Four Wheeled Hero by Malcolm Brown Page B

Grandmother, we have to treat
him as one of the family and smile all the time, even if it makes
your face ache’.
     
    ‘Does that mean
we can’t see each other’, enquired Tommy disappointed with the
thought of not seeing his best mate.
     
    ‘I suppose so’,
replied Smithy.
     
    With that the
school bell rang and they filed into school with the rest of the
children. The day dragged on for Tommy, and not even the extra
sticky toffee pudding could bring him out of his deep depression.
Even Smithy left some of his chips as the two friends sat almost
lifeless over lunch.
     
    Friday was
early finishing at Tommy’s school so he was pleased that they could
spend a few hours together before the day was out. They spent their
time in Smithy’s garden where his dad had built a large shed to
take Smithy’s train set. Tommy would have his tea at Smithy’s which
would allow them an extra bit of time together before it was time
for him to go home. As always his mother would collect him at 5.30
and wheel him along the road to his home.
     
    ‘That’s funny’,
said Tommy’s Mother as they approached their bungalow. ‘Your dad’s
not home yet. He’s never late on a Friday’.
     
    They entered
the house and Tommy put the TV on to watch the Simpson’s on Channel
4. Suddenly there was a loud knock on the front door.
     
    ‘I’ll get it,
cried’ Tommy to his Mum in the kitchen.
     
    Tommy opened
the front door to a very large man who pushed past him and headed
for the kitchen. Within minutes he was back dragging his mother
with his hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming. He told
Tommy to go back into the lounge and he followed behind still
dragging his Mother.
     
    On entering the
lounge he threw Tommy’s Mother onto the settee and told them not to
make a sound or else. Tommy joined his mother who clutched him
towards her looking quite terrified.
     
    ‘Don’t give me
any trouble and you won’t get hurt’, said the evil looking man. ‘If
you behave yourselves this will be over in a couple of hours’.
     
    Tommy sat
silent with his Mother studying the villain just in case the police
wanted a good description like they do in the movies. He was very
tall and broad and dressed in jeans and a red tee shirt. He had a
scar across his left cheek that looked as if someone had cut him
with a knife. His eyes were deep and menacing and he kept winking
his right eye every few minutes.
     
    Tommy was
building this mental picture for further evidence when a mobile
phone suddenly started to ring. The man took the phone out of his
jeans pocket, said a few words in a low voice, which Tommy could
not hear, and handed the phone to Tommy’s Mother.
     
    ‘It’s for you’,
he said giving Tommy a glare as he did so.
     
    Tommy’s Mother
placed the phone to her ear and almost broke down in tears
immediately.
     
    ‘Yes, yes’, she
said. ‘Please let me talk to him so that I know he’s ok’.
     
    There was a
short pause before his Mother spoke again.
     
    ‘Have they hurt
you’, she said just before the man grabbed the phone out of her
hand.
     
    Tommy’s Mother
started to cry again and Tommy moved closer to comfort her at the
same time as being concerned about his Dad.
     
    ‘They are
holding your Dad prisoner’, she blurted between the tears. ‘They
want him to open the safe of his bank so they can steal the money’,
she went on to say just before the man dragged Tommy away from his
Mother.
     
    ‘Do as you’re
told and no one will get hurt’, he said again. ‘You’, he added
pointing to Tommy. ‘Go and put the kettle on and make us a nice cup
of tea’.
     
    Tommy felt like
telling him to make his own tea, but his mother told him to do as
he was told, so he headed for the kitchen. He filled the kettle
with water and plugged it in before getting the mugs out of the
cupboard. To show his unwillingness to carry out his instructions
he crashed and banged everything down as he went about his
task.
     
    Suddenly