Amber by Heather Burnside (fb2 epub reader .txt) 📕

a note to let you know that you have made me the happiest man on earth. Whenever I’m with you I feel ecstatic and when we’re apart I count down the hours till we can be together again. I love to show you off when we’re out and about too. You looked stunning last night, and I felt so proud.

I hope you have given some thought to the question I asked you. Sorry if it took you by surprise. It felt right at the time and I can’t think of anything that would make me happier than having you as my wife. I will always love you and I’ll always be there for you. Please say you will.

Till the next time we meet.

All my love,

Greg xxx

Amber’s eyes felt steamy and she quickly put the letter to one side so her tears wouldn’t spill onto the paper and smudge the words. It was obvious from reading the letter that her father had loved her mother very much and Amber thought it was heart-breaking that he should die so young. Thinking of all her mother had been through, it didn’t surprise her that she had ended up the way she had.

The most heart-breaking sentence of all was the one that read, ‘I will always love you and I’ll always be there for you.’ It must have felt to her mother like a dagger through her heart every time she read and reread that sentence, knowing that he had been snatched away from her far too soon.

Amber tried to take her mind off the sad reminders of her mother’s past and focus on what she was really looking for. And she thought she may have found it because inside the box, nestled amongst all the treasured mementoes, was a folder marked ‘accounts’. She quickly opened it, trying to make up for the time she had spent rummaging through her mother’s things.

Given that her mother was an alcoholic who could act irresponsibly at times, she was surprised to find that she had kept details of bank accounts, utility bills, et cetera. But she was in for an even bigger surprise when she began to read through them and discovered the details surrounding her mother’s financial affairs.

58

February 2016

It was the weekend and Nathan was having a lie-in. He had just made love to his gorgeous girlfriend before bringing her coffee and biscuits in bed. She was so special to him that he wanted to spoil her in whatever way he could. After fetching the coffees, he had jumped back in bed beside her and now, as they lay there sipping their drinks and making plans for the house, he was feeling content.

Since Amber had told him about his mother’s death, he had tried not to dwell on it too much. He was sad, who wouldn’t be if they had just been told their mother had died? And it would have been easy to get carried away, thinking about his terrible upbringing and the injustice of it all. But he didn’t want to go there. His life had changed for the better and he saw no need to be dragged down by his unfortunate past.

They were deep in discussion about the colour scheme for the bedroom when his mobile rang. He didn’t welcome the intrusion but, nevertheless, he put down his coffee and grabbed his phone.

‘It’s Amy,’ he said. ‘I’d better answer it; she’s probably got a date for the funeral.’

‘Alright,’ said Chloe.

His sister got straight to the point. ‘The funeral director just rang. It’s next Wednesday.’

‘OK, I’ll put in a request to have the day off. Chloe will probably be coming too. What time will it be and where?’

She gave him the details and he was about to end the call, but he sensed she had something more to say. ‘Is that it?’

‘No, it isn’t.’ He heard a heavy sigh before she carried on. ‘I’ve been going through Mum’s paperwork.’

‘Oh yeah?’

‘Yeah. She’s in shedloads of debt, Nathan. The gas, the leccy, the rent. She owes a ton on all of them.’

‘OK, so why are you telling me?’

‘Well, I’m in a bit of a fix, Nathan. I can’t afford to pay all the arrears on my own.’

‘No! Oh no,’ he snapped. ‘There’s no way you’re getting me involved in that. I don’t even live there, for Christ’s sake.’

‘But it’s not my fault she’s got behind with everything, and she’s your mother too.’

‘Was my mother,’ he said smugly, thinking to himself, more’s the pity.

‘But I can’t manage all these bills on my own, Nathan. I’ll get thrown out of the house if I don’t pay the rent and they might cut off the leccy.’

‘It isn’t my concern so do me a favour and stop calling me. I’m not interested!’

Then he cut the call. ‘Bloody cheek!’ he fumed, turning to Chloe. ‘She’s only after bloody money off me.’

Chloe shrugged. ‘I don’t mind if she needs our help.’

‘Well I do, Chloe. If we give in to her now, we’ll never have her off our backs. I’m sad to say it but she’s as big a menace as our mother was, and she needs to learn to stand on her own two feet. I want an end to that life. My future is with you and, as I’ve told you before, I’m not going to let anybody, or anything destroy it.’

*

February 2016

Amber stared at her phone with her lip quivering. She couldn’t believe her own brother would treat her like this. Although they’d never really got along, it was difficult to accept that even he could be this callous.

She was in despair and for a few moments she sat and cried. Never in her life had she felt so alone. Her mother had died, her brother had disowned her, her relatives kept her at arm’s length and most of her friends had moved on. She didn’t know who she could turn to for help.

When she’d first found out the extent of her mother’s debt, she’d put off