Broken by Oliver T Spedding Page B

blue and yellow overalls walked
into the kitchen.
    “ Is there
anyone else in the house?” she asked.
    “ No, just
me.” I said.
    “ What’s your
name?”
    “ Garth
Gilmore.” I replied.
    “ I’ll get
someone to come here as soon as I get back to the hospital.” the
woman said as she turned and hurried away.
    I shrugged my
shoulders. I didn’t need anyone to look after me. I could manage
quite easily on my own.
    A few minutes
later I heard the ambulance’s engine burst into life, the siren
began wailing and the vehicle moved smoothly away.
    About an hour after the
ambulance had left to take Aunty Rose to the hospital I was in my
bedroom preparing to go to bed when I heard a knock at the front
door. I went to the front door dressed in a T-shirt and rugby
shorts. A middle-aged woman smiled at me.
    “ Hello.” she
said. “Are you Garth Gilmore?”
    “ Yes.” I
said.
    “ I’m Misses
Phillips from the Child Welfare Department.” the woman said. “I’ve
come to see that you’re okay. I understand that your aunt, Misses
Cooper, had a nasty accident.”
    “ Yes.” I
said. “But I can manage on my own.”
    “ Good.”
Misses Phillips said. “But, as you’re still under the age of
eighteen, it’s our duty to help you if necessary. However, I
haven’t come here to boss you or try to run your life. I just need
to make sure that have adequate food and that the water and
electricity account has been paid. It’s obvious to me that you’re
quite capable of looking after yourself. Do you have enough
food?”
    “ Yes.” I
said.
    “ And is the
water and electricity account paid up to date?”
    “ Yes.” I
said.
    “ And have you
had something to eat this evening?”
    “ Yes.” I
said.
    “ Okay.”
Misses Phillips said. “I’ll come past here each evening to see that
you’re alright. If there are any problems you can tell me about
them and we’ll fix them.”
    “ Okay.” I
said.
    After Misses Phillips had left I
went back to bed. I lay in the darkness smiling. With my aunt in
hospital I could now do whatever I wanted to.
    Living on my
own in Aunty Rose ’s house wasn’t as much
fun as I’d expected it to be mainly because there was nobody for me
to defy. Also, I could watch pornography and masturbate whenever
and wherever I wanted to which took away the risk that had made it
so exciting. Misses Phillips made no demands on me and the black
domestic maid that the Welfare Department sent to dust and clean
the house ignored me completely. I continued to go to school each
day and in the afternoons I played snooker and pinball. Then I went
home and ate whatever I could find; cereal, tinned foods and
biscuits. As I continually forgot to buy milk I was forced to eat
the cereal dry and drink black coffee. During this time it never
entered my mind to go and visit my aunt in hospital.
    Eight days
after my aunt ’s accident, I had just
finished eating a tin of baked beans in tomato sauce and was about
to climb into my bed when I heard a knock at the front door. As
Misses Phillips had already made her daily visit I opened the front
door with some trepidation. Two men stood on the
veranda.
    “ Are you
Garth Gilmore?” the man in the front asked.
    “ Yes.” I
said.
    “ I’m Captain
Williams of the South African Police Services.” the man said
showing me his police identity card. “And this is Warrant Officer
Piet Cilliers.” the man said pointing to his companion.
    I felt my
heart begin to race and I faint sweat broke out on my forehead.
Were the police here because of my pornography habit? I couldn’t
think of any other reason for their presence. I stared at the two
men, trying desperately to appear calm, even though my heart was
pounding in my chest. Since my aunt had gone to hospital I had
neglected to delete my web-surfing history.
    “ May we come
in?” the Captain asked.
    ‘ Yes.” I
stammered, stepping aside to allow the two policemen into the
house.
    Without asking, the two visitors
walked