Merry Christmas Dad

I walked down the road filled with apprehension. I didn’t know where I was going; all I had was an address and I had no idea where the place was. The neighbourhood wasn’t too welcoming I could see the curtains twitch as I walked along the ill-lit road. A sudden noise startled me but it was only a cat disturbing some rubbish. Smiling at my fear I continued to walk but this time I walked slightly faster so I could account for my racing heart. Trying not to break into a run I scrutinised the numbers on the doors. I was looking for number 45 …97, 95 at least I was going in the right direction
At last I reached number 45, which was brilliantly lit by the festive lights and I knocked on the door and a young girl opened it; she couldn’t have been more than 5 years old.

“Hello, is your daddy in?”

She shook her head and was about to close the door when I stopped her.

“Please don’t close the door; I need to speak to your daddy, do you know where he is?”

She ran down the narrow hall and I saw that the Christmas decorations were also there; she soon reappeared holding the hand of an older girl.
Again I asked the question.

“Is your daddy in? I’m looking for a man who said that he lives here.”

“It’s not my dad, he’s not here. He hasn’t lived here for ages, you mean Tony, he lives here with mum.” said the older girl.

I sighed, “Well is Tony here?”

“No, he’s gone out.”

“Look, can you give him a message? Will you tell him that Jenny was looking for him? He will remember me; we met in a pub last night.”

The older girl looked dubious but nodded her head. I hoped that she meant that she would pass on the message so I said,

“Don’t forget will you? It’s important that he knows because it means a lot to him if he gets in touch with me.”

I hurried home and waited impatiently for Tony to get back to me, but my phone didn’t ring. I wondered if I should go back to his house but I’d already risked a lot by going there once.

The next day I had the phone call

“Tony? Can you meet me? I have something I have to ask you?” I said answering the phone

“Can’t you tell me on the phone?” He sounded grumpy

“Not if you’re using a mobile phone, someone might overhear us. Can you meet me in the Red Lion at twelve?”

Reluctantly he agreed. But I wasn’t sure that he would actually turn up.

The Red Lion was a pub that played music but not so loudly that we would have to shout but loud enough to give us a semblance of privacy. There was no way that I wanted Tony to know where I lived or what I looked like. I didn’t really trust him but I needed someone like him to help me.
The pub was playing Christmas tunes but wasn’t too busy so I found a seat not overlooked and waited for Tony to arrive. To my surprise I didn’t have to wait too long before he appeared. I went to the bar and bought us drinks, a pint of bitter for him and a tonic water for me.

“What was so urgent that it couldn’t wait?” Tony snapped at me.

“I have a job that needs doing and I hope that you can help me.”

“It’s legit? I don’t want to get into trouble again.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t be the one that gets into trouble, all I want is a driver. I want to deliver a Christmas present and I don’t trust the post. I will give it personally. But I have to go tomorrow or else it will be too late.”

“What’s the rush? It’s two days until Christmas we could go Christmas Eve or Christmas day.”

I wondered why he said this when he had those two girls to have a joyous Christmas with but I shrugged off this and just said;

“I can’t go after tomorrow, I have plans. I’ll pay you well, one hundred pounds for a day's work, I’m sure you can do with the money with those two girls to look after.”

He grunted then said,

“They’re nowt to do with me, they aren’t mine.”

Now I knew why he was available when most people are at home with their families, he didn’t feel any commitment to those children.

“Are you going to help me? I need to know now so that I can get another driver if you can’t do it.”

“Yeah, I’ll do it. When and where do you want me?”

“I’ll get the car here and we will leave at 9-o-clock.”

“If you can get it here why can’t you drive it yourself?” he queried but I didn’t want to go into that so I simply said,

“I didn’t say I’d drive it here, just be here and be ready to leave at 9.”

“OK.”

He finished his beer and left me. I breathed a sigh of relief and stood up to go. I knew that no-one would be able to identify me but even so I walked out of the pub and looked around me as if I was being followed but no-one was there. I walked to my house making sure that I wasn’t being followed and going indoors I took off my glasses and wig. The person seen in the pub had now vanished and all I had to do for my plan to succeed was to wait for the next day.

The next day dawned and I put on my makeup and wig again. I drove the car to the pub car park and waited for Tony, remembering to put on the glasses.

True to his word Tony turned up in time to start driving at 9. I told him where to go to, it was a small market town in Wales, as we drove there I dozed until Tony woke me by asking where we were going now. I looked around and saw Mold, it hadn’t changed since I’d left it, I suppose these small towns never do, I directed him to the small terraced house and told him that he could park further down the road, where it widened.
I used a key to get into the house, it might have been a mistake but I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. Letting myself into the front room I looked at the Christmas tree and smiled, everything looked normal, even festive.

I quietly made my way upstairs whilst pulling on my surgical gloves. I went into the front bedroom and there in the double bed was the person I’d come to see. He looked smaller than I remembered. Leaning over him I grabbed a pillow and held it over his face, he didn’t even struggle. There was a strange gurgle and then he was still and not breathing.

“Happy Christmas Dad,” I said and turned away.

Carefully putting the gloves into my pocket I went down stairs again and using a glove I opened the front door and left, gently closing the door after me. Making sure that the gloves were safe I then made my way to the car and opening the door sat down.

“That was quick,” said Tony.

“She didn’t want to talk, even after me coming all that way.” was my reply.

The drive back was as silent as the one there,I was glad that I'd asked Tony to drive becaus eI was in no fit state to drive in. We arrived back at the Red Lion car park and I gave Tony the money. I waited until he left and breathed deeply, taking my courage in both hands I knew that I had to pull myself together and move the car. I turned the car around and drove it back to the garage where I kept it. In the garage I removed the false number plates and put the real ones back. I walked back home feeling numb. I knew that I’d given my father the best Christmas present he would have wanted as he hated being an invalid confined to his bed. But that didn’t make me feel any better.
I arrived home and lit the fire. I burnt the wig and gloves, raking over the ashes and keeping the fire going by adding coal. All I had to do now was dispose of the false number plates and I knew how to do that; I’d put them into the recycling bin after wiping them clean of finger prints.
The phone rang making me jump, it was my sister. She was crying,

“I’ve got some bad news for you, Dad’s dead. I found him in bed when I went this afternoon.”

“Oh no, I’m sorry; I know that you’ll miss him. How did he die?”

“He was in bed, they’d told me that he might go anytime but even so it’s still a shock,”

By this time I was crying but I knew that I had to be careful.

“I’ll come down, if you don’t want to be alone.”
“Please, if you don’t mind".

And so I drove to see my sister and we buried Dad, there were no suspicious circumstances because he’d been expected to die so no autopsy was carried out I was never found out and I never told anyone what I’d done;until now.