The Crush by Scott Monk Page B

realised how hard it is to raise a baby. You demanded every minute of your mum’s time and he couldn’t handle it. He wanted to party all the time but he couldn’t because he had to stay at home to look after you and your mum. One day he even suggested that you be put up for adoption—’
    â€˜Adoption!’
    â€˜You have to understand it was a tough time for all of us. Your father was seventeen by then and your mother fifteen. They were way too young for that kind of responsibility. They didn’t know what they had got themselves into. We all thought the idea of adoption was for the best. Everyone except your mother, of course. Thankfully she is a stubborn woman and she fought to keep you.
    â€˜Eventually, your mum talked your dad into changing his mind and he promised to stick by you both. They moved into the garage at the back of myold house and borrowed some furniture. Your father dropped out of school and found a job at a fruit and vegetable shop.
    â€˜Everything was fine for about a month. That’s until the bills started coming in. Your parents would argue every night and day about money. They were loud and angry arguments that would last all night long. Your mother would leave crying, only to return in the morning after your father had managed to woo her back.
    â€˜After a particularly heated argument one night, your dad jumped in his car and left for the pub. He ran a stop sign and collided with another car. He ended up in hospital for eight weeks.’ The lady covered her mouth. ‘You should have seen him. He was a complete mess. They had tubes sticking out of him everywhere. I thought my son was going to die. Your mum and I wouldn’t leave his side. We were so glad when we finally saw him walk out of that horrible place after two months. The doctors said there was a chance he’d never walk again. And I thought it would be the end of the fighting between him and your mum.
    â€˜But it wasn’t. Your dad lost his job. The medical bills, food bills and knockbacks for work eventually wore him down. He and your mum continuedfighting until he made the worst decision of his life: he left you both.’
    â€˜Left? What do you mean?’
    â€˜He just got in his car and never came back. No letter. No goodbyes. No phone call. He just left. It broke your mother’s heart. She’s never forgiven him.’
    â€˜Then what?’
    â€˜You know the story. Your mum took care of you by herself. She said she didn’t need any help. She worked one job after another to support you both. She moved into her own unit. I tried seeing you a couple of times each week but your mother wouldn’t let me. She blamed me for your dad leaving. I said she was being ridiculous. She said I was banned from ever seeing you again. She never forgot that we wanted to put you up for adoption.’
    â€˜So she shouldn’t,’ Matt said angrily. He hadn’t even been alive very long and his whole future had been haggled over. That’s if this lame story was remotely true.
    â€˜That’s all in the past now. I admit that it was the wrong thing to do. I was just as scared as your parents at the time. Your mother has punished me ever since. She has never let me see you even after I’ve begged and begged her. She keeps a silenttelephone number and she moves every time I find it or your home address.’
    â€˜How did you find us this time?’
    The lady pointed at the framed newspaper articles. ‘You’re a talented footballer. You’re bound to pop up in a story somewhere.’
    Matt couldn’t stand this farce any longer. ‘Sorry lady, you’ve got some nice stories but I don’t believe any of this. You sure know about my mum and me but you could’ve learnt most of it from those articles. I don’t know what scam you’re pulling, but I don’t want to be a part of it. See you later.’
    He marched along the corridor