Thursday, July 07, 2005
Scum of the earth
She's a tall woman, almost 6ft, and once she was strong. She always worked hard and expected little. She's never owned a house; or a car. Life hasn't been generous to Eve. Now she's old. Her thick, dark hair has turned steely. She doesn't see or hear as well as she did and ten years ago, she lost a leg to a rare bone cancer.
Eve doesn't have much in the way of family, just one son -who neglects her shamefully- and his four children, growing up now. When they were small and she was strong, she looked after them all. Oh yes, she always earned her way did Eve. She cleaned for 20 years at the local hospital before she retired and after work, well she went home and cooked and ironed and cleaned for her son and his children.
She's never been an easy woman to get along with - a bit of a rebel and too outspoken for her own good most of the time - but her heart has always been in the right place.
Now she lies in bed in her sparsely furnished but spotlessly clean public housing unit and for the first time in her life, Eve is afraid.
She's known a few criminals in her time, lived through the war years and earned extra dollars taking bets for an illegal bookmaker. She married late and her husband died before too many years. She's always relied on herself; never been afraid to stand up for herself.
But last week something happened to Eve. She was asleep in her little unit when thieves broke in through the back door. Probably just as well Eve doesn't hear too well these days because she didn't hear them break the door down. She slept through them ransacking her cupboards and rifling her handbags and didn't wake when they threw her bottles of medicine on the floor and crushed the tablets she needs to keep the pain at bay.
She didn't see them when they left with what remained of the fortnightly pension cheque she'd cashed that day. She didn't know anything about it till after she struggled out of bed in the morning and swung herself clumsily into the kitchen on the crutches she uses these days.
Now her one sanctuary has been denied her. The little unit she loved. The nicest, newest place she'd ever had just doesn't feel safe anymore.
And sleep won't come as she lies awake every night listening for the sounds of someone else coming to do her over.
Eve doesn't have much in the way of family, just one son -who neglects her shamefully- and his four children, growing up now. When they were small and she was strong, she looked after them all. Oh yes, she always earned her way did Eve. She cleaned for 20 years at the local hospital before she retired and after work, well she went home and cooked and ironed and cleaned for her son and his children.
She's never been an easy woman to get along with - a bit of a rebel and too outspoken for her own good most of the time - but her heart has always been in the right place.
Now she lies in bed in her sparsely furnished but spotlessly clean public housing unit and for the first time in her life, Eve is afraid.
She's known a few criminals in her time, lived through the war years and earned extra dollars taking bets for an illegal bookmaker. She married late and her husband died before too many years. She's always relied on herself; never been afraid to stand up for herself.
But last week something happened to Eve. She was asleep in her little unit when thieves broke in through the back door. Probably just as well Eve doesn't hear too well these days because she didn't hear them break the door down. She slept through them ransacking her cupboards and rifling her handbags and didn't wake when they threw her bottles of medicine on the floor and crushed the tablets she needs to keep the pain at bay.
She didn't see them when they left with what remained of the fortnightly pension cheque she'd cashed that day. She didn't know anything about it till after she struggled out of bed in the morning and swung herself clumsily into the kitchen on the crutches she uses these days.
Now her one sanctuary has been denied her. The little unit she loved. The nicest, newest place she'd ever had just doesn't feel safe anymore.
And sleep won't come as she lies awake every night listening for the sounds of someone else coming to do her over.
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