Chapter One
Jane Westwater was a normal girl. Aged nineteen she worked part-time in McDonald's at the weekends, but during the week went to St Andrews University, where she studied Mathematics. She hoped of being a maths teacher as she loved to teach. But in this story, she would never become a maths teacher. She would never go back to university, as her life was to be changed for ever.
*
Jane stepped off the bus and gave the driver a normal 'thanks' as she got off. It was late and the city streets were empty. The university was in Fife and she lived in North Dundee. Her part time job didn't pay her enough to rent a dorm at the university and her mother and father had split up a long time ago. She lived with her mother who also worked at McDonald's but as a full time job. Her mother was poor as well and she couldn't give her daughter any money for rent, as she took out a mortgage that she was only just being able to afford to pay back.
Jane walked along to the end of the street, down the narrow alleyway and turned left and along the path to her house. She put her key in the key hole and turned it to open the door. Her mother was usually home by now and she was normally sitting in her armchair watching EastEnders. But no. All of the lights were off and the place was freezing. She turned on the hallway light and then headed upstairs to the cupboard in where the central heating switch was. She slid the switch across to the left, turning the orange light on, and turning the heating on. She walked across the landing to her bedroom, open the door dumped her bag on the floor and sat her self down on her desk chair. She took her books out of her bag and started to study.
After studying for forty-five minutes, the door bell rang. She looked at her wrist watch. 11:30pm. It's probably mum and she's left her keys at work, again.
She walked downstairs to see the glass doorway in front of her. It was not her mother at all. She walked downstairs and opened the door. In front of her were two Policemen with a pair of grim looking faces.
“Miss Westwater?” said one of them in a deep voice.
“Yes, how can I help you,” she replied.
“I'm PC Donald and this is PC McGarver. We need to my have a few words with you. Can we come in?” said the same policemen.
“Sure,” she said sounding confident and cheery. But those were her exact opposite emotions. Something had happened to Mum. When she had tried her mobile phone, it rang then went straight onto voicemail. They followed her through to the living room, where they all sat down. Jane sat down on the edge of her mothers arm chair. The two policemen sat themselves down on the tiny sofa they had.
“We're here to tell you about some unfortunate news that happened just outside of St Andrews. Your mother's car failed to turn one of the tight corners and went into a ditch upside down. I regret to inform you that your mother died instantly in the crash,” said PC Donald.
The emotions inside Jane were unimaginable. She was in shock and in horrific sadness. Her mother was dead, gone, forever. She'd never get to joke and laugh with her again. She could never sit and watch EastEnders with her. She couldn't do anything with her any more because she was gone. Jane stood staring into space, her red. The Police spoke a few words to her but the were just noise. Like mumbling in her head. After ten minutes the police put something on the coffee table and left.
*
Jane were dressed in black. It was day of the funeral. She stepped into the funeral car, the coffin behind her covered in flowers. Her mother lay just behind her, silent for eternity. The car started and drove straight to the graveyard as she knew her mother wouldn't have liked a church service as people making a big fuss over her. And also Jane hated to think it, but there was no way she could afford it. She stepped out of the car to see about seventy people in the graveyard, some she knew and some she didn't. They all gave her a little friendly smile. Four men walked over to the coffin removed it and took an end each. They walked over to the six foot rectangle in the ground they carefully removed it from their shoulders and took a rope each and started to lower it into the ground. As they did the minister, Rev. Baxter, spoke the words from his book. The coffin got lower and lower into the ground. It seemed to be an endless gap in the Earth that would go on forever and ever. The minister said the worlds but somehow Jane looked up towards the cemetery gates and saw a man in a suit with dark blond hair and blue eyes. He saw Jane and they looked at each other for less than a second.
Jane knew who that man was and didn't want to look at him. The man turned round and stepped into the back of a black Jaguar. The Jaguar started and drove away. The funeral service ended and Jane took one last glance at the coffin in which her mother lay in. The funeral was over as in no time. She was back in the car, only there were three people in it instead of the four that had started. The minister and driver were in the front and Jane was in the back. The coffin had lay on the wooden area were coffin usually goes. She started to sob and realize that life was never to be the same again.
*
Jane returned to University two weeks later. All her friends and teachers were extra nice to her. She returned to work soon after. She got a letter from the bank saying that repossession would be in two months if she did not make the next payment at the end of the month. After that, she would have no where to go. Homeless. Council house demands were huge in the area and nothing was being done about it. The telephone company cut the phone line so she had to use a pay as you go mobile. She managed to get more shifts, working from six in the morning till eight at night. It was basic minimum wage, at £5.50 an hour, and she was working thirteen hours a week and earning £143 a week.
Jane had thought of something that could benefit her but also damage her career. To get full time shifts every day which would give her £500.50 which would enable her to pay the mortgage and would leave her £100.50 to pay gas and electrical bills. She would just going to stick with her mobile phone, as it would cheaper to run one phone than too. But to be able to do this would mean quitting university. It was a huge decision that would completely change her life forever. She could try and get in contact with her Dad but she hated him. He was a criminal and a drug dealer. She couldn't tell the Police though as it was her Dad but she hated him.
*
Jane knocked on the door of the Head of Mathematics office, Mr Bright.
“Come in.”
Jane opened the door and walked in his office. A man with a friendly looking face, wearing a shirt and suit with a eye catching yellow tie sat behind a shiny desk with a glass face and metal legs.
“Ah Jane! What a pleasure to see you! How can I help you?” he said, with great enthusiasm and a big smile on his face.
“I'm here to tell you that I'm going to be quitting my mathematics course, so I can get more money so I can pay my mother's mortgage. Since she died, the bank have threatened me with repossession because my weekend job at McDonald's can't pay the £800 a month mortgage. My boss has said he will give me as many shifts as I want,” she explained.
“I'm very sorry to here that. I wish there was something I could do. Your just about finished the course, with it finishing in nine months. I could try and speak to the department that does the dorm rent--” he said before Jane butted in.
“I've tried them giving me a cheaper rate but the cheapest rate they could give me is £80 a week, and I only earn £60 odd a week. My boss said he will only give me the extra shifts if I work full time,” she said.
“I'm very sorry that you are going through such a difficult time. Don't you have any relatives you could go and stay with?” he asked.
“All of my grandparents are dead and my mum and dad split up when I was seven. I'm not sure where he lives and we don't get on at all, due to his work,” she said. She couldn't tell Mr Bright that her father was drug dealer.
“Hmm,” he said. “There isn't much more I can think of. You are too old to go into foster care or adoption. Have you spoken to Dundee Council about this?”
“They just said I need to find a job with more pay or quit university, as there are no council flats available to stay in and B&Bs are full. So I'm sorry but I'm just gonna have to quit,” said Jane. Life was getting bad luck more and more each day. When would it end? When would something good happen? She prayed in her head that God would save her from all this mess.
*
It was quite simple really, she quit university. Her boss, Martin, put her on a 6am till 8am shift seven days a week. She made quite good money, enough to pay off her mortgage and to have a decent standard of living. Earning just under £2000 a month she was quite happy and began to get back on track with her life. She still kept in touch with her friends who were at university and they went out clubbing on a Friday night. She had to work hard for her money. She took two weeks off her work, as she was offered 4.8 weeks holiday a year. She went to Spain with her friends and stayed in a hotel right by the beach. It was without doubt the best holiday she'd had in her life and was having the best time off her life.
