A Writer's Wonderland [PDF] - University of Portsmouth

But as the days went by Doreen’s mood did not change, not even when he took her to
the pub for a rum and coke. She was only happy when she had time to herself in the mornings
before Earl came back for the rest of the day. This was the time she would sigh with relief, make
herself a cuppa and think about the good old days. They had married in the country and Doreen
had fallen in love with it. She had also made her best friends there, girls who gave her a break
from married life, but Earl had fallen in love with being a salesman. The pickings were slim in
the country and so like a fool she had followed him to this dirty, smelly place where her looks
had been wasted working day in and day out. She had been too busy to make friends and now
she resented that the most.
The days were so lonely. So similar she could predict every minute of every day. The flat
let in the cold, grimy outside world so that even her home was no longer a cocoon of safety, of
comfort. It was a reminder of how harsh a hand life had dealt her. Her misery must have pushed
through Earl’s calamity because the very next day he insisted that she attend the Barker and Co
Christmas ball and that he would buy her a new dress. Once upon a time, this would have
brightened her week. Now she dreaded mixing with society, should she have to admit to the
drabness of her own life.
The day they went shopping was cold and wet, and the wind howled like wolves. The
bus was full to the brim and people pushed and pulled as they shuffled in. They were going to
Blackpool, a few minutes’ drive from their own little town. Doreen supposed on a sunny day the
pier, music stands, inviting and vibrant cafes but today, just like she, they were sad and
misplaced. The sea roared along with the gull’s screeches and the waves crashed against the
sharp, deadly rocks. The scene was one of destruction and havoc, but it brought Doreen peace
and tranquillity. To look at the deep, dark water below was to look at the absolution that it
would stop this dreadful existence and that she would never have to work in the coffee shop
again. She would never have to worry about having nothing, no friends, no one to love, no
children. She would never have to sit on the bed waiting for Earl to leave for work.
Her trembling hand gripped the rail until it turned as white as the sky overhead. She
stepped up onto the wall and looked down. Earl was just returning from the vending machine,
an ice cream clutched in each hand. His hopes of a better day than recent ones where returning.
He was just in time to see his wife’s slight, puny body drop like a stone over the pier’s banister.
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