The Will

© 2012 by Trudie-Pearl Sturgess. All rights reserved.

Cover photograph and design by The Sons of Africa Studios Canada

Author photograph by The Sons of Africa Studios Canada

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Published by AuthorHouse 08/20/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4772-5928-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-5926-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-5927-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012914746

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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

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

The Will is dedicated to the late

Miss Agnes-Edith Osei,

whose life was cut short by cancer. And Henry Osei-Kwaku who died suddenly on Good-Friday morning 2012.

Mama Georgina and Guntre Osei-Kwaku.

You are always in our heart.

To Chrissel and Torian Sturgess:

the price of comfort is sheer determination;

Strength and perseverance are what you give me.

I could not ask for more, my darlings.

I carry your hearts with me always, my sweethearts.

You are my Will . . . TS

Thank you once again

Dr Sally Braun-Jackson for

your hard work editing my books.

Chapter 1

T wenty-five years ago, at the age of thirty-eight, Mark Madison was hurt on the job, working for the Clapham local council building low-income flats. He was given the compensation, to which he was entitled, but the pain in his back was too much for him, and he was forced to quit. Never one to sit still for very long, Mark began his own construction company, doing odd jobs: installing flooring, kitchen renovations, and attic conversions. Most of the time, it was a good life, especially when he had jobs.

D orothy, Mark’s beloved wife, with beautiful blue eyes and blonde hair to go with them, would be the first to tell you she has never put a drop of bleach in her hair—not since the day she was born. A year younger than Mark, Dorothy is a social work. She and Mark met at St Frances Catholic Secondary School. Mark had just transferred to the sixth form and they hit it off the first time they met on the #37 bus to Clapham Junction. After years of dating, they got married and bought a home in Battersea Park, southwest of London. The house was offered under a power-of-sale arrangement and not in very good shape, but Mark re-assured Dorothy that he could fix it to the way she wants. Dorothy agreed, and they moved into the house. Within a year, they welcomed their one and only child, Dean. Mark always liked to do stuff with his young son and would sometimes bring Dean to small job-sites where the boy would pick up dropped nails or help clean up rubbish.

D ean is a good lad. He goes to school and afterwards, he has a part-time job with his Dad’s company. Dean loves the physical work. He likes to accompany his father on jobs. He doesn’t have many close friends, not like some of his class mates, and he isn’t one to chase after girls, so he never brings anyone home, much to Dorothy’s disappointment. At sixteen, Dean got a part-time job at the Piccadilly Circus Burger King restaurant. He wants something steadier than the one-off jobs his father can offer. He still enjoys working with his dad, and they continue to have a very good relationship, but Dean likes to be busy. The Piccadilly Circus BK is one of the biggest and busiest fast food outlets in London. Although there is another Burger King less than a mile away from his home, this one is always so busy that the shift time goes by very quickly. Within three months of joining the team, Dean became a shift leader. After two years, he is now a shift manager. Dean is always willing to do more than the other teenagers who work there. Dean is happy to be at Burger King. Many of the young people working there have been on the team for years. They like working with Dean as their shift manager. He never barks orders and refuses to yell at staff like the other managers do.

I t is the beginning of summer, 1980. Dean is working at the hamburger board where he will make countless hamburgers and cheeseburgers for three hours. He checks on his staff, making sure everyone is doing their assigned tasks. Then, he will get his lunch break. Dean is not overly friendly with his co-workers. He has learned that when one is too friendly with co-workers, they want to know personal things about you, or they want to hang out with you after work. Dean likes to keep friends and co-workers separate. He keeps to himself; after all, loneliness is not strange to him.

W orking at Burger King has changed Dean’s personality a little bit. He is more outgoing than he used to be. He can comfortably sit down to have his lunch with the two girls from Italy and conduct a conversation. These girls have been coming to England to work the last two summers to improve their English-language skills. The girls tell Dean they are going to the movies tonight with some of the staff and they invite him to join them. Dean usually goes to the movie theatre with his mother. It’s their special time together, but this time, Dean thinks he would like to go with the staff to see a film. He calls his parents after his break to let them know his plans. His father is not too pleased, thinking Dean will waste what little money he has.

What sort of people are you going to meet at the movies? You must not waste your life, son, Mark advises Dean.

I won’t stay out too long, Dad, says Dean. But I’ve already promised to go with my co-workers.

R eturning to work, Dean discovers a customer has left a purse in the dining area. He picks it up and opens the purse. There are more than two hundred pounds of cash in the wallet as well as two credit cards. There is also a driver’s license of a black girl, and another ID from the London School of Nursing. Dean notes that the girl shares the same birthday as his mother, Valentine’s Day. He smiles. She looks pretty, thinks Dean. Dean instructs the shift-leader to keep the purse in the office. If the customer doesn’t come back before the end of the shift, he will take it to her later. The address on the driver’s license says the girl lives in South Kensington, a good walk from the restaurant.

D ean was washing his hands to go back to his station when he saw the girl return to the restaurant. She went to the table where she had been sitting and looked around the chairs and on the floor. She asked a few people if anyone had found a purse. She speaks well, is very well dressed, and looks prettier than her photo ID. An older woman accompanies her.

T he woman looked tired, but as she thanked Dean for finding her purse, she opened it and took out twenty pounds. She offered the money to him, but he thanked her and said, There really is no need. The girl flashed him a smile, and thanking him again, she left the restaurant.

You should have taken the money, remarks the shift-leader. That was more money than we make in a day, and you turned it down!

D ean smiled and went back to work. He didn’t join his co—workers after work at the movies, as he had planned to do because it was too hot. Instead, Dean went home feeling tired. He has worked five days a week now for almost a month.

A t the Madison home in Battersea Park, the interior of the house was burning hot when Dean arrived home. He asked his father if e could put on the fan, but Mark said no.

The fan drains too much electricity and we’ve already had a final warning on the electric bill.

D ean is fed up hearing that excuse all the time. It is the same in the winter, too. In summer, the house is always hotter than outside, and in winter, it is always colder. Going to work in a climate-controlled restaurant is much more appealing to Dean. He hates coming home after work knowing what awaits him. He sat down and took off his shirt. His father gets up and leaves the living room where they have been watching the telly. A few minutes later a noise comes from the vent system and the house begins to cool down.

Since when did we have an air conditioner we could afford? Dean asks, worried.

H is father walks over to his mother and stands by her, Yes, son, we can afford it.

D ean smiles, knowing that it would not be just like every other summer: hot, hot and hotter.

M ark has played the lotto since he and Dorothy got married. He always uses the same numbers, the six numbers which are very important to him: the day he took Dorothy on their very first date; the date of their marriage; his son’s and his wife’s birth dates; all of which make up the numbers that he has played on the lotto each week for the last twenty years. No one was more surprised when he won the lotto big win for twenty-five million pounds, only two days ago. Mark and Dorothy have not shared the news with their son yet.

Dad, I’m not really that hot, you don’t have to put the air conditioning just for me.

Son, you and your mother have been going without simple things for so long. A man should be able to provide for his family. Dean didn’t let his father finished what he was going to say.

That is not true, Dad! We have everything most families don’t. And you are the best father a lad can ask for.

D ean’s words brought tears to Mark’s and Dorothy’s eyes. They have raised Dean to be a caring person and he is a very good boy for his age. While they played the lotto, Mark and Dorothy have fantasized about what they would do if they ever won big. Most of all, they wanted to give Dean everything they didn’t have while growing up. Dorothy is concerned that the money will, somehow, change them. They have not yet told anyone they have the winning ticket. Dorothy signalled her husband to tell Dean about their good fortune. Dean was engrossed in a TV program when his father asked him to turn it off so they could talk.

We won! exclaimed Mark. We won the lotto!

D ean stared at his father in amazement. Mark repeated the news, It’s true! We won the big prize of the lotto.

That’s brilliant, Dad. We are rich! Dean exclaimed.

Yes, son. You must understand that having money comes with responsibilities, his father said.

D ean didn’t care as long as it meant they could have cool air in their house. He can ask for a car even, before he starts University. Maybe now he will have the courage to ask one of the girls he work with out on a date, instead of always coming up with some lame excuse of why he can’t go to the movies with them. Now, he doesn’t have to save his money.

D orothy noticed that her son has spaced out; she thinks he might be in shock. Dorothy asked, Dean, did you hear what your father said?

Yeah, Mom, we are rich! We can afford things, lots and lots of things, now. Brilliant! This is fantastic!

H is father was so happy to see his son excited about something. The Madisons went to Spain for holidays a few years ago, so Mark and Dorothy have been thinking about moving to Spain. They shared this news with Dean, who is not surprised they have been thinking about going abroad. In the late seventies, many British people moved to Spain. They found the weather to be good all year around compared to the English weather. The beaches are clean and sandy; and the cost of living is very cheap. In many ways, Spain was like California, only cheaper than California. The real estate market was also booming, mainly because of the lower taxes compared to the taxes that British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her conservative government kept imposing each year. Spain was also the kind of place where English tourists dreamed of retiring. The Madison’s were no different in this respect. Many of their friends have moved and bought themselves a nice villa in sunny Spain. Mark wanted them to move. Dorothy didn’t want to move to Spain. She liked their life in England. She knew that all that money coming to them would make their lives easier. Besides, Dorothy really enjoyed her work and their quiet life. She didn’t want to move.

M ark’s younger brother, Teddy, has been living in Malaga for the past three years. For a year now, he has been telling Mark to move there so they can start their own business. Ted is only thirty-three years old, dark hair with green eyes, a little over six feet tall, not more than one hundred and eighty pounds, and clean shaven. Ted owns a hotel, two apartment complexes, and a bar near the beach with an outdoor restaurant. Dorothy is not too keen on Mark going into business with Teddy. She reminds Mark that Ted was sacked from the bank where he used to work in England years ago for some inappropriate dealings. And she doesn’t want Dean around Teddy because Teddy has always had a knack for attracting friends from all social backgrounds. Some of his friends are not the kind you bring home to dinner. All the years that Dorothy and Mark have been married, they only fight about Teddy and the things he does. Mark refuses to see that Teddy is careless and irresponsible. Dorothy fears that living so close he will come between them. Mark assures her that it will not happen. Mark and his family have stayed with Teddy when they were on holidays a few years back. Teddy and Mark have always been as close as brothers can be. Dorothy agrees to take a leave of absence from her work and go to Spain knowing that Dean would be returning to England to attend college.

I t took a couple of months to wind up their affairs in England after collecting their lottery winnings, but soon afterward, the Madison’s arrived in Malaga, Spain. It was a hot August morning. The home they have purchased was more than they imagined, close to the sea with lots of windows to let in the Mediterranean light. Mark and Dorothy wanted their closest relatives to have a share in their winnings. After all, it was the biggest jackpot in English lotto history. In addition, they set up a trust fund for Dean, accessible at age twenty-one, and they put aside some money for college.

M ark was very thankful to Teddy for finding the perfect villa for them. There are some British neighbours, too, a bonus. Some of them have children and grandchildren the same age as Dean. Equidistant to the town and the beach, Dorothy loved her new house. Dean seemed to be coming out of his shell and was spending some time with Uncle Teddy. Dean has always admired his uncle and the lifestyle he led in Spain.

Chapter 2

B ill Croft is a civil engineer. He is twenty-four years old, blue eyes, only five-foot six inches tall, and not more than one hundred and twenty pounds. He wears glasses, and without them he cannot see anything if his life depends on it. Bill works for the London Borough of Greenwich on the A-1 high way construction from London to Dover. The sub-contractor for the Greenwich Council is a man named Miles Scott, a middle-aged English man, with a goatee and a long black hair to go with it. He is a smooth talker, and very comfortable around every one. Every Friday, Miles takes all his crew to the local pub in Black Heath, where he treats them all to a half pint of larger.

M iles always invites Bill to the pub on Fridays even though he doesn’t drink. Bill appreciates the invitation and enjoys the pub grub. Generally, Miles is well-liked both at the pub and by his workers. He is known to be kind. This Friday, Miles has had more to drink than usual, so Bill offers to drive him home. Bill knows where Miles lives. He has been to his home many times in the past. When they arrive at his semi-detached house in Black Heath, Miles asks Bill to come in for a coffee. Inside, Miles’ teenage daughter is eating in the living room and the kitchen is a mess.

M iles calls out to his daughter, How many times have I asked you not to leave the kitchen a mess and not to eat in the living room?

M iles has forgotten that Bill is still in the house. He begins slapping his daughter with his open hand and beats her. Bill can see everything from the hallway where he is standing. He doesn’t want to get involved, so he quietly opens the door and slips out of the house. Miles hears the click of the latch and stops beating his daughter. He slumps into his lazy-boy chair with his face in his hands.

Josephine, love. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, he stammers.

J osephine manages to pull herself up and she, too, runs out of the house. It is a cold winter night. She has nowhere to go and can’t think what to do. Bill is sitting in his car when he sees her run out of the house. He can’t help wondering whether the girl has killed her father. He tells himself that it is none of his business. As he drives down the streets, Bill sees the girls waiting at a nearby empty bus stop. She looks cold and frightened. Bill shakes his head and says to himself it’s none of his business as he drives past the bus stop. He has driven almost to his own home in New Cross when he turns his car around and returns to the bus stop where Josephine waited, cold and shivering. Bill quickly opens the car door and offers his coat to her. Josephine looks up and sees Bill. She has seen him on many occasions picking up and dropping off her father at their home.

I’m not going back. You can go and tell him that I’m not coming back. I’m sixteen years old. I’m sick of paying for my mother’s betrayal every time my father gets drunk! Josephine yells out.

T his is not what Bill wants, but he can’t just drive away and leave her now. He runs his hands nervously through his hair.

Um, Miss Scott. I’m not here to take you home. I mean, your father didn’t send me . . . um . . . Is there some place I can take you? Can I drop you off somewhere? It’s getting awfully cold.

J osephine could hear the concern in Bill’s voice and judged it to be genuine. She was also very cold. Bill can see her really shivering now. Josephine did not respond. She was trying to think of who would take her in at this late hour. Bill adds, I live with my grandmother not far from here. You are welcome to come and have a cup of tea, and you can get warmed up, if you like.

No, thanks. So you can run and tell my Dad? I don’t think so.

B ill was also beginning to get cold. He has given his jacket and gloves to Josephine, and standing here on the street talking has taken its toll on him. Come on, he encourages the girl. My grandmother will be up watching Coronation Street. She’ll enjoy having someone to share it with and I’ll bet she’ll know what to do.

J osephine thinks about Bill’s offer for a moment. Well, alright, but only if I can use the phone.

W hen Bill opens the front door of his home, his grandmother is, indeed, still up watching Coronation Street. She is also putting rollers in her hair, a task she has performed so many times in her lifetime that she doesn’t need a mirror. She picks up the comb to take a section of her hair with the precision that comes from many years of practice. Madeline is in her late sixties, with grey hair mixed with her original dark colour. She wears hearing aids and never misses the show. From the entryway, Bill and Josephine can hear the sound of the TV.

B ill guides Josephine through the living room and points to the sofa. Have a seat, he says. They have the same wallpaper and the same red carpet that she has at home. Madeline takes her eyes off the TV for a second and sees Josephine. Her heart skips a beat. This is the first time her grandson has brought home a female friend. A very pretty one too, she thinks. Josephine Scott is five-feet five inches tall, blue eyes and golden blonde hair. Madeline notices that the young lady is wearing Bill’s jacket. How sweet, the old lady thinks. You all right, sugar? Madeline asks kindly.

J osephine only nods. Just then, Bill appears with a cup of tea for Josephine. Hello, gran! Come talk to me in the kitchen.

Of course, Sugar!

B ill retreats to the kitchen and pulls up a chair for his grandmother. He takes a deep breath and says, Sorry, granny, but the girl was being abused by her father. She has nowhere to go. Madeline knows all about young girls being abused by parents with nowhere to go and neighbours turning blind eyes. The feeling bears more than a passing resemblance to the abuse she had faced as a child. She is determined to help Josephine.

You did the right thing, Sugar. It’s always good to help those in need.

B ill surveys his grandmother’s agitation and determines to be impartial about Miles’ behaviour. Maybe he had too much to drink and didn’t mean it. I just don’t know what I can do to help her. She is adamant that she is not going home and I didn’t want to leave her in the cold.

Poor thing! I’ll go and make up a bed for her. I left your dinner in the oven. Ask her if she’s hungry, Sugar. I’ll be right back.

Thanks, Granny.

Go now, Sugar. Go see to her.

M adeline turned the bed in their spare room, and took out some more blankets and placed them on a chair in the room.

Miss Scott . . . um . . . it’s rather late. Perhaps you would like to spend the night. That is, if you want to. My gran is making a bed up for you. Would you like something to eat or would you like to use the telephone? Bill asks softly.

F or a second Josephine is nonplussed, and then confesses that she doesn’t have anyone to call, and Bill does not ask for her plans. He offers her some food, but she declines. Madeline returns to the living room and Bill finally introduces them. Josephine thanks them for their kindness and says that she will call the social services in the morning, which will help her find shelter. Madeline advises her not to worry about that, she can watch some TV with her or she can show her room. It’s a colour TV, Bill only brought it for us last week, Madeline says proudly. Josephine smiles. She thinks Bill is very lucky to have someone who loves him so much. He is still holding his grandmother’s hands when he says good night. Although, Josephine is in a home of strangers whom she hardly knows, she sleeps very soundly. When she awakes, Josephine realizes that she is not at home. The events of the previous night come back to her and the reasons why she is here. She didn’t even know the man’s name and she accepted a lift from him and came to his home. What if he goes and tells her father? Her father is going to have a field day about this. She isn’t planning to go to school, in case her father comes by. She made a mistake and told the man last night that her father has been beaten her, and that her father has always said that if she tells anyone about their home life and what goes on in their home she will be in more trouble. What if the Welfare doesn’t want to help her? Then, what is she going to do? And what if the man goes and tells her father? She is still cold and sore all over with pain everywhere in her body. There is a knock on the door and the person opens the door, as Josephine reclines in the bed and pulls the covers over her cold shoulders. It is Mrs. Croft. Josephine remembers the man introducing them last night, but she doesn’t know the man’s name. The old woman has a coffee mug in her hands and smiles. She looks very pretty, and is wearing the same pink towel bathrobe that she wore last night.

We had a snow storm early this morning; they say on the TV that the tubes and the trains are all cancelled for today. How was your sleep, sugar? Madeline asks, as she hands Josephine the coffee mug. Madeline notices the girl is trembling and asks if she feels cold. Josephine suddenly drops the coffee mug because her hands were shaking so much. As the coffee stain spreads across the carpet, Josephine exclaims, Oh! I am so sorry, Mrs. Croft. I’ll clean up. I promise.

Oh, Sugar, it’s all right. You get back in bed. It looks like you didn’t get enough sleep, Sugar. Eh?

J osephine smiles. I should really be on my way. Thank you for letting me stay. As Josephine sits up on the bed, she suddenly feels enormous pain all over her body. She thinks, woozily: I think I have the flu. I have to go home before my dad wakes up and realizes that I’ve been out all night. Oh, no! I can’t go home now, not now. I left home. I left home. What am I going to do?

M adeline notices the girl is very young, and might even be underage. Last night, she assumed the girl was one of Bill’s mates from school. Madeline intuits the girl’s pain, and it brings tears to her eyes as she puts the mug down on the bedside table and pulls a chair close to the bed. She didn’t want to touch Josephine. Madeline remembers how her own abuse made her fearful of being touched by others, even those kindly disposed toward her. She took Josephine’s hand in her own and thought about the step father who abused her while her mother turned a blind eye. She thanks God each day for the love and kindness of William. Madeline reaches out and feels Josephine’s forehead. She was burning up with fever. Josephine relaxed when she sees the kindness in the old lady’s face.

J osephine mutters, I don’t feel so good.

It will be all right, Sugar, Madeline assures her.

M adeline gets up from the chair and moves toward the door. She glances back at Josephine before closing the door. Taking her time going down the stairs, Madeline made her way to the living room where she called her doctor and asked him to make a house-call. Afterwards, she goes to the kitchen and turns on the kettle. She could hear Bill moving about upstairs as he showered, shaved and made his way downstairs. A noise like someone falling disrupts his thoughts. He has taken off his glasses to wipe the smudges and finds himself smashed against one of the columns in the hallway. He puts on his glasses thinking that perhaps his grandmother has fallen, so he returns upstairs to investigate. With his heart thumping in his hands, Bill opens the door of his grandmother’s room, but she is not there. He closes the door. He hears the noise again, coming from the spare room. He rushes down the short hallway, opens the door, and sees Josephine on the floor. Bill has forgotten all about last night. He rushes to her aid. She is rather warm, burning up. Bill picks up the unconscious girl and helps her back into bed. Even though Bill covers her with more blankets, Josephine is still trembling with fever. Bill asked if she was alright, but Josephine didn’t respond. She knew she was in a lot of trouble with her father and didn’t want to say anything to Bill. Bill tells her to stay in bed and he will be back with something for her to drink. Worried, Bill goes downstairs and meets his grandmother making tea. He kisses the old lady good morning and tells her that Josephine has a very high fever and perhaps they should telephone the girl’s father.

We will do no such thing, Sugar. The man is a brute; did you see all the bruises on her face? I have telephoned Dr. Shoemaker. He will be here shortly. Help me carry this tray upstairs, Sugar.

B ill smiles and does as his grandmother says. Soon, the doctor arrives, and after examining Josephine, says she has pneumonia.

Should she be in the hospital? asks Bill.

No, replies the doctor. She needs antibiotics and she must stay indoors. Pneumonia is going around this winter. The weather has been so cold; I’m seeing more cases of it. They say it is going to be even colder.

B ill glances at his grandmother. Josephine has gone to sleep.

I must let Miles know that she’s safe, granny.

No, Sugar, she is sick because she was in the cold weather too long last night and poorly dressed.

We hardly know anything about her, Bill objects.

I know enough! I have been in her shoes, Sugar. Madeline feels a shiver going down her spine.

B ill hates to argue with his grandmother. For almost a week, Josephine will have fever and chills, with difficult and painful breathing. Bill and his grandmother look after her until she is back on her feet. By then, Josephine has come to trust them and confides her father’s treatment of her. Madeline insists that she stay with them until she is able to reach her mother’s younger sister, who lives somewhere in London. Her father has kept them all away since her mother passed away three years ago. Madeline says that Bill works for the council and if Josephine’s aunty lives in a council flat then it will be very easy to find her.

I thought you worked for my dad?

No, I have been working on the same project with him for the past two months and so we became friends, sort of.

Not anymore you’re not! I don’t want you hanging around the likes of him, Madeline says with authority.

B ill and Josephine both giggle. True to form, Bill is able to locate Josephine’s aunty; she lives not too far away from the Croft house. She informs Bill that her former brother-in-law would not let her visit Josephine since her sister’s passing, and he has sent back all the gifts she would send Josephine each week. She invited Josephine to come and stay with her. Since Josephine was already sixteen, there was nothing her father could do about it. Josephine continued going to school while she was living with her aunt. She also would visit the Crofts every weekend and sometimes spend the night or weekends with them.

O n her eighteenth birthday, her aunt took Josephine to the pub, and they invited Bill to join them. Her aunt winked and said she could do worse than Bill. Josephine had her secondary school G.C.E and was now working for the Halifax Building Society Bank in Lewisham. She asked Bill on a date. Blushing, he agreed. The twenty-six-year-old has not had many dates, and he liked Josephine very much. Their relationship blossomed and six months later, they got married. Things could not be better for them. Josephine gave birth to Mandy, their first daughter, and less than six months later, she was pregnant again. It has been four years since she left home and in all that time, she has not spoken one word to her father. Her father has, from time to time, come to the bank where Josephine works and sees how she had grown into a fine young woman, but Josephine did not see him. Bill always picked her up after work. He was waiting for her in the car outside the bank when a drunk driver hit the idling vehicle and ran from the scene of the accident. Bill was dead before the ambulance arrived. As a result of the shock, Josephine had a miscarriage and became very depressed.

T hree weeks later, as Josephine was leaving work, she, too, was killed by a hit and run driver and died at the scene. Madeline refused to believe the police reports that said both deaths were accidental. She was certain Miles Scott had something to do with them. Needing a fresh start, Madeline sold her house and moved to her home-town, Winchester, with her great-granddaughter, Mandy. Mandy was a good girl, always a caring person and earning good grades in school. She has grown to be beautiful. Mandy was accepted into the London School of Nursing when she was seventeen years old. Madeline, now in her eighties, moved to a retirement home in London so she could be close to Mandy.

Chapter 3

T he Benson family were like the Kennedy’s in the United States. They have always held higher positions in Ghanaian politics since Ghana first gained its independence from the British back in 1956. George Benson began his career as a lawyer, who later became a judge, and finally a governor. He is now Ghana’s Principal Secretary. His wife, Maggie, is also a lawyer.

I n the mid-1960s, Maggie suffered a broken hip in a car accident. The metal piece that was used to replace the fragmented bone in her hip became cancerous in later years. Maggie had studied in the UK when she was a child, but her family returned to Ghana and it was there that she met George. Both of them returned to England to study law. In the intervening years, the Bensons have established lucrative law firms in the UK and in Ghana. In 1972, Maggie returned to England for treatment with their youngest child, Lucy, who was only ten at the time. Lucy attended a boarding school just forty minutes from their southwest London home. The ten-year-old was no stranger to boarding schools. Her older brother, Chance Michael, now twenty, has been in boarding schools since the age of six. He studies at the University of California.

T he doctors insisted that Maggie Benson’s cancer is so advanced that treatment will not help. She disagreed with them and began Asian treatments. After three years, her oncologist is surprised to see how well Maggie is doing. George travels to England when he can to be with Maggie and Lucy. This trip, George has been in England for about six months, and is due to return to Ghana in two weeks. His plans, however, are radically altered when a young flight lieutenant, John Jerry Rawlings, stages a successful coup to over-turn the government, claiming wide-spread corruption and expressing a vision of changing how Ghanaian politics ought to move forward. The Bensons opted not to return to Ghana since most of their extended families were executed on the eve of the coup.

T o be sure, Maggie’s health has deteriorated, but she and George have managed to keep it from Chance Michael and Lucy. Maggie worries about Lucy. She tells her husband that they need to instil some of their African traditions and values into their daughter. George did not agree with his wife on this subject, but he felt he was not going to argue about it. After all, Lucy is a good kid.

A t eighteen, Lucy Benson has blossomed into a beautiful young woman. Two days after her eighteenth birthday, she got engaged to Kaysley Manu. Kaysley is twenty-five years old. He and Lucy have known each other since they were children. He is also Chance Michael’s best friend. Both families are very close. Maggie feels the union between Kaysley and Lucy is perfect. Lucy feels otherwise. Although Kaysley and Lucy are very good friends, their relationship is not a romantic one. Their parents need to control their wealth and to ensure the continued success of the families’ businesses. Therefore, an arranged marriage between like-minded families is the best means of ensuring these goals. Kaysley and Lucy know the consequences of going against their parents’ wishes. They also know they could do worse, so they have agreed to their parents’ wishes to save argument and upset. They also have a private agreement between themselves that if at any time either one of them meets someone else and falls in love, that they will be discreet and not do anything to cause embarrassment to their families. The engagement has not been consummated, mainly because Kaysley is studying medicine in America. Lucy, meanwhile, attends the London School of Nursing and living in the nurses’ dormitory in Shepherd’s Bush, training to become a Registered Practical Nurse. She enjoys the work, but her parents have made it abundantly clear that their preference would be for Lucy to go into politics or law. To this end, Lucy has decided to attend Cambridge University in the fall.

N either family has questioned Kaysley’s decision to live apart from his fiancée because he has assured everyone that he and Lucy want to pursue their careers before they settle down to start a family. Yes, they are very much in love with one another, but the distance will make them love each other more and they plan to spend every free moment together that they can. So far, the arrangement is going very well for both of them.

O ne of the Registered Nurses invited Lucy to join her and a group of nurses at a nearby pub in Paddington. Lucy didn’t really want to go because she likes to spend her weekends at home with her parents. She told her roommate, Mandy, about the invitation.

You must go, enthused Mandy. I’m going, too. Then, you can drive us back. There will be four of us since my girlfriend and her sister are coming, too.

L ucy didn’t know what to think. She was the only student nurse on her floor that had a car and she didn’t like to be accountable for everyone’s ride home.

Come on! exclaimed Mandy. It will be fun. We’re just going to meet up with some of the nurses at the pub for a quick drink.

S ince it was her last week at the college, Lucy thought she would go with Mandy to the pub. She and Mandy have become very good friends in the past two years that they have been roommates. Mandy is more sociable than Lucy, so she encourages Lucy to get out and meet others her age. Lucy agreed to go to the pub.

Brilliant! Lucy, you’re a doll!

M andy Croft is twenty-two years old, from Winchester. She is five-foot four inches tall, one hundred and ten pounds, sky blue eyes and long, golden blonde hair. Just like Mandy has said, the nurses didn’t stay long at the pub. They were joined by another girl, Holly Davies, in the same year as Mandy, and they all decided to go to a disco in Covent Garden, London’s west end. Holly’s younger sister, Terri, is the same age as Lucy, and they hit it off right away. Terri has blue eyes, too, just like her sister; she stands about five-feet seven inches tall, not more than a hundred and twenty pounds. They both have short dark hair. Terri is training to be a fire fighter.

I t’s the eighties: disco music is still popular, but gender-bending bands are even more popular. Terri has four tickets to a disco called Moonlighting in Covent Garden where Boy George and the Culture Club are playing tonight. Lucy has never been to a disco and doesn’t know what to expect. She loves the Culture Club. A long queue in front of the club, with a fully parked lot behind, and loud, pulsing music signalled the good time to be had inside.

My mate is a regular punter here. He got me these tickets, Terri says.

L ucy has often danced in her room to the music the band is playing, but she was suddenly frozen, seeing so many people dancing in the dim disco. It is just like that popular TV show, Top of the Pops . Mandy and Holly go to the bar and come back with two bottles of Coca-Cola for Lucy and Terri.

We can’t have you two teenagers getting mashed, Holly teases.

L ooking around, Lucy notices that most of the men are dancing with other men, cuddling up close and kissing. Some of the women, too, are dancing and kissing other women. Lucy Benson comes from a country where men only kiss women. Although, Lucy knows about homosexuality, she often thinks it is not acceptable outside closed doors. The experience of the club is an eye-opener for her. She recalls Mandy saying that she would be meeting up with her girlfriend and wondered whether Mandy mean a lover or a girl pal. Lucy turns to face their table and sees Mandy sitting on Holly’s lap. She still didn’t think there could be anything wrong with that. Lucy has seen girls sitting in each other’s laps: it is no big deal. She glances up again and this time sees Mandy and Holly kissing passionately.

Mmmm—, Lucy thinks.

L ucy and Mandy have been very good friends the past two years. They have even gone on holidays together; so she wondered why Mandy never did say that she likes girls. Lucy found herself feeling jealous seeing Mandy and Holly kissing and caressing each other. She drank some of her Coke and tried to sort out her thoughts.

T erri pulls Lucy’s hands to the dance floor and they are dancing. Terri notices that Lucy cannot take her eyes off Mandy and Holly.

Does she know that you fancy her? Terri yells in Lucy’s ears.

L ucy’s heart rate goes up, and she tries to respond, but can’t. Terri asks again. Lucy runs out of the night club with Terri on her tail. She calls out to Lucy to wait up as she pushes past the very packed night club. For a second, Terri can’t see where Lucy has gone. Terri comes out of the club with a distressed expression on her face.

Fucking hell! Terri screams. She takes out her cigarettes from her pocket and is about to light one when she hears Lucy say, Did you know that stuff kills?

Did you know it’s rude to run out on a person when they are trying to talk to you? Terri says humorously. She recalls Holly describing Maggie Benson’s battle with cancer, so she throws her cigarette into the nearest bin. She sighs and goes to sit next to Lucy.

Are you right? Terri asks, concerned.

L ucy smiles.

I didn’t mean to upset you, Lucy. I was just taking a piss. Sorry, yeah? Terri says softly.

If you must know, I’m engaged to be married and very much in love with my husband-to-be. I had no idea that—Mandy and Holly were lovers, Lucy says defensively.

T erri didn’t know that Lucy was engaged to be married; she assumed that Lucy may be gay and had a huge crush on Mandy the way she was looking at them. I didn’t know that you were engaged.

Well, now you know. And I’d like to keep my friendship with Mandy and Holly without any talks about my sexuality.

T erri was puzzled. She couldn’t think why Lucy was so uptight about the whole subject, but she didn’t want to push it. The girls left the disco well after midnight. When Lucy dropped them off, she drove to her parents’ home. Her mother’s cancer has come back, but her parents have kept it from Lucy. Even though, Lucy is a good nurse, and there is nothing she will not do for her, Lucy knows her mother has kept her illness secret for a long time. An ambulance was at their home when Lucy arrived. She parked her car, but did not get out of it. Mr. Benson has come outside of the house talking to one of the paramedics when he saw his daughter’s car. He has cried privately before his wife’s nurse and the doctor pronounced his wife’s death. Twenty-four hours ago, he was told that Maggie would not last the weekend. He had called Chance so that he could arrive before his mother passed. He didn’t want to call Lucy because she always comes home with Mandy on the weekends. He thanked the paramedics and walked very slowly to his daughter’s car. As George walked toward Lucy’s car, he could see that she was alone. He thought she looked disoriented in the darkness of the night. He opened the car door and helped Lucy out, supporting her as they returned to the house. George’s sister-in-law has been staying with them for the past six months. She quickly opened the door for George as he led Lucy to her room on the top floor of the house. Aunt Emma was breathless by the time she climbed all the stairs to Lucy’s room. When she reached the attic room, Lucy was sitting in a chair. Poor George looked lost, not knowing how to console his daughter. He managed a smile when he saw his sister-in-law standing in the middle of the door.

Lulu, my sweetheart. Aunt Emma is here, my sweetheart. I will be right back, okay? George whispered.

H is sister-in-law nodded at him to go. Emma took Lucy in her arms as they both began to cry softly. Lucy asked what happened and why they didn’t call her to come home. She didn’t want to go the damn disco in the first place. She moved from her auntie’s embrace into her bed and put her head down and cried.

L ucy didn’t sleep at all; her mother was a good mother. She was very set on her African values and their traditions. Lucy really couldn’t discuss anything with her mother as she was always right and knew what’s best. Lucy wished with all her heart that she would have had a little time with her; it was so easy when she was a little girl, before the cancer. It was like cancer made her mother stricter.

L ucy loves nursing and caring for those who can’t do the simple things we take for granted is what makes her happiest. She was never allowed near her mother, especially when she was in pain. Her mother would often let the hired help do things for her instead of Lucy. She reached for the phone by her bedside and called the nursing home where she worked part-time and took a shift. She rushed to the showers and within 30 minutes, she was on her way out of her parents’ home. Her father was in the study.

Good morning, Papa.

G eorge Benson looks up to see Lucy in hospital scrubs. He is very proud of her and her determination to do things that she loves. He pulls his chair back and says, Good morning, Lulu, and walks toward her and gives her hug. He doesn’t really know what to say to her about last night. He is relieved that Lucy is okay. He is able to discuss the funnel arrangements with Chance, at least.

I didn’t think you were working this weekend, my sweetheart.

I took a last minute shift; I will be home after three. Kaysley is arriving this evening. I have to pick him up from the airport.

H er father doesn’t want Lucy to get married at an early age, but he dare not go against his wife’s wishes to see their daughter wed before she dies. He feels that Lucy has not really lived a normal life for a teenager, but to be thrown into a marriage that she doesn’t want . . . Well, that is another matter.

Lulu, I want to discuss something with you, with regards to . . . . mummy’s funeral and . . . um, Kaysley.

Papa whatever you decide about the funeral will be fine with me. I’ll see you tonight. She kisses her father and closes the front door before her father can say another word.

Chapter 4

H olly Davies and her mother work at Buckley Amenities International, a manufacturer of shampoos, conditioners, soaps and other beauty products for the major hotels and spas. Mrs Davies is a clerk in the office and Holly works on the factory floor, packaging products. At sixteen, Holly knew without a doubt that she fancied girls. She had been going out with a lad from her school for three months, who also was working at Buckley, but the relationship just didn’t have the same sparkle that she felt when with a girl.

H olly decided to come out and tell her parents. I am gay, Mom, she confided.

H er mother replied, Well, then, lass, if you’re gay, then you’re no longer my daughter.

I t’s the mid-seventies. Most people think the AIDS epidemic is a homosexual disease, and Holly’s parents weren’t much different. They were frightened for their daughter because they thought she would contract the deadly disease. They did not ask Holly to leave her home, but their treatment of Holly