ‘Sure’ was all I could say.

Lunch at the centre just did not seem to appeal to me so I elected to have an extremely unhealthy fast food burger and fries before returning to my room.  Later on I got a text from Stacy.

Hi Marcus,

Just to let you know that Kurt & Jade have decided to go and visit the Army recruitment office tomorrow. As the others are off as well then you can have the day off again. Do come in for Breakfast or Lunch or both???

See ya tomorrow?

Stacy.

The following day I made my way to the public library armed with the relevant documentation, having joined and signed on for IT access I logged into my email account. There was a new message from Hank.

Hi Buddy,

Tickets are on the way so keep an eye out for them! In the letter is you itinerary but basically a car is going to pick you up from your house and take you to the airport. Once here I will be waiting for you and show your to your apartment.

You will have a few days to look around, meet the guys etc. Then you will do a presentation followed by your interview the next day.

Hope this is all ok?

Hank.

There, it was happening. I started to feel better about the situation and resolved to do everything I could before I left to help Stacy and the centre. As I wandered back towards my room I started to mull over the problem, what was needed was a secure solution that would be in keeping with the centre’s ethos.

As I walked I barely noticed Kurt and Jade, hand in hand crossing the road in front of me. They quickly let go of each other when they realised I had seen them.

‘Hey Prof!’ Kurt called.

‘Hello guys. How did the recruitment office go?’

They looked at each other, ‘We’re both gonna join, as regular soldiers ,’ Jade said.

‘Really? Not as an officer?’

‘Nah, the services course will be great to get in as a soldier but you need way too many qualifications to become an officer. Anyhow the geezer in the office said once we are in we could do qualifications and stuff and get paid for it.’

‘Well that sounds good. You too Kurt?

‘Yeah, me an all. I just liked the look of it.’

‘So your both still going to do the course then apply?’

‘Yeah there’s nothing else to do round here is there?’ Jade said.

We parted company and I had a crafty look over my shoulder to see they were holding hands again. I had something nagging at the corner of my mind as I walked, Jade had said something that triggered a memory or was it an idea? Trouble was I could not remember what it was that she had said in order to pin down the thought.  A group of lads passed me going the other way but in no particular hurry, later I saw a group of girls sitting on a wall smoking cigarettes. Both of these events reinforced the nagging feeling I had that there was an idea in the corner of my mind but I could not quite reach it.

My mind drifted back to the evening before and my relief at having come clean to Stacy but also to my feelings of guilt at leaving. I was sure it was her passion for the centre, the area and its people that was making me feel bad. I simply did not have it, actually I did I realised just not to the same extent as Stacy. No one could have it to the same extent as her, be it providing free places for those in need to worrying about local kids going to the bookmakers as there was nothing else for them to do.

That was it!

There was nothing for the local young people to do, that was the problem and the solution. I changed direction and headed for the centre.

‘We need to talk!’ I said somewhat out of breath, had I been running? I was not sure.

‘Ok? Calm down and have a drink first, you look fit to drop.’ Stacy replied.

I sat at her desk and ev
entually she brought in two mugs of tea, one Earl grey the other builders.

‘So what’s the drama?’ she said sitting down.

‘There is nothing for the youth of the area to do.’

‘Hmm, yeah I
know that. Is that why you have half killed yourself to get here?’

‘Yes, no, well yes and no.’

‘Ok, well that’s cleared that up!’

‘What I mean is I know you know that there is nothing for them to d
o. But what you don’t know is that this is the solution!’

‘Solution?’

‘Yes! To our… your problem. Don’t you see?’

‘To be honest Marcus, no. Are you speaking academic or English right now?’

Taking a breath I said ‘Ok, if we provide something for them to do we not only help them but could bring in the extra funds the centre needs.’

‘We?’

‘Yes! Well you. You know what I mean.’

‘Provide what exactly?’

‘I don’t know! Some kind of social distraction, something for them
to do.
Somewhere to go.’

‘Like a youth
club?’

‘Like a youth
club!’

Chapter 18.

Despite verbally overwhelming her at times I managed to try and control my excitement to the extent where I was able to explain to Stacy what I was thinking. Once I finished she sat for a moment with her elbows resting on the desk and her mug of tea held in both hands in front of her mouth. At length she placed the mug on its coaster, which was in actual fact a bit of scrap paper and looked at me.

‘I like it.’

‘Well of course you do it’s a brilliant idea!’

‘Modesty not one of your strong points is it Marcus?’ she said with a
neutral expression on her face.

Her reaction caused me to become a little defensive, ‘Well, yeah. I mean it
was
my idea and it is a pretty good one.’

She beamed at me, ‘I am messing with you! Let’s do it!’

We went through the desired outcomes for my current group and with a little bit of flexibility in our thinking agreed that by having Tommo, Sam and Zeke attend job interviews as well as Kurt and Jade now having concrete plans for the future we had discharged our responsibilities towards achieving positive outcomes, in a roundabout sort of a way. So, we theorised, we could engage the group in planning a new out of hour’s youth club for the remainder of the course.

Before we knew it, it was five pm. Stacy gave me a lift home and we agreed to begin in earnest on Monday, I would head up the Social Club project and she would start on the new services course idea.  That evening I felt very enthused about my plan, at least that way I could leave with my head held high.

Trying to sleep was difficult, I had too many thoughts that needed to be filed away until Monday; I was already planning how I was going to try and get Kurt and the guys onside to attempt this. The last time I looked at my watch before I fell asleep it was one am. The next time it was one forty five and the dustbin banging chimps were back, as I lay there I realised that in fact the noise was one long monotonous drone, an alarm.

Anxious that it may have been a fire I ventured out onto the landing barefoot in my shorts and T
shirt; there was no sign of a fire and no smell of smoke. The noise seemed to becoming from Alfie’s flat, initially I knocked on the door but there was no way anyone was going to hear me. I shouted his name but that too was drowned out by the alarm, in frustration I tried the door and it opened. Creeping inside it was evident that the alarm was in his flat as the noise level increased dramatically. Instinctively I shut the door behind me and made my way through the dark feeling for a light switch.

This proved difficult as I had never been in the flat before and the deafening noise was also proving to be a distraction, so much so that I stubbed my toe on something hard in the dark. I hopped around for a second or
two, had there been any light I would have looked like some demented disco goer. I reached down and found that I had kicked what felt like a bag, I picked it up to move it out of my way in order to find a light switch, what was in this thing? Rocks? Suddenly a flash light illuminated me but as it was directed at my face it was impossible to see anything.

‘Police! Put the bag down, put your hands behind your head and don’t move!’ a harsh voice bellowed out of the darkness.

What?!

I sto
od rooted to the spot, was he talking to me? The lights came on as he must have found the light switch, I was totally blind as a result.

‘I said put the bag down! NOW!’

My eyes were starting to focus and I was able to place the bag on a smart looking leather sofa, mercifully the alarm noise abruptly stopped. I could see there were two police officers one was pointing at me with a small object in his hand the other was standing behind him holding a long black stick of some kind.

It was the second one who spoke first ‘Mute button,’ he said to his colleague who nodded without taking his eyes off me.

The first one then said ‘I told you to put your hands behind your head, do it now!’

This was preposterous; I was acting as a Good Samaritan and was being confronted by two storm troopers for my trouble. I attempted to explain the situation to them ‘Listen this is a mistake I…’

‘NOW!’ he screamed. ‘I won’t ask you again.’

Starting to feel frightened I did as he said, I needed to keep calm and explain whilst ensuring they were able to understand I was simply trying to help.

‘Listen, I think there has been a misunderstanding.’

‘Oh yeah?’ he said as he advanced towards me hand still extended. His colleague was examining the bag I had placed on the sofa.

‘Yeah, I live down stairs. I just came to investigate the noise.’

‘Really? So why are you carrying a bag full of tools?’ the second one said.

‘I wasn’t.’

‘We saw you,’ the first one said, as he did so the second one pulled a silver picture frame from the bag.

‘Right, hands behind your back!’ the first one ordered.

‘I just picked it up to move it, I stubb…’ I never finished my sentence. I had unconsciously pointed at the bag as I spoke, as a result the first officer reacted by spraying something into my eyes. The pain felt like I was having them gouged out with hot pokers. I dropped to my
knees with my hands over them and let out a scream, I was vaguely aware that my hands were then being moved behind my back as the first officer said something about “suspicion of going equipped to commit a burglary”. However I was incapable of responding in any way other than a sob.