The Rabbit Hole Gang

The depressed alcoholic reached for his sip of coffee across from me his glare was on the words in front of him, it felt like the weather outside had changed dramatically to reflect his mood and would have been better if she had been victorious. The three friends sad watching the ghastly conditions outside. On the path returning home he asked for £40 unaware that he had spent the entire of his employment benefit on booze in the last few months he asked her for more money and complained about a stomach bug. She felt angry and used and not only that everyone she knew was saying that she should not give anything to him. He lied about the stomach ache as a sob story it was sheer alcoholic poisoning. He had the morals of a gutter snake and although he protested he walked away, knowing he could use her again and again for money. His survival depended on other people's hand outs and kindness and a few people fell for it. This she promised herself would be the last time she offered him money. It seemed like he saw her as a soft touch and could manipulate her to his needs. Morning broke, and she knew that she had to address the uncomfortable feelings of poverty, how would it turn out for her in the next few years, how would she survive? Her books had turned to nothing but a damp squib and no only that but her religious friend was convinced that she was making mega bucks and and that she also had a job. The shame she felt for not making millions for her family was palpable, but then she realised that it was their shame and disappointment that had made her strong and resilient and determined to better. To her mother it was all about the money, to her father, it was all about the ego, and her brother, he never understood the self sacrifice she was going to put herself through to prove a point to their mother, who genuinely only cared about money. As she called him enquiring kindly about his sickness she felt angry and relieved there were people who cared but often she felt as if life was more important than these publications. Her family had been together most of the weekend, excluding her was another way her mother had some kind of power over her, but she knew her niece would love her all the same when she grew older and that this was not their intention but her excluding sister in law. George called that morning his face was brimming with pride at his film production and could almost sense how he looked down on her, she felt touched and happy that he had called her. The rain circled around the flat swirling gusts of bleakness and as she curled deep in to her duvet she and chomped on the chips left in the fridge she felt disparaging and low. Only a miracle could help her now, a new job or some kind of inspiration. It was revenge that inspired her, sheer revenge, years of put downs and abuse from local yobs and from the bar flies that lurked in the local pub the Rabbit Hole, she felt strong and empowered and determined not to let these men and all their nonsensical slurs effect her. She realised that in this small independent town it was better to live alone than to be permanently attached to someone. The Rabbit Hole was now permanently closed in lockdown which meant the usual group of drunks could not congregate and make her life hell. This had always been the way. They seemed to scream at her " A woman in a bar?" "Our wives and girlfriends are safely tucked behind doors" It was sad because they were losing out on love and intimacy and drinking with their buddies to recreate lost youths. She wondered if they had lost loved ones or if something had happened to them, to make them bitter and angry against women. The team of friends became strong now, lockdown was making them resilient, food parcels were put through doors and the good people almost seemed to become better. The blokes in the Rabbit Hole were not her concern and neither did they care really about her only their own selfish needs. She published book three and it was turned in to a movie which they took their grandchildren to. She became a multi millionaire. Six years later, one spring morning while the usual blokes in the Rabbit Hole were having their first pint drawn and sitting casually observing each other with contempt, she drove up to the door in her large car her hair had grown long and she was sitting on a bench outside she was slimmer and had been to military fitness boot camp, the Rabbit Hole gang sat, as did George, she walked in and removed her sun glasses and ordered a bottle of wine and sat in the corner. George approached her, he recognised her immediately and she smiled at him, she drew up a bottle of merlot and started to sip silently observing the scene, it was as she had walked in to a time warp. She poured George a drink and slowly smiled. He had only come to visit his daughter who was now a qualified nurse and had not seen her for six years. Her sleek business outfit felt out of place. She kissed George passionately and he for once did not treat her as if she was just nothing to him.

"So why here, Al?"

"I just wanted to see this place one more time, before I go on the ferry to France!"

He grinned "So am going with you?"

Two large burly men approached . The guys in the Rabbit Hole were slurring drunk and miserable. A small adopted daughter tugged at her arm and they ordered a meal.

"So, George, this is my husband and his brother, I've been living in France for the last six years"

George stood up tears dripping down his cheeks his eyes were flooding with tears. George politely shook their hands his heart was filled with despair.

"Who is that Mummy?"

George walked back towards the Rabbit Hole gang, pinched a woman's bottom and sat down.

As they drove off to the harbour and boarded the ferry, she felt a sense of happiness. Finally, she had what her friend said she had needed all those years ago, she was famous, rich and the Rabbit Hole gang were still drinking ale.