Regrets

Why had Steve left him alone there with the child? Why hadn't he let him  go and make the phone call?
Steve always chose the easy option. Hadn't a clue what to do with the child.

"I’d better go," Steve had said. "Someone might recognise you."

"I could be there and back in an hour," had been his answer. "And why should anyone recognise me more than they would you?"

"With that ugly mush, you’re a walking advert for the bad guy. With my just short of handsome good looks I don’t get noticed, except by the occasional girl."

That had been over two hours ago. He knew what had happened, Steve had called in at a pub to get some Dutch courage and wasn’t giving him a second thought. He’d be standing at some bar now with a pint and a pie. He’d be in the warm with light and company. And here he was in this damp dark place with a snivelling kid.

"For Christ’s sake, shut up!"

His angry words were directed towards a corner of the room where a child of about seven years of age was sitting on an old battered armchair. His knees were pulled up to his chest with his arms hugging them.

"Do you want a drink, something to eat, anything?" He’d tried to soften his tone but the child’s eyes had just got bigger and more saucer like.

"You’ll be home soon. Just stop crying!"

He picked up the newspaper and tried to lose himself in the half-completed crossword. Not something he usually did but anything was better than trying to avoid looking at the child.

Why had he let Steve persuade him?

"Come on Ben it’ll be easy. Money for old rope."

It had always been the same, even in infant school. Where Steve led Ben would follow. It was almost as though Steve had put a spell on him, he just couldn’t say no even though he was always the one left to do the dirty work.

He looked up as he became aware, once again, of the stifled sobs. A small, blonde haired boy with blue eyes, now red and swollen from all the tears. His school uniform, which no doubt had been clean and neat at the beginning of the day, was now crumpled and dirty.

He saw himself in that child.

Could see himself sitting by the bins in infant school, crying just like this one. Afraid to tell anyone in case they came and got him again.

Then Steve had arrived.
"D’ya wanna be my friend?" he’d asked. And that was it. Steve was always there to protect him against the others. He supposed that was why he could never say no to any of his madcap schemes.

This must rate as one of his maddest ideas so far. His previous projects had all been slightly shady and not quite legal but Ben really thought that this was a step too far.

"This’ll be the last one," he’d said. "There’ll be enough money to set us up for the rest of our lives." He’d outlined the plan but Ben was still not convinced.

"We’ll go and have a look at the place. If you don’t think its possible we’ll not do it."

In the end Ben had reluctantly agreed and that’s why he was sitting in a due to be demolished house with a sobbing child.

Steve had planned it all very carefully. The child had happily come with them, believing at first all that Steve had said. Once they reached the house he began to say he wanted to go home and then the tears had started and they just wouldn’t stop. Steve left Ben with the distraught child whilst he went out to make their ransom demands.

Ben looked once again at the child who had now fallen silent, exhaustion he supposed.

"Come on. Get your coat on, I’m taking you home." The boy shrank away from him, afraid. Ben knew that Steve would be back at any minute and if he didn’t do it now Steve would persuade him to see the plan through.

"Come on! We’ve got to be quick."

Reluctantly the child did as he was told. They left the house with Ben making sure that Steve was nowhere around.

He held his hand out and the child nervously put his into it.

Ben felt a strange lightening of his heart, he knew he was doing the right thing.