The Neighbour at Number 18: She Seemed to Ask

By Hawa Crickmore

This book narrates everyday events in a neighborhood and covers sensitive subjects that many people find uncomfortable to discuss. We must not pretend they don’t exist. The book is purely fiction and intends to describe the influence of people in each stage of our lives. It also shows how people deal with the ups and downs and challenges they face during their lifetime. The story’s purpose is to educate and entertain readers.

The Neighbor at Number 18 is a life story of a woman whose childhood experiences horribly manifested in her later years and as result of dementia. The book is packed with romance, friendship, family, and discoveries. It is strictly an adult read.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Feb 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9781546288688

Hawa Crickmore

Hawa L Crickmore, was born in Ghana in 1958, she has a Bachelor Degree in Education and taught at various levels in Education. She also studied at Middlesex University in England and obtained a Masters Degree in Health and Social Care. Hawa had a great passion in writing as a child and wrote short stories which she destroyed later after giving them to friends to read. Her desire to take writing seriously was inspired by her mother who told her a family history. Her first published novella is ‘Across The Ocean’ which also inspired her to write ‘The Neighbour at Number 18’. Hawa is a widow and has two sons, two daughters, two step daughters and four adorable grand children; Francesca, Jerry Junior, Alex and Robyn.

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© 2018 Hawa Crickmore. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 04/06/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5462-8867-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-8868-8 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Chapter 1     The Family Friend

Chapter 2     Emilia’s Cousin Tyler Staples

Chapter 3     Emilia Is Advised

Chapter 4     Amanda’s Warning

Chapter 5     Maria Anderson Marries Ronald Makintosh

Chapter 6     Tyler Dies

Chapter 7     Safari In South Africa

Chapter 8     The House Next Door

Chapter 9     Betrayal

Chapter 10   A Broken Man

Chapter 11   Mimi Goes Missing

Chapter 12   Brenda Passes Away

Chapter 13   A Message From Emilia

Chapter 14   Maureen Found

Chapter 15   Tammy Goes On A Holiday

Chapter 16   The Farm Must Go

Chapter 17   Jonathan Comes Home

Chapter 18   Maria Gets A Stroke

Chapter 19   Maria is Diagnosed

Chapter 20   Jonathan Takes Over

In memory of Ken Crickmore, my husband

Chapter 1

THE FAMILY FRIEND

A s a single mother of three, Brenda was always under pressure with the day’s events. She had found a way to cope with the stress by taking advantage of the few opportunities she had. For example, when all the kids had gone to bed at night, she would fill the tin bath with warm water and soak for thirty minutes, pampering herself with a cup of tea while she listened to music from the radio. This did not happen very often.

Last night was a bad one. She had tossed over and over in bed while thinking about how she had suddenly become lonely. Just last year, she had a man—a man who cuddled her in bed, said sweet words into her ears, said he loved her dearly, and kissed her over and over again. But now she had nothing. All had vanished before her eyes.

It came flashing back. She was eighteen when they met at a friend’s party. James had offered her a drink and had asked her for a date, which she accepted because he was charming and tall and had dark hair and sea green eyes. He took her to the coffee shop uptown and brought with him a bunch of roses. James kissed her after they had finished their coffee. It was simple but nice to be noticed, and she never said no to subsequent dates with him.

Then he asked if she would be his girlfriend. That did not come as a surprise. Brenda was expecting it, for they seemed to bond well. Her mother liked him and had said casually he would be a good husband one day.

The two were married a year later, and before the second year ended, Maria was born. A pretty little girl she was, and she had her father’s sea green eyes. She was an adorable baby and brought joy to the couple. Jonathan was born two years later, and then baby Anna came. James was a hard-working husband and earned money for his family.

They had been married for twelve years when tragedy struck. James had died.

As Brenda lay awake, she could see him: his smiles, jokes, anger, and fear. She could see them all. Why did he have to leave her and the young ones so soon? She silently cried and whispered, ‘I want my husband back. I want you back, James.’ She had to be careful not to be seen or heard by the children. They got upset too.

‘Please go. Go away. I want to sleep. Go away,’ she said to herself. She wanted the thought of her late husband to go away so she could sleep, but it wouldn’t. It had carried on into most of the night.

She got out of bed and yawned, went to the kitchen, and got herself a glass of water. Then she checked the clock. It was three in the morning. She went back to bed, and sleep overtook her.

This time, she had a good sleep and was woken up by Maria.

‘Mum, I will be late to school. It’s past seven, and I haven’t even had my breakfast yet.’ Maria sounded alarmed.

Brenda jumped out of bed, washed Jonathan, made a quick breakfast for all of them, and then fed the baby, dressed him up, and put him in the pram.

‘Let’s go, sweetheart. Hurry. We are very late. I am in trouble. Miss Johnson and Mr. Simons will not be happy with me at all.’

She dropped Maria and Jonathan at school and headed to town to do some shopping, then she bumped into a lady who was also busy shopping and pushing a baby in a pram.

‘Mondays are not my days. It’s too busy. I don’t look forward to it at all,’ Brenda said.

‘Ain’t we all?’ the lady replied.

‘I have just dropped the children at school and have to do this before afternoon,’ Brenda said, looking at the lady carefully. She looked familiar. Finally, she said, ‘I think I recognize you. We live on the same street.’

‘Really?’ the lady replied.

‘Are you not on number 28 at Brentwood Road?’ Brenda asked.

‘Yes, that’s where I live,’ she replied.

‘I live at number 14.’

‘I moved there just last year when my fiancé left without reasons.’

‘That must be very hard for you. Men!’ Brenda said sympathetically. ‘My name is Brenda. What is yours?’

‘Maureen.’

‘My husband passed away. He had cancer,’ Brenda said sadly.

‘Oh God. Sorry to hear that,’ Maureen said apologetically.

‘I was pregnant then. My mother was a gem. She helped me pull myself up. She came all the way from Rochester.’

‘Rochester?’ interrupted Maureen.

‘Yes, Rochester,’ Brenda repeated calmly. ‘That’s where we come from. My father is the local vicar, and my mother worked at the dental surgery as a receptionist. James and I moved to London when we got married. Mum came round when he passed away and took care of the children while I organized the funeral. I was in bits, but the children were my inspiration. They have kept me busy as my mum went back home.’

‘Which school do the children go to?’ Maureen asked curiously. She was aware that most children who lived in that community attended the Catholic school. ‘Is it St Michael’s?’

‘Yes,’ Brenda answered.

‘My daughter also goes there. She is fourteen and in a senior class,’ Maureen said.

Brenda had seen the girl who lived in number 28. She walked past their house every morning. ‘She is a pretty girl, your daughter,’ Brenda said.

‘Yes, Emilia is, but hard to please,’ Maureen replied with a smile.

The two women did their shopping together while talking about themselves and then headed to the bus stop. While they waited for the bus, Maureen detailed how she originated from St Lucia in the Caribbean. Her parents migrated to England when her father got a job as a bus driver. The recruitment was advertised in the local shop, which attracted only a few applicants. ‘That could have been the reason that I was employed instantly,’ her father had joked.

She said she had a sister called Jade, who was a nurse.

Maureen was in the middle of her narration when the bus arrived. Unfortunately, only one pram was allowed in. Brenda left with the first bus. She got home feeling tired.

Her daughter Maria’s birthday was coming. She would be ten the following week, soon to reach her teenage years. Brenda could not imagine how fast her daughter had grown and had planned a trip to the London zoo, which Maria was very excited about. Brenda asked Maureen and her daughter to come with them. It would be a day out in a weekend, and both mothers thought it was an ideal opportunity for them.

It was a lovely day at the zoo, and Maria and Emilia got to know each other better. Emilia was like a big sister to the little one. She was protective of Maria as they ran around the zoo watching different species of birds, reptiles, lions, and tigers. But the most fascinating of all was the chimpanzee Yebo. They gave him bananas and watched him swing on the trees and beat his chest to show off his strength and power. The two girls laughed and giggled.

This time gave Brenda and Maureen the opportunity to get better acquainted with each other and concentrate on the very young ones. While the girls played around, Maureen and Brenda spoke about life experiences, and Maureen finished her story. She told Brenda about her first love, Emilia’s father, and how he had also passed away.

Then she talked about her friend’s relationship. Her friend, then eighteen, fell in love with the neighbour next door, an older man in his thirties. She said they were both so much in love that before they could think of marriage, the friend became pregnant. Though the pregnancy was unplanned, both decided to keep the baby. He was a good man, the friend confessed, but they never discussed marriage. When their daughter was born, he loved her so much and did whatever he had to do for her but kept the idea of marriage silent. Then her friend suggested they should get married, but he was indifferent about it, and whenever she raised the topic he gave excuses, so she gave up and continued to live with him because she loved him.

One day her boyfriend and his mother had a row, and it all came to light. She was the cause. The mother of her boyfriend was behind it all. She did not like her, which made her friend surprised because she said they really got on well. Her friend could not imagine that his mother had never liked her. Her friend and her boyfriend got married after all and moved out of town. The story ended.

On their way back on the train, Emilia and Maria made jokes throughout the journey. Both families were happy with the day’s events. They became stronger in their friendships.

Maureen suggested that Emilia walk Maria and Jonathan to school to relieve Brenda from some of her morning pressures.

Emilia was in a senior class at St Michael’s. She was Maria’s role model, and Maria was fascinated by the attention Emilia got from the boys. She would wear a miniskirt just an inch closer to her buttocks to show her tanned legs. She had long, curly blonde hair and tied it back in a ponytail when going to school. And after school, she would untie and throw it over her shoulders. Emilia was aware of the male attention and would walk stylishly with her head high. Maria felt important walking with her. The girls in her class always commented about how she dressed and the way she walked.

Connor was one who seemed not impressed by Emilia’s personality. Teachers found it difficult to get Connor to concentrate in class. He was bigger than all the boys and taller than everybody in the class. No one dared laugh when he got the simplest questions wrong, and he always got them wrong. He would wait at the gate for anyone who had laughed and harass them all the way home. He had been reported several times but always managed to get away from his crimes.

Connor had an accomplice; her name was Jenner. The two were notorious bullies in the school, and the head teacher had given them a final warning, that the next offence would mean an expulsion. Connor lived with his foster parents and had been in care all his life. He was bullied himself, as he lived with another older girl Sara, seventeen. She had always accused Connor of stealing things that got lost in the house. She would tell their foster mother that Connor had damaged her homework book. The foster parents had to punish him, as he could not say any plausible thing to defend himself.

Connor was intimidated by Sara, and that made his life miserable. He was afraid to go home after school. The only person who was close to him was Jenner, and the two would hang around getting into mischief and making people feel bad in themselves. The only good thing one could say about Connor was that he was a good athlete. He won every race and said he would be the greatest fighter since Muhammad Ali.

Jenner came from a wealthy home and was simply a spoilt child. Her parents didn’t want to hurt her and allowed her to do things her way. She did not listen to what her parents said, but they always stood by her even if they knew that she was guilty of a wrongdoing. Jenner had the lowest grades in the class, but she was not bothered. She had told her mates that she would like to get married and have children, and for that she did not need any formal education.

Connor and Jenner were the troublesome ones in Emilia’s class. They would follow Emilia after school and make comments about how stupid she looked, saying Emilia could not even bend to tie her shoelace. They called her ‘attention seeker with no brain’ and would follow her until she got to her street making embarrassing comments.

Emilia just ignored them and would turn to say, ‘I don’t listen to bullies like you. Get off my back!’

Maria found the bullying very unpleasant but did not tell her mother about it and decided to show Connor how to respect a lady.

As they walked down the road from school one Friday, Connor as usual was waiting at the gate and called out, ‘Here she comes, the slapper of the year.’

Emilia walked past and held her head high. ‘Come on, Maria, we must get away from this low life.’ Connor was still following them, making remarks and giggling. Out of nowhere, Maria whacked him with her school bag. He stumbled in surprise.

‘What did you do that for?’ He dashed towards Maria, but before he could strike a blow, Maria pushed him so hard that he fell—into dog faeces, as it happened. That sent everybody laughing.

‘It serves you right, you bully!’ Maria screamed at him.

Jenner came from nowhere and was about to go straight into Emilia, but the head teacher confronted her. ‘Hey what