This is a continuation of a piece of fiction I wrote on my blog in February 2012......
The humiliation of her mugging stayed with Anna for several weeks afterwards. The Guards took a statement for insurance reasons. Anna could describe every tiny detail of her attacker's face but she knew it would make no difference. The Guards had enough on their plates without dealing with her trivial case. She missed her iPod and her music and was reluctant to go walking again.
Mark dealt with the news as she expected her husband to deal with such news, with rage. "If I ever catch that fucker I'll kill him. How dare he even think he could put a hand on you." However, within ten minutes he was back to his usual routine. "You've lost one of my socks. How can I put a pair of socks in the wash and only get one back." "Roll them in together and they won't get lost," was her angry reply. She was tired of this circular argument that continued every evening.
Her son had thrown a huge temper tantrum in the garage earlier when she was getting petrol. He was used to getting a Bob the Builder comic every Friday but this week they didn't have a copy and he was beside himself with anger. His body contorted as he kicked and screamed on the ground. Three people in the queue had looked at her with contempt as she attempted to control him. But it was impossible. She had to wait it out. She was sure that his problem ran deeper than bad manners. He could understand when she said no to sweets but he hated when a routine was broken. She could feel his pain but didn't know if this was motherly love being subverted. Was she 'too-protective' of Oisin, as Mark had accused her.
Oisin was watching a Bob the Builder DVD in the playroom while Mark watched rugby in the main room. She decided to lie down for a minute on the bed. She enjoyed the cool air from the open window as it brushed her face. It was a lovely day outside. She'd bring Oisin for a walk in half an hour. She just wanted to clear her head after the stressful day.
Not long later she heard a car pull into the driveway. Sighing, she gingerly stood up and looked out the window. It was Una, her sister-in-law with her baby twin girls, Regina and Olivia. She stood at the window looking longer than she usually would, reluctant to move. Una got out of the car. She regarded the back garden and the house carefully. Then she walked over to the washing line and took two socks down and put them in her jacket. Anna couldn't take in what she had seen. Why would Una do that? She must have imagined it.
When Una came into the kitchen with her girls, Oisin was standing on the kitchen table and kicking the spilt salt into the air. "Jesus, Anna, how do you stick that kind of behaviour? That's bold now Oisin. Didn't your Mammy tell ya." Mark walked into the room. "For feck's sake," he muttered. Anna grabbed Oisin angrily from the top of the table and Oisin started to howl. "He'd behave better if you'd take him outside in the fresh air," said Una.
Anna regarded the scene and then calmly asked, "Why did you take socks from the line, Una?" Una denied all knowledge of what Anna was talking about, looking at her with pity.
"I photographed it on my phone. I was looking at the lovely day and caught you doing it." With that Una smiled and answered, "Just having a bit of a joke with you Anna. Where's your sense of humour gone?"
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