Home Town Melody EBOOK

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CHAPTER 1

“There she comes. Supermum herself.”

“Really? Where?” With a theatrical gasp, Adria Baines made a show of sweeping her gaze over the rundown neighborhood playground. “I need to ask her for some advice.”

Adria’s arms jolted as she pushed her toddler’s stroller over the bumpy surface toward her best friend, Katie Mason.

The women hugged next to the swings, one of the few functioning pieces of play equipment left on the Meadow Hill housing estate.

Katie stood back, hands on her hips. “It’s true, though. I don’t know how you do it. I’d be shattered after an all-night shift flipping burgers. But here you are, fresh as a daisy.”

“Fresh as a daisy?” Adria chuckled. “More like a gritty-eyed zombie. I don’t know how I’ll survive when this guy drops his afternoon naps. Thankfully, he still takes a big, long one. We’ve just woken up.”

She stooped and unstrapped Owen, her twenty-two-month-old son, from his stroller.

“I’m not surprised he had a long nap. He was up at half-past five this morning,” Katie said.

“Oh, no.” Adria shot Katie a glance. Her friend always made an effort to look presentable, but her concealer didn’t quite hide the dark circles under her eyes. “Did he wake you?”

On the nights when Adria worked, Owen slept at Katie’s place and Adria picked him up on the way home. She was already pushing it, knocking at anyone’s door at half-past six in the morning. She cringed at the thought that her son woke Katie’s young family much earlier than that.

“No, he didn’t wake us.” Katie pointed at her toddler, Rose, who was kicking her plump legs in one of the playground’s two swings. “Little Miss Energizer Bunny here was up at five. And she only does one short nap during the day.”

“Mummy!” Owen bounced in his stroller, a stubby finger pointing at the swing. His little face blazed with excitement that would soon morph into impatience.

“Do you want to go on the swing, sweetheart?” Adria lifted him into the bucket-style seat of the toddler swing, kissing him on the forehead and ruffling his brown curls.

She gave the swing a big push, then turned to Katie. “You’re the real Supermum if you’re on the go all day. I depend on Owen napping for at least two hours.”

Along with the precious hours of sleep she snatched between putting Owen to bed at Katie’s place and the start of her overnight shift at ten, the little boy’s afternoon nap gave Adria just enough rest to keep functioning. Barely.

And meeting Katie for their children’s regular play date kept Adria sane. They’d been part of the same mother and baby group, two women in their early twenties bonding as first-time mums while swapping notes about nappy rash and nipple cream.

Katie, tall and rail-thin with straight red hair and blue eyes, had a perfect mini-me in little Rose. Adria, five foot three if she was being generous, was still using Owen as an excuse for the extra pounds that had moved in to stay. He had her dark curly hair, but his complexion was several shades lighter than her dark caramel skin.

They usually took their toddlers elsewhere rather than hanging out at Meadow Hill’s grim playground with its rusty, broken-down equipment. Despite being part of Elmthorpe, a once-popular English seaside spot, Meadow Hill was almost four miles from the beach.

But Katie, who was expecting her second child, had a prenatal checkup today, which meant there was no time to walk or take the bus to a nicer park.

So, here they were. Adria looked around her. Spring was supposed to be the season of fresh green beauty. But in Meadow Hill, the warmer weather only meant more weeds forcing their way through the cracked asphalt and forming deeper tangles around the edges of the playground.

Adria gave Owen another push, smiling at his giggles. At least he enjoyed himself. And so did little Rose. There was someone missing, though.

“Have you heard from Bella lately?” Adria asked, pulling her jacket tighter around her.

Katie shook her head. “Nope. But I’ve seen a lot of Mike, lounging around like he owns the estate.”

Adria made a face. Bella also lived in Meadow Hill, and she had been part of their mother and baby group. The three of them used to hang out together until, against Adria’s warnings, Bella got back together with the father of her son.

Adria leaned toward Katie and spoke in a lowered voice. “I told social services he’d moved back in with Bella.”

Katie stared at her, wide-eyed. “No, you didn’t.”

“I did. He shouldn’t be around her or Charlie, but he keeps worming his way back. He nearly got her evicted because the neighbors are fed up with the loud music and screaming matches and people partying at all hours. There was none of that before he moved in. She’ll lose custody of Charlie if he keeps hanging about. I thought if I told social services, they might give her the nudge she needs to finally get rid of him.”

Katie twisted the end of her ponytail around her finger. “I don’t know about that, Adria. Bella’s made her own choices. She won’t thank you for involving the social.”

“She doesn’t have to thank me. I don’t mind being the bad guy as long as she and Charlie are safe. I’d rather have her hate me than stay friends while that jerk uses her as a punching bag because there’s no food in the house after he’s spent all her money at the bookies.”

“I wish it hadn’t come to that,” Katie said. She pulled Rose’s swing back and let it go.

The little girl erupted into laughter.

Katie turned her attention to Adria once more. “Enough about Bella. What’s the latest news from the council?”

Adria groaned. “Don’t get me started. I got a letter saying they’ve turned down my application to be rehoused. Apparently, they consider the cockroaches to be treatable, although they’ve been failing to treat them for the past two years because they won’t talk to the guy next door. I’m sure the roaches are coming from his place. And they say that the mold is because of my lifestyle.”

“You’re kidding me,” Katie said. “You’re one of the cleanest people I know. Seriously, your place is spotless.”

“Apparently, I’m the one to blame for that mold that won’t go. I shouldn’t hang so much washing in the flat. And I’m supposed to ask the neighbor’s roaches politely not to come into my place without an engraved invitation.” She had to joke about it. The alternative was to sit in her flat and cry in frustration.

“Do you know what I think this is all about?” Katie asked. “They just don’t want to put their hands into their pockets and pay to fix the issue. I’ll bet it’s structural damage. It’ll take some money to sort out, and that’s why they’re dragging their feet and hoping you’ll just give up and go away.”

Adria suspected her friend was right. Elmthorpe Town Council wasn’t even keeping up with its most basic responsibilities, never mind fixing housing for social tenants. Her gaze landed on an overflowing bin that spewed garbage the way a fountain gushed water. Since the council cut down on trash collection, the bins got full quickly.

Perhaps the full bins were the council’s job, but the garbage littering the playground was all about Meadow Hill’s residents. As always, the smell of sun-warmed asphalt mingled with the scent of rotting trash. Ah, the unmistakable fragrance of spring.

“You know what really gets me?” Adria said. “If the issue is so treatable, why has it taken them almost two years to treat? How do I know they won’t be tinkering around with it for another two years? I wish I could just ditch the place and find a private rental.”

The swing had slowed to a stop, and Owen shifted restlessly.

Adria looked down at him.

He pointed at the motorbike-shaped spring rocker on the other side of the playground.

“You want to play over there, sweetheart?”

She took him out of the swing and set him on the ground.

He trotted to the rocker, lights flashing on his little sneakers. He loved those shoes so much that he’d insisted on wearing them to bed the first couple of nights after she’d bought them. Until she’d convinced him that the sneakers needed to sleep in their own little bed.

Katie gave Rose another push on the swing. “Since you brought up a private rental, I don’t get why you won’t get help from Owen’s dad.”

“I’d really rather not,” Adria said. “It was just a one-time thing and I doubt he even remembers it. He was out of there so fast that he left a trail of smoke.”

Katie rolled her eyes. “I know the kind. They disappear as soon as they get what they want.”

“Isn’t that the truth?” For a short while, Adria had fooled herself into thinking this guy would be different. He’d been sweet and funny, and then gentle and hesitant.

Then afterwards, he’d stared at her, ashen faced, as he grabbed his clothes. She could swear he’d been crying as he stumbled out of the room, mumbling, “This was a mistake. I’m sorry.”

By the time two lines showed up on the pregnancy test, that guy and that night were long gone. And Adria had known she was on her own.

The shrill voices of an arguing couple filtered through an open window from a nearby apartment, shaking Adria back into the present.

“He’s still responsible,” Katie said. “Or at least he should be. I know you said you got nowhere trying to tell him about the baby, but I’ve got a phone number for a solicitor who should be able to help.”

Adria snorted. “And what am I supposed to pay a solicitor with?”

“He takes legal aid. As a single mum trying to get child support, I think you’d qualify. You wouldn’t have to pay anything. He’ll do all the work, and Owen’s father could at least help towards putting a decent roof over his head. What was his name again? Lucas?”

“Levi Falconer.” The only reason she knew his surname was because it was written in a Bible, of all things—the one thing he’d left behind. Apart from the baby in her tummy, of course. She’d kept the Bible, thinking he might want it back. And even after the months passed and she’d hit a wall when trying to contact Levi, she’d still kept it.

Katie took Rose out of the swing. “Well, Levi might have ignored your calls, but he won’t be able to ignore an official letter from a solicitor.”

“I’ll think about it.”

The sound of helicopter blades filled the air.

From his motorcycle rocker, Owen squealed and pointed upward. “Copter! Copter!”

Adria shaded her eyes and squinted into the sky. It was probably the police on the hunt for some criminal or other on their estate. Owen was still young and innocent enough that helicopters were nothing but exciting. One day, his innocence would end and he’d understand the reality of the world he lived in. But not today.

She glanced at her friend, who looked at her with a strange expression.

“What’s wrong?”

Katie sighed. “I was putting it off, but there’s no easy way to tell you. Chris and I are moving. We just confirmed everything this morning. He’s been offered a job in Kent and we’ve booked viewings on a couple of houses over there.”

“No way! That’s fantastic news.” Like Adria, Katie and her husband were eager to leave Meadow Hill. “When do you move?”

“As soon as we find a new place, we’ll give our one-month notice.”

“Wow. That soon?” Katie would finally leave this dump.
Selfish worries crowded Adria’s thoughts. Like how much she’d miss her friend. How would she carry on working without Katie to babysit Owen overnight?

She shoved those thoughts aside and reached out to hug her friend. At least one of them would escape Meadow Hill. “I’m so happy for you. Tell me all about it.”

Over Katie’s shoulder, she caught sight of Owen playing in the overgrown grass. He had something in his hands.

Adria’s heart lurched. “Owen, put that down right now.”

The sharpness of her tone startled him and he stared at her, wide-eyed.

Adria rushed forward and snatched the item from Owen’s hand—a used syringe. Needle still attached.

Owen screamed, his face turning red.

“What is that?” Katie came up to them, her face paling as she saw what Adria held with her fingertips.

Katie pulled a wad of tissues from her pocket and wrapped the syringe in it. She wedged the bundle into the heap of rubbish that spilled out of the nearby bin.

Shaking, Adria hugged her sobbing child. Her heartbeat thudded in her ears. “Sorry for shouting at you, darling. That was really dangerous. It’s okay now, sweetheart. It’s okay. You’re okay now.”

Owen’s weeping subsided into hiccups as Adria rubbed his back.

Random bits of drug paraphernalia were not unusual on this playground. Meadow Hill’s dope heads probably hung out here more often than the estate’s children. But Adria had never seen a needle around, just lying in the grass where her child could pick it up.

Her arms tightened around Owen. Even if she did get the council to sort out her substandard housing, there would still be the issue of her son growing up in a place like this, where his local playground had two pieces of play equipment that worked alongside needles and smashed liquor bottles and who knew what else.

Katie was leaving. It was time she did everything she could to get out of here, too.

She stood slowly, turning to face her friend. “Give me that solicitor’s phone number.”

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Adria pushed Owen’s stroller toward her apartment block. The building crouched its gray bulk on the edge of the concrete courtyard, looming over a dingy square like a neighborhood bully.

Katie was leaving. Her only friend in this miserable place would soon be gone. And her hands still shook after grabbing that needle from Owen. What if he’d pricked himself?

At least the usual group of idlers who loitered around the courtyard weren’t here today. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with catcalling and nonsense after the afternoon she’d had.

She sucked in a deep breath and held it as she approached her front door. The stairwell next to her ground-floor apartment always stank of vomit and urine, and she didn’t want to inhale it if she could help it.

She pulled her keys from her pocket and opened the front door, pushing the stroller inside ahead of herself.

Adria released her breath only after closing the door. No matter what anyone else did out there, at least she could keep her home clean and safe. She could shut out the smells and most of the noise. Although, no matter how long and hard she scrubbed, she couldn’t rid the apartment of the odor of mildew that clung to everything. Not unless the council finally did their job and fixed whatever was causing the damp.

She let Owen out of the stroller and folded it up, stowing it in the closet next to the front door.

Singing softly, he toddled behind her as she walked toward the living room.

She froze, and he bumped into the back of her leg. A brick lay in the middle of the floor, surrounded by broken glass, soil, and shattered earthenware. And the remains of her window plants. A jagged hole in the window marked how the brick had come in.

Her heart pounding, Adria grabbed Owen’s arm as he tried to walk past her.

Her phone buzzed with a text message.

TEXTER: Pity about yr window. Thats what u get for sticking yr nose where its not wanted. Watch out. Sometimes, kids r hurt coz of there mums stupidity.

There was lots more, describing her with the filthiest, most vulgar words and racial slurs.

Her hand trembled, but she kept a hold on Owen as he squirmed to get away.

It was Mike. It had to be. He’d figured out she’d called social services. He already knew Adria had tried to convince Bella to leave him. It wouldn’t have taken much for him to put two and two together.

Adria could handle the dirty looks Mike and his cronies threw her way when she saw them around the estate. She could block out the insults, too. But they were threatening her son now and putting bricks through her window.

She could complain to the council until she was blue in the face. But what would the authorities do? Even if she could prove who had done this, after weeks and weeks, perhaps, they might give Mike an antisocial behavior order. A mere slap on the wrist that would do nothing to protect her and Owen.

She had to move out of Meadow Hill. To do that, she needed money.

The universe, or God, or whoever was out there, had sent her a message, and she was listening loud and clear. She would call that lawyer right now and find out how to get child support for her son.