This story was written in answer to the Ragtag Daily Prompt : Martyr
Martyr means: A person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs. To make suffer for ones actions and beliefs.
I also added the Word of the Day challenge word: Schmutzwortsuche which means to look up rude words in the dictionary – I kid you not!
Here’s what I came up with …
The Schoolboy Martyr
The phone ringing at 1 AM is never a good thing. Janice answered it without lifting her head from her pillow. “Hello? … Yeah, I’m his mother … HE DID WHAT? … alright, I’ll be there soon.”
Janice dressed and shot out of her house like an enraged bull. She jumped in her old Saab and drove through the city; breaking several speed limits in the process. Her destination was a petrol station on the outskirts of the city. At this time of night, the forecourt looked like an amusement park with all its lights blazing against the dark thundery skies.
Janice drove in and parked behind a police car. She observed an officer walking along a line of youths she didn’t recognise and her sullen-looking son Liam. She stepped out of her car and found herself with an Officer waiting to talk to her.
“Identification and driving license please, Madam,” he requested.
“Good evening, officer. I’m Janice Bowers; that’s my son Liam over there.” Janice gave her details and license from her purse.
“Thank you, madam. I’m afraid we caught your son in the front seat of the Rover over there. He and the seven others there were crammed in and wearing no seatbelts. They were joy-riding well over the speed limit and making increasingly reckless turns and manoeuvres. Fortunately, nobody was hurt or killed and no damage done. They stopped in here for petrol as we pulled in to intercept them.
“Bloody hell! I’m sorry.” Janice felt embarrassed for her son.
“No problem, do you recognise the car?”
“Never seen it or these other boys and girls before.”
“Okay.” The officer made some notes in his police book.
“There’s no need to punish my son. I’ll kill him for you.” Janice gave the boy a murderous glare.
“I’d rather you didn’t go to that extreme. I have enough paperwork to do already.” The officer returned her paperwork with a grin. “He does need a talking to though for sure.”
“His ears will be ringing for a month – trust me.” Janice took a calming breath. “Will he be charged?”
“He wasn’t driving so he’ll be getting an official warning when he attends the station in the morning.” The officer pointed to Liam. “Come here, boy. You will go straight home with your mother and she will bring you to see me tomorrow. Failure to cooperate will see you arrested on breach of bail understood.”
“Yes, sir.” Liam slouched and stared dejectedly at his trainers.
“You may go.” The officer returned to his partner and the other kids.
“Get in the bloody car – NOW!” Janice threw open a door and almost hurled her son inside.
“Alright, I screwed up. Don’t get all psychotic with me.” Liam mumbled.
“Don’t you tell me what to do, boy!” Janice slammed the door and got in the behind the wheel. “Who’s that lot?” she questioned as she drove out of the petrol station.
“Markus is in my class the others are from around his estate.” Liam had picked a spot in the glass of his window and sat staring at it.
“Why the hell were you in a car with people you don’t know? And with no qualified driver huh? – you stink of smoke too!”
“I didn’t smoke hon—”
“You bloody better hadn’t. I can’t believe you did this, Liam. You’re twelve years old and should never be in cars like that! The police might only be warning you. I’m punishing you severely. Your PlayStation is has gone until Christmas. Your phone …”
“Christmas, that’s five months!” Liam yelled.
“Make it Easter then.” Janice braked and directed her car around a left turn and accelerated again.
“Easter! Why make me a martyr, huh? All I did was go along for the bloody ride. I didn’t steal the car or smoke or do anything!” Liam’s face reddened with regret.
“You were in the bleeding car, Liam. You were taking part in joyriding within a car carrying too many kids. You could have been killed or killed other people. I am not making you a martyr; I am helping you learn. Its time for changes. There will be no more social media. There will be no more games or pointless schmutzwortsuche. You—”
“Schmutzwortsuche! What the hell does that mean?”
“If you looked up useful words instead of rude ones in the dictionary you might know …” Janice gave him a filthy look as she negotiated a roundabout. “Yeah, I know what you do in your room. I’m not dumb, boy.”
“For flip sake, mum! I made one mistake and now you’re going off like Adolf fricken —”
“Don’t say that name! You didn’t make a mistake. You got into a car with kids and raced about who-knows-where for goodness-knows-how-long, like reckless little pillocks. As a result, your friends FB, Twit-whatever and Insta-grandma is it?
Liam sighed and hid a grin. “Instagram, mum.”
“Whatever, those social media sites are going to miss you for a long while. Oh, and you better hope marigold gloves are fashionable because there’s going to be a lot of chores for you.” Janice parked outside her house and got out.
“That’s not fair!”
“Get your arse indoor and get to bed!” Janice propelled him up the garden path. She unlocked the house and ushered him inside with a desire to belt him one.
“But, Mum!”
The front door slammed shut. With Janice that mad, I’m not brave enough to go inside and see what happens next.
The End
Thanks for reading my friends. As always there are more stories to be enjoyed (I hope) in the Short Stories and Short Stories 2 tabs.
Have a great day!
This is quite the realistic tale! Though the boy did wrong, with a mother given to such furious reactions I predict rocky rebellious teenage years ahead. 😦 Good use of the prompt words, though. 🙂
One point: I don’t think they’d post bail for him if he was never arrested. Consequently he wouldn’t be arrested for “breach of bail.”
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Thanks for reading, Christine. Mummy – got a bit too mad, didn’t she lol
I think the police officer was threatening arrest in order to get Liam to behave rather than following procedure. After all Liam wouldn’t know at his age. Good point on the bad procedure though – thank you.
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Really well written and very creative. Great use of language and dialog. It, unfortunately, reminds me only too well of raising my own two boys. Janice is lucky she only had Liam to contend with (LOL!!) Very entertaining read, Mason. Well done 🙂
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Thank you, Jim
My Mum would agree myself and my brother were little nightmares. I hope your boys didn’t do what Liam did. That’s really dangerous!
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I really enjoyed the tale. ☺️
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Thank you so much for reading. Glad you enjoyed it.
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😊
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I really enjoyed that story! If only more parents took the hard line early on, perhaps there wouldn’t be so many teenagers getting into trouble because they’re aimless and without boundaries, and that makes an excellent recipe for boredom and eventually disregard! Clever tale too, working in the word that way! EXCELLENT! Applause (and you’ve gained yourself a follower here. I can’t wait to read more! )
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Aww thank you so much for reading and for this wonderful comment.
I agree, discipline seems non-existent too often these days and then the result is a bunch of bored louts breaking the law all over the place. Shame really.
I appreciate you following me. Regards Mason.
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Very enjoyable story.
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Thank you so much for reading.
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You are welcome.
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Very real. I’m with Melanie and wish more parents disciplined their kids harder.
One of the rules foster kids were told on arrival was that if they got into trouble with the law, not to expect us to come and bail them out. House rules were for everyone though, not just them.
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Hey, well done for fostering that’s wonderful. I like that no bail rule. That teaches important accountability for actions. Kids need to learn rules, limits and boundaries. Thats the only way they can grow to be respectful and responsible.
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I fostered 15 kids in four years (previous relationship). It was one of the most rewarding times of my life.
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I applaud you that’s absolutely amazing.
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Thanks. Hubby and I tried to foster but had a silly social worker who expected me to give up my job to take under 2s short term when I was the main breadwinner and we wanted teenagers with the view to adopt.
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That was silly. How are you supposed to look after them if you’re no longer able to make money. Daft person!
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Along the lines of what we thought. She upset me that day, so Hubby got her coat and showed her the door.
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I don’t blame you for making her leave. That was ridiculous.
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It was a shame though as they were crying out for foster carers for teenagers at the time and we felt we had a lot to offer. Should have been given a different social worker, but we didn’t have a lot of say on that score.
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So stupid wasn’t it. You had all the experience, were ready and willing at that stupid person wrecked it all for you. disgraceful.
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Social workers were not the same as those I came in contact with from a different council authority. I guess we should have put in a complaint, but I was really upset about her attitude.
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I bet you were. Amazing how the same department change be so different in different councils isn’t it.
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Yep. When we moved, we tried again with another authority and the social worker we were assigned was lovely. She understood us perfectly. however, the format, scrutiny and background checks had all changed and were very intrusive. Not that we had anything to hide, but we felt that being married for 20 years plus was an important factor, but they were more interested in how many partners we’d had before we met, our bank balance and childhood backgrounds. I can understand the need to be careful, but these were pushing the boundaries, and the social worker admitted that, saying that if we got past the first stage of interviews, it was even more in depth into our pasts. We didn’t pursue it.
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Ridiculous isn’t it. We understand they need to be careful but thing like past marriages, places you lived centuries before don’t tell them anything they need to know. So long as your police record is clean. You have a good safe home and money to take care of them. Especially as you have a proven track record in caring for fasters you should be good to go in my book.
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Sadly my experience with my previous partner didn’t count. Ho hum. How things change.
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Seems to me that they’d rather not foster kids anymore. You’re perfect and you cant do it, so nobody else can stand a chance.
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It has all changed now.
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No kidding and not for the better by the sounds of it.
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It’s the kids I feel sorry for, but then they are a different generation with a new set of issues.
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There must be a lot of kids who never get fosters because nobody’s allowed these days
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😦
Everyone is so busy covering their asses, they forget why they’re in the job in the first place.
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Yup, too many bad incidences happen so they go bonkers with red tape and then everybody suffers instead.
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you got it.
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Ohhhh dear! Hard lesson learned! I’d not be brave enough to go inside either 😕 that’s one angry mumma …
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Ohhhh dear! Hard lesson learned! 😕 that’s one angry mumma …a good story well told.
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Yeah, sure was.
Thank you, Fleur!
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