Phoenix Rising
an excerpt

It’s early. A little after seven o’clock as Teresa tiptoes down the stairs of her parents’ house in West Somerset, still in her nightgown and slippers.
She sneaks along the corridor into the kitchen, which to her relief is empty. Teresa turns on the light and creeps across the kitchen.
She reaches up high, opens one of the cupboards and retrieves the packet of Pop TartsTM, and drops them into the toaster.
Pop!
“Guess, that’s why they call them Pop Tarts,” she whispers.
Teresa juggles the Pop Tart from one hand to another before dropping it onto a plate. She takes a bite; the tart’s blistering hot and burns her lip. She blows hard and then takes another bite of the delicious, blueberry-filled pie. She’s about to take another bite when...
“Tere-sa!”
Teresa jumps and drops the Pop Tart on the floor; thick purple liquid oozes all over the floor. She hadn’t heard her mother coming into the room.
“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?”
Her mother’s face is brilliant red.
“Avin’ breakfast,” says Teresa.
“I can see that. It’s what you’re having for breakfast that concerns me.”
“It’s only a couple of tarts,” she says.
“Only a couple of tarts. Have you seen your waistline lately?”
Teresa doesn’t answer.
“Exactly. I didn’t think so. You don’t actually have a waistline do you Teresa. It’s just one big lump. Not like your sister...Did you know she’s playing in the regional finals, this week-end?”
As if, she could’ve missed that! Her mother had talked of little else for the past week.
Unlike Teresa, Anna has a successful career as a P.E teacher; in her spare time, she coaches the local ladies rugby team...
...unlike Teresa, Anna owns a flat of her own in Reading. Teresa is 29 years old and still living at home with her mum and dad.
....unlike Teresa, Anna is in a stable relationship and is engaged to her boyfriend, Dean. Teresa once kissed a boy at the local comprehensive school (she found out later they were doing it for a bet).
...unlike Teresa Anna is thin. Teresa’s weight has been steadily climbing since she was thirteen years old.
Teresa’s mother takes a bowl and a packet of Kelloggs Special KTM out of the cupboard. She measures out a portion of cereal and pours on a little skimmed milk before placing it in front of Teresa. Taking a seat opposite her, Teresa’s mum picks up the remaining Pop Tart and chews.
“You know it’s for, chomp, your own good,” she says. “You’ll never get a decent job lookin’ like that.”
“Lookin’ like what?” says Teresa, stirring her spoon around in the Special K.”
“Fat, of course,” replies her mum.
Teresa pushes the cereal away and goes back upstairs to her room. She keeps her stash hidden in the bottom of her underwear drawer, in a shoebox. The shoebox is full of crisps and chocolate bars that she’s hidden in her pocket when the boss isn’t looking. Teresa sits on the floor and gorges herself on a king-sized bar of Whole NutTM.
Afterwards, she changes into her usual blue culottes and a plain white blouse. Her Mum is still sitting at the kitchen table except that now, she’s deep in conversation with Teresa’s Dad.
“Hi, sweetheart,” he says, turning around.
It may ‘only’ be a job in a petrol station but Teresa loves it. There is always something to do; taking people’s money after they’ve filled up, working the tills, issuing Lottery tickets, restocking the shelves...time goes quickly when she’s at work.
She’d bumps into Cammy as she walks across the forecourt.
“Morning Cammy,” she says
Cammy looked after the pumps.
He rushes towards Teresa, grabs her by the hand and pumps her hand up and down enthusiastically.
“Teresa,” he’s grinning from ear-to-ear.
Teresa shakes his hand back, hugs him and pulls away. Cammy has ‘special needs’. Roger had told her that, her first day on the job. He said that Teresa had to ‘make allowances’ for him. However, Teresa thinks Cammy is the one who ought to be making allowances for everyone else. Cammy always has a smile on his face, he is always happy and he works hard.
There’s no sign of Roger so she walks through to the back. Sure enough, Roger is skulking out back but he isn’t alone. A girl she hasn’t seen before is pretending to laugh, presumably at one of Roger’s lame jokes.
“Hey,” she says as Teresa walks in, then to Roger. “Where shall I start?”
“Give us a minute, will ya?” he says. “Have a seat.”
“I’m alrigh’ standin, thanks,” says Teresa.
She senses something in his voice. .
“There’s no easy way to say this Terrie.”
“Teresa...”
She’s told Roger a million times not to call her that.
“Teresa. I’m going to have to let you go. It’s nothing personal. The truth is I’m struggling. I can’t compete with the big petrol stations, and the supermarkets.”
“But, but...we’re always busy.”
“Not busy enough, I’m afraid,”
Roger hands her an envelope with the last of her wages.
“Good luck,” he’d says and then turns away.
Teresa walks back across the forecourt, tears streaming down her cheeks; she doesn’t even notice Cammy turn and wave goodbye.
“What’s the matter? What are you doing back?” asks her mum as soon as she walks through the door.
“I got let go.”
“Let go?”
“Yeah. Roger says he can’ afford me no more.”
“Bloody brilliant...You can’t even keep a job at a poxy petrol station. What are you going to do now? You can’t expect me and your Dad to support you for the rest of your life?”
“I, I’ll get something else,” Teresa sobbed.
“Who’s going to employ you?”
Teresa doesn’t answer; instead she turns and runs to her room.